Recent stories by Erica L. Green

6:05 PM CDT, May 21, 2013

Baltimore second in per-pupil spending, Census Bureau says

The Baltimore school system ranked second among the nation's 100 largest school districts in how much it spent per pupil in fiscal year 2011, according to data released Tuesday by the U.S. Census Bureau.

7:45 AM CDT, May 23, 2013

Federal audit finds city schools misspent stimulus, Title I funds

The Maryland State Department of Education may have to pay back up to $540,000 in federal money intended to help the state's poorest schools after a scathing audit found that Baltimore City was one of two school districts that misspent the funds, using the money for dinner cruises, makeovers and meals.

6:07 PM CDT, May 21, 2013

State school board adopts concussion regulations

The Maryland state school board adopted regulations Tuesday that require more concussion training for those responsible for student-athletes and beef up protocols for addressing head injuries.

9:13 PM CDT, May 20, 2013

City school system passes $1.2B budget

The Baltimore school board unanimously passed a $1.2 billion budget Monday that essentially remained intact since it was presented.

9:57 PM CDT, May 20, 2013

Baltimore County hires consultant to assess facilities needs

The Baltimore County school system has hired a local architecture firm to help document its long-term school facilities needs, following a similar strategy the city school system used to generate a $2.4 billion plan and secure some of that funding from the General Assembly.

8:45 PM CDT, May 14, 2013

City school system receives seven charter applications

The city school board is considering proposals for seven charter schools that include two named for female trailblazers, another attempt at an all-male, college-preparatory program in East Baltimore, and an elementary school for at-risk youths.

7:53 PM CDT, May 6, 2013

City schools chief Alonso resigns

Baltimore schools CEO Andrés Alonso tearfully announced his resignation Monday, ending a six-year tenure marked by bold yet often divisive reforms and casting uncertainty on the future of the long-troubled school system.

2:47 PM CDT, April 27, 2013

City's revamped pre-K showing promise

Before Lauren Preston opened the cover of the book "Spring" to read to her pre-kindergarten class at Mary Ann Winterling Elementary School, her students excitedly told her why, and showed her how, the season was underway.

8:59 AM CDT, April 26, 2013

Friday traffic: Lane shut down on I-95N into Baltimore

A collision involving three cars has shut down a northbound lane of I-95, closing off some access to the ramp of 395 into Baltimore City.

5:16 PM CDT, April 25, 2013

City school scene of five fires, fight that hurts employee

City school officials said they will take extra security measures at a Southeast Baltimore charter school after five fires were set this week at the school, which also had an altercation that injured an administrator and a student arrest.

8:41 PM CDT, April 23, 2013

City schools budget includes new academic endeavors

Baltimore school officials unveiled a $1.174 billion budget plan Tuesday, which they said focuses on academics with a new science team to implement curriculum, programs for advanced students and a shifting of staff in the central office.

8:05 PM CDT, April 23, 2013

After deadlock, city school board renews contract of Hopkins-run school

Following a two-month impasse, the Baltimore City school board voted Tuesday to extend a one-year contract to the operators of Baltimore Talent Development High School.

6:04 PM CDT, April 19, 2013

Dean of Hopkins engineering school appointed Penn State provost

Nicholas P. Jones, dean of the Johns Hopkins University's Whiting School of Engineering, has been named the new executive vice president and provost at Penn State University, the college announced Friday.

4:02 PM CDT, April 18, 2013

Special educator named Baltimore Teacher of the Year

With a little yelp, lots of tears and a bouquet of flowers from her developmentally disabled twin sister, who inspired her to help students persevere, special educator Ketia C. Stokes was named Baltimore City's 2013 Teacher of the Year.

2:49 PM CDT, April 13, 2013

Principals union wants Alonso to return bonuses in light of cheating investigations

The Baltimore principals union is calling for schools CEO Andrés Alonso to pay back thousands of dollars in bonuses he received in years that schools were later found to have cheated on state tests.

8:05 PM CDT, March 29, 2013

Baltimore police sergeant convicted of perjury

A Baltimore City police sergeant faces up to 10 years in prison after he was convicted Friday of perjury and malfeasance for using false information to obtain a search and seizure warrant.

6:13 PM CDT, April 17, 2013

Wes Moore to replace Carson as Hopkins commencement speaker

Johns Hopkins University alum and best-selling author Wes Moore will replace Dr. Ben Carson as speaker at the university's School of Education commencement, officials said Wednesday, after the world-renowned neurosurgeon came under fire for his political views on same-sex marriage.

2:09 PM CST, March 9, 2013

City school police seek better benefits for injuries in line of duty

When city school police officer Joseph Baribeault attempted to arrest two combative students at the old Greenspring Middle School, he ended up injured at the bottom of two flights of concrete stairs.

8:18 PM CST, March 5, 2013

Baltimore County school board votes to close Eastwood

The Baltimore County school board voted Tuesday to close its smallest elementary school in order to accommodate a plan that would allow county officials to sell property for development.

6:42 PM CDT, April 12, 2013

Report of gunfire at Towson University deemed false

Police swarmed Towson University Friday after a report of gunfire on campus, but university officials soon said the report appeared to be false.

6:17 AM CDT, April 1, 2013

Some scholarly journals charge author fees

A Denver-based scholarly librarian leveled plagiarism allegations against a Towson University professor after doing research for his watchdog blog and alerting university officials, journals and The Baltimore Sun.

8:13 PM CDT, March 28, 2013

Towson professor investigated over allegations of plagiarism

A longtime Towson University professor has resigned his post as the head of the city school system's ethics panel amid allegations that his published academic articles contain content from dozens of sources without proper — or in some cases any — attribution.

6:56 PM CDT, March 14, 2013

Balto. Co. school librarians skeptical of changes

Baltimore County school librarians are worried about their next chapter.

8:39 PM CST, February 24, 2013

Northwestern High alumni sue school system over closure

Northwestern High alumni have gone to court to try to stop the Baltimore school from closing, as civil rights activists say the plan is discriminatory because shuttering the institution would disproportionately affect low-income, minority students.

6:59 PM CDT, March 22, 2013

In dilapidated schools, excitement at prospect of new buildings

Long-held dreams of freshly painted walls, hallways bathed in natural light and classrooms buzzing with technology could become a reality in Baltimore as schools watch with cautious optimism as a financial plan to overhaul the district's buildings moves forward in the General Assembly.

10:15 PM CST, February 12, 2013

City school board revokes contracts of several schools

The Baltimore school board voted Tuesday night to not renew the contracts of several charter and other independently run schools — but deferred making decisions about whether most of them would close.

3:55 PM CST, February 7, 2013

Calvert School appoints headmaster

The Calvert School, a private day school with a nationally recognized homeschooling curriculum, will welcome a new headmaster in July, the school announced Thursday.

7:32 PM CST, February 26, 2013

Audit finds lapses in Md. child care oversight

A state audit found that the Maryland State Department of Education did not conduct routine but critical inspections of child care facilities and failed to follow up on red flags raised by background checks of staff working for the programs.

2:21 PM CST, February 9, 2013

Charter and independent schools faced financial, academic challenges

In response to a system that many believed had long failed young black boys, a school began to take shape seven years ago in a small East Baltimore neighborhood.

6:40 PM CST, February 21, 2013

UMUC probe came just before president resigned

University of Maryland University College may have overpaid $3.3 million to a marketing contractor, state auditors found in a review that came just before the school's president was placed on indefinite leave and then abruptly resigned.

5:30 PM CST, February 6, 2013

Schools note high absences, blame 'the purple fever'

As tens of thousands of Maryland families reveled in purple pride at M&T Bank Stadium on Tuesday, one mile away, the mood at Digital Harbor High School was blue.

