Education News

Our fourth annual national-service issue examines the problems of public education in America -- and how to fix them Full Story »

BRUSSELS (Reuters Life!) - Young people in the European Union are less likely to finish higher education than those in Canada, Japan or Russia, according to a new study that underscores the need for the EU to invest wisely in education. Full Story »

NEW YORK - In a Sept. 6 story about universities buying up land they don't immediately have use for, The Associated Press misidentified the type of parking structure that's in a building the University of Dayton bought last year. The building includes a parking lot, not a parking garage. Full Story »

ISTANBUL (Reuters Life!) - An Istanbul seminary closed in 1971 is hosting its first public event in 40 years, raising hopes it may shortly be reopened by Turkey and once again educate priests for the Greek Orthodox community. Full Story »

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Jefferson Thomas, who as a teenager was among nine black students to integrate a Little Rock high school in the nation's first major battle over school segregation, has died. He was 67. Full Story »

NEW YORK - Colleges and universities are buying up chunks of land at bargain prices, sometimes without a clear idea how they'll be used. Full Story »

CENTRAL FALLS, R.I. - Teachers who were fired and ultimately rehired in a dispute that focused national debate over education reform have returned to their classrooms amid hopes that changes they agreed to will help improve student performance at their persistently troubled high school. Full Story »

SAN JUAN, Texas - When Ruth Garcia's twins are born in two months, they'll have all the rights of U.S. citizens. They and their six brothers and sisters will be able to vote, apply for federal student loans and even run for president. Full Story »

IRVINE, Calif. - The University of California, Irvine has upheld its decision to suspend a campus Muslim group after some of its members disrupted a speech by the Israeli ambassador at a campus event. Full Story »

A school district in South Hadley, Massachusetts, is hoping a specialized software application will help stop tragedies like the one that befell Phoebe Prince, an Irish-born teen who committed suicide in January after an alleged bullying campaign by fellow students. Full Story »

Put down your No. 2 pencils and get ready for the next generation of standardized tests, featuring fewer multiple choice questions and increased use of computers. Full Story »

NEW YORK - American shoppers, taking advantage of deep discounts and tax-free holidays, opened up their wallets a little more for back-to-school spending compared with last year, giving some retailers better-than expected gains for August. Full Story »

SISSETON, S.D. - An 18-year-old high school student stockpiled bomb-making materials in his bedroom and wrote about wanting to blow up his school, target individuals he hated, rape women and "become the world's most infamous sociopath," authorities said. Full Story »

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Texas schools that cut bureaucratic costs by sharing services -- from accounting to transportation -- would get grants worth 10 percent of their savings under a plan Governor Rick Perry proposed on Tuesday. Full Story »

BEIJING (Reuters Life!) - Chinese schools have to get their students to be creative and think for themselves, Premier Wen Jiabao told officials, in reference to the rote-learning deeply ingrained in the national education system. Full Story »

Hoping to portray themselves as more affordable and all-around better neighbors, private colleges from Appalachia to Boston are sweetening financial aid packages for students from their own backyards. Full Story »

BLOUNTVILLE, Tenn. - An armed man was fatally shot by deputies Monday at an east Tennessee high school after he went inside and pointed a gun at the principal's head, a sheriff said. Full Story »

Chicago and Boston - Growing up in Chicago, Arne Duncan learned early that education was a stark dividing line – sometimes literally between life and death. Full Story »