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Many parents delay their children’s entry into kindergarten in an attempt to give them a leg up on peers, but authors of a book on brain development argue that this strategy, known in some circles as redshirting, is likely to be counterproductive. Sam Wang, associate professor of molecular biology and neuroscience at Princeton University, and […]

Today is World Car-Free Day, The Washington Post reports, and to observe the day, the newspaper’s Campus Overload blog offers 10 ways that colleges can encourage their students to give up their cars.

A new report by a team of psychologists asserts that single-sex education is ineffective, misguided and may actually increase gender stereotyping. The New York Times says that the report, “The Pseudoscience of Single Sex Schooling,” is being published in Science magazine by eight social scientists who are founders of the nonprofit American Council for CoEducational […]

U.S. Rep Carolyn McCarthy of New York has introduced the “Ending Corporal Punishment in Schools Act,” which aims to eliminate the use of corporal punishment in schools.
“Twenty states still permit corporal punishment in public schools and studies indicate that this type of discipline has a negative effect on students,” McCarthy says in a news […]

The school board in Republic, Mo., has decided to ease restrictions on two books that had been removed from the high school library, but they still will not be accessible to students. The Springfield News Leader reports that Kurt Vonnegut’s “Slaughterhouse-Five” and Sarah Ockler’s “Twenty Boy Summer” will be stored in a secure section […]

A federal appeals court has upheld the constitutionality of the Elmbrook (Wis.) School District’s decision to hold high school graduation ceremonies in a Christian church. Brookfield Patch reports that the 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, in a 2-to-1 ruling, concluded that having ceremonies at a nondenominational Christian church in Brookfield did not violate […]

A judge has granted a temporary restraining order to stop mandatory student drug testing at Linn State Technical College in Linn, Mo. The Kansas City Star says the ACLU sued the school, contending that forcing students to submit to mandatory drug tests as a condition of their enrollment violated students’ constitutional rights. The drug […]

Citing heightened concerns about cheating on standardized tests, a New York State panel has recommended an overhaul in how educators administer and grade the exams. The New York Times reports that some recommendations will take effect immediately: All state tests must begin on the same day in districts throughout the state to heighten test security. […]

One is not the loneliest number in the New York City school system. The New York Times reports that four different public schools in the city all carry the unimaginative name P.S. 1. Here’s an explanation of the numbering system used to identify the 1,700 schools in the nation’s largest school district.

The parents of a 6-year-old boy who died in 2007 after having a seizure during gym class at a Chicago elementary school have sued the school system. The Chicago Tribune reports that the parents are contending that their son was taking part in a gym class even though officials had previously agreed to keep the […]