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Schools Seek Cover From Special Education Lawsuits, But Advocates See Another Motive

Special education advocates argue the push for liability protection is a veiled attempt to seek waivers from the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the nation's primary special education law.




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News24 Business | Why pre-authorisation doesn't mean your medical scheme will pay your bills

Many medical scheme members mistakenly believe obtaining pre-authorisation for a procedure or treatment means their claims will be paid in full.




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News24 Business | OPINION | Know who to trust with your money - and when

When you don’t know how financial products or services, such as the two-pot retirement system, it is easy to become mistrustful. Unfounded mistrust can cost you, but knowing the basics can help you make the most of what is available. Laura du Preez explains.




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News24 Business | EXPLAINER | What to do when someone can no longer manage their finances

An illness, accident or aging can take away a person’s ability to manage their own affairs.




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News24 Business | Medical schemes: What you need to know about pre-authorisation

Pre-authorisation does not guarantee payment of your claim but it does help prevent claims that are denied or short-paid.




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News24 Business | EXPLAINER | How a creditor can claim 25% of your salary

If you are unable to settle a debt after a creditor obtains a court judgment against you, the creditor may seek an emolument attachment order.




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News24 Business | EXPLAINER | How to invest in gold

Gold remains at record highs, but there are various ways to get exposure to the metal that are less cumbersome and more investor-friendly than holding physical gold.




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News24 Business | Why SA families dealing with dementia have to 'busk it'

Legislation that could assist a rapidly growing number of South African families deal with relatives living with dementia who have lost the mental capacity to manage their finances is missing in parliament.




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News24 Business | EXPLAINER | Why multi-managed funds are a bit like soccer or rugby teams

Gold remains at record highs, but there are various ways to get exposure to the metal that are less cumbersome and more investor-friendly than holding physical gold.




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News24 Business | Your money and your brain: How to make decisions from your prefrontal cortex

Roddy Carter, a US-based doctor who is now a personal coach, says using neuroscience to understand the brain can help you to gain personal mastery. Carter spoke at the recent Humans Under Management conference, writes Laura du Preez.




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News24 Business | EXPLAINER | Why you should say no to (savings) pot

Early withdrawals reduce the overall value of your retirement savings, which will have a significant impact on future retirement income.




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News24 Business | EXPLAINER | How to spot a fake financial services company

If you are uncertain whether you are dealing with a scammer, use these checklists to see your potential risk profile, and warning signs of possible scams.




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News24 Business | Why passive funds are more popular in the US than in SA

Managers are taking different views on their exposure to offshore equity, to credit and to private equity.




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News24 Business | More than 50% of unhappy medical scheme members win their case at regulator

Complaints about denied claims often concern the treatment the scheme will cover for a prescribed minimum benefit.




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News24 Business | Business brief | Mondi shutters fire-hit Bulgarian mill; Mercedes' profits plunge

An overview of the biggest business developments in SA and beyond.




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News24 Business | OPINION | Matriculants' other big test - how they'll manage their money

Ensuring and tracking your financial progress, no matter what path your life takes, is easier than navigating careers or relationships. But good habits have to be set up early, says Laura du Preez.




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News24 Business | GEPF two-pot frustrations: After two months, some withdrawals still not processed

Delays in the payment of withdrawals from the two-pot retirement system have led members of the Government Employees Pension Fund to voice their concerns on social media.




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News24 Business | Money questions? Answered | Don't fall for this car financing sales trick

Gone are the days when a cash offer got you a better price, writes Maya Fisher-French.




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News24 Business | Maya on Money | How to avoid excessive executor fees

There are ways to reduce the cost of death, writes Maya Fisher-French.




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Bulgarians attend TeenStreet Europe

A group of Bulgarian teenagers and leaders took part in this year’s TeenStreet Europe for the first time and experienced God in new ways.




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Bulgarian outreach impacts young lives

This year at the sports and English camp in Bulgaria, the team noticed the fruit of building on relationships over time.




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'It is true - we can be cleansed!'

An annual outreach attracts not only children but also two women, who listen attentively and respond to the message.




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Fighting Bible poverty

No method is infallible when trying to reduce Bible poverty among the least reached, an OM worker discovers as he distributed Bibles.




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Refugee life, hardships and hope

If God can speak to a national faith believer, and move him to cross continents to share his love for Jesus with other refugees, despite dangers and difficulties, what more might He achieve with more workers prepared to take the same risks for the gospel?




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2024 Hankin Lecture to highlight carbon-neutral home building, Nov. 6

Gene Myers, owner and chief sustainability officer of Thrive Home Builders in Denver will deliver the 2024 Hankin Distinguished Lecture, hosted by the residential construction program and the Pennsylvania Housing Research Center. His talk, “A Homebuilder’s Journey to Carbon Neutral Construction,” will be held at 4 p.m. on Nov. 6 in Robb Hall at the Hintz Family Alumni Center at University Park.




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New technique allows technicolor imaging of degenerative joint disease

Medical imaging is no longer in Kansas, Toto, as a team led by Penn State researchers brings traditional black and white diagnostic images of X-rays and traditional CT scans into technicolor. The researchers developed novel contrast agents that target two proteins implicated in osteoarthritis, a degenerative joint disease commonly characterized as wear-and-tear arthritis.




