http://http://www.kentucky.com/142/index.xml News, sports, and entertainment from Kentucky.com en-us Copyright 2009 Kentucky.com Education 60 Tue, 06 Jan 2009 06:41:14 EST http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss McClatchy Interactive's Workbench webmaster@kentucky.com http://www.kentucky.com/142/story/647134.html http://www.kentucky.com/142/story/647134.html Tue, 06 Jan 2009 06:41 EST
Thomas Barnes, Alonzo C. McGill and Gabriel M. McLaren pleaded guilty to fourth-degree assault charges Monday morning in Madison District Court. They beat Brent White side last year while he was a candidate for admission into the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity chapter at EKU. Whiteside was later hospitalized with kidney failure.

The cases were set to go before a district court jury Monday morning for a two-day trial, but the plea agreement was reached before Madison District Judge Earl-Ray Neal seated the jury.

The lengths of the men's home incarceration sentences vary according to their involvement in the hazing and cooperation with police. McLaren, who was in charge of the pledge process within the fraternity, will serve 100 days. McGill, an alumnus of the chapter who lives in New York, will serve 70 days. Barnes was the first defendant to talk to police and will serve 30 days. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/142/story/645815.html http://www.kentucky.com/142/story/645815.html Sun, 04 Jan 2009 06:30 EST
But to those involved with the university's Space Science Program, the dish which is actually a space tracking antenna system that can control satellites and measure celestial masses remains a beacon for a program that's traveled light-years from its days in a garage apartment.

"We've come a long way," said Benjamin K. Malphrus, director of the Space Science Center, who started the program after coming to Morehead in the 1990s as an astronomy professor.

Now, faculty and staff are helping engineer and launch Kentucky's first satellite. They're using their 3-year-old $3 million antenna to measure energy from the moon and even, accidentally, a black hole. And they're about to move into a $15.4 million state-of-the-art new home this spring. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/142/story/643788.html http://www.kentucky.com/142/story/643788.html Thu, 01 Jan 2009 02:45 EST
More students than ever are crammed into aging, run-down schools that need an estimated $255 billion in repairs, renovations or construction. Although the president-elect is likely to ask Congress for only a fraction of that, education experts say it still could make a big difference.

"The need is definitely out there," said Robert Canavan, chairman of the Rebuild America's Schools coalition, which includes teachers' unions and large education groups. "A federal investment of that magnitude would really have a significant impact."

Educators argue that spiffy classrooms help children learn and also remove health risks. But they warn that Obama's school spending plan won't stimulate the economy if it requires matching funds from state and local governments whose tax revenues have been slashed by the recession. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/142/story/643737.html http://www.kentucky.com/142/story/643737.html Thu, 01 Jan 2009 02:43 EST
"It's hard to part with money for a half-hour interview," said Cullinan, who avoided a costly trip from her home in Newburyport, Mass., thanks to the pilot program at Wake Forest. She was later accepted into the school in Winston-Salem, N.C.

The online interview was part of a push that started in May at the university. Admissions director Martha Allman said she eventually wants to give each applicant, more than 9,000 of them each year, a more individualized review before inviting them to Winston-Salem as part of the school's 1,200-student freshman class.

Although it's a new process at the undergraduate level, webcam technology has been used for years by at least a dozen graduate programs, including Pennsylvania State University, the University of Georgia and Arizona State University, to interview prospective students. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/142/story/636967.html http://www.kentucky.com/142/story/636967.html Wed, 24 Dec 2008 02:41 EST
The report suggests that while the 1990 Kentucky Educational Reform Act essentially has eliminated disparities in per-pupil spending between urban and rural school districts, it actually might have increased disparities in the sources of urban-rural educational funding.

The new fiscal analysis is the first of two studies of KERA prepared by the University of Kentucky's Center for Business and Research. It was sponsored by the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice and the Bluegrass Institute for Public Policy Solutions.

The second report will look at how the educational reform act has affected educational outcomes in Kentucky schools. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/142/story/635327.html http://www.kentucky.com/142/story/635327.html Tue, 23 Dec 2008 05:42 EST
The study, published in the most recent Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, relied on survey results from about 10,000 Fayette County middle and high school students in 1998 and 1999. Ninth-graders averaged 12 minutes more sleep a night, and seniors said they got an average of an extra half-hour of sleep after the school system moved back the start times.

