Drugs or meditation

Have you ever used hallucinogenic drugs for inspiration, or have you done it entirely through meditation? I have smoked marijuana. But I don’t smoke it any more. And I was pretty lucky—and it’s a true thing. You know, I went to art school in the ’60s. So you can imagine what was going on. And yet my friends were the ones: they said, “No, no, no, David: don’t you take those drugs.”

How do ideas become a script?

How do you find your ideas, and how do you form them into a script? That’s a beautiful question. I think a desire for an idea is like a bait. And I say it’s like fishing. You desire an idea. And when you go fishing, you know you have to have patience. And you bait your hook, and then you just kind of wait. But the desire is that bait that pulls those fish in—those ideas. And the beautiful thing is: when you catch one fish that yo [...]

Music and consciousness

Can you explain how you use music to transform consciousness within your story? But it doesn’t expand—music doesn’t expand consciousness. The only thing that expands consciousness… You know, they have these so-called “consciousness raising” groups. What they’re doing is sharing information, or giving information. It doesn’t raise consciousness. Consciousness can be raised only by experiencing that d [...]

Does meditation protect you?

How can you just so fully commit to the violent, dark nature of life—mostly in Twin Peaks, I think, and all of them—how can you be so committed to that darkness without being harmed by it? And how does meditation help you with that? In a way—this is a strange thing, but it’s a true thing in my experience–bliss is like a flack jacket. Bliss is like a protecting thing. If you have so much bliss, they say it’s [...]

Where to meditate, even on location

Could you share your technique for being able to meditate twice a day while you’re shooting your films? Yes. I wanted this meditation. And I think that the key is this desire for it. And where it came from, you know, I don’t know for sure, but I wanted it. And so I have never missed a meditation in those 32 years, twice a day, morning and afternoon. You wake up, you do your meditation, and then you go about your business. And in the ev [...]

On the way to Enlightenment

Have you been enlightened? I’m not enlightened, I have to tell you. But on the way to enlightenment, the good news is: every day gets better. When you experience this consciousness, this ocean of consciousness has qualities. And those qualities are bliss. They call it sometimes “bliss consciousness.” And you can dive in and get wet with this bliss consciousness. And it expands. Inner happiness grows. It’s so beautiful. It&r [...]

Transcendental Meditation over the years

How has your meditation evolved over the years—from a different experience each time, or gone back to the same thing? With Transcendental Meditation, it’s been my experience, and talking to others their experience as well, you’re an expert from your first meditation. And we could start talking about consciousness. Consciousness is this quite abstract thing. And it’s—yet the number one i [...]

The start of Transcendental Meditation

How did you get interested in meditation?When I first heard about meditation, I had zero interest in it. And I’d hear it, but I wasn’t even curious about it. I was not for it nor against it; I just didn’t care to know about it.And I had these phrases coming that we all hear, that “True happiness doesn’t exist out there; true happiness lies within.” And that phrase always got me. But in that [...]

The truth is the truth

When I listen to you talk about Transcendental Meditation, I like everything about it. But I am a devout Christian, and Transcendental Meditation comes from a tradition totally different from Christianity—Maharishi Mahesh Yogi was a Hindu monk. I feel I’m ready to learn TM, but I can do it only I reconcile it with my beliefs. I was raised Presbyterian. I respect people who are religious, and I think they find something there that’s beautiful. There’s truth there [...]

David Lynch on being the Master of Darkness and Mystery

Most of your movies are full of negativity, violence—the more shadowy things in life. And yet you promote Transcendental Meditation, which seems to give you so much bliss. How are these opposites reconciled in your mind? There are many, many dark things flowing around in this world now, and most films reflect the world in which we live. They’re stories. Stories are always going to have conflict. They’re going to have highs and lows, and good and bad. I fall in [...]

Spirituaity, Christianity and Eraserhead

You speak a lot about spirituality, and I heard that you were raised Christian. Did the Bible ever inspire you? Eraserhead is my most spiritual movie. No one understands when I say that, but it is. Eraserhead was growing in a certain way, and I didn’t know what it meant. I was looking for a key to unlock what these sequences were saying. Of course, I understood some of it; but I didn’t know the thing that just pulled it all together. And it was a struggle. So I got o [...]

How to balance success and failure

It’s easy to speak about success through Transcendental Meditation when you are a successful movie director. Do you mean to say that people who practice TM never fail? You have to learn to find balance in success and failure. Success can kill you just as failure can. And the only way to have balance in success and failure is to function on that Unified Field level. There’s your friend. You can’t fake it—you’re either in that field or you’re not. And [...]

