Fewer Public Schools Selling Sugary Drinks

"Fewer elementary school students can buy soda and other sugar-sweetened drinks at school than could a few years ago, according to a new study."

Top 10 Public High Schools

"U.S. News analyzed data from nearly 22,000 public high schools to calculate the 2012 Best High Schools rankings. The top 500 schools earned a gold medal distinction, and the following 10 schools are the best of the best."

Report Calls Education a National Security Issue

"The U.S. educational system is facing 'a national security crisis,' an independent task force from the Council on Foreign Relations warned in a report Tuesday."

Survey Finds Teachers Don't Trust Annual State Skills Tests

"A new online survey of 10,000 U.S. teachers, released Thursday, finds that only 16% believe linking student performance and teacher pay is 'absolutely essential' or "very important" in retaining good teachers. That's down from 28% in 2010."

Schools That Mean Business

"The most important thing is that P-Tech students will graduate with not only a high school diploma but an associate’s degree too. That’s crucial, since 63% of American jobs will require post-secondary training by 2018."

Number of 'Dropout Factory' High Schools in the U.S. Drops, Reports Says

"The number of 'dropout factory' high schools in the United States is decreasing, according to a report from the Building a Grad Nation Summit being held this week in Washington."

Teacher Evaluations Pose Test for States

"Efforts to revamp public education are increasingly focused on evaluating teachers using student test scores, but school districts nationwide are only beginning to deal with the practical challenges of implementing those changes."

Teacher Survey Shows Morale Is at a Low Point

"More than half of teachers expressed at least some reservation about their jobs, their highest level of dissatisfaction since 1989, the survey found."

Why Does America Lead the World in School Shootings?

"School shootings are far more frequent in America than in other countries, although terrible massacres have occurred in Russia, Israel, and several European nations."

A New Leader Helps Heal Atlanta Schools, Scarred by Scandal

"By last spring, Gov. Nathan Deal and Mayor Kasim Reed of Atlanta knew they had to find someone to clean up the mess. They asked Erroll B. Davis Jr. to become the new superintendent when Dr. Hall left at the end of June."

Crime at US Schools Dropping, Report Says

"Crimes and homicides in public schools nationwide have declined, part of a downward trend seen over the past several years. Data released Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Education and the Department of Justice show declines across a number of indicators, including thefts, violent crimes, bullying and gang activity."

Kansas City's Failed Schools Leave Students Behind

"On Jan. 1, the Missouri state school board revoked the Kansas City district's accreditation. Now parents have a difficult choice: struggle to afford parochial or private school, move, or keep their children in a system that's been labeled a failure."

Robert Glaser, Who Shaped the Science of Student Testing, Dies at 91

"Robert Glaser, a cognitive psychologist who helped define the terms of the national debate over student testing, and who pioneered ways of measuring not only how students learn but how teachers teach, died on Feb. 4 in Pittsburgh. He was 91."

Seeking Money, Texas Schools Turn to Advertisements

"Districts across Texas are selling advertisements on buses, athletic stadiums and other pieces of school property to help make up for some of the money lost through state budget cuts."

Abuse Cases Put Los Angeles Schools Under Fire

"The spate of accusations has put an intense spotlight on the way the Los Angeles Unified School District monitors its employees and responds to reports of abuse."

Study: U.S. Schools Better Than Rankings Suggest

"The idea that U.S. public schools are falling behind the rest of the world is widely accepted, but a new analysis of international data suggests that using rankings to sort global winners from losers is often misguided, exaggerating tiny differences between countries that may be producing nearly identical results."

Home-Schooling Demographics Change, Expand

"Secular organizations across the country report their numbers are growing. Though government records indicate religion is still the driving force in home schooling, members of these organizations say the face of home schooling is changing, not because of faith, but because of what parents see as shortcomings in public and private schools."

Record Decline in Spending by States, Cities, and School Districts

"States, cities and school districts trimmed spending at the end of 2011 by more than any time in a decade, a USA TODAY analysis finds."

Education Panel Head Rips No Child Left Behind Waivers

"The U.S. House Education Committee chairman accused the Obama administration of forcing its education policies on states through No Child Left Behind waivers."

10 States Freed From Some 'No Child Left Behind' Rules

"Ten states are being granted waivers to free them from parts of the No Child Left Behind law, the White House said Thursday."