There could be an 8.4 percent reduction in the U.S. teaching corps, and some states could see reductions as large as 20 percent, according to a new analysis by the Learning Policy Institute.

The NFL wants college football season to proceed as usual in 2020. It may proceed, but there's a good chance it will be very unusual. Via Sports Business Daily, commissioners of two of the Power Five conferences (Kevin Warren of the Big 10 and Greg Sankey of the SEC) have hinted in recent days at [more]

Fast-moving bills in two state legislatures could dictate to their education departments what goes into the states' accountability plans under the Every Student Succeeds Act.

As civic education undergoes a renaissance in schools, educators are looking beyond standardized tests to determine whether the lessons empower students to embrace civic behaviors, like voting or volunteering.

Lawmakers in Illinois are considering a bill that would require children to start kindergarten if they are 5 on or before May 31, with exceptions for summer birthdays.

Jonathan R. Bradley, Noel Cressie, Tao Shi.

Source: Statistics Surveys, Volume 10, 100--131.

Abstract:
In this article, we review and compare a number of methods of spatial prediction, where each method is viewed as an algorithm that processes spatial data. To demonstrate the breadth of available choices, we consider both traditional and more-recently-introduced spatial predictors. Specifically, in our exposition we review: traditional stationary kriging, smoothing splines, negative-exponential distance-weighting, fixed rank kriging, modified predictive processes, a stochastic partial differential equation approach, and lattice kriging. This comparison is meant to provide a service to practitioners wishing to decide between spatial predictors. Hence, we provide technical material for the unfamiliar, which includes the definition and motivation for each (deterministic and stochastic) spatial predictor. We use a benchmark dataset of $mathrm{CO}_{2}$ data from NASA’s AIRS instrument to address computational efficiencies that include CPU time and memory usage. Furthermore, the predictive performance of each spatial predictor is assessed empirically using a hold-out subset of the AIRS data.

Story: As many as 12 million computers worldwide have been infected with a highly encrypted computer worm called Conficker. Writer Mark Bowden details how Conficker was discovered, how it works, and the ongoing programming battle to bring down Conficker in his book Worm: The First Digital World War.

A British frigate fires on the USS Constitution - but its shots either miss or rebound off its tough oak hull

The extent of the toy’s durability came as a 'surprise' to researchers behind a new study

As monarchs leave their winter hideaways, conservationists are seeking assistance in studying their migration routes

No SARS-CoV-2 infections have yet been detected in our closest living relatives. But there is precedent for viruses jumping from people to other great apes

The planet's temperatures spike around the latitudes where auroras show up

A study of microbial communities at the site of a 1989 deep-sea mining test suggests the fragile ecosystem may take half a century to fully recover

Remote Isle au Haut is integrating time-tested technology with emerging innovations to create its own microgrid

Modified hospital designs have become necessary as the first wave of the pandemic tears through U.S. communities

The current deconfinement plan in the Montreal area could lead to a rapid increase in deaths in the city, according to findings by Quebec's public health institute. 

Major League Baseball could hold a rescheduled opening day between mid-June and July 4 and play at least 80 games this season, The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reported Tuesday.

As a result of the pandemic, USPS, which has run at a loss for years, is even more cash-strapped. It expects to lose $2 billion each month during the pandemic. That prompted Postmaster General Megan Brennan to ask Congress for $50 billion in funds -- $25 billion to offset lost revenue from declining mail volume due to the pandemic, and another $25 billion for modernization.

The programmed supply reduction could potentially bring a supply shock and large price implications.

The post Bitcoin Halving Could Be Different This Time Around appeared first on OpenMarkets.

Ralph Goodale says building water diversion conduits in Lake Diefenbaker could help grow Saskatchewan's economy and environment but it comes with a $3 billion price tag.

Dentists in B.C. are trying to figure out how they might reopen by May 19 as the province begins to loosen restrictions after flattening the infection curve during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A woman found not criminally responsible for fatally stabbing a stranger in the heart at the makeup counter of a Toronto drugstore five years ago could ultimately be allowed to live in the community if the mental health facility where she is staying decides she can, the Ontario Review Board says.

Located on Huron Church Road, the lab was one of 12 such facilities run by the Ontario government, and processed tests for diseases like tuberculosis and West Nile virus. But it was demolished to make way for the Herb Gray Parkway.

Human challenge studies could help researchers develop a COVID-19 vaccine faster, but the approach is incredibly risky.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Sunday that NHL players would — at a minimum — need to follow quarantine protocols if they were to arrive in Canada while the border remains closed due to the pandemic.

A pair of model numbers recently discovered in multiple international regulatory filings hinted at a next-generation Beats headphone, but new information suggests the device may actually be related to an existing product that's already in circulation.

Apple is supposedly developing new mental health features for the Apple Watch line that allow the wearable to detect panic attacks, with the capability potentially slated for launch with a next-generation "watchOS 7" this fall.

The success of Apple's AirPods line did better than the company "could ever imagine," Apple VP of product marketing Greg Joswiak claims in a profile on the audio accessories' popularity, one that also reveals extensive resources have been put into mapping ears.

A couple in Montenegro, working with children in a tough neighbourhood in Bar, desire to find ways to reach them with Jesus’ love.

Short-term participant uses Transform trip to confirm God’s call for long-term work in North Africa.

IRAQ’S prime ministerial merry-go-round continues to spin apace. Spy chief Mustafa al-Kadhimi, director of the country’s National Intelligence Service, is now the third prime minister designate this year, following the withdrawal of the two previous prospective candidates.

SCOTLAND’S workers could stay put in rural communities in the post-lockdown world - boosting countryside economies and cutting commuter traffic, a Holyrood cabinet secretary has suggested.

The Scottish Labour Party, I think it’s fair to say, hasn’t had a good decade.

NICOLA Sturgeon has suggested the coronavirus lockdown in Scotland could end later than the one in England and that she might seek powers to close the Border.

The Scottish political world is holding its breath this weekend.

The Meadowbank Stadium was one of the shabbier landmarks in east Edinburgh until it was knocked down last year. A new one is rising from the ashes, looking like one of those massive cruise liners that appear in the Forth.

SCOTLAND’S universities must play their part in adapting to the “new normal” amid warnings that institutions could be forced to merge in return for government support.

Schools in Wales could be allowed to reopen their doors next month in a phased approach, the first minister has said.

The staff union for the National Education Association is threatening to strike over contract negotiations.

The recent Chicago Teachers Union strike drew attention from Democratic presidential candidates in Illinois, a state won by Democrats in the last White House contest. For 2020, it's possible we could see a twist on that story: big-city teacher strikes in states with less predictable outcomes.

PEOPLE who are not positive for Covid-19 could be told to isolate from their families before test results are issued as a precaution, Scotland’s national clinical director has warned.

The version of the tax bill passed by the Republican-led Senate would double the amount teachers can deduct for classroom supplies.

THIS year, more than ever, we need to see a love story played out on stage. We need to see Covid-19 killed off as convincingly as Snow White’s wicked step ma. We need lines such as: “He’s two metres behind you!” Or the Uglies throwing scorchers at each other like: “Did you get that face mask in Poundstretchers?” “Whit? A’m no’ wearing a face mask, ya cheeky madam.”