AIE — Adventures In Education

Jan 21, 2008 - Top Issue For D.C. Schools? Parents. Seven in 10 D.C. residents believe the city's public schools are performing inadequately, with the lack of parental involvement still cited as the biggest problem facing the nearly 50,000-student system, a Washington Post poll has found. (Washington Post)

Sep 26, 2007 - Efforts to Create a Standard Early-Admissions Policy Run Into Trouble. When it comes to college admissions, how early is too early? (The New York Times)

Sep 25, 2007 - How a Virtual AP Course Changed Her Son. Maria Allen worried about her son Matthew's prospects in high school and beyond. He had always been regarded as an underachiever by his teachers. He received B's in middle school with virtually no effort because he did well on what were, she thought, very easy tests. (Washington Post)

Aug 13, 2007 - School Translators Can Help Parents Lost in the System. With 40 employees and a $4.5 million annual budget, the translation office for New York City's public schools claims to be the largest of its kind in the country. (The New York Times)

Aug 12, 2007 - Va. Raises Bar With VIP Award for Schools. To spur improvement in academic performance, Virginia plans to honor excellence with an award for what the state calls "VIP schools." (Washington Post)

Aug 12, 2007 - Joanne Levy-Prewitt is an independent college admissions adviser who works with students throughout the Bay Area / COLLEGE BOUND / A weekly guide to higher education. Question: My daughter is a rising senior. She is bright, athletic and does volunteer work. She has A's in all her classes, very high SAT scores and will graduate high school with eight advanced-placement classes on her transcript. She will apply to small... (SF Gate)

Aug 11, 2007 - Students teach educators about schools. Teens research some of L.A.'s most troubled schools and report to the mayor's team. (Los Angeles Times)

Aug 1, 2007 - On Education: A Teacher Grows Disillusioned After a 'Fail' Becomes a 'Pass'. For one teacher, the introduction to his new high school's academic standards proved a fitting preamble to a disastrous year. (The New York Times)

Jul 16, 2007 - Nipping bias in the bud. Some preschools are using a special program to teach their students, before prejudices take hold, to respect cultural, racial and religious diversity. (Los Angeles Times)

Jul 15, 2007 - School Diversity Based on Income Segregates Some. Recent experiments show how hard it can be to balance academic success and socioeconomic and racial diversity. (The New York Times)

Jul 14, 2007 - Dewey? At This Library With a Very Different Outlook, They Don't. An Arizona library has forsaken the Dewey Decimal System, and is arranging books in a manner similar to the approach taken by Barnes & Noble. (The New York Times)

Jul 13, 2007 - At Tech Camp, Video Games, Robots -- and No Lanyards. The Bible says it took God a week to create the universe. At Cybercamps, this feat took 14-year-old Justin Cook about two days. (Washington Post)

Jun 25, 2007 - Disciplinary Policy in Texas Schools Raises Concerns. A growing number of kids in Texas are being suspended or expelled for relatively minor, non-violent offenses. But researchers say that this "zero tolerance" approach leads more kids to drop out. (NPR)

Jun 24, 2007 - Study on I.Q. Prompts Debate on Family Dynamics. New evidence tying birth order to I.Q. has intensified the debate over what family dynamics enhance intelligence. (The New York Times)

Jun 12, 2007 - Higher Pay Urged to Fight Dearth of Math and Science Teachers. Higher starting salaries, more rigorous teacher training programs and additional support for first year teachers are just a few of the incentives needed to deal with a projected shortfall of more than 280,000 math and science teachers across the country by 2015, according to a group of business... (Washington Post)

Jun 12, 2007 - Scholars' hard work earns rewards. A trio of high school students in Paramount, near Downey, are recipients of Gates Millennium Scholarships. (Los Angeles Times)

Jun 11, 2007 - Rating Education Gains. We seem to be doing a bit better educating our most disadvantaged students. But many educators think that is not enough. (Washington Post)

Apr 30, 2007 - How'd You Do In School Today? At the beginning of this semester, Laura Iriarte Miguel switched anatomy classes. (Washington Post)

