A ray of hope has dawned in the lives -- and health care -- of many Ugandans, after the construction of an ultra-modern medical facility in Uganda, largely due to generosity of an American scientist and businessman.
Two theoretical physicists who suggested that an invisible ocean of energy suffusing space is responsible for the mass and diversity of the particles in the universe won the Nobel Prize in Physics on Tuesday morning. The theory, elucidated in 1964 by Peter Higgs, 84, of the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, and François Englert, 80, of the University Libre de Bruxelles in Belgium, sent physicists on a generation-long search for the Higgs boson (also referred to as the God particle).
Primary pupils will receive free school meals as part of a six-month pilot project in Scotland that will improve the diets for all children by providing a nutritious lunch.
Simple yellow Post-it notes with the message "When not in use, turn off the juice," pointedly left on classroom computers, printers and air-conditioners, have helped New York public schools save $350,000 annually on utility bills. Other ideas have also achieved greater and greater energy savings.
A school's "mileage club" started in the fall 2009 with the idea of handing out charms as an incentive for kids to run during recess has surprised everyone. Fitness scores have rocketed and disciplinary problems dwindled.
A U.S. Green Building Council partnership released its third annual report listing the greenest colleges nationwide. The online-only guide, available as a free download, includes brief summaries of sustainability initiatives at each of the top 311 school, as well a dozen or so data points on things like renewable power use, energy efficiency and waste disposal.
Across the nation, an antigarbage strategy known as "zero waste" is moving from the fringes to the mainstream, taking hold in school cafeterias, national parks, restaurants, stadiums and corporations. At Yellowstone National Park, the clear soda cups and white utensils are not your typical cafe-counter garbage. Made of plant-based plastics, they dissolve magically when heated for more than a few minutes.
Kids at Piper High School in Floridatossed pies, served spaghetti and walked miles to raise nickels, dimes and quarters -- enough to build 11 schools in Kenya.
Teachers and their students are quietly experimenting with Free-Reading.net, a little website that could one day rock the foundation of how schools do business. It's a reading instruction program that allows teachers to download, copy and share lessons with colleagues.
A new online education platform founded by Stanford computer scientists is on a mission to change the world by educating millions of people with free classes from top universities. Coursera offers Math, Science, Business and Humanities courses featuring videos, quizzes and electronic assignments created by 16 top universities. Already, a million students from 190 countries have enrolled.
Imagine a world without standardized tests, one in which teachers would teach less and students would study less — yet score near the top on international tests of math, reading and science. This mythical world of teachers' dreams has a name: Finland.
The CMA Foundation has donated another $1.4 million to benefit music education programs for Nashville's public schoola through its Keep the Music Playing campaign, bringing the total to more than $6.1 million.
Children who get more exercise also tend to do better in school, whether the exercise comes as recess, physical education classes or getting exercise on the way to school, according to an international study.
Philadelphia baseball star Ryan Howard is helping students in 57 city high schools to dress for success -- in athletics. His Ryan Howard Family Foundation will donate Adidas sportswear valued at nearly $1.2 million to the cash-strapped Philadelphia school district.
Big news on several fronts: against the overuse of antibiotics in agriculture and for healthier food for school children. The Chicago Public Schools announced that its main food-service company, Chartwells-Thompson Hospitality, will begin buying and serving chicken drumsticks from birds raised in the local area without antibiotics. The deal will bring 1.2 million pounds of chicken to 473 schools per year.
For his herculean efforts to reopen schools buildings after five were destroyed by a May 22 tornado, Superintendent C.J. Huff has been honored as one of the top 2011 Heroes Among Us by People magazine.
The first time Brayan ever held a gun, he pointed it at a woman stepping out of a gray Lexus and stole her purse — his initiation into an older cousin's gang. He was 12 years old at the time. "I was losing control of my life," said Brayan, now 17 and a 4.0 student at Scriber Lake High School in Washington.
Replacing stationary seats with inflatable bouncers has raised productivity in her fifth-graders at Westtown-Thornbury Elementary School, helping students focus on lessons while improving their balance and core strength, she said.
Scholastic has donated one million books to schools and libraries that applied for help after Hurricane Sandy. 400,000 have already been delivered. Said one teacher, It's like Christmas morning for teachers.
In the scrub-brush desert town of Queen Creek, Ariz., high school bullies were throwing trash at sophomore Chy Johnson. Calling her stupid. Pushing her in the halls. Chy's mother wanted justice, so she called the captain of the football team, who knew the girl.