Withdrawing from the world

You sound like a very responsible person, socially involved and aware of the needs of others. But you speak a lot about meditation, and I used to think that meditation is a way to achieve personal peace by withdrawing from the world, from other people, by dodging our responsibility towards each other and the society. I’d like to hear your point of view on that. Meditation is not a selfish thing. Even though you’re diving in and experiencing the Self, you’re not closin [...]

World peace and Transcendental Meditation

The David Lynch Foundation advocates “world peace,” and it seems you are planning to achieve it through Transcendental Meditation. I know so many people who would find the very idea of world peace ridiculous. What would you say to them? People are so convinced we can’t have peace that it’s s joke now. Somebody wins a beauty pageant, and the joke is, she wants world peace. And everybody has a big laugh. Nobody believes in peace. It’s a nice idea. But that&r [...]

Hidden College Costs: Rising Fees

Compared to pricey private colleges, state schools can be a bargain. But extra fees are adding to the financial burden

Fewer US Med Students Choosing Primary Care

Only 2% of graduating medical students say they plan to work in primary care internal medicine, raising worries about a looming shortage of the first-stop doctors who used to be the backbone of the American medical system

U.S. Colleges' Green Grade: C-

Campuses may be getting greener, but college curriculums are falling behind in teaching students the basics of global warming and sustainability

A Homeschooling Win in California

In a stunning reversal of its own ruling, a California court says it's O.K. for uncredentialed parents to homeschool their kids. But regulatory questions remain

Tips for minimum wage earners

The Federal minimum wage is increasing to $6.55 an hour today. But for most folks facing higher prices on everything from a gallon of milk to a gallon of gas, it's still getting harder to make ends meet.

Study: Medical students show racial bias

Edna sits on an examining table ready and alert -- she wants answers about the lump in her breast.

More colleges move toward optional SATs

Jen Wang of Short Hills, New Jersey, took her first SAT when she was in sixth grade, long before she would start filling out college applications.

MBA students go for Google

Where do MBA students most want to work when they get out of school? Investment banks and consulting firms are still popular choices, but for the second straight year, the most coveted employer is Google, a recent survey found.

A chance to compare MBA schools

Dan Berger, a 26-year-old aide to New York Congressman Charles Rangel, knew he wanted to get an MBA but, he says now, he was overwhelmed by the number and variety of programs available: "I knew I needed to gather a lot of information before choosing a school, but I really didn't know where to start."

Wake Forest Drops SAT Requirement

Wake Forest University will no longer require applicants to take the SAT and ACT exams, boosting a movement to lessen the importance of standardized tests in college admissions

Commentary: Tax-free hypocrisy from higher education

There is an industry in this country that is making billions in profit while average Americans are struggling to fill up their gas tanks.

Wall Street - land of job uncertainty

Last fall, as bad news about the credit crisis began to pile up, MBA student Brendan McHugh started to wonder about his chances of securing a coveted internship at a top securities firm.

Taking the kids: Exploring the heart of college country

Secretly, I'm congratulating myself.

California Resists Home School Ruling

In the wake of a surprise court decision, the state says that its home schoolers are "legal" pending appeal

Criminalizing Home Schoolers

A child-abuse lawsuit ruling may have created a horde of truants in California, affecting as many as 200,000 children

7 qualities you need to be a great parent to a preschooler

What's it really take to parent a preschooler? It's pretty simple, once you realize what kids this age can and can't do (and what sets them off and what keeps them happy!). Here are seven qualities that make it much easier to manage all that, and why they're so crucial when you've got an independent-minded, boundary-testing picky eater on your hands.

VIDEO: Will Smith Planning to Start a School

Video courtesy Buena Vista EntertainmentHaving immersed himself in educational theories while home-schooling his kids, Will Smith says he and his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, plan to put that knowledge to greater use by teaming with like-minded parents and creating a full school.

10 secrets for getting into a top B-school

Getting accepted into a top MBA program is an arduous, time-consuming process, with plenty of potential pitfalls along the way. Witness that the most prestigious and selective schools - Harvard, Wharton, Stanford, and their ilk - say they accept only 10% of all those who apply.