Apr 30, 2007 - Top Teachers Issue Call for Revamped Pay Plans. Tired of reports by business executives and Cabinet officers on how to fix U.S. schools, 18 award-winning teachers produced their own recommendations this month, starting with a major overhaul of how teachers are paid. (Washington Post)

Apr 30, 2007 - Keeping Kids in the Classroom. The problem of truancy has drawn widespread attention this year, prompting some area lawmakers to call for tough measures to keep track of the most habitual offenders and leading school officials to crack down on those who constantly skip class. (Washington Post)

Apr 30, 2007 - P.E. Classes Turn to Video Game That Works Legs. Schools are deploying Dance Dance Revolution as the latest weapon in the battle against childhood obesity. (The New York Times)

Apr 19, 2007 - Advanced Courses for Everyone: A Good Policy? Next month, Newsweek magazine is scheduled to publish its annual list of America's Best High Schools, based on a measure I invented a decade ago that takes into account Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and Cambridge test participation. Seventy percent of Washington area public high... (Washington Post)

Apr 19, 2007 - Two Teachers With Winning Ways. Sue Saadawi, a former student at J.E.B. Stuart High School, remembers thinking she'd never graduate. Her grades were poor, and dropping out seemed like the only option. (Washington Post)

Apr 19, 2007 - Laws Limit Options When a Student Is Mentally Ill. For the most part, universities cannot tell parents about their children's problems without the student's consent. (The New York Times)

Apr 17, 2007 - Persistence pays on high school exit exam. Nearly half who failed the high school test are back at the books, and pass rates are climbing. (Los Angeles Times)

Apr 16, 2007 - With Homework, a Helping Hand Can Sometimes Be a Hindrance. Joe knew just what to do when his daughter, who was studying Roman history, came home with an assignment to build a catapult. He ordered a catapult kit from the Internet and put it together himself. (Washington Post)

Mar 26, 2007 - Is This the Answer to Drug Use? For middle and high school students in about two dozen districts in New Jersey, random drug tests have become routine. (The New York Times)

Mar 26, 2007 - Failing Schools See a Solution in Longer Day. Spurred by grim test results, districts are moving to longer days, but many teachers and parents are critical. (The New York Times)

Mar 6, 2007 - Look to the rookies for students' needs. If D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty and other big city leaders want to know what is missing from their plans to remake their schools, they might ask Colleen Dippel why she popped open a ceiling tile and cut the wires to her classroom loudspeaker while trying to teach low-income Houston fifth-graders 10 years ago. (Washington Post)

Feb 9, 2007 - Tests can help identify a boy's learning problem. Could my 12-year-old stepson have attention deficit disorder or some other learning disorder? (Washington Post)

Feb 8, 2007 - Advanced placement tests are leaving some behind. African-American students, who made up 14 percent of the student population last year, were only 7 percent of the participants in Advanced Placement courses. (The New York Times)

Feb 7, 2007 - Study looks at longer day for public schools. There are many approaches to improving education in urban districts. But maybe students just need to spend more time in school? A new study examines the trend toward extending the public-school day. (NPR)

Feb 7, 2007 - African American History Month. Sixty resources for learning about Frederick Douglass, the Harlem Renaissance, the 369th Infantry, Brown v. Board of Education, Martin Luther King, the civil rights movement, and more. (U.S. Department of Education)

Jan 30, 2007 - New studies say AP works. The College Board releases its annual Advanced Placement Report to the Nation next week. (Washington Post)

Jan 29, 2007 - Pushing back at bullying. An anti-bias program provides a forum for teenagers where voices are heard and tears and apologies flow. (The New York Times)

Jan 29, 2007 - A new semester at Northwestern High. At a high school in Baltimore, two teachers take very different approaches to the start of a new semester. It's a chance to make a fresh start for some teachers, but also a confusing time, as new schedules upend their routines. (NPR)

Jan 29, 2007 - Librarian leaves mark at Sunnyvale school. Valerie Torres hadn't been at Sunnyvale's Lakewood Elementary School a year when colleagues gave her their highest honor, voting her Teacher of the Year. (MercuryNews.com)

Jan 16, 2007 - America's best classroom teacher. Rafe Esquith is the most interesting and influential classroom teacher in the country, but he is not getting nearly as much glory as he deserves. He won't SAY that, of course. (Washington Post)

