A new study by a Kansas research firm ranks Vermont as the “smartest state’’ in the nation — with Arizona, well, at the other extreme.

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama claimed early progress Tuesday night in his aggressive campaign to lead the nation out of economic chaos and declared that despite obstacles ahead, "we're moving in the right direction."

Ernest Calderón: We Arizonans must take advantage of the momentum to redesign and improve our existing educational structures.

The presidential candidates are saying a lot as the Nov. 4 election approaches, with much of the discussion focused on the country's economic downturn. But when it comes to education, many East Valley voters are disappointed about the lack of emphasis on America's schools.

The state Department of Education has created new math standards for Arizona classrooms, and is now asking for community input.

The achievement gap is widening between Hispanic and white students in Arizona, according to a national study released Wednesday.

The achievement gap is widening between Hispanic and white students in Arizona, according to a national study released Wednesday.

Arizona dropped in the overall state rankings in this year's Quality Counts report released Thursday from Education Week.

A new study by a Kansas research firm ranks Vermont as the “smartest state’’ in the nation — with Arizona, well, at the other extreme.

Arizona’s education goals include raising the high school graduation rate, increasing the number of bachelor’s degrees awarded annually and improving the number of third-graders who can read by the time the school year ends.

Is demography destiny? Some educational experts say that it is. Therefore, states such as Arizona, with a growing Hispanic population, seem doomed to fail.

October 11, 2004

Patty Henry’s second-graders at Lowell Elementary School in Mesa have a support network for reading that stretches to the White House.

October 11, 2004

Arizona is near the bottom of all states when it comes to spending money on public education, according to a new report.

Arizona is near the bottom of all states when it comes to spending money on public education, according to a new report.

The new documentary “Waiting for Superman” is causing a stir in the education world as filmmaker Davis Guggenheim makes the case that American public schools are failing and puts much of the blame on unions, tenure policies that protect poor teachers, and expensive, lumbering bureaucracies that are resistant to change. The film follows the plight of a handful of inner-city children trapped in failing schools by poverty and circumstance, and focuses on a handful of successful charter schools as the potential savior for these kids.

Arizona schools celebrated huge gains this spring on AIMS, but national test results released Wednesday paint a different picture.

Arizona’s education goals include raising the high school graduation rate, increasing the number of bachelor’s degrees awarded annually and improving the number of third-graders who can read by the time the school year ends.

A key element of the business community is gearing up to fight a permanent extension of the state’s one-cent sales tax surcharge.

A key element of the business community is gearing up to fight a permanent extension of the state’s one-cent sales tax surcharge.

An initiative drive launched Friday seeks to make permanent the temporary one-cent sales tax hike set to expire next year.

The United States is the greatest nation on earth because of the careful and tireless work of patriots like Washington, Jefferson, Adams, Franklin, Madison, and countless others. This incredible group of patriots, filled with a deep and abiding love for liberty and our new land, instilled in our young nation the principles and ideals that have guided it for over 200 years. Unfortunately, for too long our schools have done a poor job of teaching our children the civic information necessary to prepare them to be active citizens in our society.

Arizona’s students trail the nation in reading and math scores — and now they can add science to that list. The National Center for Education Statistics released science scores on Wednesday for 44 participating states in a nationwide assessment.