Claudio Sanchez

Houston schools have been implicated in a cheating scandal after test scores in some Texas school districts made suspicious leaps. An inspector general is investigating at least 23 schools. Questions arose in 2004 after The Dallas Morning News found strong evidence that educators were helping students cheat at nearly 400 schools statewide.

Fallout continues over the U.S. Education Department's payments to a commentator for promotion of the No Child Left Behind law. Lawmakers from both houses of Congress have begun inquiries into the department's public relations spending. NPR's Claudio Sanchez reports.

As President Bush prepares an effort to expand many of the No Child Left Behind Act's provisions to high schools, NPR's Claudio Sanchez examines the law's successes and shortcomings.

This week, Boston public schools issued report cards to kindergarteners. For the first time, 5-year-olds are being evaluated based on literacy, math and various academic skills. Debated for years, the new policy is getting poor marks from some teachers and parents. NPR's Claudio Sanchez reports.

In the second of two stories, high school students who are children of immigrants in Fremont, Calif., talk about cultural identity and the pressures to succeed academically. Hear NPR's Claudio Sanchez.

In Fremont, Calif., immigrant students are earning top grades, and their affluent parents are threatening to create their own school in order to keep standards high. Hear NPR's Claudio Sanchez.

Margaret Spellings is chosen to replace Rod Paige as secretary of education. She has been a key adviser to President Bush on education policy since his time as governor of Texas. NPR's Claudio Sanchez reports.

Sam Marsenison is 5 and poised to start kindergarten. His parents are just as anxious as he is. The first day of school promises to bring great excitement, joy and anxiety to families across the country. NPR's Claudio Sanchez follows Sam and his family in their countdown to kindergarten.

Under President Bush's No Child Left Behind Act, funding for public schools is tied to dozens of new federal mandates. Though states have moved quickly to comply, the list of struggling schools continues to grow -- which may cost them millions in funding. Hear NPR's Claudio Sanchez.

A record number of college-bound high school graduates took the SAT last year. The College Board said average scores for math and reading either dropped very slightly or were the same as 2002. The board said the scores also again highlighted unequal access to quality education for blacks and Latinos, with whites and Asians more likely to have access to rigorous college prep courses. NPR's Claudio Sanchez reports.