Education

WRVO News reporter Ryan Delaney covered the Dalai Lama's two-day visit to Syracuse. He shares some observations on the visit.

I was already nervous enough. Just on the other side of the door I was about to walk into probably the biggest press conference I had ever attended. Certainly the most heavily guarded.

In the latest Innovation Trail report for New York NOW, we're taking a look at STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) education in the Capital Region. High-tech multinational companies have moved into the area and they're hiring. Meanwhile some local school districts are struggling with graduation rates around 50 percent.

New York State has similar rates of student disengagement as the rest of the nation.

With dropout rates at almost 30 per cent in New York, the Alliance for Excellent Education warns that this crisis is damaging to the economy as well as the future of individuals.

The Buffalo Public Schools (BPS) received good news last year: its four-year graduation rate rose by seven percent. Still, nearly half the district’s high school students failed to earn a diploma. The struggling urban school system continues to look for dramatic fixes. This year, the district is starting in kindergarten.

Instead of trying to have as much pre-college life fun as possible, or maybe earning some spending cash for the upcoming semester, one of group of college-bound Syracuse teens spent the summer months getting a head start on college. They were rewarded for their efforts during a small ceremony at Onondaga Community College (OCC), where the 29 students are currently hitting the books, with a small ceremony.

As students settle into the new school year, the first phase of a new statewide anti-bullying law is already in place. More children will now be protected, and more will be required of school districts.

The graduation rate in the Syracuse City School District continues to be one of the worst in the state, with less than half the students getting their diplomas after four years of school. Technical education programs may be a solution.

As the school year starts, many school districts across the state still need to grapple with the issue of a teacher evaluation system, especially if they want to continue to receive state aid. Only a small percentage of the state's schools have turned in an evaluation plan the state is happy with so far.

As children all over upstate New York head back to school this week, the curriculum for some of them will be a little different this year.

As parents get ready to send their kids back to school all over upstate New York .... There are some new statewide educational changes are taking affect they may want to know about first.