Jan 15, 2007 - Scholarship scams. There isn't a fool-proof method for determining scholarship scams, but some warning signs include guarantees of winning, implying that anyone is eligible, or pressure tactics. (Adventures In Education)

Jan 13, 2007 - For teachers, being 'highly qualified' is a subjective matter. To overhaul public education, the No Child Left Behind law required a massive expansion of student testing. But it also called for states to ensure that all teachers in core academic subjects are "highly qualified" to help students succeed. (Washington Post)

Jan 11, 2007 - New teaching resources: Citizenship, rockets, Rembrandt and more. Citizenship, civil rights, reading, Rembrandt, rockets, slavery, statistics, and westward expansion are among the topics of new resources at FREE, the website that makes teaching resources from federal agencies easier to find. (U.S. Department of Education)

Jan 8, 2007 - What's a FAFSA? The FAFSA is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, usually the first step in seeking financial aid for a student's higher education. (Adventures In Education)

Jan 8, 2007 - NYC schools turn to phonics to boost reading. With tens of thousands of middle-school students reading below grade level, New York City has turned to a popular phonics-based program to help those kids relearn the basics. Member station WNYC's Beth Fertig reports. (NPR)

Jan 8, 2007 - An educational alternative is winning students over. Ninth-grader Anabel Gonzalez was in danger of dropping out of school. And she didn't care. (Los Angeles Times)

Jan 6, 2007 - SAT: Why memorize what you can rock? There's a new way to study for the SATs. Rather than a cursory glance at a vocabulary list, this study guide sets words to music and also offers humorous definitions. (NPR)

Jan 6, 2007 - Latina program gets a second try. Tania Montoya knows many Latina girls who never received encouragement from their parents to attend college. But with the help of a program offered by the San Mateo County Office of Education, Montoya, 18, and her mother began preparing for college when she was in the fifth grade. (MercuryNews.com)

Jan 2, 2007 - On the Web, ''Dear Diary'' becomes ''Dear World.'' Emily Butler used to keep a pen-and-paper diary. But after her mother found it, the Arlington teenager started pouring out her feelings online. (Washington Post)

Dec 29, 2006 - Students praise above-and-beyond teachers. Three students at Curie High School in Chicago share stories of the teachers who mentor them after school. (NPR)

Dec 15, 2006 - Schools report urges drastic change, higher salaries. An independent commission yesterday proposed dramatic changes that would shake up American public education in an effort to make the nation more competitive globally. (Washington Post)

Dec 14, 2006 - A boost in high school courses at college level. Kay Barcus has more experience with Advanced Placement, and its alternatives, than most parents in Prince William County. Her two older children took introductory courses in college at about the same time her two younger children were taking AP courses, supposedly the equivalent of the same college... (Washington Post)

Dec 13, 2006 - Study: Raise teacher pay to improve education. A new study by education researchers concludes that the best way to improve the quality of teaching is to pay teachers more. And to pay good teachers even more. (NPR)

Nov 27, 2006 - Redesigned Web site features improved resources ''For Familes and Students.'' TG Online provides information to help students and their families prepare and pay for college. (TG Online)

Nov 22, 2006 - Do board-certified teachers lift test scores? The route to board certification involves a rigorous exam process. Many teachers say it's the best thing they've ever done. But it's not at all clear that it helps raise students' test scores. (NPR)

Nov 21, 2006 - A snapshot of the State of U.S. Education. Did you know that most parents report being very satisfied with their child's school? Did you know that distance education courses are offered at more than half the country's two- and four-year postsecondary institutions? (Washington Post)

Nov 16, 2006 - 2 principals honored for reviving schools. Principals Lucretia Jackson and Joanne Uyeda each took over struggling schools and, using innovative techniques and a personal touch, turned them around. This fall, both were proud to announce that their schools had met benchmarks set by the No Child Left Behind law. (Washington Post)

Nov 16, 2006 - Parent and administrator Chew the fat on school snacks. Dear Extra Credit readers: Occasionally I run exchanges between parents and school officials on interesting issues; essentially it's a peek at other people's e-mail. Silver Spring parent Janet Poetzschke has been looking carefully at the food children find at Montgomery County schools and got some... (Washington Post)

