Teachers

US Senator Scott Brown has turned questions over Democrat Elizabeth Warren's claims of Native American ancestry into a key strategy in his bid to retain his Senate seat. Almost every day for more than two weeks, the Brown campaign or a Republican surrogate has highlighted the latest bit of news to emerge on the subject, often citing articles on conservative websites in a bid to coax more coverage from the mainstream news media. Warren's failure to offer a full and concise answer on what role her ancestry has played in her professional career has left an opening that has allowed the questions to linger.

A U.S. clampdown on visas for instructors at China's flagship cultural program overseas has incensed Beijing, with state media pouncing on it as an attempt by Washington to frustrate Chinese global ambitions. The crisis flared last week with a U.S. directive saying many Chinese instructors had the wrong kind of visa, though it appeared largely resolved by Thursday when U.S. officials said they were working on a way for teachers to update their status without returning home. The commotion has underlined China's sensitivity about the more than 300 Confucius Institutes it has...

Marlborough teachers took a vote of no confidence in Superintendent Anthony Pope Thursday morning following a series of controversies that have buffeted his administration. In a statement, the city's teachers' union said the vote was unanimous and criticized Pope for "deficiencies," including a disregard for student welfare, unprofessional behavior, and failure to provide adequate special services for subgroups of students. "Although the superintendent is aware of these deficiencies, he has not addressed them in the 2011-2012 school year," said Brendan St. George, president of the...

Abington school administrators are scrambling to cover end-of-the-year activities following last week's decision by the Abington teachers union that members would no longer volunteer their time to help local clubs or chaperone or support student events, due to failed contract negotiations. School Superintendent Peter Schafer sent an e-mail to parents Monday assuring them that "every effort will be made to minimize the impact of the work action on the students," but some parents remained disheartened by the teachers' decision to bail.

Some entrepreneurs try to introduce new technologies into the cubicles of the Fortune 500, the battlefield, or the operating room. But the truly intrepid develop products for the classroom. Teachers don't have time to evaluate new software. Principals control the purse strings, and superintendents want to see proof of educational merits, usually in the form of improved test scores. "It's incredibly challenging, even when you're trying to sell to schools that have money to spend," says Melissa Pickering, founder of Boston-based iCreate to Educate, which makes animation software.

H ULL — Teachers at Jacobs Elementary School don't mind when their students get to class a little sweaty and out of breath. That's because the youngsters coming from the school's early-morning exercise class seem better able to stay in their seats for the rest of the day. "We only have anecdotal evidence, but it does seem like students who participate are more focused for school," said school principal Jean Penta. "Teachers have noticed [the students have] a better ability to attend at the beginning of the day. "It's...

Teachers at all levels of Spain's education system are on strike to protest billions in spending cuts enacted as part of an austerity drive. Students are also taking part in the Tuesday strike, unprecedented in that all levels — from elementary school to universities — are taking part simultaneously. Union officials said it was too early to give figures on how many teachers are staying away from work. All but three of Spain's 17 regions are participating. Spain is struggling to cut its deficit amid fears that its public finances and troubled banking sector will cause it...

‘Marshmallow toes, please!” Mrs. Nagle stage-whispers to her loud-footed, pinballing second-graders when they walk the halls. But if her cellphone goes off during class (ringtone: “When the Saints Go Marching In”), the kids may get up and boogie. The rest of the time, though, they need to work hard, for Mrs. Nagle’s kids learn like fiends. They research pond creatures, play math games, spell, read, measure, investigate, and write instructional reports on topics of their choice: How to Wrap a Gift, Throw a Football, and my own personal favorite, Be Awesome.

NAIROBI - More than 200,000 Kenyan teachers went on strike yesterday to protest the diversion of government funds meant to hire more teachers and ease classroom overcrowding, a union official said. The money has instead gone to the Ministry of Defense, whose spending is not publicly scrutinized. The protest will affect more than 10 million children in primary and secondary schools and will continue until the government agrees to hire more teachers, said Wilson Sossion, who heads the Kenya National Union of Teachers.

The Newton Teachers Association and the School Committee agreed to a new three-year contract Monday night, after months of tense negotiations and a year without a contract. Changes to both health insurance and step increases are expected to bring the agreement in line with the city's goal of limiting total annual increases to 2.5 percent. Among other changes, the agreement increases and adds new copayments, and increases the share of premiums that future teachers will pay for health insurance.

