Morning Announcements: March 5, 2012

Greetings and Happy (or not-so-much) Monday! Get back into the grind of the 9-5 by being up-to-date on the latest in education news.

According to Stateline, after making sever cuts in the state budget, Florida Governor Rick Scott urged legislators to put back $1 billion toward K-12 education. Educators appreciate the help, but say they will still be struggling in 2013 because the restored education funds will not make up for the damage already done through cutbacks.

Budget cuts are also a key focus in New York City. Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s cuts to education and childcare may threaten city programs for children as reported by the New York Times. Advocates are concerned that cuts to the city’s child care and after-school programs could result in 47,000 children losing access to those services.

New studies are showing that integrating social media into coursework may be helping students learn better. As USA Today  reports, teachers and professor are embracing this changing and incorporating social media in class.

National Public Radio brings you the heartbreaking story of students in the small town of Piner, Kentucky. It was one of many areas struck by tornadoes last week. The residents of the Kenton County town are trying to get their lives back on track, and that includes going back to school.