Young doctors in debt

It's Wednesday evening and Megan Reis can't remember when she last saw her husband Chris. Small wonder. Since Sunday morning, Meg has worked more than 60 hours at Advocate Hope Children's Hospital, the Chicago-area facility where she is training in pediatrics.

From six figures to student loans

After nearly 20 years in the energy industry, Jay Mulki was earning a handsome six-figure salary and managing a department of 50 employees. But Mulki longed to work fewer hours and pursue another dream: to teach marketing at a university.

Commentary: Integrative medicine is 'new way of healing'

In a recent column, Emily Breidbart, a second-year medical student at New York University School of Medicine, expressed concerns about her medical education and the frustrating health-care system she will soon enter.

Teacher Who Fled With Boy Arrested

A female schoolteacher and the 13-year-old boy she allegedly ran away with have been arrested in Mexico, a prosecutor said Saturday

Russia's business school battle

The big question right now in Russian politics is who will succeed Vladimir Putin as President in the 2008 election. As it turns out, the two front-runners -- first deputy prime ministers Sergei Ivanov and Dmitry Medvedev -- are also squaring off in a contest for business-school supremacy in Russia.

College costs keep rising

The average total cost of a private four-year college rose to $32,307 for the current school year, but the rate of increase has slowed compared to public school prices, according to a report released Monday.

Kids use yoga to learn mythology, fight pre-test jitters

Fourth-grade teacher Elisabeth Beckwith wants her students at Fernbank Elementary School in Decatur, Georgia, to pay attention to a lesson on Greek mythology.

They want to sell your kid

To improve her chances of getting into a good college, Caitlin Pickavance, a 17-year-old high school senior from Danville, Calif., has been working with a private college coach since her freshman year (cost: $800).

Sixth Graders Take on Wall Street

A trailblazing Chicago school starts economic education early to give inner-city black kids a leg up

Better Bedside Manners

A new study shows that a standardized test of doctor communication skills can help create a nicer, better doctor of the future

The do-gooder's MBA

Omar Yaqub didn't want a conventional 9-to-5 job after business school. He wanted to help save the world. So the 28-year-old MBA went to Nigeria to tackle an impossible task: creating demand for a product no one wanted.

Med student struggles to preserve her idealism

"Two minutes!" yells our course coordinator.

Taking the kids: Touring college campuses

Laurel Herter wishes she'd canceled the college tour trip as soon as she heard the dismal forecast.

Many American colleges balk at U.S. News rankings

If presidents of some of the nation's top liberal arts colleges get their way, they will no longer be included in the U.S. News and World Report's influential collegiate ranking system.

How Nebraska Leaves No Child Behind

One maverick state devised its own education strategy that bucks the trend toward high-stakes tests and federal control

25 Top MBA Employers

Think of it as a popularity contest for companies. Each year, research firm Universum surveys MBA candidates on where they'd most like to work for an exclusive Fortune.com list.

Sallie Mae's private side

The lure for private-equity firm J.C. Flowers' $25 billion buyout of student-loan giant Sallie Mae may be its fast-growing and lucrative business providing private education loans -- loans that exi...

The trouble with MBAs

When Jack Welch gave a guest lecture at MIT's Sloan School of Management in 2005, someone in the crowd asked, "What should we be learning in business school?" Welch's reply: "Just concentrate on ne...

Top colleges get more affordable

A college education may be getting less expensive at some of the most prestigious schools.

The race to bring more diversity to business

There's a hole in higher education that you probably haven't heard about.

Highest paid college presidents

Running a university or college can make for 20-hour days and intense pressure to please a long list of factions from donors, board members and alumni to faculty, students and parents.

Average college cost breaks $30,000

The average cost of a four-year private college jumped to $30,367 this school year, the first time the average has broken the $30,000 mark.

No excuses or short cuts at Atlanta charter school

Students at the West Atlanta Young Scholars Academy in Atlanta, Georgia, are expected to go to college.

10 biggest mistakes b-school applicants make

The application process for business schools is beginning, sparking the annual frenzy of activity - and copious questions.

The legend of Robin Hood

The idea behind one of the most innovative and influential philanthropic organizations of our time sprang from one of the more boneheaded macroeconomic calls ever made on Wall Street. Or as hedge f...

Today's medical training -- better or worse for patients?

The phone rang. It was the middle of the night.

Your Opinion: Flag burning

One story we brought you this week concerned a teacher who, as part of a class exercise, burned the American flag in a civics lesson for seventh graders. We asked for your opinion on the story, and here are a few of your responses, some of which have been edited:

No child left out of the dodgeball game?