7:27 PM CST, February 11, 2013

Md. sees improvement in graduation, dropout rates

Baltimore continues to lead area school systems in improving its dropout rate, and most districts in the region are making progress in graduating more students in four years, according to new high school data released Monday by the Maryland State Department of Education.

10:59 PM CST, January 30, 2013

Independently operated schools sound off on contract recommendations

In a public forum packed with emotion as well as people, the Baltimore school board heard Wednesday from independently operated schools fighting for contract extensions as some presented narratives describing their strengths and weaknesses.

10:12 AM CST, January 30, 2013

Michael T. McCarthy Sr., 69, advocate for foster children

Michael T. McCarthy Sr., a longtime Electrolux vacuum cleaner salesman who helped foster children find homes in his retirement, died on Jan. 23 of sudden cardiac arrest at the Baltimore-Washington Medical Center.

9:51 PM CST, January 27, 2013

Man charged with murder in Glen Burnie case

Anne Arundel County police charged a man with first-degree murder in connection with the shooting and stabbing death of a man found in the woods in Glen Burnie early Sunday morning.

8:10 PM CST, February 20, 2013

Record number of black students in Md. passed AP tests

More African-American students in Maryland's Class of 2012 successfully passed a rigorous Advanced Placement exam than ever before, as the state continued to lead the nation in the percentage of students deemed college- and career-ready, according to data released Wednesday by the national College Board.

8:43 PM CST, January 22, 2013

State board reviews concussion task force recommendations

A task force charged with strengthening Maryland policies regarding head trauma in student athletes called Tuesday for more staff training, parental notification of concussions and further study of ways to limit such injuries.

8:37 AM CST, January 27, 2013

City police say man was robbed, shot in the face

A 23-year-old man was robbed and shot early Sunday while leaving his job in northeast Baltimore, according to Baltimore city police.

7:03 PM CST, January 14, 2013

Teachers get bonuses in some schools with lower suspension rates

The Baltimore school system is paying bonuses to teachers and administrators at struggling schools that reduce suspensions, drawing criticism from union leaders who say the program could provide a financial incentive to ignore problems and jeopardize school safety.

5:54 PM CST, January 24, 2013

Canadian 'Mounties' alert Baltimore to school threat

A Baltimore student's tweet raised red flags 3,000 miles away this week, spurring a local investigation into a possible threat to a city high school, city police confirmed Thursday.

10:01 PM CST, January 10, 2013

City recommends severing ties with operators of six schools

Baltimore school officials recommended Thursday severing ties with independent operators of six schools after a months-long review of more than two dozen diverse programs.

2:13 PM CST, January 10, 2013

Maryland schools rank No. 1 for fifth year in a row

For the fifth year in a row, Maryland has the best public school system in America, according to rankings published Thursday by a leading education publication that gave the state high marks for post-graduation outcomes, state funding levels and overall student achievement.

7:46 PM CST, January 17, 2013

State leaders appear to warm to city's school facilities plan

State lawmakers appeared to warm Thursday to the Baltimore school system's $2.4 billion building modernization plan that received a chilly reception last year, but the blueprint fell short of garnering the endorsement of the state's public school construction agency.

4:43 PM CST, January 4, 2013

BCCC appoints longtime faculty member as interim president

A veteran college educator has been appointed interim president of Baltimore City Community College, the school's board of trustees announced Friday, after a string of controversies that led to the ouster of the school's president last month.

2:27 PM CST, January 3, 2013

Nonpublic special education school graduates outpace their peers in public settings

While most children see dream jobs, spouses and freedom in their futures, Brian Bailey saw only death. The autistic boy, who stopped speaking at 18 months, grew up with anxiety about getting older, and his rocky educational track record early on didn't allay his fears.

2:49 PM CST, January 1, 2013

Francis Joseph McNerney III, Mount St. Joseph graduate

Francis Joseph McNerney III, a graduate of Mount St. Joseph High School where he was known as the Fighting Gael mascot, died Dec. 21 at the University of Maryland Medical Center from complications related to a lung transplant. The Canton resident was 23.

9:09 PM CST, December 7, 2012

City school system broke policy in hiring of Nowlin

The Baltimore school system failed to follow its policies when hiring a temporary employee who allegedly misrepresented himself as a child therapist and is now charged with raping a teen.

9:12 PM CST, December 4, 2012

Northwestern High School preparing for fight

Armed with a plan for protests and petitions, phone banks and pep rallies, the Northwestern High School Alumni Association has set "Operation Hands-Off Northwestern" in motion.

7:21 PM CST, December 17, 2012

Woman injures city school employee in altercation

A Baltimore school staff member was injured Monday during an altercation with a woman who pulled out a knife when she was informed she couldn't visit a student, according to city school officials.

8:37 PM CST, January 8, 2013

City school board OKs 10-year facilities plan

The Baltimore school board approved Tuesday a sweeping plan that would close or renovate more than 150 schools, with the goal of bringing the oldest school infrastructure in the state up to 21st-century standards in one decade.

6:17 PM CST, November 26, 2012

Baltimore city, county finalists in federal competition

The Baltimore City and Baltimore County school districts have been named among 61 finalists nationwide to vie for millions in federal grants under the new Race to the Top program, the U.S. Dept. of Education announced Monday.

3:39 PM CST, November 25, 2012

Baltimore charters looking to the next decade

Eighteen charter schools seeking contract renewals to continue operating in Baltimore are undergoing a rigorous review process that will uniformly evaluate them for the first time since they began populating the district 10 years ago.

8:22 PM CST, November 29, 2012

Baltimore Co. officials eyeing city's creative facilities plan

As Baltimore City education and political leaders prepare to present a $2.4 billion facilities plan in Annapolis next legislative session, officials in Baltimore County said they are eyeing a similar approach to repair their school infrastructure.

4:41 PM CST, December 11, 2012

City, Baltimore County not among winners of Race to the Top grants

After making it to the last round of the inaugural federal Race to the Top district competition, the Baltimore City and Baltimore County school systems fell short of securing grants that would have strengthened individualized learning and helped close the achievement gap.

6:31 PM CST, December 19, 2012

Baltimore students make paper hearts for Newtown families

As the Newtown, Conn., community looks for comfort in the wake of one of the most deadly school shootings in history, it will be able to tap into the hearts of students in Baltimore City.

9:28 PM CST, December 6, 2012

Hazelwood parents unsatisfied with school officials' answers

City school officials offered few answers to Hazelwood Elementary/Middle parents during a contentious meeting Thursday about an employee accused of impregnating a 15-year-old and misrepresenting himself as a child therapist.

10:38 PM CST, November 27, 2012

City schools unveil 10-year renovation plan

In the next 10 years, Baltimore's school system will have a leaner, modernized look under a proposed $2.4 billion facilities plan that calls for closing 26 school buildings and upgrading 136 others in a large-scale face-lift of Maryland's oldest school infrastructure.

5:50 PM CST, November 23, 2012

Employee injured in Mr. Tire car fire in Parkville

A Mr. Tire employee is recovering from first- and second-degree burns after a car fire broke out in the Parkville auto repair shop Friday.

5:39 PM CST, November 22, 2012

Baltimore County school to launch 'paperless classroom'

In one Baltimore County school next semester, students will swap notebooks for 1-inch touch screens, textbook passages for online articles, worksheets for apps, and writing utensils for a keyboard, launching the first "paperless classroom" in a county school.

5:30 PM CST, November 15, 2012

First 'wish-list depot' launched in city schools

In her 22 years at Johnston Square Elementary School, Janice Shelford has spent more than $15,000 of her own money at the Dollar Store and Staples for school supplies for her students. But as of Thursday, she and dozens of other teachers will be heading to a new supply store whose impact on their classrooms will be priceless — literally.

