Free Republic

About half of Illinois public high school students flunked state exams in reading, math and science this year, the worst performance in the history of the 11th-grade Prairie State Achievement Examination, statewide test results show. The record-low results, scheduled to be released Thursday, come after Illinois closed loopholes that kept academically weak juniors from taking the exams, a practice revealed in a 2009 Tribune analysis. Some local school officials attributed their declines in part to the larger testing pool that included less-prepared students. At the same time, grade schools posted the highest passing rate in a decade this year —...

Here is a tale of New York. A young man I know who attends one of the best public high schools in Manhattan recently told me about his adventures trying to start a conservative club. His high school, which also has a highly competitive elementary school, is one that New York parents dream of having their children attend, because a child getting is proof in these parts that he is smart. And, unlike Manhattan's many elite private schools, tuition is free. Of course, there are lots of other after-school clubs already established at his high school. He told me that...

...In the suburbs... the armed forces are welcomed for more than just visits. They're teaching ... classes. Two high schools in Federal Way will debut Air Force courses this fall. Students as young as 14 will wear uniforms, march in drills with decommissioned guns and get schooled in military history, customs and technology. Course materials are mostly created by the Air Force, and the classes taught by retired officers. Costs will be split between the Air Force and the school district. Federal Way is the third King County school district to ask the military to set up shop as part...

As I am new to FreeRepublic, allow me to give you a quick bio as posted on www.hscca.org/bios.php: Jonathan Krive, 18, is a graduate of the Oak Brook College of Law Paralegal Program and is now certified by the National Association of Legal Assistants. As a home school student, he met the legal requirements for high school graduation when he was 15. He holds the championship title in the National Right to Life Oratory Contest, sponsored by National Right to Life Committee.