Philadelphia Inquirer

Concerned about rising college tuition bills and the plummeting economy, the Pennsylvania State Board of Education this week began hearings on college affordability, with an eye toward improving access and lowering costs for the state's students.

The 14 universities in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, including West Chester and Cheyney, will be faced with some unexpected budget slashing in the coming months, courtesy of the cash-strapped state.

Two popular New Jersey scholarship programs that allow select students to go to community and state colleges tuition-free would be harder to qualify for and would pay for less under legislation slated to be introduced in the state Assembly tomorrow.

AS A PARENT, you dream of taking your children to school for the first time. You envision shiny new bookbags, superhero lunchboxes, crisp composition books and sharpened pencils.

In a sharp about-face, Philadelphia School District officials have vowed to expel the system's most violent students, tighten codes for others, and attempt to streamline a dysfunctional, inconsistent disciplinary system.

New York City, Chicago and Boston all opened school this fall with no teacher vacancies. But a month into the new school year, Philadelphia's public schools had 144 unfilled teaching jobs - down from a seven-year high a few weeks ago - and officials warn that about 70 positions will go unfilled all year, with those classrooms staffed by substitute teachers.

Five months after winning conditional approval, seven charter schools are still in limbo, unsure whether they'll get the green light to start school next year, and unable to access grant money awarded them, secure buildings or hire teachers.

By Kristen A. Graham
New Philadelphia schools chief Arlene Ackerman has surrounded herself with a diverse inner circle of educators picked from far and wide, shaking up a historically inbred district with fresh faces.

Magnifying glasses and binoculars in hand, a group of Philadelphia public school students took to the street yesterday to protest what they say is a lack of attention to students' interests in teacher contract negotiations.

A dispute is brewing within Temple University's faculty as its union pushes for largely across-the-board raises while nonunion members advocate merit pay.

Teaching keeps universities' top officials in touch with students and ideas.
Stephen Spinelli Jr. looked every bit the professor, standing before his class on entrepreneurship at Philadelphia University one night last week. But, at that moment, his classroom charisma had given way to pique.

One more casualty of the Souderton teachers' strike: Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, originally scheduled this year as days off in the district, have been rescheduled as school days.

A dispute is brewing within Temple University's faculty as its union pushes for largely across-the-board raises while nonunion members advocate merit pay.

Norton "Nort" Seaman says he thought his retirement in 1998 as principal of Harriton High School in the Lower Merion School District was the end of an education career of more than 30 years.

Violent acts in New Jersey public schools increased slightly in 2006-07, but the number of incidents in all categories combined - violence, vandalism, weapons and substance abuse - fell 1 percent, according to a report released yesterday by the state Department of Education.