Teaching to the test is a mistake, Harvard's Tony Wagner reminded the audience of his Nov. 18 keynote address to the State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA), because it interferes with transmitting the seven "survival skills" every student should acquire before graduating.

The failure of Virginia Tech's text-messaging alert system has raised questions about the effectiveness of such systems to warn faculty and students of an emergency -- an important consideration as schools nationwide continue to invest in these technologies.

States are making progress in building longitudinal data systems to track students' academic growth over time, and now they must use the information available to them through these systems to raise student achievement, a new report says.

Some critics of distance learning say face-to-face classes give students a better learning environment, but a recent Indiana University study found that online learners reported deeper approaches to learning than classroom-based learners.

Urging policy makers and school leaders "to take bold steps ... to improve education for America's 21st-century leaders," the State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA) has issued new guidance for reforming the nation's schools with the help of technology.

A Harvard Law School professor has launched a constitutional assault against a federal copyright law at the heart of the music industry's aggressive anti-piracy campaign, which has wrung payments from thousands of online song-swappers -- including many college students -- since 2003.

In the constant struggle to keep kids safer online, a new solution is emerging that enlists the help of schools in age-verification techniques to ensure that online predators are kept off child-friendly web sites. But some critics say this puts schools in a questionable role, because the information they provide can be used to target age-appropriate advertising to their students.

Enrollment in online college courses in the United States outpaced overall growth in higher education last year, and officials predict a sustained increase in online enrollment as the economy slumps and good jobs become scarcer, according to report published this month.

As educators continue to reflect on President-elect Barack Obama's historic victory in the Nov. 4 election, many are looking at the Obama campaign's unprecedented use of technology to mobilize support and wondering what lessons their schools and colleges might learn from his success.

School districts in every region of the country are feeling the effects of the economic downturn, with many having already delayed technology purchases, cut non-essential travel, and increased class sizes, among other measures.

The era of brief, face-to-face meetings between college students and their professors is coming to an end, higher-education officials say. Instead, colleges and universities are embracing a new forum for student-teacher conferences: virtual office hours, which extend class discussions into cyberspace.

Some Wisconsin school districts are reeling after a risky financial investment produced disastrous consequences--including severe injury to school operating budgets and teacher retirement funds.

Higher-education officials nationwide are anticipating a gradual thaw of President Bush's stem-cell policies aimed at restricting unfettered research, a week after Michigan voters approved a ballot measure that will loosen restrictions on embryonic stem-cell study at the state's research universities.

Perhaps the biggest threat to Google Inc.'s increasing dominance of internet search and advertising is the rising fear, justified or not, that Google's broadening reach is giving it unchecked power—especially when it comes to users' privacy.

Technology is a disruptive force that brings many challenges to teaching and learning--but that doesn't mean educators should fear its use in schools, said speakers at the National School Boards Association's Technology + Learning (T+L) Conference in Seattle late last month.

The Nov. 4 decision by Nebraska voters to ban affirmative action could derail programs designed to increase the participation of women in technology related courses at colleges and universities in the state, Nebraska education officials say.

What are the qualities that help instructors succeed when teaching online? That was the focus of a lively discussion at the 14th annual Sloan-C International Conference on Online Learning Nov. 6.

For educators and millions of other Americans, Barack Obama's election as 44th president of the United States indicates that the nation is ready for change--in economic policy, in health care, and especially in education. With Democrats on track to gain at least five seats in the Senate and 19 in the House, according to projections at press time on Nov. 6, and with Democrats ahead of Republicans in gubernatorial elections 29 to 21, many reforms in student assessments, early education, and teacher incentives appeared to be on the horizon.

Most attention was fixed on the presidential and congressional elections on Nov. 4, but issues closer to home also figured large in Tuesday's voting. Fifteen higher education ballot measures were at stake, as the Democrats' congressional majority grew and Sen. Barack Obama swept to victory pledging college-tuition reform.

With the whole world watching, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama made history Nov. 4 by becoming the first African-American elected as president of the United States. Now, as he prepares to take office Jan. 20 amid a host of steep challenges, school leaders will be watching to see how education fits in with his priorities.