Stories

Maine Schools Step Up Hygiene And Emergency Practices In Response To Coronavirus Concerns

March 6, 2020

There are still no reported cases in Maine of COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus. But as cases have increased nationwide, state and local officials have started to prepare. Schools around the state are stepping up their hygiene and emergency practices in preparation, with some even using the situation as a learning experience.…

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‘School Choice’ In Hartford May Model Integration, But Also Enhance Disparity

February 7, 2020

A new report out of Harvard University finds that when parents are choosing schools for their kids, more choice is leading to more segregation. And it points to schools in Hartford as a model for integration. The report, “Do Parents Really Want School Integration?” suggests white, middle and upper-class parents should actively introduce their child…

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How Racial Tensions At School Helped This Student Discover The Power Of Her Voice

November 4, 2019

For Meggie Noel, the high school experience could be an isolating one. Noel went to Boston Latin School (BLS), where black students like her made up just 9% of the student body. “When you’re in the minority at school, it’s this constant environment of self-doubt,” she said. “You don’t have teachers who look like you.…

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Harvard’s “Vocarium” Offers A Unique Record Of History

July 12, 2019

Imagine a library for voices. A place where you can sit around a table and listen to recordings with friends. That was the Harvard Vocarium. It all started with one man: Frederick Packard. Simply put, Packard loved the spoken word.

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As part of the Come and Learn Mindfulness program at Curiale School in Bridgeport, yoga instructor Shinda DeRosa sits cross-legged with her students, encouraging them to place their hands over their hearts and meditate about their loved ones. Photo by Christian Carter for WSHU.

Bridgeport, Connecticut Students Meditate On Actions

June 27, 2019

If a student gets in trouble at the Curiale School in Bridgeport, the person they would have to answer to is Eric Sigman, the vice principal who handles disciplinary action. In April Sigman introduced Come and Learn Mindfulness, or CALM, program, a meditation and yoga curriculum. He created it to change the school’s standard disciplinary model that involved sending students to his office if they misbehave.

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Farmington River Regional School in Otis, Massachusetts. Photo by Nancy Eve Cohen for NEPR

‘Fight Or Die’: When Students And Educators Are On The Front Lines Of School Safety

June 4, 2019

Just like a fire drill, students and teachers routinely practice what to do if an armed intruder enters their school. Some students and teachers across the country are being told to fight back. And that’s happened in recent weeks, when two students — one in high school, and one in college — died lunging at gunmen.

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New Hampshire College graduates celebrate by throwing their caps and diplomas in the air. Photo by Carrie Jung for WBUR

After Tumultuous Year, It’s A ‘Bittersweet’ Commencement For Hampshire College Graduates

May 19, 2019

The Hampshire College Library Lawn in Amherst was a busy place Saturday morning. By 10 a.m. most of the school’s 295 graduates were lined up just outside a large white tent, getting ready for the ceremony.

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Clark School in Hartford. Photo by Ryan Caron King for Connecticut Public Radio

Private Philanthropy In Public Schools: Can Ray Dalio Make His Gift Work In Connecticut?

April 16, 2019

Now, hedge fund billionaire Ray Dalio and his wife Barbara have announced their foundation will give $100 million to Connecticut schools, and the state has pledged to raise $200 million more over the next few years, specifically to help students at risk of dropping out of high school.

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Yale University, one of several schools targeted in bribery scheme. Photo by Frankie Graziano for Connecticut Public Radio

Local College Admissions Advisers Say Scam Is Not That Surprising

March 13, 2019

Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling didn’t mince words when describing the college admissions scam led by consultant William Singer, who pleaded guilty.

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UConn has been growing hemp in a campus greenhouse for several years. Photo by Ryan Caron King for Connecticut Public Radio

UConn Students Experiment With Classroom Cannabis

February 21, 2019

It’s something you might expect to see on a poster in a dorm. Bright green leaves, fanned and serrated. It’s cannabis. Except today, it’s center stage on a table in the biggest lecture hall on UConn’s campus. But first, it had to get there.

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