Between the 1997-98 and 1998-99 academic years, Fayette County Public Schools moved high school start times from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. Currently, the five Fayette County public high schools begin their days at 8:25 a.m.

"The percentage of students who got at least 8 hours of sleep per weeknight increased significantly, from 35.7 percent to 50.0 percent, and the percentage who got at least 9 hours of sleep increased significantly, from 6.3 percent to 10.8 percent," said the journal article, written by UK's Dr. Barbara Phillips and Fred Danner. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/142/story/632260.html http://www.kentucky.com/142/story/632260.html Sat, 20 Dec 2008 03:06 EST
Draud's announced resignation on Friday comes as Kentucky is facing growing budget restrictions and gearing up to reach important educational goals in the next few years.

His successor will need to shepherd the state through that process, they said, while being an advocate to keep education at the top of the public agenda.

"I think there may be some perception that as a state we may have lost our will to do what it takes to keep the momentum going," said William Young, executive director of the Kentucky Association of School Administrators. "That's partly a function of our financial distress, but also because of the fact that for several years we've put a lot of educational policy on the back burner." ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/142/story/632748.html http://www.kentucky.com/142/story/632748.html Fri, 19 Dec 2008 19:21 EST
The 1,514-student Berea College relies upon returns from its huge endowment the largest for a higher education institution in Kentucky for 80 percent of its educational and operations costs.

Its endowment has lost $300 million from its high-water mark of more than $1.1 billion in the summer of 2007, said Jeff Amburgey, Berea's vice president for finance.

The endowment's total value sunk to $754 million in November but rebounded slightly with the market to about $800 million this month, he said. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/142/story/632714.html http://www.kentucky.com/142/story/632714.html Fri, 19 Dec 2008 19:01 EST
Those endowments, most of which pay for student scholarships and faculty positions, lost an average of 25 percent of their value over the last year, according to a Herald-Leader survey of the universities. Much of the losses occurred in the last four months.

The endowments of area private colleges have taken similar hits. So have those of schools across the country, with Ivy League powerhouses such as Harvard and Yale suffering investment losses in the billions of dollars.

Shrinking endowments are hurting the schools in different ways. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/142/story/631076.html http://www.kentucky.com/142/story/631076.html Fri, 19 Dec 2008 10:11 EST
Anderson, 61, will teach a mass-media diversity class focused on international journalism. The course will start in January, said Beth E. Barnes, director of the School of Journalism and Telecommunications . He also will work on projects with the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues , and the Scripps Howard First Amendment Center , both based at UK.


The university also tapped Anderson and his wealth of international experience to help broaden UK's global reach. Anderson will work with the provost's office to expand study-abroad opportunities, establish new faculty-exchange programs and help UK journalism students land foreign internships.

"UK's a fine university, and they understand that it's a multicultural, international world," Anderson said. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/142/story/630641.html http://www.kentucky.com/142/story/630641.html Thu, 18 Dec 2008 02:40 EST
While university presidents, including Todd, have refrained in the past from publicly endorsing tax increases of any sort, Todd said a sharp increase is necessary not only for budget purposes but especially for health benefits.

"I have been willing to come out and support the cigarette tax. I've always wanted to do it for health reasons, now it's tied directly to education," Todd said at the Lexington-Fayette government center during Gov. Steve Beshear's latest public event about his plan to plug a $456.1 million state budget shortfall.

The centerpiece of Beshear's proposal is a 70-cent increase in the per-pack tax on cigarettes, which would raise the levy to $1. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/142/story/628605.html http://www.kentucky.com/142/story/628605.html Wed, 17 Dec 2008 21:57 EST
His selection was confirmed Tuesday morning by the Kentucky Association of School Administrators , which named Silberman last week as Kentucky's 2009 Superintendent of the Year.

The American Association of School Administrators sponsors the national award.


Silberman was selected from a pool of 50 state superintendents of the year from across the nation. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/142/story/628251.html http://www.kentucky.com/142/story/628251.html Tue, 16 Dec 2008 22:31 EST
With a 2008-2009 budget of $44,000, it is money the Bryan Station baseball group doesn't have, said club vice president Jimmy Boling: "It's a travesty."

The Henry Clay band boosters paid a $30,000 fine this year, and the Lafayette High School band boosters have appealed a $9,000 fine.

