Schools

Entering my freshman year at Georgetown University, I should have felt as if I'd made it. The students I once put on a pedestal, kids who were fortunate enough to attend some of the nation's top private and public schools, were now my classmates. Having come from D.C. public charter schools, I worked extremely hard to get here. But after arriving on campus before the school year, with a full scholarship, I quickly felt unprepared and outmatched — and it's taken an entire year of playing catch-up...

CHICAGO — The city of Chicago, which plans to close dozens of schools this summer to save money, has received 11,000 requests for help getting children to their new schools along safe-passage routes. The Chicago Sun-Times reported Saturday (http://bit.ly/17bnWa2 ) that 600 adults will be hired next month to work along the routes, which are being established to make sure students from closed schools can get to their new schools safely. Jadine Chou, Chicago Public Schools officer...

Late last week, many colleges and universities released their last rounds of admissions decisions. At many of the country's most exclusive schools, acceptance rates again declined, although often by just a smidgen. And in addition to the thousands of students accepted — and the many, many more rejected — there are also thousands of students now sitting on waiting lists. This time of year it's important to remember that when it comes to receiving a quality undergraduate education, it often matters more what you do in college than ...

CHESAPEAKE, Va. — As Kaitlin Wakefield flipped through Hickory High School's yearbook, she looked for the picture of Ethan Schumacher, a classmate who had committed suicide in December. She wanted to see his smile again and reminisce about the good times. But Ethan's face wasn't among the sophomore class or the junior varsity football team, for which he played the whole season. There are hundreds of pages of cheesy grins and silly poses, but none of No. 34, the guy who liked to laugh and...

Students taking Virginia's Standards of Learning tests are likely to see lower scores than last year, thanks to the introduction of harder English and Science standards, state education officials reported Friday. While testing is underway in many schools, the Virginia Department of Education released preliminary statewide results for reading and science tests taken by high school students last fall and winter that showed passing rates dropping by as much as 14 percent. The drop in pass rates for fifth- and...

At the Ali al-Yaskari primary school, the classrooms are silent. In the morning, teachers sign their names on an attendance sheet to receive their salaries, then quickly leave without teaching a single course. A few students sit under a tree, idling away their time in the sandy schoolyard. "People are afraid to come," said Lawana Bura, 47, the only teacher in the school on a recent day. "That's why the classes are empty. " It has been that way, he said, since gunmen...

MOORESVILLE, N.C. — President Obama journeyed to a high-tech middle school here Thursday to announce plans to expand broadband and wireless Internet access to each of the nation's schools and libraries. Lamenting that the United States had fallen far behind rivals such as South Korea in connectivity, Obama said a new initiative called ConnectED would connect 99 percent of the nation's students with high-speed Internet within five years. "In a country where we expect free WiFi with our...

More than 100 teachers and other staff members at two D.C. schools learned this week that they must reapply for their jobs after Chancellor Kaya Henderson decided to "reconstitute" the schools in an effort to spur improvement. Cardozo High and Patterson Elementary schools have struggled for years with low test scores, and in such cases, Henderson has the power to reconstitute — remove an entire staff and then rebuild it. "When a school continues to underperform, DCPS has to take serious action to make...

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Seated at a solitary desk in the hall outside a classroom, the slender 13-year-old boy with a smile like a sunrise earnestly does remedial algebra, assisted by a paid tutor. She, too, is 13. Both wear the uniform -- white polo shirt, khaki slacks -- of a school that has not yet admitted the boy. It will, because he refuses to go away. The son of Indian immigrants from Mexico, the boy decided he is going to be a doctor, heard about the American Indian Public Charter School here and started showing up. Ben...

August 13-15, 18-21 : Professional days for teachers. 25 : First day of school for students. September 1 : Labor Day; schools closed. 26 : Professional day for teachers; no school for students. October 9 : Yom Kippur; schools closed. 17 : Maryland State Teachers Association Convention; schools closed. 31 : Grading and planning day for teachers; no school for students. November 4 : General Election; schools closed.

To boost the flagging graduation rate at T.C. Williams High School, Alexandria leaders decided to open a satellite campus with a more flexible online curriculum tailored to students with complex lives. Hunting for a location that is open long hours, easily accessible by public transportation and close to job opportunities, they found their destination at Landmark Mall. Since September, Alexandria students have been pursuing high school diplomas down the hall from a nail spa and a dollar store.

TAMPA, Fla. — Researchers on Friday collected DNA samples from family members of boys who died decades ago at a now-defunct Florida reform school in the hopes it will match the remains found on the property of the now-closed school. University of South Florida researchers have used historical documents to verify the deaths of two adult staff members and 96 children — ranging in age from 6 to 18 — between 1914 and 1973 at the Arthur G. Dozier School for...

DRIGGS, Idaho — The top administrator at an eastern Idaho high school is standing behind his decision to drop the school's Redskins nickname, but for now is putting on hold plans to swap out team uniforms and remove logos and signs. Teton County School District 401 Superintendent Monte Woolstenhulme announced his decision to drop the nickname earlier this week after getting support from the school board. Woolstenhulme said he wanted to show respect for American...

You don't need a ticket to see the Class of 2013 graduate from Arlington public schools later this month. School officials plan to broadcast the ceremonies for all three comprehensive high schools on local television and to stream them online . It's a new service for family members who live out of state or out of the country, said Frank Bellavia, spokesman for Arlington schools. It will also give undergraduates a chance to see their friends graduate and a glimpse of what's to come, he said.

BALTIMORE — The Maryland State Department of Education says it has approved teacher and principal evaluation plans in 21 Maryland school systems, clearing the way for the state to receive $250 million in federal funds. The department announced the approvals Thursday. Data tied to Maryland's statewide standardized test, the Maryland School Assessment, or MSA, makes up 20 percent of the measure for evaluating teachers. Schools in Montgomery and Frederick...

Two Montgomery County schools are still without power Friday morning after a strong, fast-moving storm moved through the Washington region. The schools, Sligo Middle and Blair Ewing Center, will be closed for the day, school officials said. All other public schools in the county will open as usual. Today is the last day of the 2012-2013 school year, and all students will have a half-day, as previously scheduled, unrelated to Thursday's storm.

On Friday, education columnist Jay Mathews will review ideas he has received from readers on how to improve schools without spending a dime. Visit www.washingtonpost.com/class-struggle . washingtonpost.com/education

COLUMBUS, Ohio — A high school football player convicted of raping a 16-year-old girl after an alcohol-fueled party last summer was given the state's second-toughest sex offender classification at a Friday hearing. The decision by Judge Thomas Lipps at Jefferson County Juvenile Court in Steubenville means Trent Mays could have to report to a local sheriff every six months for 20 years. Unlike adult sex offenders, however, Mays' name won't be included on publicly accessible websites.

NEWTOWN, Conn. — The town where 20 children and six educators were massacred in December went silent for a moment Friday, six months later, at a remembrance event that doubled as a call to action on weapons control, with the reading of names of thousands of victims of gun violence. The mood of the six-month marker was decidedly more political than private, with a group called Mayors Against Illegal Guns holding events in 10 states calling for lawmakers to expand background...