As more of America's school-age children are growing fatter, the physical education curriculum that might help them win the fight is gasping for air, says a recently released report.

College costs: Up, up and away

The cost of higher education looks like it's climbing ... again.

Who needs Harvard?

It's the summer before your senior year, and you're sweating.

Healthcare, energy drive up college costs

State university tuition has leaped 40 percent in the past five years, hitting the three out of four American college students who attend public universities.

Healthcare, energy drives up cost of college

State university tuitions have leaped 40 percent in the past five years, hitting the three out of four American college students who attend public universities.

Everything You Know About Kids and Money is Wrong

AMERICAN STUDENTS MAY BE POOR AT MATH, but when it comes to understanding the money in their lives, they are positively bankrupt. A recent national survey testing high school seniors about basic fi...

It's not your mom's PTA

They come from all walks of life to the searing desert heat in Phoenix, Arizona: parents, some who are also teachers; administrators and school board representatives.

Startups On Fire

Protesting on college campuses is back. The object of this generation's rebellion? Traditional jobs. In an era of widespread disenchantment with the often bureaucratic, scandal-ridden world of big ...

Red Cross opens storm shelters

The Red Cross has opened the following emergency shelters in Florida for people affected by Tropical Storm Alberto:

A conversation with economists Laura Tyson and Glenn Hubbard

Following is an interview with Laura Tyson, dean of London Business School and former chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers during the Clinton administration, and Glenn Hubbard, dean of the Columbia Business School and chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers in the first years of the Bush administration.

Ga-ga for Google

With demand for MBAs rebounding, this year's graduating class of B-school students is more likely to get the job offers they desire. And in many cases, that means a job at Google.

Doctor attacks bugs that attack kids

Dr. Blaise L. Congeni has always been in a hurry.

This week in the medical journals

Focused on bird flu

Cheat sheet for parents on testing

MEAP, ITBS, CRCT, TAKS. There are scores of acronyms in educational testing, but these four-letter terms stand for far more than No. 2 pencils and pages of tiny circles.

No school, no books, no teacher's dirty looks

(CNN) -- It's a child's dream. Wake up whenever you want, with nobody telling you what to do and when to do it. And here's the kicker: No school to rush off to.

Professor paychecks

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) - A study released by the U.S. Department of Education this week found that full professors at four-year public colleges and universities earned an average of $89,001 in the academic year 2004-05.

A Degree of Respect for Online MBAs

Last year Samantha Kitover reached a critical point in her career. A 25-year-old Chicagoan who works as a sales trainer for Canon USA, Kitover figured she'd boost her salary and increase her option...

College president pay: The $million club

NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - For the first time, compensation for private college presidents has broken through the million-dollar barrier.

The 10 most expensive colleges

Tuition at the most expensive four-year college is up only 2.7 percent from last year. But a small increase on an already big number is still gob-smacking.

College costs going nowhere but up

As nervous as college freshmen may be, their cash-strapped parents are probably trembling more.

Colleges across U.S. helping displaced students

Colleges throughout the United States are accommodating students displaced by Hurricane Katrina.

Let the MBA Buyer Beware

So you're thinking about getting a master's of business administration, and you want to know which school is the best for you. With tuition at top-tier schools reportedly up 55 percent in the past ...

The ROI on your MBA

You've got dreams--big honking expensive dreams. You want to be a player in a powerhouse corporation or launch a business of your own. Either way, you've decided you'll need an MBA to prepare yours...

The business of dorm decorating

Denim fashions may be all the rage this fall, but Erica Green cares more about dressing up her dorm room than dressing up herself. Green, an incoming junior at Goucher College in Baltimore, Maryland, plans to spend more than $500 on furnishings, from bright blue butterfly chairs and rugs to a TV-DVD combo unit.

An education in organization

Ever made a midnight run to buy poster board for a school project due the next morning? Afraid of what forms, homework and other forgotten but important pieces of paper might be unearthed in a thorough backpack search? Have a Top 10 list of excuses for missed assignments?

Goodbye, Perkins loan?

College students take note - your government loan options might be shrinking.

Should home-schooled have access to public school programs?

A growing number of parents in the United States are home-schooling their children, as an alternative to sending them to public or private schools. For a variety of reasons, these parents believe that they can provide an equal or superior educational experience at home.

The making of a young doctor

The medical year begins on July 1, the day that medical school graduates finish their training as resident physicians and stream out into the real world of shingles and stethoscopes.

