Vermont Public Radio reports that Marlboro College has joined "more than 750 four-year colleges around the country that no longer require standardized tests for admission." Indeed, the College is "making the submission of SAT or ACT scores optional for applicants" but "still welcomes the submission of scores from students who think they will strengthen their application."

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Vermont Public Radio reports that Champlain College is celebrating its 50th birthday. "Champlain has grown from a one-building, 60-student school offering two-year associates' degrees in 1958 to 42 buildings, about 1,950 undergraduates, four-year bachelor's degree programs and two online master's degree programs." Some neighbors are concerned about the school's growth, saying "the college has grown too fast and too much." In response, "college officials say they're trying to accommodate the neighbors' concerns, calling the neighborhood an amenity that attracts new students."

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Vermont Public Radio reports that fifteen million dollars in federal money could help "dozens of Vermont schools switch to new heating systems that save energy because of the high cost of fuel." Notably, "over the past 20 years, roughly 30 Vermont schools have converted their heating systems from oil to wood. That number could increase dramatically if a bill adopted recently by the U.S. House wins approval this summer in the Senate." Vermont schools that have already converted their heating systems are currently "saving between 40 and 60 percent on their annual energy costs."

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The Bennington Banner reports that the Mount Anthony Union School Board unanimously approved $60,000 to be put toward the creation of a high school program aimed at helping at-risk teenagers stay in school. "The proposed program attempts to attract potential dropouts back to school by allowing them pursue career opportunities during the day and take classes in the early evening for a shorter, more intense period of time."

The concept for the program was approved in April. Since that time, "a 14-person committee, including representatives from industry, has met weekly to plan the program. Also, administrators are working to individualize the program to each student's needs.

The program will mostly put students in manufacturing jobs or other trades" and "will have strict guidelines." For example, "students will be required to wear uniforms and check in on a time-clock." Students will also have job coaches. Notably, "the district got the idea for the program a few years ago after visiting a similar program called, 'The Twilight Program,' at a high school in Hartford, Conn."

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The Rutland Herald reports that Mill River Union High School teacher Craig Willey has been recognized as the 2008 Vermont History Teacher of the Year.  The award was given to Willey by the Vermont chapter of the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, an organization founded in 1994 to promote the love and study of American history. As part of the award, "Willey received a certificate of recognition and a $1,000 stipend towards professional books for use in the classroom. He will [also] be considered as a candidate for the national History Teacher of the Year award given out later this year."

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