Test Results from Urban Schools Show Zero Progress on Reading
Despite an increased emphasis on reading, the 2011 National Assessment of Education Progress results for urban schools shows no major U.S. city saw academic gains in the past two years in reading. The data, which looked at 21 urban school districts, shows urban students still lag behind their counterparts in suburban and rural districts, according to the Huffington Post. The news is slightly better in mathematics, with half of the school districts seeing some growth.
More Students Than Ever Attend Charter Schools
More than two million students now attend charter schools, according to figures released on Wednesday, representing the largest increase in enrollment in a single year since charters schools were founded two decades ago, according to this report from the Associated Press.
Paterno’s Payback? Penn State Football Is #1 in New Academic Rankings
According to the New America Foundation (NAF), Penn State, whose football program, coached by the legendary Joe Paterno, was recently rocked by a sex-abuse scandal, ranks highest among the top 25 teams in the nation. According to the analysis released on Wednesday, Penn State graduates 80% of its football players in six years or less and also shows no achievement gap between its black and white players, which NAF says is extremely rare for Division I football teams. Winning the top honors in the academic bowl further proves the success of Paterno’s “grand experiment,” which was his idea that major-college athletes could contend for national championships while excelling in the classroom. Read more at TIME Ideas.
Financial Aid Going to Students Who Don’t Need It
New data from the College Board shows this year colleges and universities are giving $5.3 billion in financial aid to students the government says don’t need the help. For a full analysis of these alarming findings, head over the Hechinger Report.
Why Sexting Isn’t as Big a Problem as We Thought
Turns out, kids don’t sext as much as we thought. According to new research published in the journal Pediatrics, only seven percent of children ages 10 to 17 created, appeared in or received a sexually suggestive photo in the past year. More on the study is at TIME Healthland.
Jonah Mowry’s Viral Video Shows Painful Impact of Bullying
And, just in case you’ve been living under a rock this week, don’t miss this extremely powerful (read: tear-jerker) video made by then 13-year-old Jonah Mowry who says he has been bullied for being gay, among other things, since he was in first grade. The video has made the rounds this week and last, months after it was posted, and has now been viewed more than 6.5 million times. Thankfully, unlike other targets of bullying who committed suicide, Mowry ends his video on a positive note, saying, “I’m not going anywhere because I’m stronger than that. I have a million reasons to be here.” Watch the video below.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdkNn3Ei-Lg]
Kayla Webley is a Staff Writer at TIME. Find her on Twitter at @kaylawebley or on Facebook. You can also continue the discussion on TIME’s Facebook page and on Twitter at @TIME.