Ed

A workshop at the Tahanto Regional Middle School on Feb. 28 will outline parents' rights under state and federal special education laws. Sponsored by the Berlin-Boylston Special Education Parent Advisory Council, the forum kicks off at 7 p.m. in the middle school library. - Matt Gunderson

Ed Siudut was so highly sought by incoming College of the Holy Cross basketball coach Jack Donohue that he paid a visit to the Everett High star's home his first day on the job in 1965. Mr. Siudut, whose uniform was raised to the rafters of the old Everett High gym years later on a night in his honor, was well worth the recruiting trip. Everett coach Buddy Pelosi called Mr. Siudut the best basketball player in school history. A 6-foot-7-inch forward, Mr. Siudut led Holy Cross in scoring and rebounding in his three varsity seasons and ranks third in the Worcester school's history...

AS A parent of three teenagers, I was hoping to learn in Kate Tuttle's article about teen sex how parents can help their teens develop positive attitudes about sex ("Young love," g section, Dec. 22). Instead, I read that Dutch parents give their teens permission to have sex at home, which ensures the sex is "safe. " Why do we put the focus of sex education solely on pregnancy and disease prevention? Why is there no focus on the long-term psychological effects of sex outside a committed relationship?

From the Upper Eastside to the south of France - via medieval Italy - Ed Westwick is on the move. The "Gossip Girl" star was in Cannes on Saturday to celebrate a new movie, "Romeo and Juliet," at a champagne reception on the beach. Filmed in Italy, the British actor sports shoulder-length hair as Tybalt, Juliet's cousin, in this movie production of William Shakespeare's romantic play. The role of Romeo goes to another Brit, Douglas Booth, while Oscar-nominee Hailee Steinfeld plays the famous heroine.

IF ED Moscovitch wants higher taxes, then he can feel free to pay them ("Tax increases don't harm economies," Op-Ed, July 27). No one is stopping him from sending a check to the government. While he's at it, he can pay mine too. Jeb Kulevich Cambridge

RENÉE LOTH’S column on foraging for food in the wild (“Weeds you can eat,’’ Op-ed, June 4) was interesting and informative, but her somewhat dismissive attitude toward the possibility of accidental poisoning is disquieting. She writes, “The risk of getting sick in New England is relatively rare, and most poisonous plants … taste bad.’’ Many of this area’s wild plants are far from edible, and some are quite dangerous. Safe foraging depends on a thorough knowledge of what you’re doing.

RUMNEY, N.H. -- Wherever we wander ed on this 200-acre mix of farm and forest, deep, cloven hoof marks mingle d in the mud with boot prints. As we leaned against a fence that separated us from two enormous oxen, I met the creatures responsible for some of these prints. "This is Henry and Autumn," said my guide, Abby Holm, 29, as they lumber ed toward us. Holm is the farm manager at D Acres, which is dedicated to promoting principles of sustainability. Henry -- or maybe it was Autumn -- planted a giant smooch on Holm's face.

The Conversion By Joseph Olshan St. Martin's, 278 pp., $24.95 Some years ago, when I was freelance travel writing, my partner and I shared an immensely pleasurable dinner with an Italian magazine editor and her husband. We were all staying at a posh resort in the British Virgin Islands, and on the beach that day had struck up one of those vacation friendships. Over a meal that lasted hours, we became mutually excited about possible transcontinental career opportunities, exchanging phone numbers and business cards.

The burgeoning movement to put more college classes online, which attracted the support of Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology earlier this month, is getting another endorsement that may have an even greater impact: rigorous evidence that the computer can be as effective as the classroom. A new study compared two versions of an introductory statistics course, one taught face to face by professors and one mostly taught online with only an hour a week of face time.

The burgeoning movement to put more college classes online, which attracted the support of Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology earlier this month, is getting another endorsement that may have an even greater impact: rigorous evidence that the computer can be as effective as the classroom. A new study compared two versions of an introductory statistics course, one taught face to face by professors and one mostly taught online with only an hour a week of face time.

