education news articles

Posted in

Muslim groups sue Quebec government over prayer room ban in schools

Quebec Muslim groups are taking the provincial government to court over its recently enacted prayer room ban in public schools, arguing that the order is discriminatory and violates the Charter rights to freedom of religion and association.

Five Muslim organizations filed their case this week in Quebec Superior Court, seeking a judicial review of the ban and to have it declared unconstitutional. The groups are also seeking a judgment on how secularism and the notion of religious neutrality are interpreted by the government.

“The plaintiffs request that a declaratory judgment concerning the interpretation to be given to the principles of

…
Posted in

Sask. government announces post-secondary education support for Ukrainians

Ukrainian students who arrived in Saskatchewan over the past year will now have support for post-secondary education.

The Saskatchewan government made an announcement on Thursday that funding will be provided to allow those who came to Saskatchewan under the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET) program to pay domestic tuition rates rather than international rates.

According to a release, the CUAET program does not categorize Ukrainian arrivals as refugees. As a result, those who wish to pursue post-secondary education will be required to pay higher international student tuition rates.

“Our government remains

…
Posted in

International Education Week events at the University of Iowa will help bridge cultures

Russ Ganim

Russ Ganim

For decades, the US Department of State has designated the third week in November to recognize the value of a global curriculum at the K-16 level.

International Education Week, Nov. 15-19, serves as a bridge between cultures, if not worlds. It offers all learners the chance to pursue their curiosity about the planet’s languages ​​and civilizations, while providing information about globally focused experiential learning opportunities at home and abroad.

Due to COVID-19, last year’s International Education Week activities at Iowa and elsewhere took place almost exclusively online. This fall, as we emerge from the pandemic, virtual will still

…
Posted in

Halifax-area school support staff, pre-primary educators on strike

School support staff for the Halifax Regional Center for Education waved pink placards and chanted outside schools across the region on Wednesday — the first day of the union’s strike.

Members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 5047, which represents more than 1,800 workers in the HRCE, walked off the job at 12:01 am AT.

Schools in the Halifax area remained open — with the exception of pre-primary classes — but support workers such as educational program assistants, who help students in need of one-on-one care, were on picket lines.

Striking members paced in front of the school,

…
Posted in

Premier Scott Moe, education minister promises more funding following calls from teachers’ federation

Premier Scott Moe as well as the province’s education minister announced the possibility of increased funding for school divisions after defending their absence from an education rally over the weekend.

“Your voices are being heard, not just Saturday but the lead up to that as well,” Moe told reporters, referring to the rally, following the question period on Monday.

Education minister Dustin Duncan said the government will be providing more funding for higher than predicted enrollment in some Saskatchewan schools.

“As the premier indicated, this year, we know that the enrollment issues that school divisions are facing from last year

…
Posted in

DeSantis catches strays at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. Here’s what Biden said

During a White House Correspondents’ Dinner speech Saturday night, President Joe Biden focused on press freedoms and Americans being detained abroad — while also sprinkling in jokes regarding the current political landscape.

Biden quipped about former President Donald Trump’s legal troubles and the firing of CNN’s Don Lemon and Fox News’ Tucker Carlson. But another prominent Floridian, too, caught strays Saturday night: Gov. Ron DeSantis.

“I had a lot of Ron DeSantis jokes ready, but Mickey Mouse beat the hell out of me and got there first,” Biden said.

“After [DeSantis’] re-election as governor, he was asked if he had

…
Posted in

Relief options if you’re in debt from your kid’s education

In January, the Department of Education unveiled details of a repayment plan overhaul that could halve monthly payments for many federal student loan borrowers. But one group, the 3.7 million parents who owe parent PLUS loans, won’t benefit.

In January, the Department of Education unveiled details of a repayment plan overhaul that could halve monthly payments for many federal student loan borrowers. But one group, the 3.7 million parents who owe parent PLUS loans, won’t benefit. Policymakers have long excluded parent PLUS loans from most relief, though the program looks much different today than it did during its 1980 debut.

…
Posted in

Higher Education Free Speech Commitments Are Empty Platitudes

Last month, in a rare moment of good news in higher education, the administration of Cornell University rejected an unanimous student government resolution to mandate “trigger warnings” for a wide range of sensitive classroom materials and to permit students to “opt out” of controversial course content without penalty. In a brief but incisive statement, Cornell President Martha Pollack and Provost Michael Kotlikoff wrote, “We cannot accept this resolution, as the actions it recommends would infringe on” and “unacceptably restrict the academic freedom of our community.”

Perhaps more significantly, Cornell’s leaders reasoned, “learning to engage with difficult and challenging ideas is

…