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Playing With Legos Is a Serious Business
Lego survived the rise of video games and its own brush with bankruptcy. Adult Fans of Lego—as the aficionados who build complex models call themselves—present a new hurdle. Article

Students Pick Easier Majors Despite Less Pay
College students continue to gravitate toward liberal-arts majors despite better pay prospects for those who study engineering, science and math—disciplines deemed too rigorous for many. Article

What Is the Best Way to Study?
While science can't promise that you'll ace every exam, a growing number of studies have shown which study techniques work best. Article

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Inside the Minds of Scary-Movie Fans
In the spirit of Halloween, we look at the biology of fear, showing how some people love the thrill of slasher movies and roller-coaster rides, while others can literally be scared to death. Article

STUDENT VOICES
Korea's Underground Railroad
Reverend Chun Ki-won operates a modern Underground Railroad, which helps defectors from Communist North Korea escape across the Chinese border and make the long and dangerous trip to a life of freedom in South Korea. These days, that trip is getting more dangerous. By Josephine Jung
Article

STUDENT VOICES
Helmets: Last Line of Defense
The NFL and others on the front lines of football are zeroing in on helmets as the last line of defense against concussions and other serious head injuries, and as a critical tool in understanding how NFL-style hits affect the brain.By Aric DiLalla
Article

HEALTH
Critical Test
With rising concern about adolescent depression and suicide, more schools are turning to screening tests to identify those at risk and, if necessary, help them get treatment.
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SUVs Get Less Deadly
Newer sport utility vehicles aren't as deadly to passengers cars as they once were, a new analysis of federal data concludes. Article

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Get Smart About College
Parents and students like to think they're rational when it comes to picking a college and paying for it. They aren't. Article

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SAT Scores Hit a New Low
SAT scores for the high-school graduating class of 2011 fell in all three subject areas, and the average reading and writing scores were the lowest ever recorded, data showed. Article

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Taking the Dread Out of Phys Ed
A gym teacher in Indiana is rethinking the way schools have taught girls and boys about fitness, making games structured so that more kids can play and enjoy. Article

STUDENT VOICES
Hair Fashion Raises Hackles
Hairdressers are swarming tackle shops in hopes of capitalizing on the feather fashion kicked off by Steven Tyler. That has bothered fly fishermen, who are facing higher prices and depleted supplies of the specialized feathers they use for bait. By Lani Tuitasi
Article

• In Search of Cruelty-Free Feathers by Jane Herman Article

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Dissecting Frogs in 3-D
More schools are trying out 3-D education materials to captivate students accustomed to experiencing the technology at the multiplex and on the latest gadgets. Article

STUDENT VOICES
Music Festivals Take Center Stage
While single-artist concerts are struggling to fill seats, Coachella and other summer music festivals are booming. By Julian Ring
Article

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Stationery's New Followers
Social-media fans are embracing paper, giving rise to a host of small stationery makers.

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Lessons From the One-Room Schoolhouse
Tiny schools often lack amenities such as computer labs but possess strengths of their own. Article

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How Heavy Can a Backpack Get?
Students are hauling ever greater weight in their backpacks, risking back injury and nerve damage. Backpack makers are responding with more ergonomic features. Article

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Top Cars for Teens
For parents and teens, choosing a car for a first-time driver can be an anxiety-filled process. To come up with the best rides for a teen driver, Joe White crunched the numbers from several key sources of data and safety rankings. Article

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An Online Classroom for AP Students
In districts facing budget cuts, online advanced-placement courses are becoming a popular option for students and parents looking to gain an edge in the college-admissions race and trim tuition costs. Article

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How Stores Lead You to Spend
While national chains often use discounts to draw crowds, many independent specialty stores compete by broadening their whimsical appeal and learn the science of understanding trend-conscious consumers. Article

STUDENT VOICES
Arabic Students Mean Business
Career opportunities in national security and Mideast financial hubs boost enrollment in college Arabic-language programs. By Jordan Freisleben
Article

