Education

Security experts say the U.S. has a dearth of professionals qualified to take on cyberthreats like attacks on power grids or defense systems. A school district in Alabama and the U.S. Army Cyber Command have teamed up to help prepare a new generation for cyberwarfare careers.

As the school year begins, many principals are leading their schools for the first time. Keeping principals is a problem in many schools, and high-poverty, urban districts often have particularly high rates of turnover. Some experts say that revolving door can hurt student achievement.

The University of Wisconsin System will soon offer a new option for working adults who want to complete their bachelor's degree. Under the Flexible Option, students can earn credits and a degree, by proving they've mastered competencies. The Flex Option is aimed at helping more than 700,000 residents who have college credit but no degree, and adults who don't have time to attend classes.

As the nation's public schools reopen this fall, many are facing budget deficits and scarce money due to sequestration. Experts say districts with large numbers of poor students are hit the hardest.

Compared to the rest of the world, American schools don't stack up like they used to. But what's the best way to educate children? Author Amanda Ripley followed students and teachers across the globe to find out for her new book, The Smartest Kids in the World: And How They Got That Way.

The teachers are protesting education changes that would institute evaluations and reduce the power of unions in hiring educators. It's common practice for teachers in Mexico to buy and sell tenured positions. The protests in Mexico City have caused traffic mayhem, and at one point blocked access to the international airport.

The president returned from vacation to take to the road, touring college towns in New York and Pennsylvania to talk about higher education. He's proposing a system that would rank colleges' affordability, which could then be tied to federal aid — but in Washington, a budget battle is waiting.

Day 2 of President Obama's education-themed bus tour rolls into Binghamton, N.Y., and then travels to Pennsylvania for a stop in Scranton. On Friday, the president will have more praise for colleges that work hard to keep costs down and degree production up.

Journalist Alison Stewart chronicles the history of Dunbar High School in her new book, First Class. She says the Washington, D.C., school — which has graduated Army generals, Cabinet members and musicians — can serve as a model for urban schools today.