Nov 16, 2006 - Low-income pupils still lag on tests. Despite a consistent rise in test scores, the achievement gap between poor Californians and their middle-class fellow students might be growing, a University of California-Berkeley report shows. (MercuryNews.com)

Nov 2, 2006 - Success? That's not an elective. IN his first year as principal of Jordan High School in Watts, Stephen Strachan ordered 743 suspensions - 600 more than the principal the year before - to punish students for fighting, defying authority, defacing the campus and disrupting classes. His second year, he suspended students 596 times. (Los Angeles Times)

Nov 1, 2006 - On education: For Hispanic parents, lessons on helping with the homework. For immigrant parents, helping their children absorb lessons in an inscrutable language in a strange country has always been a distinctive challenge. (The New York Times)

Nov 1, 2006 - Schools emphasize writing, even in math class. More high schools around the country are emphasizing the need for all students to be good writers. In Indianapolis, some math teachers are even integrating lessons about writing into their teaching. (NPR)

Oct 31, 2006 - Breaking down the ivory tower. This should be a shining moment for education schools. Never has the nation paid so much attention to improving the quality of teaching. Yet the institutions that produce teachers have never faced so much criticism. (Washington Post)

Oct 18, 2006 - For math students, self-esteem might not equal high scores. It is difficult to get through a day in an American school without hearing maxims such as these: "To succeed, you must believe in yourself," and "To teach, you must relate the subject to the lives of students." (Washington Post)

Oct 18, 2006 - Recommended reading: Breaking the glass ceiling. Learn which books a leader of a female executives group would suggest to women seeking to advance in management. (CareerJournal)

Oct 4, 2006 - On education: Demoting advanced placement. The public school in Scarsdale, N.Y., which is known for turning out some of the nation's finest college prospects, is contemplating eliminating Advanced Placement courses. (The New York Times)

Oct 3, 2006 - At the head of some classes, desks dismissed. Years ago, in a classroom that had chalk, blackboards and students seated in neat rows, teacher Lee Dorman had a desk of her own. But she found herself constantly roaming to oversee projects and answer questions. She never used the desk, so she got rid of it (Washington Post)

Oct 3, 2006 - Early repairs in foundation for reading. To help identify and treat children with severe reading problems earlier, new diagnostic tests are available to measure a child's fluency with the skills that are the foundation of reading. (The New York Times)

Sep 23, 2006 - 'STRIVE' program yields first five grads. Five of the nation's newest college grads earned degrees from a model program that offers college courses and a supported-living environment for mentally disabled students. As Susan Sharon of Maine Public Radio reports, the five members of STRIVE U's first class now have their own apartments and jobs. (NPR)

Sep 14, 2006 - Gates foundation is giving $1.3 million to L.A. schools. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation today will announce a $1.3-million grant to Los Angeles schools to improve the teaching of algebra and other college-prep courses. (Los Angeles Times)

Sep 12, 2006 - As homework grows, so do arguments against it. The nation's best-known researcher on homework, Duke University professor Harris Cooper, has taken a new look at the subject. (Washington Post)

Sep 8, 2006 - Penguin revives the serial novel for online buzz. Penguin is turning to publishing's past to help usher the industry into the modern era, releasing a novel in serial form to create a buzz online before the complete work is released next year. (Peter Scott's Library Blog)

Sep 7, 2006 - Preparing Hispanic parents and children for school. A museum on Long Island is offering a program to introduce children from immigrant Hispanic families to an American classroom before they walk into one. (The New York Times)

Sep 7, 2006 - Report finds U.S. students lagging in finishing college. A new report says that the United States ranks seventh among developed nations for 25- to 34-year-olds in college completion rates. (The New York Times)

Sep 7, 2006 - Study Faults the High Cost of Higher Education. WASHINGTON - An independent report on higher education flunks most states when it comes to affordability. It gives better but mixed grades in other areas, such as college participation and completion rates. (Los Angeles Times)