FROM MARX TO MARKET

As students in his competitiveness class settle into their seats, the professor lets fly an opening query: "Who can tell me why Estonia was so successful in making the transition to a market econom...

Paying for college

College acceptance letters are coming soon to a mailbox near you. In other words, it's about that time when parents and students begin to get nervous about the final step to the college application process: financial aid.

The new math of college admissions

SALEM, Ore. (CNN/Money) - Here is a pop quiz:

Buying into Harvard

Congratulations, your kid did well on the SAT. But the girl next door did even better.

State lawmakers call for changes in Bush education plan

Federal law has forced the nation's children to meet rigid academic performance standards that create "too many ways to fail," a bipartisan panel of state lawmakers who reviewed the No Child Left Behind Act said Wednesday.

Four Myths about College Costs

THE COST OF A COLLEGE DEGREE continues to climb seemingly beyond the means of many families, rising far faster than incomes or inflation. Total expenses for the 2004-05 academic year shot up 7.8% t...

Race-based affirmative action admissions

A forthcoming law review article by UCLA professor Rick Sander is causing a big stir in the legal academic community. Sander's piece in the Stanford Law Review argues that race-based affirmative action as practiced by American law schools during the past 30 years actually ends up hurting the group -- African American law students -- it is most intended to help.

Bush picks Spellings for education secretary

President Bush on Wednesday nominated domestic policy adviser Margaret Spellings to be the next education secretary, replacing Rod Paige.

Bush has chosen education nominee, official says

President Bush has tapped domestic policy adviser Margaret Spellings to be the next education secretary, replacing Rod Paige, a senior administration official told CNN on Tuesday.

Most expensive colleges

Quick: What will $36,750 buy you?

College costs spike again

NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - If only salaries would rise as rapidly - and as consistently - as college costs.

Getting out youth vote registers on campuses

College students are expected to turn out in record numbers to vote in November's election. What you may not know is that it's against the law for colleges and universities to fail to encourage student voting.

An Insider's Guide to America's Top Business Schools The truth about student life in the nation's premier MBA programs.

Quit worrying. If you're choosing among the 25 schools in this guide, you're going to get a great education. These schools attract the best of the best: The professors are top-notch, and the studen...

Paige: 'No Child Left Behind is working'

Education Secretary Rod Paige addressed the Republican National Convention on its second night, touting the No Child Left Behind Act. This is a transcript of his remarks.

Paige touts progress of No Child Left Behind

Schools are being held accountable and are progressing under the Bush administration, Secretary of Education Rod Paige told the Republican National Convention on Tuesday.

Moving out of the traditional classroom

Across the nation, on the Web and in the home, classrooms are evolving beyond the traditional learning environment with alternatives that are no longer bound by geography and customary modes of operation.

Put your feet up, it's time for school

It's nearly noon, and 11-year-old student Elisheva Ben-Avraham is just now thinking about breakfast. She's curled up on her family's velvety brown sofa flipping through a book of math problems when the mood strikes. She pulls her bare feet out from underneath her, pads to the kitchen and comes back, pancakes in hand, to her workbook.

Charter schools remain subject of debate

The cheerleading squad and the math team rarely compete for members at most middle schools, but at Fulton Science Academy, they are often second choices to the Chess Club.

An education in goin' old school

There are lots of ways to tell you're officially old. There's a "Sixteen Candles" remake in the works. Madonna's writing children's books. And you go to a David Byrne concert to find yourself surrounded by 50-year-olds. OK, that kind of makes sense since Byrne's hair is now completely gray.

The likely impact of the presidential election on the Supreme Court

During the 2000 presidential election, Democratic nominee Al Gore told voters that the choice between his candidacy and that of Republican George W. Bush would likely determine who named the next three justices of the Supreme Court.

Why An MBA May Not Be Worth It

Somewhere in the world, I'm sure there are many thousands of people who invested loads of time and money in getting a master's degree in business administration and who are now glad they did. Howev...

Bush carries message to college students

President Bush touted his domestic agenda in the key states of Arizona and Ohio on Wednesday, the day after he delivered an optimistic assessment of the state of the union.

Political battle surges over Bush education policy

Gearing up for an election-year fight over the centerpiece of his education agenda, President Bush hailed his "historic" No Child Left Behind Act Thursday and announced he will seek a substantial increase in its funding for 2005.