10:16 PM CST, December 5, 2012

Sex abuse suspect had won trust of city parents, students as school employee

For Erica Hamlett-Nicholson's 11-year-old son, Shawn Nowlin was his most trusted confidant when the Hazelwood Elementary/Middle School fifth-grader suffered from depression caused by his parents' separation.

2:51 PM CST, November 21, 2012

Edmondson High School student stabbed

A Edmondson High School senior was stabbed in his left side on his way to school this morning, according to school officials.

8:32 PM CST, November 8, 2012

City school police cast vote of 'no confidence' in chief

Members of the Baltimore school police union cast a vote of "no confidence" in their police chief last month, pointing to what they said was his lack of responsiveness to their concerns, union leaders announced Thursday.

9:21 AM CST, November 5, 2012

Balto. police investigating multiple weekend shootings

Three men were killed in a spate of shootings in Baltimore this weekend.

7:38 PM CST, December 17, 2012

City school system plans to let many temporary employees go

The Baltimore school system is evaluating whether to retain hundreds of temporary employees and plans to let many of them go by the end of the week — before schools close for the holiday break.

9:04 PM CDT, October 31, 2012

More Maryland students pass High School Assessments

Maryland students earned diplomas last year at the highest rate in recent history, according to data released Wednesday by the state Department of Education, which also unveiled a new system of tracking graduates and dropouts.

7:18 PM CST, November 20, 2012

Parent of Baltimore student charged with kidnapping son's classmate

The father of a Baltimore elementary school student is facing kidnapping and other charges after police said he locked his son's 11-year-old classmate in his car, and drove around cursing at him after learning the two boys had been in an altercation that day.

9:19 PM CST, November 4, 2012

Baltimore police investigating multiple shootings

Baltimore city police responded Saturday night to three shootings of men in their early 20's within six minutes of the other, all of which were non-fatal, police said in a release Sunday.

5:18 PM CDT, October 6, 2012

1,000 students, advocates march for Maryland Dream Act

Ricardo Campos was born in El Salvador, but it was three years ago in a hospital room at Johns Hopkins Hospital that he was given life. Suffering from bone cancer, he underwent surgery in 2009 that required him to use a wheelchair for one year, until he could learn to walk again.

9:54 AM CST, November 7, 2012

'Voters of tomorrow' weigh in on 2012 election

If 2,500 Baltimore middle school students have their way Tuesday, President Barack Obama will be re-elected, children of some illegal immigrants will pay in-state tuition rates, same-sex couples can marry and gambling in Maryland will not expand.

8:16 PM CST, November 28, 2012

State lawmakers hopeful for city schools facilities plan

Lawmakers across Maryland lauded the Baltimore school system's ambitious $2.4 billion blueprint to shed underused school buildings and upgrade the most dilapidated ones — calling the plan a critical first step in securing financial backing from the state.

2:36 PM CDT, October 29, 2012

Family to appeal decision over Hopkins planned research institution in Gaithersburg

A family that sued Johns Hopkins University over its intent to build high-rise buildings on a gift of land intended for a low-rise campus will appeal a judge's decision to allow the institution to move forward with its plans.

10:26 PM CDT, October 20, 2012

City graduate gives back to school as mentor

Day after day, Richard Stokes rode the bus past his alma mater, New Hope Academy, until he decided to drop in one day and say hello to the teachers and staff who helped him rise above the problems that landed him at the school for behaviorally and emotionally challenged students.

2:35 PM CDT, October 6, 2012

City schools criticized in financial audit

The Baltimore school system spent more than $2.8 million on overtime in fiscal 2010, even though it was doubtful that employees worked all of the hours for which they were paid.

5:42 PM CST, November 28, 2012

Schools employee charged with underage sex with teenager

When the mother of a 15-year-old girl said she was having behavior problems with her daughter, a prosecutor says, Shawn Edward Nowlin offered to take her in and help the girl work on her issues.

2:56 PM CST, November 4, 2012

Spurred by Sandy, 'Cruise to Nowhere' provides a deal and a distraction

Families looking for a cheap getaway, friends looking to do a little duty-free shopping and couples celebrating over some drinks and gambling returned Sunday morning from a two-night stay on the Chesapeake Bay, after embarking on a Carnival Cruise Line deal spurred by Hurricane Sandy.

5:38 PM CDT, October 18, 2012

City schools overcharged on water bills

City public works officials say they are adjusting water bills for Baltimore public schools after several were overbilled this year by thousands of dollars — including one school whose bill rose nearly $200,000.

6:56 PM CDT, October 10, 2012

City to pilot new evaluations for all teachers

All 6,000 Baltimore educators will take part this year in testing a new teacher evaluation system that ties their effectiveness more closely to student performance, school officials announced this week. This system, tested in the city last year for 309 teachers, comes as preparation for the state's implementation of more rigorous evaluations next year.

5:58 PM CDT, October 30, 2012

Halloween should go off without a hitch

Skeletons, butterflies, frogs and even baby chickens bounced around the festive food court at the Mall in Columbia on Tuesday, as officials urged residents to celebrate Halloween despite Sandy's after-effects, and parents enthusiastically tried to comply.

6:48 PM CDT, October 11, 2012

Alonso defends school system in light of audit findings

Baltimore schools CEO Andrés Alonso defended the system's financial management Thursday as a complex work in progress, in response to a state audit released Thursday outlining 26 recommendations that address inadequate oversight.

9:31 AM CDT, October 6, 2012

Orioles fans overjoyed at first playoff run in 15 years

Orioles fans were still bubbling Saturday morning, many clad in orange while going for their morning jog or cup of joe, basking in the baseball glow that took more than a decade to shine on the city.

7:35 PM CDT, September 17, 2012

Medfield Heights Elementary celebrates three years at No. 1

The students of Medfield Heights don't have a National Blue Ribbon greeting them at the door or a name that has historically been synonymous with elementary school excellence. But this year, the North Baltimore school earned a distinguished title all its own: It's now the home of the "Three-Peat."

9:03 PM CDT, October 1, 2012

GED test takers face obstacles

Hundreds of Baltimore students and residents have had their high school completions hanging in limbo since the state transferred the General Education Development responsibilities to a new department, according to city and adult education officials.

3:02 PM CDT, October 1, 2012

Officials confirm stabbing at city high school

A Baltimore high school student was listed in stable condition Monday afternoon after he was stabbed in his upper body during an in-school confrontation with another student, school officials said.

8:51 PM CDT, September 20, 2012

City schools special education legal fight ends

The nearly three-decade legal fight that transformed the long-beleaguered special-education system in Baltimore city schools has officially come to an end.

4:19 PM CDT, September 16, 2012

City school system hires national test security company

The Baltimore school system has hired a leading data forensics company to review thousands of state assessment results dating to 2009 — a third-party analysis that school officials say is needed to inject fairness into investigations of alleged cheating.

6:23 PM CDT, September 20, 2012

Baltimore County schools roll out plan for air-conditioning

Anyone who didn't believe that Reisterstown Elementary was enduring 105-degree classrooms this past month only needed to take a look at the kindergartners' crayons.

8:10 PM CDT, September 8, 2012

Man struck, killed by car after falling off bike

A 27-year-old Joppa man was killed Saturday after he was hit by a car after a fall from his bicycle landed him in the middle of the street, Baltimore County police said. Jason David Leonard, 27, whom police found lying on Right Wing Drive in Essex at around 3:34 a.m., was pronounced dead at the scene.

6:22 PM CDT, September 12, 2012

Weinberg, city schools celebrate three new libraries

This time last year, Thomas Johnson Elementary/Middle School librarian Sharon Smith used the only technology she had — a laptop and a projector — to bring color and excitement to her students by shining animated books from the Internet onto a barren wall.

