By NORAH KOLBERG The room is crowded with students in matching caps and gowns, listening intently to the final words of the commencement ceremony. When the speech ends and the applause begins, mortarboards fly into the air.

By Angie Kinsey, The Paducah Sun, Ky. Jan. 27--ULLIN, Ill. -- Century High School senior Chelsea Merryman is bound for the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., after graduation.

Century High School student Abby Anderson works on a computer creating a brochure for the digital design class at the Bismarck State College Technical Center on Thursday. In the background, instructor Kim Eslinger helps a student. (c) 2007 Bismarck Tribune.

By SARA KINCAID Bismarck public schools saw an increase in students, while Mandan public schools basically held steady in enrollment. Monday was the first day of school for public school students in Bismarck and Mandan.

By Steven Carter, The Oregonian, Portland, Ore. Dec. 9--State Superintendent Susan Castillo will press the Legislature to eliminate the two main academic benchmarks of Oregon's 15-year-old school reform law, after the Oregon Board of Education on Friday declined to endorse her action.