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. (Post, WSJ)
- 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)