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Research team aims to better understand traumatic brain injuries

When the brain experiences an injury, it can be difficult to definitively diagnose a concussion as the trauma is often limited to inside the skull and cannot be accurately assessed, according Reuben Kraft, a professor of mechanical engineering at Penn State. Kraft's research team is using computational methods and tools — such as custom mouthguard sensors — to model and predict injury in the human brain. 




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Art education doctoral student serves as artist-in-residence at Learning Factory

Keisha Oliver, who is pursuing a dual-title doctoral degree in art education and African American and diaspora studies, was named a fall 2024 artist-in-residence at the Penn State College of Engineering’s Learning Factory.




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Stefano Terlizzi joins nuclear engineering department at Penn State

Stefano Terlizzi joined the Ken and Mary Alice Lindquist Department of Nuclear Engineering as the John and Jean M. Brennan Clean Energy Early Career Professor on July 22. In this Q&A, Terlizzi talks about his research background and interests, why he chose Penn State and more.




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Russ Messier, pioneer in thin films research, remembered

Faculty, staff and students from across Penn State and especially in the College of Engineering and Materials Research Institute are mourning the loss of Russ Messier, graduate alumnus and professor emeritus of engineering science and mechanics, who died on Oct. 11 at age 80 in Nashua, New Hampshire.




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Brick by brick, LEGOneering team builds interest in STEM careers

To build the interest of students in pre-K through grade 12 in STEM fields, a team of aerospace engineering undergraduates built a fleet of LEGO models of vertical flight vehicles and demonstrate them at outreach events.




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Electrical engineering major named fall 2024 ROTC student marshal

Richard Wilson has been named the fall 2024 student marshal for the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) at Penn State. He will receive a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the Penn State College of Engineering with a minor in military studies.




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Education in 2016 Through the 'Top Performers' Lens

Marc Tucker's most-read blog posts in 2016.




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Teacher-Performance Scores Primed for Release in Virginia

A state court ruled that Virginia must turn over growth data by school and classroom teacher, without redacting the teachers' names.




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N.Y. Chief, SUNY Chancellor Team Up to Overhaul Teacher Preparation

Two high-powered N.Y. officials have put out a blueprint for overhauling teaching in the state, aiming for more-coherent policies for the profession.




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Teachers' Pay: What On Earth Are We Thinking?

With the U.S. facing the largest pay gap between teachers and similar professionals of any country surveyed by the OECD, Marc Tucker asks when we will finally address the embarrassingly obvious.




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States' ESSA Plans Fall Short on Educator Equity, NCTQ Analysis Finds

More than half of the state plans fail to publicly report data on educator equity gaps, the National Council of Teacher Quality found in its analyses.




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A Response to Checker Finn on Empowered Educators

Marc Tucker responds to Checker Finn's recent critique of the new international teacher quality study from NCEE and Linda Darling-Hammond, Empowered Educators.




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Accreditation for Teacher Prep Needs a Makeover, Say Former Ed. Officials

The current system for accrediting schools of education isn't working, argue two former senior U.S. Department of Education officials. They think school districts and philanthropists can help.




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Gap Growing in Teacher-Turnover Rates: Research

Teachers coming from alternative programs leave the profession at higher rates than their traditionally certified peers, and that gap is growing, a study finds.




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QUIZ: What Did 'Teacher Quality' Look Like in 1966?

Are you smarter than a teacher in 1966? Take this real test, taken from the "Equality of Educational Opportunity" report, to find out how you fare.




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One Way Recessions Actually Help Districts: Great Teachers Seeking Jobs

The hiring pool improved for schools when the recession squeezed teachers, study finds.




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Learning From the Nursing Profession in the New Teacher Strike Era

As teacher strikes sweep the nation, Marc Tucker compares the trajectory of teaching to that of the nursing profession, one of high standards of entry and rigorous preparation.




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Why I Still Care About Teacher-Quality Reform

This week, you'll hear from guest blogger and longtime reader favorite Heather Harding. Heather kicks off the week by discussing reforms to identify, retain, and prepare high-quality teachers—and why it's still important that we pay attention to these things.




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Education in 2017 Through the 'Top Performers' Lens

Marc Tucker's most-read blog posts in 2017.




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Can a New Political Campaign to 'Modernize' Teaching Succeed?

40 groups will band together to push principles for "modernizing and elevating" teaching, but many of the groups have contrasting agendas.




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Illinois Gov. Apologizes for Calling Chicago Teachers 'Illiterate'

Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner said that half of Chicago teachers were "illiterate" in a 2011 email, recently released to a city newspaper.




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Teachers Colleges: The Weakest Link

Marc Tucker explores why and how U.S. teacher education is holding our teachers, the profession and our schools back.




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Teachers Colleges as the Weakest Link: Part 2

Building off of his piece last week, Marc Tucker looks at how the economics of higher education and lacking state governance combine to weaken schools of education.




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Trust: An Essential Ingredient for Top Performance

Marc Tucker explores the critical importance of trust in successful education systems and how trust was lost in U.S. education.