Education From a family worry to a new career Angela and Dedrick Briggs, Nashville

Like all dads, Dedrick Briggs, 36, wants the best education for his kids. But the public schools in Nashville are in tough shape: 68% of them don't meet standards set by the federal No Child Left B...

Your Next Rivals/Here Comes the Competition The winners of our first annual MBA business-plan contest have

If you think it's not a great time to start a business, you're right. Three years after the tech market crash left the Pets.com sock puppet in the Goodwill bin, investors aren't exactly clamoring f...

Extra Credit THE TEENS WHO MANAGE THE COUNTRY'S RICHEST STUDENT-RUN CREDIT UNION LEARN PLENTY--NOT ALL ABOUT MONEY.

It's lunch hour at the Kent Denver School. The cafeteria is serving chicken over rice. Backpacks lie strewn across the common area. Some students sit and do homework, others sprawl on couches and t...

Eight Questions Every MBA Should Ask Business students are facing the worst recruiting season in recent memory. Suzanne Koudsi d

Alysa Polkes guaranteed a room full of second-year MBA students a hundred grand. As head of the Career Management Center at the John E. Anderson Graduate School of Management at UCLA, she was tryin...

Head of UN agency promoting press freedom condemns murder of Thai journalist

The head of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has deplored the murder of Thai journalist, while stressing that it is vital for the future of press freedom in the South-East Asian nation for the perpetrators of the attack to be brought to justice.

UNICEF launches campaign in Iran to cut one of world's highest road accident rates

With 28,000 people dying in traffic accidents in Iran every year, one of the highest rates worldwide at 20 times the global average, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has launched an awareness-raising campaign on road safety focusing on youngsters.

Applications pour in to join UN's intangible cultural heritage list

Dozens of applications from around the world have been received for inscription on a new UN-endorsed list that will work to protect and enhance awareness about intangible cultural heritage, such as oral traditions and expressions, performing arts and rituals.

Professor and author to share UNESCO's Arab culture prize

An Egyptian professor and a Portuguese author will each receive this year's Sharjah Prize for Arab Culture, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) announced today.

Global progress in literacy masks sharp regional gaps, UN report finds

Global literacy rates continue to rise but some regions are still lagging sharply behind in the campaign to ensure that everyone can read and write, a United Nations report released today finds.

More incentives needed to attract qualified teachers worldwide, UN says

Low salaries, lack of job security, inadequate training and overcrowded classrooms have combined to deter many willing and eligible people from becoming teachers, the United Nations warned today as it marked World Teachers' Day with a call to improve the recruitment of candidates.

Students from Lebanon, Syria grab top honours at UNESCO-backed school contest

A team of students from Lebanon and Syria has taken first place in the largest global contest for students, backed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), which seeks to foster dialogue between children from different cultural backgrounds.

World's universities play vital role in shaping tomorrow's leaders, says Ban

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has stressed the important role played by universities around the world in shaping the next generation of global leaders, and the impact of education on efforts to achieve peace and sustainable development.

Respect for different cultural and religious values vital, countries say at UN

Encouraging dialogue and mutual respect between peoples of different faiths, beliefs and values is essential in modern societies where citizens come from diverse backgrounds, the representatives of three countries told the General Assembly's high-level debate today.

Ban praises rise in school enrolment rates in Latin America

Latin America has posted impressive improvements in school enrolment rates, particularly among girls, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has told a gathering of countries from the region.

Paulson and Spellings Issue Statement on Federal Student Loans

Continuing constraints in our capital markets have posed challenges for students and student lenders throughout the last year. We recognize that education is the foundation of a strong American workforce and we must not let challenges in our capital markets hinder our students' opportunities.

Study to Help Improve Distribution of English Language Acquisition Funds

ED announced that it has awarded a $754,415 contract to the National Academy of Sciences to study how best to distribute Title III English Language Acquisition state grant funds.

Performance Pay for Teachers

Secretary Spellings hosted a roundtable discussion on performance pay for educators with policymakers, researchers and state and local education leaders from across the nation at the U.S. Department of Education in Washington, D.C.

Spellings Speaks at National Math Panel Forum

Secretary Spellings delivered the luncheon keynote at the National Math Panel Forum in Washington, D.C. The forum brought together more than 300 educators and policymakers from across the U.S. in a two-day event to share ideas on how to improve mathematics education in America.

Spellings Addresses Kennedy Forum

Secretary Spellings delivered a speech, "Educating America: The Will and the Way Forward," at the John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum at Harvard University.

