Los Angeles Times

The Milken Family Foundation today announced its 12 Milken Scholars for 2008, who will receive $10,000 scholarships. The group includes three valedictorians. Eleven of them are children of immigrants, and three were born outside the United States. Each recipient has a record of excellence in academics, leadership and service, and has triumphed over obstacles.

A Memphis entrepreneur's documentary compares high-achieving students from India, China and America. It has drawn mixed reactions from academics. That conversation launched Compton, 52, of Memphis, Tenn., on a mission. As both an entrepreneur and the father of 14- and 16-year-old girls, he wanted to know what schools in other countries were doing that American schools weren't, and why the United States performed so miserably on international student comparisons.

By Jason Song and Howard Blume
The school board approves $400 million in cuts while avoiding teacher layoffs. But the action also includes forcing employees to take a four-day unpaid leave

The authors use the findings to question the wisdom of spending millions to tutor older students struggling with the test. The findings, based on an extensive study of student achievement in San Diego schools, call into question the effectiveness of aiming significant efforts and tens of millions of dollars at struggling high school seniors and older students to help them pass the exam.

It's the $64,000 question of public education: Are charter schools better than their traditional public school counterparts? A report to be released today from the California Charter Schools Assn. takes a crack at it, comparing charter schools in Los Angeles with their traditional peers. Its conclusion is that charters generally perform better academically than nearby regular public schools, and that charters improve as they age.

By Maggie Farley
Prime Minister Stephen Harper will seek to make amends for the schools that for a century plucked Indian children from their homes in order to wipe out their language and culture

By DeeDee Correll
Illegal immigrants graduating from high school find that the 2004 pledge won't cover out-of-state tuition, and they're not entitled to Colorado resident prices

LAUSD: Administrators will watch students during one-hour protest. The Los Angeles Unified School District lost its bid to block teachers from staging a one-hour walkout today as part of a protest against state budget cuts to education.

Leftist ideology may be gaining ground in Latin America. But it will never set foot on the manicured lawns of Francisco Marroquin University. For nearly 40 years, this private college has been a citadel of laissez-faire economics. Here, banners quoting "The Wealth of Nations" author Adam Smith -- he of the powdered wig and invisible hand -- flutter over the campus food court.

By Jason Song
State board won't file an injunction to prevent the instructors from reporting to work an hour late Friday to protest proposed budget cuts

By Rong-Gong Lin II
At the time of year for celebrating graduations and student achievement, this group stands in a class all its own. They are 12- and 13-year-old middle school students, yet they have the smarts of many college-bound high school seniors

By Jason Song
The union hopes to draw attention to cuts in state funding, but district officials say student safety could be compromised is teachers skip the first class of the day

By Don Lee
The public is angry after seeing fallen school structures surrounded by standing buildings. 'We really wonder about the construction quality,' a resident says.

By Seema Mehta
Visits to art, nature and science exhibits are rare as more hours are devoted to studying for required English, math tests. But some venues are adapting their offerings.

L.A. Unified and others consider spending reductions amid uncertainty about their funding. Balanced budgets must be submitted by June 30.