Aug 28, 2006 - Detroit teachers vote not to report to work. Public school teachers in Detroit voted to reject a contract offer with wage cuts of 5.5 percent and reductions to some benefits. (The New York Times)

Aug 28, 2006 - Old schoolhouse rocks. The Smithsonian's re-creation of a one-room school from the 19th century is the surprise hit of the season with children. (Los Angeles Times)

Aug 27, 2006 - In schools across U.S., the melting pot overflows. The children of baby boomers and foreign-born parents are sending a demographic bulge through the schools. (The New York Times)

Aug 21, 2006 - Butterflies abound as first-year teachers await day one. Munachiso Onuoha anxiously awaited her first day of fifth grade in Prince George's County yesterday afternoon. (Washington Post)

Aug 21, 2006 - Students find their summer all booked up. Aiming to stoke a passion for the written word, schools are issuing mandatory reading lists. (Los Angeles Times)

Aug 15, 2006 - 'American ABC:' Back to school in the 19th century. As summer dwindles away and back-to-school time approaches, an exhibit at the Smithsonian American Art Museum looks at life around the schoolhouse in the 19th century. (NPR)

Aug 15, 2006 - U.S. pushes the use of tutors at failing schools. One of the key provisions of the No Child Left Behind law is that children in failing schools should be given extra help in the form of tutoring. Yet millions of students who are eligible for tutoring aren't getting it. The U.S Education Department is warning school districts that, this fall, they must do a better job of signing families up. (NPR)

Aug 14, 2006 - Scores to measure students, schools. Facing any report card is tough enough. Now imagine four in a single month. California public schools are bracing for just that as they await public release of passage rates -- statewide to campus-level -- for two major student exams and detailed results of two influential school performance programs. (MercuryNews.com)

Aug 8, 2006 - TG redesigns college/career-planning Web site. Site provides more information to help students prepare, pay for college. (TG Online)

Aug 4, 2006 - U.S. issues new rules on schools and disability. School districts will now be allowed to find new ways to identify children as learning disabled, rather than relying on intelligence tests in third or fourth grade. (The New York Times)

Aug 4, 2006 - Online course guides help teachers share ideas. Educators across the U.S. are using a new website to buy and sell reliable class materials. (Los Angeles Times)

Aug 3, 2006 - All-day kindergarten gets fast-track push. Fairfax County school officials want to speed up the addition of full-day kindergarten programs, making them available at all elementary schools by 2010. (Washington Post)

Jul 27, 2006 - Guggenheim study suggests arts education benefits literacy skills. The study found that students in an arts program performed better in six categories of literacy and critical thinking skills. (The New York Times)

Jul 26, 2006 - On education: In kindergarten playtime, a new meaning for 'play'. Across the nation, there is less time for play even for the youngest students as many schools try to teach reading, writing and arithmetic as early as possible. (The New York Times)

Jul 26, 2006 - Public vs. private school report spurs controversy. A new report from the U.S. Education Department counters the popularly held notion that private schools outperform public schools. (NPR)

Jul 25, 2006 - Most states fail demands in education law. Failure to meet standards set by the No Child Left Behind Act leaves several states in danger of losing some aid. (The New York Times)

Jul 19, 2006 - GOP unveils school voucher plan. The Bush administration and Republican legislators yesterday proposed a $100 million national plan to offer low-income students private-school vouchers to escape low-performing public schools. (Washington Post)

Jul 19, 2006 - Colleges make way for internships. College administrators nationwide have become concerned about access to internships at all socioeconomic levels. The solution, they say, is to provide financial assistance. (The New York Times)

Jul 18, 2006 - P.A. company's innovative software helps developmentally disabled. Sixteen-year-old Tristan Bence has been learning to read for 10 years. But because of autism, he's struggled with sequencing sounds and letters, even though he likes reading and knows the alphabet. (MercuryNews.com)

Jul 13, 2006 - Upper grades, lower reading skills. Teaching reading has long been considered the job of primary grade teachers. But some educators are calling for more attention to be paid to the reading needs of middle and high school students, many of whom are struggling to master this critical skill. (Washington Post)

Jul 10, 2006 - National initiative publishes expanded English-Spanish glossary of terms relating to access to higher education A consortium of organizations from throughout the nation has released the second edition of an English-Spanish glossary of standard terms relating to access to higher education. (TG Online)

