Local News

WWU president under fire for says school is too white (AP): Western Washington University President Bruce Shepard has drawn criticism for his comments that “ … if in decades ahead, we are as white as we are today, we will have failed as a university.” Shepard says he is being intentionally provocative in order to emphasize the need for more diversity at Western.

Student who was stabbed receives $1.5 million: A King County jury has awarded $1.5 million to April Lutz, a former Snohomish High School student who was stabbed in a school bathroom in 2011 and nearly died. Her attacker, a fellow student, had been expelled for threatening to kill another student’s boyfriend but was later allowed to return to class.

Veterans face challenges paying for higher education (NPR): A variety of programs exist to help veterans pay for college, but many face confusion figuring out which funds they qualify for and what paperwork they need to fill out. Many schools are opening veteran resource centers to help students navigate the financial-aid maze.

Portland school board members express concern over Common Core (The Oregonian): Board members who generally support the standards say they are worried about teacher preparedness and whether schools have the technology and materials to implement the tests.

Former food workers cost Edmonds School District thousands (The Herald): A state auditor’s report has uncovered additional expenses in a scam involving former food workers in the Edmonds School District. Investigators now say the two employees billed for 5,276 bogus student meals, receiving $14,774.75 in federally subsidized pay that they never earned.

Eastside voters about to decide second school bond in two months (KING 5): The Lake Washington School District is once again asking voters to approve a bond measure that would provide funding for new schools and expand existing buildings. The $404-million bond is about half the cost of a similar measure that was voted down in February.

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Small U.S. colleges face declining enrollments (Bloomberg): Many small, private colleges across the U.S. are seeing enrollments decline, leading to a sharp increase in the number of schools experiencing ratings cuts. Some colleges are targeting different student populations, while others are offering bigger financial aid packages in an effort to draw more students.

Cowlitz County confronts shortage of substitute teachers (The Daily News): Schools across Cowlitz County are scrambling to find substitute teachers, with some using principals and uncertified teachers as emergency fill-ins. The Longview School District says its pool of substitute teachers has been depleted by a recent shift to all-day kindergarten and reduced class sizes.

WSU considers opening medical school in Spokane (AP): A projected need for more doctors has prompted Washington State University to consider opening a new medical school at its Spokane campus. Washington currently has one medical school — at the main UW campus in Seattle — and WSU officials say doctor shortages in Eastern Washington are creating an additional need.

Denver schools hire undocumented immigrants as teachers (AP): Denver Public Schools Superintendent Tom Boasberg says his district has hired two teachers who qualified to stay in the U.S. under President Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy. ”Anything that touches on immigration generates a level of attention and controversy,” he told the AP. “But for us, this is about finding the very best teachers for our kids.”

Bus crash claims lives of students taking college tour: At least 10 people were killed and dozens hospitalized when a FedEx truck crashed into a tour bus taking Los Angeles-area high-school students to a college tour in Northern California on Thursday. The bus was headed to Humboldt State University for a two-day Preview Plus program designed for low-income and first-generation prospective students.

Oregon’s special-education students now eligible for financial aid (The Oregonian): Students in Oregon who have earned modified high-school diplomas are once again eligible for financial aid following reversal of an earlier federal ruling. At issue was whether the state’s modified diploma qualified as a genuine high-school diploma.

UW neuroscientist wins prize for science toy design: Robijanto Soetedjo took second place in a national contest for designing a bioelectric toy set that enables children to measure signals created by a working muscle. Soetedjo first came up with the idea for the toy while trying to explain his job as a neuroscientist to his children.

More students go hungry as college costs rise (The Washington Post): The number of college food banks has increased from four in 2008 to 121 today. Officials point to rising college costs and an influx of first-generation students as two possible reasons for the increase.

Seattle Youth Commission asked to take down Prop 1 video: City officials say a group of teens on a mayor-appointed youth board violated city ethic rules after producing a video in support of Proposition 1. The YouTube video argues that significant cuts to Metro bus service would make it more difficult for students to get to and from school.

Pa. school stabbing injures at least 19 students (Tribune-Review): Police say a 16-year-0ld high-school student went on a stabbing rampage at a Pittsburgh-area school on Wednesday morning, injuring at least 19 students and a security guard. The suspect was taken into custody after he was tackled by the security guard and a vice principal.

STEM fields breathe new life into traditional shop class: Today’s high-school shop class is about more than building ashtrays. The national focus on science, technology, engineering and math instruction has provided a boost to vocational training in Seattle.

Report finds abstract gestures can help students learn math (BBC News): The act of physically pointing to numbers when solving basic arithmetic problems can help students develop a better understanding of math, according to a new report in the journal Psychological Science. Researchers found this approach worked better than asking students to touch and move objects.

Metro bus cuts could hit UW students hard: The failure of Proposition 1 could have a significant impact on local college students, especially those who live at home and use the bus to commute to class. The University of Washington reports about 46 percent of students attending the Seattle campus and 41 percent of staff use transit to get to school.

Colleges prepare for surge of veterans (AP):  Thousands of American veterans are expected to return to the classroom as the military continues to downsize after the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The influx has led many in academia to re-examine the way they help veterans adjust to college life.