6:22 PM CDT, September 8, 2012

Four men shot early Saturday in latest Baltimore spree of violence; 1 dead

Four men were shot in locations across Baltimore early Saturday, police said, including a double shooting in the Druid Heights neighborhood that continued a violent start to September.

4:17 PM CDT, September 16, 2012

Dozens of vacancies mark start of critical year in Baltimore

Baltimore schools opened the year with 87 teacher vacancies, a trend that is not uncommon in the region but comes during a critical year for the system as it embarks on a new student curriculum and teacher evaluation system.

7:02 PM CDT, August 20, 2012

Family of boy who died in bus fall sues city school system

The family of a 6-year-old special-needs student who died after he jumped from a moving school bus has filed an $80 million lawsuit alleging negligence on the part of the Baltimore school system and the contractor hired to transport him.

10:31 PM CDT, September 8, 2012

10 hurt when bus, car crash in Glen Burnie

Ten people were injured when an MTA bus collided with a car in Glen Burnie on Saturday night, according to Anne Arundel County fire officials.

6:19 PM CDT, September 7, 2012

Ten Maryland schools receive National Blue Ribbon

Ten Maryland schools have been named National Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence, U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan announced Friday.

8:37 PM CDT, August 24, 2012

22 city schools to start year without permanent leaders

Twenty-two Baltimore schools will open Monday without permanent principals in place, continuing the unprecedented turnover under Andrés Alonso — moves that the administrators union says reflect "vindictive" and "capricious" decisions by the schools chief.

10:19 PM CDT, September 4, 2012

Perry Hall community airs concerns after school shooting

Hundreds of Perry Hall High School parents and students packed into the auditorium one week after the first day of school was marred by gunfire, demanding answers about what unfolded in the cafeteria and posing questions about student safety.

9:06 PM CDT, August 17, 2012

Balto. Co. schools chief kicks off first year with message of teamwork

Drawing on the last drumrolls of the Perry Hall High School marching band, Baltimore County schools superintendent S. Dallas Dance greeted 700 applauding administrators Friday to deliver his inaugural back-to-school address, sending a message he hoped would resonate for the next 10 months.

7:27 PM CDT, August 27, 2012

City leaders call for review of schools credit cards

Baltimore's top leadership called on the school system Monday to tighten oversight of its expenditures after a Baltimore Sun investigation found central office staff spent roughly $500,000 during the past year and a half on items such as a $7,300 office retreat at a downtown hotel and a $1,000 dinner at an exclusive members-only club.

2:39 PM CDT, August 25, 2012

City school credit, procurement cards show culture of spending

Despite tightening school budgets and a perpetual rallying cry for more funding, Baltimore school administrators spent roughly $500,000 during the past year and a half on expenses such as a $7,300 office retreat at a downtown hotel, $300-per-night stays at hotels, and a $1,000 dinner at an exclusive members-only club, credit card statements show.

7:09 PM CDT, August 23, 2012

Park School graduate walks 400 miles to Yale

Any high school graduate who thinks that college is merely a next step should walk a mile in Gabe Acheson's shoes. When the Park School graduate arrived Thursday at Yale University, he'd walked nearly 400 miles, fulfilling a promise he'd made in his application to the Ivy League school, and to himself, to not just embark on a new adventure but create one.

7:50 AM CDT, July 30, 2012

Students honor 100-year-old teacher

It isn't unusual for students to remember the impact a teacher had on them well into adulthood, but on Saturday, many students of former Baltimore music teacher Lucille Marcus Brooks had an unusual opportunity to tell her — more than a half-century after they sat in her classroom.

6:38 PM CDT, August 14, 2012

Baltimore schools chief notes areas for improvement

Baltimore's school system has been in transition over the past five years, and the next five will see more "stops, starts and uncertainties," with a newfound focus on the classroom, schools CEO Andrés Alonso told principals Tuesday.

6:56 PM CDT, August 10, 2012

Kids whose parents have cancer find comfort at Camp Kesem

The pastel-colored ball of yarn made its way from one tiny hand to another at the Camp Kesem "empowerment ceremony," with each camper unraveling their part of a common, painful thread.

3:23 PM CDT, July 22, 2012

Baltimore school test results hit three-year lull

For a decade, the news from the city schools was good. Buildings might be dilapidated, deficits might bring schools to the brink of bankruptcy, and superintendents might be fired, but every summer, educators released test results standing next to charts that showed steady improvement. Baltimore was no longer the worst school system in the state.

3:08 PM CDT, July 15, 2012

Absent, suspended city students falling further behind on MSAs

For the third year in a row, Baltimore's scores on state tests show a double-digit achievement gap between chronically absent students and their peers who attend school regularly, and the system's recent spike in suspensions has created a similar disparity.

6:16 PM CDT, July 7, 2012

City, agencies hit the streets to help residents beat the heat

Public safety workers toiled in record-breaking heat in Baltimore and around the region Saturday to help vulnerable residents regroup as Maryland attempted to return to normal life after a devastating series of weather events.

5:27 PM CDT, June 21, 2012

Summer camp for homeless helps students through transition

As pedestrians scurried through the sunshine that bathed Patterson Park this week, 12-year-old Daniel John took refuge under a tree, poring over a book, enjoying a space all his own.

8:46 PM CDT, July 10, 2012

Students continue to improve on state tests

A decade after passage of a federal law requiring statewide school assessments, nearly 90 percent of Maryland's elementary students are passing their reading and math tests, but that success does not continue when students hit middle school.

6:47 PM CDT, June 26, 2012

Report finds $2.45 billion in city school building upgrades

Fifty Baltimore schools are so dilapidated or underused that they should be closed or rebuilt, according to a new report that also identified $2.45 billion in school infrastructure needs across the city. The findings, released Tuesday, were used by school officials to launch a 10-year campaign to bring the system's buildings up to 21st-century standards.

7:56 PM CDT, July 7, 2012

Power outages put focus on storm response, lessons for future

Jack and Betty Scrivener of Stoneleigh lost power last August thanks to Hurricane Irene. They lost it again when storms pummeled the region June 30 — and after one very long, very hot week, the elderly couple still hadn't gotten it back. They don't know if they can take another extended outage.

5:05 PM CDT, June 23, 2012

For Baltimore schools, special education still a work in progress

At 4 years old, Imani Frederick couldn't recognize colors. Even a year later, he couldn't form complete sentences and struggled to count to 10. When he was 6, a neuropsychologist observed the fidgety, easily frustrated boy and diagnosed attention deficit hyperactive and expressive language disorder.

9:03 PM CDT, May 31, 2012

Two city principals suspected of testing improprieties recommended for reinstatement

Citing "crude" and "incompetent" investigations into test-tampering allegations at a Baltimore elementary school, hearing officers have recommended the reinstatement of two administrators city schools CEO Andrés Alonso attempted to dismiss amid suspicions of cheating.

8:18 PM CDT, May 23, 2012

State approves last round of school construction projects

State officials approved more than $161 million in school construction funding Wednesday that will allow school systems in the Baltimore area to undertake renovation projects, tackling problems that include sweltering and overcrowded classrooms and dilapidated buildings and amenities.

7:57 PM CDT, June 27, 2012

City school officials assure special education advocates at meeting

Baltimore school officials assured special-education advocates Wednesday that efforts to provide students with a quality education will continue after a lawsuit ends this year that has kept the system under a microscope for 28 years.

11:35 AM CDT, May 28, 2012

Suspect in city barricade incident identified

A man who police say attacked his girlfriend and shot himself following a barricaded stand-off with police at his Northeast Baltimore home has been identified as Ansley Turner, 28.

