current events

Now that P.S. 64 Pura Belpre school in Mount Eden is set to phase out in three years, parents are concerned that children in the school are condemned. The kindergarten through fifth grade school is beset with feckless teachers, bullying, large classes and a lack of textbooks and homework, parents charged.

Teresa Armstrong is steamed. The Virginia mother of four has spent the last few weeks watching, reading and listening to politicians argue about the country's finances but fail to reach a deal to prevent impending across-the-board cuts to federal spending. She doesn't understand how they can bicker endlessly while the consequences for her daughter, Angela, hang in the balance.

Districts are bracing themselves for the impact of the major education cuts set to occur with the March 1 sequestration as they plan their budget and staffing choices for the fall, said Education Secretary Arne Duncan in a statement. If congressional lawmakers are unable to compromise on another plan to trim the national budget, Department of Education funding will be scaled back 9 percent just this year alone, according to the national Center on Budget & Policy Priorities.

Education Secretary Arne Duncan is getting called out for claiming -- erroneously -- that teachers are "getting pink slips" as the sequester looms. Duncan made the claim on CBS' "Face the Nation" Sunday. Discussing the looming spending cuts that begin to kick in Friday, he said: "There are literally teachers now who are getting pink slips, who are getting notices that they can't come back this fall."

In his ongoing effort to make New York City a technological powerhouse, Mayor Michael Bloomberg today revealed the 20 middle and high schools selected for the city’s new Software Engineering Pilot (SEP) program. As part of the program, the schools will get “comprehensive computer science and software engineering curriculum” for around 1,000 students. The program will launch this September and is expected to grow to 3,500 students by 2016.

Expanding early education programs and redesigning high schools to prepare students for a high-tech economy were among the educational goals proposed by President Barack Obama in his State of the Union speech Tuesday night. The following are initial reactions from education associations to his address.

Changes are under way at one San Mateo school after a 9-year-old girl was taken by a stranger. Fortunately, the little girl escaped by kicking the man and running back to the school. Police have made an arrest.

The Connecticut police investigation into the shooting last month at a Newtown elementary school will continue through June and no criminal prosecution is expected, a state prosecutor said on Thursday.

The tornado that tore through Joplin, Mo. in May 2011 killed more than 150 people, demolished thousands of homes and businesses, and damaged or destroyed 10 public schools. To encourage students to discuss their feelings, the Joplin School District partnered with a local mental health center to offer students a free, 24-hour communication tool that allows them to confidentially reach out for help.

The day before the start of New York City's first school bus strike in 34 years, a long yellow bus pulled up at Public School 282 in Park Slope, Brooklyn, and the little bodies that popped out could be counted on one hand: Three.