As many as 100 Brockton teachers may be out of a job next fall if officials cannot close a glaring $7.8 million gap in the school budget that goes into effect on July 1. Pink slips were delivered last week to 98 teachers as part of efforts to balance the 15,000-plus student district's $157 million budget. Another two educators also received word of involuntary transfers, officials said. "This is the third consecutive year that we have not been able to fund level services in our budget," said School Superintendent Matthew Malone.

THE STRIKE: Teachers and students across Spain walked out Tuesday. Union officials said 80 percent of teachers took part in the strike, while the national education ministry put the figure at 19 percent. THE GRIPE: Austerity measures being taken to heal Spain's public finances have meant fewer teachers in classrooms, more students per class, fewer extra-curricular activities and higher tuition at universities. THE DRAMA: In protest, students and teachers build makeshift tombs at university campuses to symbolize what they claim will be the death of the country's education system.

Teachers and students from every level of Spain's education system went on strike Tuesday to protest wide-ranging government spending cuts, erecting makeshift tombs at university campuses to symbolize what they claim will be the death of the country's schooling system. Union officials said on average 80 percent of the country's teachers took part. All but three of Spain's 17 regions participated in the stoppage, the biggest in a series of strikes so far this year that had until now been scattered around the country.

Teachers at all levels of Spain's education system are on strike to protest billions in spending cuts enacted as part of an austerity drive. Students are also taking part in the Tuesday strike, unprecedented in that all levels — from elementary school to universities — are taking part simultaneously. Union officials said it was too early to give figures on how many teachers are staying away from work. All but three of Spain's 17 regions are participating. Spain is struggling to cut its deficit amid fears that its public finances and troubled...

H ULL — Teachers at Jacobs Elementary School don't mind when their students get to class a little sweaty and out of breath. That's because the youngsters coming from the school's early-morning exercise class seem better able to stay in their seats for the rest of the day. "We only have anecdotal evidence, but it does seem like students who participate are more focused for school," said school principal Jean Penta. "Teachers have noticed [the students have] a better ability to attend at the beginning of the day. "It's a really good way to...

Marlborough teachers took a vote of no confidence in Superintendent Anthony Pope Thursday morning following a series of controversies that have buffeted his administration. In a statement, the city's teachers' union said the vote was unanimous and criticized Pope for "deficiencies," including a disregard for student welfare, unprofessional behavior, and failure to provide adequate special services for subgroups of students. "Although the superintendent is aware of these deficiencies, he has not addressed them in the 2011-2012 school year," said Brendan St. George, president of the...

One hundred percent of the teachers at Tahanto Regional High School are "highly qualified," compared with the state average of 97.3 percent, according to the school's latest No Child Left Behind report card. A highly qualified teacher is defined by the state as a teacher who holds a state teaching license for three levels of competency. - Matt Gunderson

The first day of classes saw more than 600 kindergarten students enter the school system, along with roughly 650 second-graders, a record for both. Enrollments historically have hovered in the 400s, although they have been in the 500s since roughly 2006. The higher enrollment means that the schools opened on Sept. 6 with more teachers - including 79 new instructors - plus about 90 classroom aides, according to a report by Superintendent Bill Lupini. He will give final enrollment figures in his report to the School Committee during its meeting Thursday.

By Regina Robbins Flynn One of my students, a graduating senior, was in my office the other day. She was calling a potential internship site using my office phone, as her cell phone wasn't staying charged.  When she asked me if she should leave the cell phone number, knowing her phone was on the fritz, I suggested she give the internship site her home number. "But I don't know my home number," she said, "it's saved on my cell. " And I thought to myself, how could you not know your home number?

Who says high school teachers can't bust a move? A prank video created by teachers at Abby Kelley Foster Charter Public School in Worcester shows them dancing behind unsuspecting students in hallways, in the band room, and in front of an art-storage closet. Now, the clip has gone viral after it aired on national television. The video, " Teachers Dancing Behind Students ," was featured Tuesday on NBC's "Today" show. Since then, "Good Morning America" and a slew of local news stations have asked to broadcast the video, which had garnered...