6:00 AM CDT, April 18, 2012

UMBC president named among world's most influential leaders

Freeman A. Hrabowski III, the longtime president of the University of Maryland Baltimore County whose trailblazing work in educating minority students in the sciences has catapulted the university onto the national stage, has been recognized as one of the most influential leaders in the world.

9:02 PM CDT, May 27, 2012

Baltimore County police: Dundalk shooting, stabbing tied to home invasion

Baltimore County police said a shooting and stabbing that took place in Dundalk on Sunday morning appear to have occurred during an attempted home invasion.

6:24 PM CDT, June 18, 2012

City school evaluations show problems in instruction

As the Baltimore school system prepares to implement a more stringent curriculum next year, sample evaluations of more than two dozen schools show that many are struggling with how to effectively teach children.

9:14 PM CDT, May 22, 2012

City schools pass 2013 budget

The Baltimore City school board voted Tuesday to pass the district's proposed $1.31 billion budget, which includes a decrease in the per-pupil funding for charter schools.

8:45 AM CDT, July 7, 2012

West Baltimore shooting leaves man injured, police say

Baltimore city police are investigating an overnight shooting that left an adult male injured, officials said Saturday.

5:24 PM CDT, April 18, 2012

KIPP Ujima math educator named Baltimore City's Teacher of the Year

A mathematics educator whose students have consistently scored among the highest in Baltimore and Maryland on state assessments was named the city's 2012 Teacher of the Year.

8:43 PM CDT, April 30, 2012

Salad bars sprouting up in city school cafeterias

Until this year, the only items that resembled produce on Blessin Giraldo's school lunch tray were berry-flavored Popsicles and Fruit Roll-Ups.

8:16 PM CDT, March 18, 2012

Youths gather downtown Saturday; 10 arrested

Baltimore police called in extra officers and arrested at least 10 juveniles Saturday night as a crowd that witnesses described as rowdy and numbering in the hundreds walked around Downtown.

7:33 PM CDT, March 29, 2012

Lawmakers, education leaders spar over embattled tutoring program

State education leaders say proposed legislation that would force local school systems to continue funding a federal tutoring program could derail their efforts to gain relief from the mandates of the No Child Left Behind Act.

3:15 PM CDT, April 18, 2012

Six city schools locked down for police activity

Six Northeast Baltimore schools were on lockdown for about 30 minutes past dismissal because of police activity in the area Wednesday afternoon.

9:49 AM CDT, July 7, 2012

York Road in Cockeysville mostly open after water break

A southbound lane along part of York Road in Cockeysville is closed after a water main break affected traffic in Cockeysville for the second time this week.

6:15 PM CDT, May 5, 2012

Ravens' Ray Rice hosts anti-bullying forum in Howard County

A ray of hope, and a touch of grace.

6:40 PM CDT, April 16, 2012

City schools with federal turnaround grants have mixed results

Once students hurled computers out the windows at Calverton Middle School, but today they are learning on state-of-the-art technology that has flooded into the West Baltimore school. Once teachers couldn't wait to transfer out of a place where students ruled the classrooms, but now faculty turnover has slowed.

10:10 AM CDT, March 18, 2012

Baltimore Co. firefighters battle Essex Marina blaze

Baltimore County fire officials battled an early-morning boat blaze that spread to the dock of the Essex Marina on Sunday, a department spokesman said.

6:17 PM CDT, June 13, 2012

City school board approves two new charters

The Baltimore school board approved applications this week to open the Creative City Public Charter School, an arts integration elementary school, and the Baltimore Collegiate School for Boys, a college preparatory program that starts in fourth grade.

9:50 PM CDT, April 8, 2012

For at-risk students, veteran mentors are a phone call away

Equipped with a flip phone and 400 free minutes, each member of a group of truant students at Carver Vocational Technical High School knows that at any moment a call could come that changes his or her day — or life.

12:57 AM CDT, March 19, 2012

Emiline D. Lazzeri, survivor of rheumatic fever

Emiline D. Lazzeri, a Baltimore County native who as a child lived for a year in a glass-encased room at Johns Hopkins Hospital while being treated for rheumatic fever, died of congestive heart failure March 14 at her home in Largo, Fla.

4:21 PM CDT, May 7, 2012

For children of Filipino teachers, an uncertain future

As the school year draws to a close, one group of Baltimore students isn't making plans for summer. They deflect discussions about courseloads for next year, and shy away from questions about which colleges they hope to attend. They don't talk about "the future."

10:06 AM CDT, March 18, 2012

Four nabbed in St. Patrick's Day sobriety checkpoint

Two motorists were arrested and charged with drunken driving at a Howard County sobriety checkpoint late Saturday, police said in a statement, adding that officers also arrested two more drivers on other charges.

5:39 PM CDT, May 29, 2012

Maryland receives No Child Left Behind waiver

Maryland was one of eight states granted a waiver Tuesday from some of the strictest requirements of the federal No Child Left Behind Act, which will allow the state to set more reasonable goals for student achievement levels and adopt reforms to close the achievement gap.

9:47 PM CDT, June 1, 2012

Documents show that system ignored flawed information in cheating investigation

When Baltimore City Councilwoman Mary Pat Clarke visited Abbottston Elementary after news broke that the school had cheated on state testing for students in 2009, she despaired because she never believed Principal Angela Faltz, whom she had known for decades, could cheat her children or her community.

8:47 PM CDT, May 8, 2012

City school employees could see furloughs if doomsday budget stands

Baltimore school employees would be forced to take furlough days if the district has to absorb millions of dollars in education cuts outlined in the state's "doomsday" budget, city schools CEO Andrés Alonso said Tuesday as he prepared to present the fiscal year 2013 budget.

8:30 PM CDT, April 1, 2012

Baltimore police investigating three shootings Sunday

Baltimore city police responded to three shootings Sunday, including a possible homicide.

2:49 PM CST, March 4, 2012

City schools to continue heightened testing security

The Baltimore school system will deploy testing monitors to all schools administering the state assessments next week, even as the city principals union has called for investigations into alleged cheating at 16 schools to be suspended.

9:07 PM CDT, March 27, 2012

City school board votes to delay Southside closing

The Baltimore school board voted Tuesday to delay the closing of a struggling Cherry Hill high school and proceeded with district recommendations to eliminate middle grades from three elementary programs.

4:55 PM CDT, March 15, 2012

Md. to receive another round of federal funds to overhaul failing schools

Maryland will receive another infusion of federal funding to continue turnaround efforts in the state's worst schools, the U.S. Department of Education announced Thursday.

6:51 PM CDT, March 30, 2012

Baltimore Catholic school to name community center after Bill and Camille Cosby

A historic Baltimore Catholic school will name its community center in honor of Bill and Camille Cosby, the biggest donors in the school's 184-year history and fierce champions of education, the school announced Friday.

6:07 PM CST, February 16, 2012

City clergymen ask leaders for bottle tax and commitment for school facilities

A group of clergymen called on the city's political leaders Thursday to commit to Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake's bottle tax proposal and schools CEO Andrés Alonso's large-scale facilities plan that would fund a huge overhaul of the city's dilapidated school buildings.

6:08 PM CDT, April 1, 2012

UMBC falls short of regaining chess title

The competitive chess team at the University of Maryland Baltimore County fell less than a point short of regaining its national title at the 2012 President's Cup, which culminated Sunday in Herndon, Va.

8:54 AM CDT, April 30, 2012

Critics seek more oversight of renovations at school district headquarters

Outraged education, community and political leaders have called for increased oversight of spending in the Baltimore City school system, amid revelations that about $500,000 was spent to upgrade offices at the district headquarters while city and state leaders fought for funding to fix dilapidated school buildings.

