This July 1, 2009 photo shows Moneeb Hassan, 17, posing for a picture in front of his high school, Benjamin N. Cardozo, in New York. Hassan, 17, is one of thousands of Muslim students in the city who must perform a balancing act between his academic and religious obligations during his holidays. But the nation's largest school district hasn't sanctioned official Muslim holidays. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

NYC Muslims push to add holidays to school year (AP)

AP - Moneeb Hassan remembers having to choose between a final exam in American history or celebrating the Muslim holy day of Eid al-Adha. In the end, he chose both.

Education


	From the schoolyard... Stimulus dollars released for schools (AP) Pay Off Your Student Loan with Help from Uncle Sam (U.S. News & World Report) Book closes on NJ school districts without schools (AP) Brüno Shoot Doesn't Tickle School Heads (The Advocate) Conservatives Target Gay Appointee (The Advocate) For modest earners, relief repaying student loans (AP) Mormon-affiliated university lifts YouTube ban (AP) No dropouts from this Camden, NJ, high school (AP)


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Education secretary challenges NEA on teacher pay (AP) AP - Education Secretary Arne Duncan challenged members of the National Education Association Thursday to stop resisting the idea of linking teacher pay to student achievement.

Gates Foundation Gives $16.5 Million for Community-College Programs (U.S. News & World Report) U.S. News & World Report - The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation renewed its commitment to improving college graduation rates for low-income and minority students by giving $16.5 million in grant money to expand remedial education programs at the community-college level.

School District Billed in Diversity Lawsuit (The Advocate) The Advocate - As California grapples with a massive $24 billion budget deficit, a public school district finds itself served with a bill totaling almost $15,000 related to a lawsuit over a diversity presentation it allowed to take place in March, reports the Hayward Daily Review.

Fame, fortune for Web tutors in education-crazy South Korea (Reuters) Reuters - For a teacher who never sees his students and instructs only online, South Korean Woo Hyeong-cheol makes a lot of money, $4 million a year to be exact.

LA high school featured in 'Bruno' leaves district (AP) AP - A high school that was the location for a racy photo shoot by Sacha Baron Cohen's character "Bruno" has broken away from the nation's second-largest school district.

Stimulus dollars released for schools (AP) AP - Education Secretary Arne Duncan is releasing $2.7 billion in stimulus dollars earlier than planned to help states confront increasingly tighter budgets.

Pay Off Your Student Loan with Help from Uncle Sam (U.S. News & World Report) U.S. News & World Report - Today could be a day of liberation for millions of college graduates who are struggling with college loan payments. Thanks to the federal government's new Income Based Repayment Plan, which takes effect today, many debtors can cut their payments on their federal student loans to less than 15 percent of their incomes.