Topic: Private Education

Evangelicals now vote for Catholics. Will they also vote for a Mormon?

Defying a history of anti-Catholicism, evangelical leaders recently endorsed GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum (a Catholic), and South Carolina Evangelicals voted Catholic Newt Gingrich to victory in their primary. Will Mormon Mitt Romney be next to win them over?

UC Berkeley's gift to middle-class families: a cap on college costs

UC Berkeley's plan, similar to tuition caps at elite private institutions, is the first such initiative at a public university. It will cap costs at 15 percent of household income for families earning between $80,000 and $140,000.

Election 101: Where the GOP candidates stand on immigration, abortion and other social issues

Social policies are a defining issue in this, or any, Republican race. With the GOP electorate increasingly focused on social issues in recent decades, their leaders' views have shifted in kind. Take a look at where each of the candidates stand. 

Tired of 'Twilight' clones? 5 young adult books to try instead

5 teen books refreshingly free of supernatural creatures and love triangles

5 finalists for the 2011 National Book Award for Young People's Literature (with one title dropped)

It was apparently a mistake when they announced six titles this year instead of the usual five nominated for the National Book Award for Young People's Literature. But then, said Harold Augebraum, executive director of the National Book Foundation, "We decided that it was better to add a sixth one as an exception, because they're all good books." Which of these six finalists do you think will win the 2011 National Book Award for Young People's Literature on Nov. 17?

UPDATE: One of the six finalists – "Shine" by Lauren Myracle – was removed from the list of 2011 nominees on Oct. 17.

Sports to Share teaches teamwork, fair play, and tolerance

Youth sports program in Mexico fights obesity through fun and games.

Beijing school closures leave thousands of migrant children without classrooms

Chinese officials in Beijing shut down 24 illegal schools for migrant children over the summer in a move that highlights the institutionalized discrimination facing the migrant workforce.

Americans love teachers but split over teachers’ unions, poll shows

Americans show strong support for public-school teachers, according to a new poll. But a partisan divide exists over the role of teachers' unions.

States must cut red tape to attract more qualified teachers

Rigid standards are shutting out aspiring teachers. States must evaluate potential teachers without traditional certification in ways that don't push needed talent away.

Public-school losses: private schools' gain

As public school teachers face what may be the longest string of layoffs ever, the private sector gets a boost. Transport and janitorial contractors, online tutoring companies, and private schools are among those seeing a more talented workforce or an uptick in business.

Jobs picture gloomy. Where are bright spots for hiring?

The US created 54,000 jobs in May, the smallest gain in eight months. But in some sectors, hiring is booming.

Getting bin Laden and five other boosts to Obama's reelection bid

"Yes We Can” was so 2008. Now President Obama is the incumbent, with a record to defend. Here are his top six accomplishments, including the killing of Osama bin Laden.

Any difference between tax breaks and spending programs?

The Supreme Court recently ruled that state tax breaks are different from spending programs, but the effect of each is the same

How Speaker Boehner brought a recalcitrant tea party to the budget deal

The budget deal marks the debut of an 87-member GOP freshman class committed to deep spending cuts. Speaker John Boehner defied his critics to rally his caucus and produce an agreement, without shutting down government.

In Arizona ruling, Justice Kennedy tips his hand on health-care mandate

The health-care law's 'individual mandate' is vulnerable to the Supreme Court deciding that Americans cannot be forced to buy health insurance. Kennedy's reasoning in a decision issued Monday hints at his worries. His vote will be pivotal.

Tax credits for religious schools? Supreme Court says taxpayers have no say.

The Supreme Court rules 5 to 4 that taxpayers do not have legal standing to challenge an Arizona tax-credit program because the state is not directly funding the parochial schools.

Ideas for a better world in 2011

To start the new year off right, the Monitor asked various thinkers around the world for one idea each to make the world a better place in 2011. We talked to poets and political figures, physicists and financiers. The results range from how to reduce the number of nuclear weapons in the world to ways to revamp Hollywood.

For real education reform, take a cue from the Adventists

Amid all the buzz on education reform, the Seventh Day Adventist school system might seem an unexpected place to look for models in improving student achievement. But by educating mind, body, and spirit, Adventist schools outperform the national average across all demographics.

School reform: It's not about left or right

American and British public schools feel pushed towards more choice, charters, vouchers, standards, incentive pay, and other reforms. Teacher unions push back. What happens to the kids?

Religious schools, government money? Supreme Court hears Arizona case.

The Supreme Court must decide if an Arizona program that gives tax credits for private school donations favors religion, or if participants in the program are just exercising personal choice.

Five key members of Al Qaeda in Yemen (AQAP)

Here are five leaders and key members of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).

Facebook 'likes' Newark schools. Now what? Invest wisely, Zuckerberg.

Newark schools need real change, not just the kind in Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s piggy bank.

Germany faces up to sexual abuse after scandals at Catholic, other schools

Allegations of sexual abuse at schools run by the Catholic and Lutheran churches, as well as at an elite secular boarding school, have put child protection at the top of the domestic agenda in Germany.

India's 'education for all' mandate poses big test

A new law guaranteeing free education for all children ages 6 to 14 will severely challenge India's education system, which has long lacked sufficient funds. Slum schools sometimes outperform public schools, and teachers often miss class.