On nationwide math tests, fourth-grade progress stalls but eighth-graders improve

October 12th, 2009 NM school goes from worst to among best in 3 yearsTOHATCHI, N.M. — Fifth grader Darius Yazzie's after-school chores include hauling water for horses and feeding chickens, while his classmate, Shanika Begay, rides a bus 15 miles each way through the rolling hills of this impoverished corner of the Navajo Nation.

September 24th, 2009 White House looks to improve No Child Left BehindWASHINGTON — The Obama administration is committed to the school accountability at the heart of the No Child Left Behind law championed by former President George W. Bush but also wants to make changes, says Education Secretary Arne Duncan.

September 23rd, 2009 White House backs accountability of 'No Child' lawWASHINGTON — The Obama administration is committed to the testing and school accountability at the heart of the No Child Left Behind law championed by former President George W. Bush, Education Secretary Arne Duncan said.

September 18th, 2009 WASHINGTON - The pen seems to be mightier than the computer keyboard, says a new study. Second, fourth and sixth grade children with and without handwriting disabilities were able to write more and faster when using a pen than a keyboard to compose essays.

September 17th, 2009 WASHINGTON - It may not be wrong to say that the pen is mightier than the keyboard, for a new study on schoolchildren so suggests. Virginia Berninger, a University of Washington professor of Educational Psychology, looked at the ability of second, fourth, and sixth grade children to write the alphabet, sentences, and essays using a pen and a keyboard.

August 19th, 2009 ACT scores hold steady as test-taking pool expandsAverage scores on the ACT college entrance exam held steady for the high school class of 2009, a sign of modest progress considering the pool of students taking the test continues to expand. Nationally, more students earned scores indicating they're prepared to succeed in college in all four areas tested by the ACT: English, math, reading and science.

July 14th, 2009 Achievement gap divides black, white studentsWASHINGTON — Reading and math scores are rising for black students across the country, but not enough to close the gap between them and their better-scoring white peers, an Education Department report released Tuesday found. The gap in reading is especially dismal — only three states have managed to narrow the divide between black and white students in fourth grade, and no state has narrowed the gap in eighth grade.

July 14th, 2009 Black-white disparity: How states compareA look at the achievement gap between black and white students on nationwide reading and math tests in 2007, according to a new Education Department report. Tests were graded on a 500-point scale.

July 14th, 2009 Achievement gap still splits white, black studentsWASHINGTON — Despite unprecedented efforts to improve minority achievement in the past decade, the gap between black and white students remains frustratingly wide, according to an Education Department report released Tuesday. There is good news in the report: Reading and math scores are improving for black students in public schools across the country.

June 23rd, 2009 15 who protested LA teacher cuts denied diplomasLOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles school district says 15 students were denied diplomas at their eighth-grade graduation because they protested impending teacher layoffs. The students at Liechty (LAY'-stee) Middle School in East Los Angeles turned their backs on school board President Monica Garcia during Thursday's ceremonies.

June 15th, 2009 National arts test scores offer clouded pictureWASHINGTON — Kids were taking fewer field trips to art museums even before the recession began to gouge school budgets, according to a nationwide survey released Monday. The survey, conducted with music and art tests of eighth graders, paints a lackluster picture of arts education in this country.

May 6th, 2009 White House seeks comments on education lawWASHINGTON — The Obama administration is committed to the testing and school accountability at the heart of the No Child Left Behind law championed by former President George W. Bush, Education Secretary Arne Duncan said.

May 5th, 2009 White House seeks input on education lawBUNKER HILL, W.Va. — Embarking on a "listening tour," Education Secretary Arne Duncan asked teachers, parents and students Tuesday how they would improve No Child Left Behind, the controversial education law championed by former President George W.

April 28th, 2009 Students show improvement in reading, mathWASHINGTON — Kids in the U.S. are improving in reading and math, with low-achieving students making the biggest gains.

April 28th, 2009 Kids make gains in reading and mathWASHINGTON — Kids are making strides in reading and math, though progress in math seems stalled among high school students, according to a federal report that tracked test scores going back to the 1970s. The scores come from the National Assessment of Educational Progress, considered the benchmark of how students perform across the country.