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President Bush yesterday signed into law a five-year renewal of Head Start, the federal preschool program for poor children. The latest update to Head Start, which began in 1965, aims to open the program to more children and ensure that teachers are better qualified.

College administrators grumble about the rise of "helicopter parents," moms and dads who keep hovering over the lives of their children even after they leave for college

Graphic depictions of violence, suicide and sexual assault in two Pat Conroy books are at the heart of a First Amendment debate, pitting offended parents against high school students who object to being told what they can't read.

More than 1,800 high school students across the state are feverishly preparing for this weekend's battle of the bands — marching bands, that is. Students from 15 high schools will participate in the 31st annual Tournament of Bands hosted by Kamehameha Schools.

The price of college again rose faster than the inflation rate this year, climbing 6.6 percent at four-year public schools and outstripping increases in the financial aid that lowers what most students actually pay.

While individual schools' scores on the high-stakes Hawai'i State Assessment are likely to go up when some scoring errors are corrected, schools that thought they had met all their No Child Left Behind goals might find they fell short in participation, state education officials said.

The federal No Child Left Behind law has made it easier for local school districts to implement single-gender schools, but separating the sexes in public schools has received mixed reviews so far.

Three organizations in Hawai'i have been awarded about $496,000 in federal grants to help plan, design and create new charter schools, U.S. Education Secretary Margaret Spellings announced yesterday. The organizations are:

A movement gaining momentum in Congress and some school systems across the nation would boost pay for exceptional teachers in high-poverty schools, a departure from salary schedules based on seniority and professional degrees that have kept pay in lockstep for decades.

Efforts to save up for a first car or stretch an allowance might be helping high schoolers in at least one academic area.

Big Island teacher Sheri Kojima will never forget NASA's "Vomit Comet." The Comet, a modified Boeing 747, is used to prepare astronauts for zero gravity.

Soy protein tortillas. Chipotle-lime sunflower seeds. Garbanzo bean dip. These healthful foods were among the options for public school menus...

While summer is in full swing, signs of back-to-school are everywhere, as retail stores fill their shelves with school supplies — most notably, backpacks. "All of a sudden, we're in the midst of a summer heat wave, and the next thing you know, we're shopping ... and everything is back to school," says Teri Mitchell, of Safe Kids Upstate, a South Carolina organization.

ST. LOUIS — The Parent Teacher Association is among the country's oldest child advocacy organizations and has become one of the most recognized groups in the nation.

Taxpayer-funded tutoring for poor children is paying off in some city schools, a federal study has found. Students who received the tutoring under the federal No Child Left Behind law improved on reading and math tests, according to the study conducted by independent researchers for the Department of Education and released last week.