Rise & Shine: Sandy Hook students return to new classes

News from New York City:

  • Despite warnings from the city, the school bus drivers union said a strike was not imminent. (Daily News)
  • Efforts to create a diverse, two-district school in Brooklyn could be complicated by busing. (News)
  • The city is looking to expand a computer science curriculum to 20 more high schools next year. (Post)
  • City officials warned that school bus drivers could strike over new contract terms. (GothamSchools, NY1)
  • Mayoral candidates criticized the city for aiming to strip seniority privileges from the contracts. (NY1)
  • Graduation rates at CUNY’s two-year colleges fell last year after a remedial program was closed. (Post)
  • City Catholic schools offered spaces and free tuition to hundreds of Sandy-affected students. (Times)
  • The city filed a complaint saying the UFT has bargained in bad faith. (GothamSchools, Daily News, NY1)
  • The city’s complaint says the union tried to benefit financially by adopting evaluations. (Daily News, Post)
  • A teacher at Brooklyn’s J.H.S. 78 was censured for showing a violent movie instead of teaching. (Post)
  • A former school secretary was fined for using a school credit card for personal purchases. (Daily News)
  • Chancellor Walcott is now an honorary triathlete at the school where his daughter teaches. (Daily News)

And beyond:

  • Sandy Hook Elementary students will tour their new school today and resume class tomorrow. (Post)
  • A poll by the British teachers union finds that morale in England and Wales in ‘dangerously low.’ (BBC)
  • Texas is among 10 states getting sued by local school districts over equitable state funding. (WaPo)
  • The gap between rich and poor is only growing as poor students struggle to complete college. (Times)
  • In the wake of Newtown, Marlboro Township, N.J., decided to add armed guards to schools. (PostWSJ)
  • But the NRA’s proposal to arm guards at all schools generally found a tepid reaction nationally. (Times)
  • China is reassessing its school security after students were injured in a knife attack  last month. (Times)
  • Italy has opened teacher hiring for the first time in 13 years; the first step is a 50-question test. (Times)
  • Newly released emails show Newark correctly anticipated problems in using its Facebook funds. (WSJ)
  • Philadelphia’s plan to close dozens of schools for financial reasons has the city in great turmoil. (Times)
  • A law professor says the growth of “alternative” education options will force schools to change. (Post)
  • A Kentucky school serving only military families has extra issues to deal with at the holidays. (Times)
  • Indiana’s principals are the latest to report being overburdened by teacher evaluations. (Journal Courier)
  • Chicago’s teachers union sued the city for closing schools that have many students of color. (Tribune)