By Matt Rocheleau, Town Correspondent Thomas E. Nunan Jr. will head Saint Joseph Preparatory High School, a Catholic co-ed school scheduled to open in September. The school is on a Brighton campus that currently is home to the all-girls' Mount Saint Joseph Academy that will merge with the co-ed Trinity Catholic High School, which will shutter its Newton campus. Nunan has 27 years of experience as a teacher, administrator, mentor and coach, the high school said in a press release.

By Matt Rocheleau, Town Correspondent A nonprofit that supports urban education announced Monday that it has selected three struggling public elementary schools in Boston to join a partnership that will provide to the schools a total of $3 million in additional funding, staff, and resources. After a competitive application review process, the "Improving Schools Initiative" run by EdVestors said it has selected: the James F. Condon School in South Boston, the William E. Russell School in...

By Patrick D. Rosso, Town Correspondent Three area schools were recently named the recipients of a three-year, $3 million commitment by EdVestors , a group that has worked since 2002 to help urban schools identify and shape effective initiatives. According to a release from EdVestors, the Boston Public School's James F. Condon School in South Boston, the William E. Russell School in Dorchester, and the Ellis Mendell School in Roxbury will each be part of the Improving Schools Initiative, which is...

The expense of higher education has become a crippling burden on students and families — which is why it's encouraging that local institutions are exploring new approaches to lowering costs. Earlier this year, Mount Holyoke College froze its tuition. Now, MIT and Harvard have announced a collaboration called edX that will offer five online courses next year — for free. The classes don't count toward a traditional degree at either institution, and there may be some fees for students who want proof of completion.

RE "Massachusetts schools: Time to talk about special ed" (Editorial, April 26): As the parent of a special-needs child who went through the public school system and since has graduated from college, the one piece of advice I consistently heard from parents whose children were a few years farther along in the system than my daughter was "Fight, fight, fight, and never stop fighting for the rights of your child. " These turned out to be valuable words of advice to our family ­— so valuable that, as a result of following them, my daughter eventually graduated from college with honors despite...

(Aram Boghosian for the Boston Globe) We've seen Ed Helms show off his banjo chops as Andy Bernard on "The Office," including in this backstage clip . Now the man who was once the boss at Dunder Mifflin is planning the debut album of his bluegrass group The Lonesome Trio, which features two of his former classmates from Oberlin College. Of course, Helms isn't the only fast-picking funnyman. Steve Martin has won two Grammy Awards for his banjo recordings.

Natalie Weaver, a 25-year-old musician who lives in Roxbury, does not go to church. But every three weeks or so, she visits a white vinyl-sided building on Dorchester Avenue, a former convent, to meet with her spiritual director. For about an hour, she sits with a gentle, bearded man in a quiet room with gleaming oak floors and talks about the experiences that most awaken her spirit, the people who make her feel most connected and alive. "It's another person who is listening, and kind of asking questions and even just pointing things out," she said.

The expense of higher education has become a crippling burden on students and families — which is why it's encouraging that local institutions are exploring new approaches to lowering costs. Earlier this year, Mount Holyoke College froze its tuition. Now, MIT and Harvard have announced a collaboration called edX that will offer five online courses next year — for free. The classes don't count toward a traditional degree at either institution, and there may be some fees for students who want proof of completion.

Duxbury has been named one of the "Best Communities for Music Education" in the 13th annual national survey by the National Association of Music Merchants FoundationAccording to Nick Tatarka, orchestra director for Duxbury's middle and high schools, the survey is a nationwide search for communities that provide access to music education as an essential part of their educational program and demonstrate a commitment to it. The survey measures a variety...

US Representative Edward J. Markey on Thursday called on fellow House members to reject a bill designed to bolster cyber security, saying it would fail to accomplish its goal and would compromise consumer privacy. The House plans to vote Friday on the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA), which would enable private companies to share electronic information with one another and with the federal government. Supporters argue the exchange of data — which could include customers' personal information — will help businesses and...