Those of us who go way back remember Lyndon Johnson's War on Poverty and Job Corps: it was supposed to offer hangout kids a way to go, even if they couldn't stay interested in school. Well, hangout kids are still with us, and Job Corps is here too, on Treasure Island and elsewhere, all over the country.

That the hangout kids are still around has ample documentation. Read more

Although Americans are not known worldwide for language proficiency, we seem to be reaching out. Just about all of us know people who handle two languages easily. If we've done much travel, we've met people who use three or more. Evidently we do it because we have to: Americans normally don't reach out for languages otherwise. Read more

It's not painless and not easy, but there are a few tips which can help. Schwab Learning's newsletter - the source of many good tips for working with kids - recently came up with a short list of things to remember when we're help with Math. It was done by Brian Inglesby, M.A., a school psychologist.

It's no surprise that he asks us to start with our own feelings about math. Read more

There are no major changes this year. That may be good news or bad news. The scoop from here on the SAT test is that you really need to figure out what you want from it. A two-year local community college is truly the best choice for a student who needs time to figure out where she's going: it's economical, and it's accredited. Read more