8:36 PM CDT, April 26, 2012

As school facilities crumble, executive suites get remodeled

New furniture, a flat-screen television, decorative light fixtures, interactive white boards — these are among amenities the city school system bought during $500,000 in renovations to the central office, even as administrators decried the state of crumbling school buildings and sought funding to fix them.

11:07 AM CDT, March 18, 2012

7 hospitalized after car collides with special needs bus

Seven people were hospitalized Sunday morning after a vehicle collided with a "mobility" bus that was transporting five special-needs passengers, Anne Arundel County fire and police officials said.

7:29 PM CDT, March 13, 2012

City schools plan to increase per-pupil funding by about 3 percent

The Baltimore school system is projecting that it will spend $155 more per pupil next year, as the district looks to protect schools' spending power as costs rise.

6:17 PM CST, February 23, 2012

Students call on city leaders to pass bottle tax

Patterson High School became the latest political battleground in the effort to rebuild Baltimore's decrepit school infrastructure this week, with students throwing their support behind a proposed bottle tax that could help raise about $300 million for facility upgrades.

6:19 PM CDT, March 27, 2012

Baltimore Teachers Union surprises special educator with extreme classroom makeover

On any given day, the activity in Ellen Vikestad's classroom would resemble a round of bumper cars.

8:06 PM CST, March 8, 2012

Western 'RoboDoves' soaring in robotics

Each member of the Western High School Robotics team brings a range of individual strengths that help them compete, everything from a knack for maneuvering a remote control to extraordinary math and science skills. But, they say, they also have a competitive edge that's harder to match: girl power.

11:59 AM CST, March 7, 2012

UM Eastern Shore appoints new president

A career biochemist will take the reins of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore on July 1, the university announced Wednesday.

8:21 PM CDT, March 14, 2012

City schools pay nearly $65 million for unused leave over 5 years

The Baltimore school system has paid its employees about $65 million for unused leave over the past five years, a rare perk that many employers have abandoned and that has come under fire as school districts have experienced shrinking budgets.

7:42 PM CST, March 1, 2012

City schools pay $14 million overtime in four years

The cash-strapped Baltimore school system has paid more than $14 million in overtime over the past four years, mostly to its understaffed police force and hundreds of temporary employees who have filled gaps created by CEO Andrés Alonso's plan to shrink the central office.

5:32 PM CST, February 29, 2012

City schools face $35 million shortfall in 2013 budget

The Baltimore school system is facing a $35 million shortfall as it plans for its fiscal 2013 budget, a gap that officials said could have a serious effect on schools' spending power for the second year in a row.

12:40 PM CST, February 15, 2012

City proposes one school closure, scaling back grade levels at three others

Baltimore school officials will begin meeting with four school communities Wednesday, after the district made recommendations that will displace dozens of staff and hundreds of students at one failing high school in Cherry Hill and three elementary/middle schools.

6:37 PM CST, January 19, 2012

Purple Pride overzealous at Roland Park school, say some parents

Go purple, or go to the library.

9:12 PM CST, March 6, 2012

City residents plead their case for school targeted for closure

Armed with picket signs and passion for their schools, Baltimore residents packed the district's headquarters Tuesday night, pleading with school board members to preserve the programs that CEO Andrés Alonso has recommended be closed or dismantled.

4:54 PM CST, February 2, 2012

City principals among lowest-paid school leaders in state

Even as Baltimore principals have been given an unprecedented amount of responsibility over the past four years under schools CEO Andrés Alonso, their average salary has remained among the lowest in the state.

8:16 PM CST, February 7, 2012

Large number of city teachers receive unsatisfactory evaluations

A significant number of Baltimore teachers — in some schools as many as 60 percent of the staff — have received unsatisfactory ratings on their midyear evaluations as the system moves to implement a pay-for-performance contract that's considered a bellwether for a national movement.

9:18 PM CST, December 1, 2011

Local Young Marines to participate in Pearl Harbor commemoration

Kennedy Krieger High School student Jeremy Holmes had two dreams after graduating in 2013: visiting Hawaii and following his father's footsteps to stand alongside U.S. Marines.

7:02 PM CST, November 22, 2011

City schools launching Saturday School initiative

The Baltimore school system will launch its first districtwide Saturday School initiative in December, a program promised by city schools CEO Andrés Alonso to help remedy declining scores on state tests.

5:54 PM CST, January 5, 2012

Family seeks new bullying trial against city schools

The family of a special needs student who lost a $1.3 million lawsuit against the Baltimore city school system last month is seeking a new trial, saying the jury wasn't impartial and violated court instructions.

6:33 PM CST, December 29, 2011

Advocates, experts call for more attention to bullying of special needs-students

Special-education advocates are calling for the state to do more to address the bullying of disabled students, saying that a recent lawsuit against the city school system highlights the long-lasting harm that harassment can do to such children.

6:31 PM CST, January 17, 2012

6 Md. schools get Blue Ribbon designation

Six elementary schools have been added to the prestigious Maryland list of Blue Ribbon designees after they were recognized as the highest performers and for raising achievement of students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

3:14 PM CST, January 1, 2012

Three city schools to extend day by three hours

Three Baltimore schools have extended their school day by three hours, using a national program that has boosted achievement in other urban districts and has been hailed as a way to make American students competitive in the 21st century.

November 10, 2011

Baltimore school system among top competitors for federal grant

The Baltimore school system was among 23 educational organizations from across the nation to be named finalists in a highly competitive U.S. Department of Education program that will dole out nearly $150 million for innovative programming this year.

5:01 PM CST, December 22, 2011

Jury finds in favor of principals, school system in bullying lawsuit

A lack of evidence led a Baltimore jury to rule that two principals were not negligent in a $1.3 million bullying lawsuit against the city school system, but jurors said they were also conscious of a snowball effect that could subject systems around the country to a barrage of lawsuits.

7:21 PM CST, December 15, 2011

Bullying suit against city schools goes to trial

A city jury heard opening statements Thursday in a $1.3 million lawsuit in which parents allege that the school system was grossly negligent and failed to prevent their two children, including a special-needs student, from being bullied.

6:26 PM CDT, September 27, 2011

Abell report critical of tutoring program

A federally mandated tutoring program targeting thousands of students who attend Baltimore City's worst performing schools is shelling out millions of dollars annually to organizations that are operating in the district with little oversight and virtually no academic accountability measures, according to a report released Tuesday by the Abell Foundation.

6:23 PM CST, December 21, 2011

Judge throws out 9 of 13 counts in bullying lawsuit

Ruling that a $1.3 million lawsuit filed against the Baltimore school system was too broad, Circuit Judge W. Michael Pierson granted Wednesday the district's motion to throw out nine of the 13 counts, leaving a city jury to decide whether two principals were negligent in the alleged bullying of two students.

11:56 AM CST, November 13, 2011

Police identify 20-year-old W. Balto. shooting victim

Baltimore city police have identified a man who was shot and killed in West Baltimore Saturday as 20-year-old Darren Robertson.

5:24 PM CST, November 13, 2011

Student inspires city landmarks to go blue Monday

Two of Baltimore's most recognizable landmarks will be lit up in blue Monday in honor of World Diabetes Day — a commemoration inspired by a 16-year-old girl's desire to draw attention to the prevalent disease.

7:13 PM CST, December 20, 2011

Principal, special needs student testify in bullying trial

A principal named in a $1.3 million lawsuit alleging that the school system failed to protect two students against bullying took the stand Tuesday, saying that bullying "has become a buzz word" and acknowledging that two attacks on the students, including a special needs child, "may have been mentioned" to him by their parents.

9:06 PM CDT, September 30, 2011

State reports highest graduation rate in past 15 years

Maryland's public schools are graduating a higher percentage of students than they have in the past 15 years but they have seen a troubling increase in the number of students dropping out.

