Online learning startup Skill-Lync promises India’s mechanical engineers a job, or their money back

You might hear stories that TechCrunch favors venture-backed companies, or will only write about startups that have raised from certain VCs. Well, I can tell you that is totally untrue. In fact, it couldn’t be further from the truth. Speaking for myself, I really enjoy talking to successful bootstrapped companies. Raising money can be a […]

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Sebastian Thrun initiates aggressive plan to transform Udacity

“I’m a fighter. I believe in our people, I believe in our mission, and I believe that it should exist and must exist.” Sebastian Thrun is talking animatedly about Udacity, the $1 billion online education startup that he co-founded nearly eight years ago. His tone is buoyant and hopeful. He’s encouraged, he says over an occasionally […]

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Amazon to fund computer science courses in over 1,000 U.S. high schools

Amazon’s recent investments in NYC educational initiatives will continue, despite the company pulling its HQ2 plans for the area. But the company isn’t stopping there. Today, Amazon announced it will bring computer science courses to over 1,000 high schools in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The classes, which are funded through Amazon’s […]

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China tells teachers to quit assigning homework through WeChat

China’s education authorities are about to take some burden off parents with school-aged children. A proposal posted last week by the Department of Education in China’s eastern province of Zhejiang said teachers should be banned from using WeChat, QQ or other mobile apps to assign homework or ask parents to grade students’ assignments. As mobile internet […]

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Amazon’s NYC educational investments will continue, despite cancellation of New York HQ2

Amazon’s plans to invest in New York area engineering training programs and other local educational initiatives are not being canceled, despite Amazon’s announcement today that it will no longer open one of its HQ2 locations in New York City. The retailer decided to end its plans for the New York headquarters after significant backlash from local […]

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Hired buys Y Combinator grad Py, launches assessment tool

To better measure aptitude of applicants, online career marketplace Hired has acquired Py, which helps companies like Opendoor and Niantic identify talent with app-based interactive courses on Python, iOS development and more. As part of the deal, Hired will launch a new feature called Hired Assessments, leveraging tools from the Py platform, as well as […]

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NYC launches partnership network, “The Grid”, to help grow urban tech ecosystem

The New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) and CIV:LAB – a nonprofit dedicated to connecting urban tech leaders – have announced the launch of The Grid, a member-based partnership network for New York’s urban tech community. The goal of the network is to link organizations, academia and local tech leaders, in order to promote collaboration […]

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What it takes to teach the next STEM generation

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It’s 12:09 p.m. at Buena Vista Horace Mann school in San Francisco’s Mission district

Laura Ramirez, a curriculum technology integration specialist, is waiting for 14 girls to stream into her classroom. She’s laid out old Dell CPUs alongside tool kits that contain screwdrivers, Allen wrenches, and pliers. The girls’ job today is to carefully open the computers, explore and label the components, and then put the hardware back together again.

The girls, who are in 6th, 7th, and 8th grade, arrive and place their backpacks into cubbies. They’re here for Tech Chicxs, a club Ramirez founded to encourage girls at the K-8 school to explore science, technology, engineering, and math. Approximately 80 percent of the school’s students are Hispanic or Latino, and Ramirez is particularly set on engaging girls who are rarely represented in Silicon Valley and the broader tech industry.  Read more…

More about Education, Kids, San Francisco, Stem, and Schools

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LittleBits lays off employees as it shifts focus toward education

New York City open-source maker startup LittleBits began to lay off staff last month, TechCrunch has learned. The loss of jobs comes as the company looks to shift more focus toward the K-12 market. Education-specific offerings have been lucrative for the company in its eight-year existence, but recent products have found the company embracing licensed […]

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WashU announces donation from Square co-founder to grow engineering school

Washington University in St. Louis (WashU) announced today that its engineering school received its largest single donation in history. The donation was offered by Square co-founder and WashU alumni Jim McKelvey, for whom the school will be renamed, from the School of Engineering & Applied Science to The James McKelvey School of Engineering. WashU did […]

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Amazon partners with New York colleges on a cloud computing job training program

A day after Amazon detailed plans to fund computer science classes in New York area high schools, in an effort to expand its tech pipeline for its new HQ2 location in Queens, the company this morning announced a second educational initiative that sees it teaming up with New York City and state colleges. Amazon says […]

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