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Betsy Nelson: Community comes through for city schools
It is an exciting time for public education in Baltimore. In late December, the United States Department of Education announced the grantees for its highly competitive Investing in Innovation (i3) grants, awarded to support the validation and expansion of innovative programs that benefit high-need public school students. Out of nearly 600 applications, only 23 grants […]
Laslo Boyd: Maryland public higher education is on trial
A trial started last week in U.S. District Court in Baltimore that is about both the past and the future of public higher education in Maryland. On its face, the case is about whether the state has done enough to remedy past discrimination against Maryland’s four historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). If a federal […]
Maryland schools ranked 1st in the nation again
Maryland public schools have been ranked first in the nation for the fourth year in a row by a leading education publication. Education Week gave the state an overall letter grade of a B+ in its annual report, which analyzes state education policies and student achievement. Massachusetts, New York, and Virginia followed Maryland with a […]
Donald C. Fry: Alonso, schools deserve resources
In Dr. Andres Alonso, Baltimore City’s public schools have a CEO who still has the passion he brought to his office more than four years ago. He has managed to sidestep potential distractions of politics, conflicting constituencies and unwieldy bureaucracies to deftly apply limited resources to advancing a clear, strategic vision for the school system. […]
Donald C. Fry: Finding common ground in teacher evaluation
New recommendations from a state panel appointed by Gov. Martin O’Malley signal the beginning of what some say will be a “sea change” in how Maryland public school teachers and principals are evaluated. A set of recommendations issued June 20 by the Maryland Council for Educator Effectiveness would put into motion a two-year process of […]
Baltimore schools on half-day schedule due to heat
Baltimore city public schools are operating on a half-day schedule due to a heat advisory in effect for the region. The schools will be dismissing early on Tuesday, and half-day afternoon pre-kindergarten classes have been canceled. However, all field trips and after-school activities will go on as scheduled. The National Weather Service says temperatures are […]
Plan would cut $25M from Montgomery county schools
ROCKVILLE — The president of the Montgomery County Council says all nine members have signed off on cuts to employee benefits and to public schools. Under the plan, the council would cut $25 million from the $1.4 billion it contributed to the public school systems this year. The plan would also give the council more […]
Board of Public Works approves $265M in school construction
ANNAPOLIS — The Board of Public Works has approved $265 million for school construction, but cash-strapped local officials are feeling the strain of finding money to operate them once they are built. The board on Wednesday decided to give Charles County 120 days to work out a plan in finding operating costs for a new […]
Inside the First Amendment: Students’ religious speech at issue again
Just when First Amendment principles seem to be working in public education, new fights over student religious speech threaten to reignite culture-war battles in schools across the country. It’s little known that many public schools made significant progress toward getting religion right over the past decade. Thanks to consensus guidelines supported by advocacy groups from […]
Reisterstown tutoring firm owner convicted of fraud
The owner of a Reisterstown company has been convicted of billing Baltimore public schools for thousands of hours of tutoring that were never performed. The State Prosecutor’s Office announced Thursday that Tracy Queen was convicted of felony theft in Baltimore County Circuit Court. Prosecutors say over three years, Queen billed city schools for more than […]
Labor Dept. fines Md. school system millions
WASHINGTON — The public school system in Maryland’s Prince George’s County has been ordered to pay a total of $4 million to more than 1,000 foreign teachers working there after an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor. The teachers, the vast majority of them from the Philippines, were hired under a visa program for […]
Univ. of Maryland ranked among best value in public colleges
WASHINGTON — Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine has ranked the University of Maryland at College Park as fifth on its list of the 100 best values in public colleges. Four other Maryland colleges made the annual list, including Salisbury University, Towson University, St. Mary’s College of Maryland and the University of Maryland, Baltimore. The magazine also […]