Jul 10, 2006 - Man who died at 30 inspires legacy of learning. When Anuj Mohan was a boy, his parents — who both hold doctorates — told him he needed a good education if he wanted to make a difference in the world. (MercuryNews.com)

Jul 9, 2006 - Long haul to acceptance. Seventeen years ago Sharon Hanley arrived at the U.S. Naval Academy and made history as one of the first female undergraduates. (Washington Post)

Jul 9, 2006 - The new gender divide: At colleges, women are leaving men in the dust. A quarter-century after women became the majority on campuses, men are trailing in more than just enrollment. (The New York Times)

Jul 8, 2006 - Event tailors college prep advice to hispanic teenagers. Wilberg Rivera raised his hand again and again. Do you have to be poor to qualify for grants, he asked, and is it true that you won't get docked points if your facts are wrong in your SAT writing sample? Where, he wanted to know, is Haverford College? (Washington Post)

Jul 9, 2006 - It's a top-grade achievement. Many graduates of charter high school never thought they'd receive their diplomas. (Los Angeles Times)

Jun 30, 2006 - Graduation rate improving, schools chancellor says. Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein reported strong numbers for the senior classes at 15 new small high schools. (The New York Times)

Jun 28, 2006 - NASA launches education initiative for minority institutions. NASA kicked off a new initiative with the United Negro College Fund Special Programs Corporation on Wednesday. (NASA)

Jun 26, 2006 - Naming rights to public schools sold in Wisconsin. Milwaukee's school district is selling naming rights to everything in sight, from rooms and hallways, to gyms. School administrators think it will be easier to enter into marketing agreements with companies than raise more money from taxes. (NPR)

Jun 26, 2006 - Morehouse College to get MLK collection. Nearly a week before its scheduled auction at Sotheby's auction house, the collected personal correspondence of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was bought by a group of investors and philanthropic leaders to be given to King's alma mater, Morehouse College. (NPR)

Jun 20, 2006 - NASA sends teachers spaceward bound. NASA is taking teachers to a barren desert in Chile to help inspire the next generation of explorers. (NASA)

Jun 19, 2006 - Comic-book class causes buzz. Kids at Herrera School for the Fine Arts in Phoenix are reading a hot new comic book created by seventh- and eighth-graders. (azcentral.com)

Jun 19, 2006 - Tomorrow's high schools likely to resemble today's colleges. American high schools are on the brink of changes that could make them nearly unrecognizable to students who just got their diplomas. (azcentral.com)

Jun 8, 2006 - Education leaders explore future of higher education Representatives from all sectors of education met on the campus of the University of Nebraska - Lincoln this week to focus on the future of higher education and how to anticipate and meet students' needs through 2020 and beyond. (TG Online)

Jun 7, 2006 - On Education: Can tough grades be fair grades? At Boston University, some students suspect the school is forcing grades to conform to a curve, which may not be a bad thing in the end. (The New York Times)

Jun 6, 2006 - Supreme court roundup: Court to weigh race as factor in school rolls. The Supreme Court will rule on what measures, if any, public schools may use to maintain racial balance. (The New York Times)

Jun 6, 2006 - A helping hand for higher education. Many college students need to combine a job with student loans just to finance their education. Scholarships are available, however -- commentator Amy Alexander, an author and media critic, talks about one scholarship in particular that rewards young black students who celebrate their past while overcoming hardships. (NPR)

Jun 5, 2006 - Teacher of the year on turning a school around. Kimberly Oliver, an elementary school teacher in Silver Spring, Md., was recently named National Teacher of the Year. Over the last six years, she has helped turn around the underperforming school. (NPR)

May 25, 2006 - Test shows drop in science achievement for 12th graders. Scores rose among fourth graders and held steady among eighth graders, but the drop among high school seniors is likely to raise anxiety about America's academic competitiveness. (The New York Times)

May 24, 2006 - Game and theory converge on a coach's field of dreams. For nearly 20 years, Steve DeCaro had longed to fuse the two parts of himself, jock and geek, and to offer both to the same students. (The New York Times)

