Best Places to Educate Children

(NEWSER) - Americans may jaw about their grueling work weeks and meager vacations, but their kids? While European and Asian children are logging in long school days and pounding out homework, US students are taking time off, the Economist reports. With one of the world's shortest school weeks and longest summers—which inspired the term "summer learning loss"—Americans need not wonder why they're falling behind. More»

Racial gap is 'last great civil-rights battle': Klein and Sharpton

(NEWSER) - America is facing its “last great civil-rights battle”: the racial education gap, write Joel I Klein and Al Sharpton in a Wall Street Journal. “Today the average 12th-grade black or Hispanic student has the reading, writing, and math skills of an eighth-grade white student,” they note. But bolstered by Barack Obama, the tenets of Klein and Sharpton’s education initiative can point us in the right direction. More»

Private schools likely for first daughters

(NEWSER) - Sasha and Malia Obama visited their mother's shortlist of Washington schools today, the AP reports. Reporters scoured the Beltway for signs of their motorcade, making a possible sighting outside the diverse Georgetown Day School. Chelsea Clinton's alma mater, Sidwell Friends, is also expected to be an option, as are DC's public schools. More»

Michelle visits private schools competing for first kids

(NEWSER) - The politicos are debating Barack Obama's cabinet, but Washington’s parents are intent on another Presidential speculation: Where will the Obama girls go to school? Michelle Obama toured two of DC’s top private schools last week, and a third top academy is also thought to be on the shortlist. With tremendous prestige at stake for the chosen school, parents and school administrators are calling the Obamas with advice, the New York Times reports. More»

Want a job? Avoid fine art, according to 'Daily Beast' list

(NEWSER) - Hey, college students: If your life plans include getting an actual job, you may want to avoid the stars of the Daily Beast 's "most useless" majors list. Majors are ranked in terms of employment, taking into account unemployment rates among recent and experienced grads, earnings, and likely job growth this decade. The list contains a few surprises—sure, fine arts won't get you far, but neither will hospitality management:

1. Fine arts (12.6% unemployment among recent grads; recent grads earn an average $30,000)
2. Drama and theater arts (7.8%, $26,000)