6:29 PM CST, November 14, 2011

City school system grapples with weapons

After at least three weapons-related incidents in as many months, including one in which a student was stabbed in the abdomen, city school officials acknowledge that they are struggling with a problem that has led to dozens of students being expelled and more than 100 weapons being confiscated last year.

9:08 AM CDT, October 15, 2011

Baltimore police investigating two separate nonfatal shootings

Baltimore City police are investigating two separate nonfatal shootings that wounded men in their 30s Friday and Saturday.

10:41 PM CST, December 14, 2011

Park Heights celebrates 'new beginning'

From the desolate and dilapidated block of Denmore Avenue, a chant rang through the Park Heights neighborhood Wednesday as Baltimore political, community and business leaders gathered with residents to launch a project that many called a "new beginning" for the long troubled community.

10:04 AM CDT, October 9, 2011

Police investigating Northwest Baltimore shooting

Baltimore city police said they were investigating an overnight shooting in Northwest Baltimore that injured a 25-year-old man.

6:58 PM CDT, September 23, 2011

Roland Park parents push for middle-school recess

In Roland Park, home to one of Baltimore's highest-performing public schools, dozens of parents are at odds with administrators over an academic perk: recess for middle-schoolers.

5:44 PM CDT, October 16, 2011

Bullying reports surge in city schools

Geneva Biggus sometimes barely recognizes her chatty, confident fifth-grader, who just 18 months ago was so vulnerable and desperate that she threatened to jump from the second-floor window of her West Baltimore school to escape bullies.

12:39 PM CDT, August 15, 2011

Margaret Ann Wotthlie Curtis, 71

Margaret Ann Wotthlie Curtis, career-long Baltimore County educator of special needs children, died Aug. 11 of cancer at Dove House in Westminster. She was 71.

October 8, 2011

City tutoring services under scrutiny

Loaded with an armful of rainbow-colored promotional brochures, Troynell Fischer waded through the sea of tutoring providers, searching for someone to provide extra academic support to her five children. She rejected one vendor's pitch for a laptop computer that her children could keep after the year of tutoring was over, but listened intently to another who gave an example of a math problem on cue.

6:15 PM CDT, September 15, 2011

Balt. Co. Council members protest vote against elected school board

A recent unannounced vote by a legislative task force that ruled out changing the Baltimore County school board to at least partly elected is being protested by four County Council members.

7:06 PM CDT, October 7, 2011

Dunbar High School resurrects marching band

Band teacher Charles Funn's voice thundered in a classroom at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School, shouting the names of familiar Southern foods as a way to help the students to find their rhythm. You can feel both, he explained, in your soul.

5:28 PM CST, December 12, 2011

Teachers say frustration marks first year of landmark contract

Pointing to an unprecedented partnership between Baltimore's school district and union leaders, officials signed a new teacher contract last year that they said would revolutionize the city's teaching profession by implementing a pay-for-performance plan.

10:53 AM CDT, August 14, 2011

Arundel man charged after allegedly attacking family

A 25-year-old man has been charged with attempted murder and assault after he allegedly stabbed his step-father and choked his mother in their Brooklyn Park home, according to Anne Arundel County police.

8:46 PM CDT, October 14, 2011

Alonso plans to close schools that are underused, dilapidated

Baltimore schools CEO Andrés Alonso said Friday that he plans to close more than a dozen schools by 2014 in an effort to vacate underused and dilapidated buildings.

5:12 PM CDT, September 19, 2011

City schools launch attendance campaign

Clutching a portfolio and a messenger bag with a city schools logo, Monique Robbins knew her unannounced visit to the homes of chronically absent students in West Baltimore on a recent misty evening might seem ominous.

8:48 PM CDT, September 10, 2011

For residents of flood prone areas, riverfront living a trade-off

Calvin Owens knows that when he hears the boulders begin to roll away from the dam across the street from his Port Deposit home, it's time to pack an overnight bag.

5:48 PM CDT, August 18, 2011

City schools cut back on hires from alternatively certified program

John Hilton left his journalism career in Pennsylvania to join an innovative Baltimore program that develops teachers for the public schools, hoping for "another opportunity to effect change for the greater good."

6:37 PM CDT, October 9, 2011

Doctors Without Borders campaigns for better childhood nutrition

Having just observed Yom Kippur, Zoey Solomon knew what it felt like to be hungry.

8:31 AM CDT, September 10, 2011

Flood cresting lower, earlier

Officials in Port Deposit said Saturday that 30 floodgates remained open at the Conowingo Dam as water steadily receded, though the town remained under its mandatory evacuation.

5:43 AM CDT, August 26, 2011

Hopkins, Morgan take reins of city school

For decades, tensions have brewed between residents of the city's Middle East community and neighboring Johns Hopkins institutions, as generations watched its prosperous past fade to blight while Hopkins continued to build its august future.

5:29 PM CST, November 24, 2011

For football fans, a flexible holiday

Kelly Fleming doesn't mind building her family's Thanksgiving schedule around a football game. She's the mother of two Calvert Hall students and knows the annual Turkey Bowl matchup with Loyola gets top billing in her house.

7:43 PM CDT, August 10, 2011

City school system grapples with principal turnover

Since Baltimore schools CEO Andrés Alonso took the helm four years ago, only about one-quarter of the system's principals have remained in their posts, a high turnover rate that has rankled education advocates who say they are concerned that leadership vacuums hamper progress.

5:55 AM CDT, October 7, 2011

Baltimore Community Foundation announces historic education endowment

School reforms in Baltimore City and Baltimore County stand to gain significant financial support under a historic $8 million endowment given the Baltimore Community Foundation that will double its resources to support education projects.

5:33 PM CDT, September 11, 2011

More Baltimore graduates attend two-year colleges, where they are less likely to earn degree

The number of Baltimore City high school graduates enrolling in four-year colleges and universities has dropped in recent years as more head to two-year institutions where they are far less likely to graduate.

8:03 PM CDT, September 1, 2011

Power outages force schools to adjust lesson plans

At the beginning of the week, Principal Amanda Rice had all the first-day-of-school preparations at George Washington Elementary: a pristine building, a fresh vision and a new suit.

12:57 PM CDT, August 1, 2011

Condition of worker hurt in slots site accident improves

A construction worker who was injured in an accident Friday at the construction site of the Arundel Mills slots parlor has had his condition upgraded, a Maryland Shock Trauma spokeswoman said Monday.

7:57 PM CDT, October 7, 2011

City delegate proposes mayoral control of city schools

A state legislator is proposing to abolish the current structure of the Baltimore school system and return its reins to the mayor under legislation due to come before the Maryland General Assembly in January.

3:59 PM CDT, October 16, 2011

40 years after collapse, Catoctin Aqueduct restored

A historic aqueduct in Western Maryland has been restored nearly four decades after two of its three arches collapsed, leaving the now-139-year-old structure in ruins.

6:13 PM CDT, September 15, 2011

Ten Maryland schools receive National Blue Ribbon Designation

Ten Maryland schools have received a National Blue Ribbon designation, the U.S. Department of Education announced Thursday, an award bestowed on the highest-performing schools in the nation or those with extraordinary success in closing the achievement gap.

8:54 PM CDT, September 2, 2011

School for the Arts opens year amid controversies

A rare air of controversy has marked the new school year at the Baltimore School for the Arts, with administrators disclosing this week that the school's payroll practices are being investigated.

7:15 PM CDT, August 31, 2011

Alonso first-day school tour sets tone for year of academic focus

Breaking from the tradition of beginning the school year with the city's Blue Ribbon recipients and highest performers, Baltimore schools CEO Andrés Alonso personally welcomed back students and staff who will take part in radical transformations at schools that have struggled with academics.