At issue is the longstanding practice of Fayette County booster clubs giving parents monetary credit for fund-raising, including working at bingo parlors and concession stands, car washes and candy sales. Often that credit is subtracted from the annual fees parents pay for extracurricular activities such as band and sports. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/142/story/624146.html http://www.kentucky.com/142/story/624146.html Fri, 12 Dec 2008 12:01 EST
While those officials pledged support for Beshear's proposed 70-cent-per-pack cigarette tax increase, the key question now will be how aggressively they urge state lawmakers to approve the plan.

The state Board of Education took the unusual step Thursday of unanimously endorsing Beshear's proposal.

University leaders, however, remained more reserved. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/142/story/622882.html http://www.kentucky.com/142/story/622882.html Thu, 11 Dec 2008 06:32 EST
Beshear has planned a 10 a.m. news conference in the Capitol to lay out how to solve the shortfall with budget cuts, tax hikes or a combination of both. Public universities and state agencies submitted to Beshear draft plans to slice 4 percent of their funding last week.

Most of the universities' proposals called for slashing travel expenses, expanding hiring freezes and tapping reserve funds. But some of the universities also mentioned that they'd have to cap enrollment and shrink the amount of money available for student aid and scholarships.

Such moves could delay or derail their collective goal to double enrollment figures and award 800,000 bachelors degrees by 2020, the universities said. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/142/story/622015.html http://www.kentucky.com/142/story/622015.html Thu, 11 Dec 2008 03:04 EST
The project entails redevelopment of the prime 6-acre site on the west side of campus and complete renovation of the Reynolds art building, which would be leased back to the university with the option to purchase it.

Negotiations, which are expected to take up to three months, will now begin between UK and South Hill Group to determine the details and design of the project.

The company's plan proposes also constructing a fine arts building, an honors dormitory, conference center with hotel rooms, retail space and residential units. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/142/story/622463.html http://www.kentucky.com/142/story/622463.html Thu, 11 Dec 2008 06:34 EST
The incident occurred a few days ago, according to Mike McKenzie, the school system's director of high schools.

The student was arrested, and a third-degree assault charge was filed by the school system's division of law enforcement, officials said.

McKenzie said he couldn't give details of the case. But he noted that the school system's code of conduct provides a range of punishments, up to and including long-term suspension, a recommendation for expulsion, or possible placement in an alternative school. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/142/story/621638.html http://www.kentucky.com/142/story/621638.html Wed, 10 Dec 2008 02:40 EST
U.S. students have made significant gains in math since 1995 and score above average on international fourth- and eighth-grade tests in the subject, according to a study released Tuesday.

The findings contradict a persistent view in the United States that its children are lagging behind the rest of the developed world. An AP poll in June found that nearly two in five people think American students do worse on math and science tests than those in most of the developed countries.

Not true, the authors of the report said. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/142/story/620935.html http://www.kentucky.com/142/story/620935.html Wed, 10 Dec 2008 06:34 EST
Former colleagues and even a political opponent say King who once served as chancellor of the State University of New York system has the temperament, ability and political fingertips to help guide the universities through difficult times.

"It seems like a good fit because he'll have an objectivity that maybe a professional educator wouldn't have," said New York Assemblyman Ron Canestrari, the Democratic majority leader from Albany who was often on the opposite side of debates from King, a former Republican lawmaker. "The ability to fashion an agenda and develop coalitions all that calls upon his strengths."

It's King's political background as a Republican assemblyman from Rochester, then as a budget director for former GOP Gov. George Pataki, that sets King apart from past council presidents, who mostly brought with them academic credentials. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/142/story/621329.html http://www.kentucky.com/142/story/621329.html Wed, 10 Dec 2008 11:14 EST
UK President Lee T. Todd Jr. told the university's Board of Trustees that he is appointing a task force to develop and plan for the implementation of a new policy making the university campus entirely smoke-free.

Smoking is already prohibited in and around the UK Chandler Medical Center and in university buildings and dormitories.

The new Tobacco-Free Task Force will be chaired by Ellen Hahn, a College of Nursing faculty member and director of UK's Tobacco Policy Research Program , and Anthany Beatty, assistant vice president for campus services. Todd said he will name additional members over the next several weeks. ]]>