How the United States Is Governed

Looks at national, state, and local governments in the U.S. Chapters focus on the federal government, state governments, local government, elections and the electoral process, nongovernmental organizations and institutions that influence public policy, and similarities and differences between the U.S. system of government and other forms of democratic government. (Department of State)

Grant Opportunities

Notices inviting applications have been issued recently under ED programs that include the following: Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR), and Advanced Rehabilitation Research Training (ARRT) Projects.

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Schools hit by rebuilding delays

The scale of the delays affecting England's school rebuilding project is revealed by a parliamentary question.

Disabled pupils 'need safe areas'

Children with learning difficulties say they would like safe places to go to during breaks in the school day.

Schools 'face governor shortage'

A shortage of governors means that there are 40,000 unfilled places on the bodies that run schools in England.

Only 12,000 have started Diplomas

The take-up of courses on the first five Diplomas in England is much lower than even the government's reduced estimate.

Grammars pressed over poor pupils

Grammar schools take half as many poor bright pupils as non-selective state schools on average, research suggests.

Tories demand pupil grant inquiry

The Conservatives call for an independent inquiry into the problems hitting England's education maintenance allowances.

JCB academy to build up Diplomas

Construction company JCB is to sponsor an academy that will specialise in teaching engineering diplomas.

Private head pulls out of academy

A headmaster who was due to leave the private sector to take charge of a Kettering academy pulls out.

Universities in UK and US 'dominant'

Universities in the USA and the UK continue to dominate a list ranking the world's top higher education institutions.

Plans for Dyson college scrapped

James Dyson says he has abandoned plans to build a multi-million pound school of design in Bath.

Head search

Pupils set up stall to find a head teacher

Mike Baker

Are we asking too much of our teachers?

End of an era

Mike Baker's take on the moving of Lord Adonis

Staying dry

What is it like to be a non-drinker at university?

Turning point

The credit crunch sees bankers training as teachers

E-mail us

How to contact the BBC News website education team

Student fees shake-up is proposed

The Welsh Assembly Government should target financial help to students from poorer backgrounds, a report suggests.

Schools told to counter extremism

Schools in England are given advice on how to protect pupils from being recruited by supporters of violent extremism.

Academy sponsor seeks to withdraw

A private firm seeks to end its sponsorship of a city Academy in Middlesbrough.

'Why schools must face extremism'

Schools Secretary Ed Balls writes that schools are a vital weapon in the fight against terrorism.

Independent schools' leader quits

Tim Hastie-Smith, chairman of the organisation for the most prestigious private schools, has resigned.

Admission flaws in many schools

A watchdog says half of schools in England which control their own admissions are breaching a new code.

Pupils' well-being to be measured

Details of plans to hold schools to account on a wide range of measures of pupil well-being are published.

Wait goes on for pupil allowances

Hundreds of thousands of students are still not getting their educational maintenance allowances, figures show.

Music academy branches into USA

The Academy of Contemporary Music in Guildford takes its brand to the United States.

Italy pupils ditch books for PCs

Pupils at an Italian school replace all their text books with computers - in what is described as a unique experiment.

School defends Barcelona training

The head of an Oldham school says a teacher-training weekend held in Barcelona was the "cheapest option".

'Three in four' grants not paid

College principals estimate that up to three-quarters of poor students have not received their maintenance allowances.

More concerns at Diploma options

England's new Diplomas offer a commendable way forward but people still need to be convinced of their credibility, MPs say.

First schools facing charity test

The charities watchdog has named the first five private schools that must demonstrate their charitable purpose.

Muslim youths to advise ministers

A group of young British Muslims are being named as advisers to ministers as part of a drive against extremism.

Universities want to open doors

Mike Baker considers how universities want to give more

Tories to scrap some Diplomas

The Conservatives give the clearest indication yet that they would scrap the three proposed "academic" Diplomas.

Holiday key to school standards?

Mike Baker wonders if having school holidays earlier might make pupils do better.

Lack of PhD funds 'damages UK'

The struggle to finance doctoral studies may be harmful to UK academia, it is argued.

Last call for student clearing

Prospective university students mulling their options still have a week to apply through clearing.

Testing saga - where will it end?

Could this year's national testing shambles provide the government with an easy way out from the testing system.

What is BBC News School Report?

Find out more about the project which motivates secondary students around the UK to make and broadcast their own news.

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