In an interview with New York Times reporter Diana Schemo, a superintendent of schools in rural Missouri said his district had worked out a formula to deal with drastic budget cuts: they would satisfy federal and state requirements, then do as much as possible for the majority.

That district no longer has any programs for gifted kids. Read more

At the center of every serious discussion by parents or educators on the subject of testing is Math Curriculum K-12. Whatever your position, I think these resources will be of interest.

Phil Daro, now directing the Public Forum on School Accountability, spent six of his years on the University of California at Berkeley math faculty directing projects to help states develop standards. Read more

If it's any consolation, I think all families with even one member who's college-bound are in a sweat about how to pay for it. The two things I can find to say that are positive are a) that there are some good deals on putting money aside for future plans; and b) if you have to borrow, the federally-backed loans for that purpose are very low-interest and not hard to get. Read more