12:11 PM CDT, July 31, 2011

Police recover body of missing Arundel boater

Anne Arundel County officials have recovered the body of a 48-year-old man who jumped from a boat into Stony Creek on Saturday and never resurfaced.

3:12 PM CDT, September 12, 2011

Two students arrested after being found with gun in school

Two Baltimore city high school students were arrested Monday after they were found in the bathroom at the Renaissance Academy High School with an unloaded hand gun, city school officials said.

9:23 AM CDT, August 14, 2011

Police investigating overnight homicide in Northwest Baltimore

Baltimore city police are investigating an overnight homicide that occurred in Northwest Baltimore.

9:10 PM CDT, August 16, 2011

Alonso sends encouraging message to school leaders

As they prepare to welcome students back in two weeks, city schools CEO Andrés Alonso encouraged hundreds of principals Tuesday to overcome last year's across-the-board test score declines, which he said shouldn't eclipse other successes.

5:06 PM CDT, August 7, 2011

Candidates would spend more on schools

Taikira White chose City College for its nationally renowned choir, but her quests to find a fully functional bathroom in the school could make her a track star by the time she graduates.

5:47 PM CDT, August 7, 2011

International Festival builds bridges, business

Residents and vendors from the many corners and cultures of Baltimore descended on the campus of Polytechnic Institute/Western High this weekend for the annual Baltimore International Festival.

6:54 PM CDT, July 31, 2011

Worker injured in Arundel Mills slots site accident still critical

The surviving worker involved in a fatal mishap Friday at the construction site of the Arundel Mills slots parlor was downgraded to critical but stable condition, a Maryland Shock Trauma spokeswoman said Sunday night.

10:43 AM CDT, August 7, 2011

Baltimore police identify victim of fatal motorcycle crash

Baltimore police have identified the victim who died in a fatal motorcycle collision Friday night as 34-year-old Devon Lomax.

10:24 PM CDT, July 10, 2011

Baltimore police investigate three Sunday deaths

In Baltimore Sunday, two men were murdered, four others were shot and a woman's body was discovered, city police reported. The incidents appeared to be unrelated and occurred in different parts of the city.

7:27 PM CDT, July 5, 2011

City kicks off 'Grand Prix' summer school

In addition to swimming with Michael Phelps' instructors and battling with handmade robots, Baltimore summer school students will be building soapbox cars to help keep their minds revving until the next school year.

5:58 PM CDT, August 7, 2011

Officials recover body of missing Ocean City boater

The body of a boater who went missing in Ocean City was recovered Sunday morning, officials said.

11:33 PM CDT, July 29, 2011

City notes second declining set of test scores

The performance of Baltimore's first- and second-grade pupils fell significantly in reading and math on a national standardized test, mirroring the drops on statewide assessments this year.

3:19 PM CDT, June 30, 2011

City experiences setback on MSAs

While students around the state showed progress on the Maryland School Assessment, Baltimore City not only experienced a setback this year with declines in math and reading, but several dozen of the district's schools were among those that performed the worst in the state.

1:42 PM CDT, July 12, 2011

Woman found dead in Southeast Baltimore identified

Baltimore police have identified a woman found dead inside her Southeast Baltimore home Sunday, one of four killings detectives are investigating from the weekend.

5:32 PM CDT, July 29, 2011

City turns attention to elementary science education

The eight handmade race cars that successfully zoomed down the 5-foot wooden ramp in the hallway at Sarah M. Roach Elementary on Friday not only highlighted the work of a diligent group of Baltimore third-graders, but marked the beginning of a revved-up effort by the city school system to get a long-derailed academic program back on track.

11:41 AM CDT, July 31, 2011

Baltimore police identify body found in trunk of car

Baltimore police have identified the man they found in the trunk of a car in East Baltimore on Friday.

5:30 PM CDT, July 31, 2011

Marian Shriver McSherry

Marian Shriver McSherry, long-time devotee of Maryland's Catholic aristocracy and mother of 12 children, died on July 24 of breast cancer at her home in Frederick. She was 85.

7:04 PM CDT, June 26, 2011

Ellicott City church honors Schaefer

The days after William Donald Schaefer's death were filled with pomp and circumstance — a long farewell that culminated with hundreds packing a downtown Baltimore church to memorialize one of Maryland's larger-than-life figures.

5:20 PM CDT, July 10, 2011

Archaeological dig at Lafayette Square turns up Civil War history

Local archaeologists have not only confirmed that Baltimore's Lafayette Square Park was once the stomping ground of a Civil War army barracks, but they also dug up a little-known fact about the soldiers who dwelled there: They had a knack for losing buttons.

7:34 PM CDT, July 14, 2011

Number of city schools missing academic targets surges

Nearly 90 percent of Baltimore elementary and middle schools fell short of academic targets on state assessments this year, signaling a trend that education officials nationwide say will eventually label most American schools as failures.

5:00 PM CDT, July 3, 2011

City school system looks to rebound after MSA disappointment

As the Baltimore school system attempts to rebound from a series of cheating scandals and its first significant test score decline in years, leaders are considering a worrisome possibility: They might have hit a wall in educating children.

10:05 PM CDT, June 14, 2011

Benjamin Franklin High celebrates renovations

For decades, visitors arriving at Benjamin Franklin High School at Masonville Cove have been greeted by a brick wall. And for years, city school leaders said Tuesday, that has sent the wrong message to the Curtis Bay neighborhood, a struggling area whose community high school has long fought to stem its dropout rate.

3:39 PM CDT, June 26, 2011

Motorcyclist struck, killed in White Marsh accident

A motorcyclist died early Sunday after he was struck by a car in White Marsh, county police said.

11:07 PM CDT, June 30, 2011

Alonso signs on for four more years

Baltimore schools CEO Andrés Alonso has signed on to lead the city school system for four more years, according to school board officials.

6:54 PM CDT, July 25, 2010

Rape cases dismissed by Baltimore police later found valid

The young East Baltimore woman gave police a vivid description of her rape: A man snatched her off the street and used a pocketknife to force her into the darkness of Ellwood Park.

8:18 AM CDT, June 21, 2011

Baltimore City Council approves budget

The Baltimore City Council voted Monday to approve a $1.3 billion operating budget for next year, in spite of last-minute protests by residents and a city councilman who wanted to restore funding to a summer youth employment program.

7:44 PM CDT, June 13, 2011

City school system to reimburse teachers for visa fees

Baltimore school officials say the district will reimburse international teachers who paid out-of-pocket fees to obtain work visas, a practice that led the U.S. Department of Labor to order Prince George's County schools to pay nearly $6 million in penalties and back wages.

3:43 PM CDT, June 26, 2011

East Baltimore church burns down after burglary

An East Baltimore church was destroyed in an early morning blaze Sunday after a burglar stole sound equipment from the building, according to police.

8:45 PM CDT, June 29, 2010

City to gather past rape reports, claims of mistreatment through new hot line

City leaders are establishing a hot line for victims who believe their reports of rape or sexual assault were not investigated fully by police.

11:12 PM CDT, June 22, 2011

Cheating, tampering found in city schools

Widespread cheating on state assessment tests has been uncovered at two Baltimore elementary schools, state and district officials are expected to announce today.

8:26 PM CDT, April 17, 2011

Annapolis workers clean up after flooding

Annapolis emergency officials said Sunday that water was receding after Saturday storms led to flooding that was still causing minor detours around the City Dock area a day later.

8:47 PM CDT, June 28, 2010

Group to explore city rape reports

A group of Baltimore government and law enforcement representatives plans to conduct a systematic review of rape reports that have been deemed "unfounded" by police investigators, in response to news reports showing the city leads the nation in such cases, officials said Monday.