May 24, 2006 - Illegal immigrant graduates blocked from college move. Illegal immigrants are graduating from high schools across the U.S. But even highly qualified students find it difficult to move on to college because of their immigration status. (NPR)

May 23, 2006 - College no guarantee of top-dollar pay. David Wessel, deputy Washington bureau chief of The Wall Street Journal, talks with Steve Inskeep about why having a college degree doesn't guarantee the pay graduates would like to see. (NPR)

May 10, 2006 - Two setbacks for exit exams taken by high school seniors. A judge said that he was inclined to ban tests as a graduation requirement in California, and a Massachusetts school board voted to issue diplomas to students who had failed. (The New York Times)

May 10, 2006 - Los Angeles school struggles to leave violence behind. Last year, Jefferson High School in Los Angeles got national attention for brawls and fights that occurred during school. It raised questions about the ability of students to learn in an environment where they don't feel safe. Jefferson High has been struggling to re-invent itself since then. (NPR)

May 7, 2006 - From a piece of the past, a lesson. I took my 12-year-old son to work last month, but I was the one who learned the most about the hows and whys of the work I do. (The New York Times)

May 1, 2006 - Chess enjoying kingly status. Chess has attracted increasing numbers of kindergarten through 12th-grade students in one district, where parents and educators view it as a tool for improving school performance. (azcentral.com)

May 1, 2006 - Good setting at home will help kids at school. Jason Robertson is sure if parents create a smart school at home, their students will be better learners. Here are his tips. (azcentral.com)

Apr 30, 2006 - What makes a good high school? How can U.S. high schools do a better job? A new study identifies key characteristics of high schools that work. And at Granger High in Washington state, the principal demands high standards for students and staff. (NPR)

Apr 18, 2006 - Councils give parents a voice. If parents in the Scottsdale Unified School District have concerns about something going on at their child's school or just don't know whom to ask about an education-related issue, they can ask for help at the Scottsdale Parent Council. (azcentral.com)

Apr 12, 2006 - Panel considers revamping college aid and accrediting. One proposal calls for scrapping the current system of accreditation in favor of a National Accreditation Foundation created by Congress and the president. (The New York Times)

Apr 12, 2006 - Show children respect, and they pass it on. Do unto others as you would have others do unto you is the value that makes the world a more decent and civilized place, according to the U.S. Department of Education. (azcentral.com)

Apr 10, 2006 - Top colleges reject record numbers. Admission officials say they are accepting an unusually low percentage of applicants, concluding a brutal admission season. (CollegeJournal)

Apr 9, 2006 - Overly wired? There's a word for it. The frenzy of our wired world is giving nearly all of us the symptoms of attention deficit disorder. (The New York Times)

Apr 4, 2006 - Hands-on program adds up for Arizona math students. About 13,000 students across Arizona are using hands-on materials to learn math. (azcentral.com)

Mar 27, 2006 - Helping dropouts break the cycle of poverty. If you come from a poor family, you are more likely to drop out of high school. And if you drop out and stay out of high school, you are more likely to be poor. In Portland, Ore., one program is designed to break this cycle. (NPR)

Mar 26, 2006 - Schools cut back subjects to push reading and math. Trying to meet the requirements of No Child Left Behind, thousands of schools are reducing class time spent on other subjects. (The New York Times)

Mar 26, 2006 - Florida bill asks high schoolers to declare major. The bill would make the state the first to require high school students to declare a major, just as college students do. (The New York Times)

Mar 22, 2006 - Lightning rod for fury over schools' gifted programs. Anna Commitante, the official in charge of New York City's gifted programs, is at the receiving end of angry e-mail messages, letters and phone calls. (The New York Times)

Mar 21, 2006 - Cape Cod school proposes ban on fragrances. Saying cologne-drenched students are exacerbating asthma problems for some of their peers, a Cape Cod high school seeks to ban cologne, body spray and other scented items from school. (NPR)

Mar 20, 2006 - More teachers offered bonuses for better test scores. Business executives often get yearend bonuses if their employees meet certain goals. Coaches earn more when their players perform well. So why not reward teachers based on their students' test scores? (azcentral.com)