Universities could save £3bn by outsourcing, says thinktank - EducationNews.org

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Universities could save £3bn by outsourcing, says thinktank Policy Exchange report suggests privatisation of services could save 30% of the £9bn spent on goods and services each year Education disappointed by net-neutrality 'loopholes' Rules meant to prevent internet service providers from discriminating against online content might not be the safeguard that schools and colleges were hoping for, as net-neutrality supporters believe the Federal Communication Commission's new policy might lead to "bidding wars" that could leave smaller campuses without access to a high-speed web connection. ... With Common Application, Many Find a Technical Difficulty in Common, Too JACQUES STEINBERG - The Common Application, the admission form accepted by more than 400 colleges and universities, was created in part to ease the burden on high school seniors. No longer must applicants fill out a dozen different forms to apply to a dozen schools, including the nation's most selective. ... Congress approves weird definition of 'highly qualified' teachers So they've gone ahead and done it. U.S. legislators have passed legislation that includes a provision that will turn into law a definition of a "highly qualified" teachers that would include people with only a few weeks of training. ... Permission to Pledge? School Requires It The principal of a public school in Brookline, Mass., is asking parents to fill out permission slips before their kids can participate in the weekly recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance, raising concern among some parents who say it's 'uncomfortable' ... Students punished for distributing candy canes... "They said the candy canes are weapons because you can sharpen them with your mouth and stab people with them." He said neither he nor any of their friend did that. ... CITY SCHOOLS TO BE 'SWEET FREE' ZONES... The St. Paul school district will make all public schools "sweet-free zones" by the end of the school year. ...

Commentaries

An Interview with Jason Ross: The Bill of Rights Michael F. Shaughnessy - Bill of Rights Day became a federal observance in 1941 by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. 1941 marked the It was the 150th anniversary of the ratification of those first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution, amendments that spelled out our freedoms as well as our rights. An Interview with Maud van Thiel and Noks Nauta: Gifted and Talented Adult Foundation Michael F. Shaughnessy - Our mission is to improve the climate of life of gifted and talented adults with the aim to get their talents flourish optimally and be as happy as possible. The IHBV wants - in a sparkling and colourful way - to put giftedness positively on the map, to take away prejudices and to collect and share knowledge on gifted adults Small Ball: Small Teaching Robert McNergney - He asked excitedly after class if I had read Michael Lewis's baseball classic Moneyball-the story of the Oakland A's, their manager Billy Beane, and the dawn of "small ball." The curious doctoral student was convinced that what I had said about teaching and learning could best be understood by Lewis's view of baseball