Studios Seek DVD Alternatives
The decline in DVD sales is emerging as the entertainment industry's most-immediate worry in its struggle to adapt to the rise of digital media. Article

High Court to Hear Videogames Case
The Supreme Court agreed to decide the constitutionality of a California law that seeks to ban the sale of violent videogames to minors. Article

Dell Seeks Consumer Revamp
Dell's consumer-products division is pushing to improve profits at the low-margin segment by shifting to cost controls from expansion, the unit's new chief said. Article

Washington Must Admit Deficit Addiction
The first step in dealing with an addiction is to acknowledge your problem. Both parties could start by being honest about what they've done recently to make deficit spending worse. Article

Coaxing Auto Makers to Go Electric
Thanks to generous federal incentives, the next two to three years could see the arrival in force of a new generation of electrified vehicles. Article

Making College Pay
Which schools give their graduates the best average return—in terms of salary—on their tuition investment?
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PERSONAL FINANCE
Enough!
A growing number of parents are rethinking how much they’re willing to spend on a child’s college tuition. For many students, the result may be a downsized college experience.
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IDEAS
The Case for Paying
College Athletes
For years, there's been a drumbeat of talk about whether college players should be paid—or at least free to profit from their fame before they graduate. But this year, the chorus has grown considerably louder.
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ON CAMPUS
Network Now
Networking can be daunting when you’re a terrified senior like me looking for a job out of college, but it won’t be if you start building strong networking skills while you’re in high school.
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ON CAMPUS
Look Who's Talking
There are many sources of information on colleges, and every one of them has a bias—a point of view that, in one way or another, affects the quality of that information.
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COLLEGE & CAREERS
It's Cold, but It's Hot
North Dakota—a state that ranks 48th in in attracting tourists and struggles to keep its young people from fleeing to warmer or more exciting places—is fast becoming a popular destination for college students from around the country.
Article

Before You Choose That College...
Financial advisers offer parents and students suggestions for getting the biggest bang from their education bucks. Article

Five Guys Walk Into a Bar
Career counselors often tell you to prepare concise responses for conventional questions like “What are your strengths,” or “Where do you see yourself in five years?” But for the unconventional ones, like these compiled by online job community Glassdoor.com, all we can say is, expect the unexpected. And bring a pencil (or an invisible pen). Article

Recession Tests Community Colleges
Demand for the colleges' classes threatens to outstrip their capacity and funding. Article

STUDENT VOICES
Arabic Students Mean Business
Career opportunities in national security and Mideast financial hubs boost enrollment in college Arabic-language programs Article

Asian-Americans Show SAT Gains
High school students' performance last year on the SAT college-entrance exam remained generally unchanged from the previous year, except for Asian-American students who continue to post notable gains. Article

STUDENT VOICES
Now Playing: My College Application
College admissions officers see video supplements as a logical way for students growing up in a technology-driven culture to showcase their personalities. By Stephanie Haven Article

Scores Stagnate at High Schools
Despite modest gains in college-readiness among U.S. high-school students in the past few years, new data show that fewer than 25% of 2010 graduates who took the ACT college-entrance exam possessed the academic skills necessary to pass entry-level courses. Article

A Tale of Two Students
In middle school, Ivan and Laura shared a brief romance and a knack for trouble. Then they parted ways. Now he is college-bound and she isn't. How different schools shaped their paths. Article

Financial Aid: How to Get More
Many well-off families are too affluent to qualify for significant financial aid, but not wealthy enough to afford to pay out of pocket. But that doesn't mean they can't game the system to their advantage. Article

10 Things Campus Security Won't Tell You
Article

Paying for College: What You Need to Know
Webcast from New York University, featuring: Martha Holler – Vice President, Sallie Mae; Mark Kantrowitz, Publisher, Fastweb.com; James Boyle, President, College Parents of America; Melissa Kunes, Pennsylvania State University, Senior Director, Office of Student Aid; Randy Deike, New York University, Vice President of Enrollment Management; and Jennifer Garratt Lawton, Wesleyan University, Director of Financial Aid. Watch it

Seize the Years
A guide for anyone starting college, no matter what school. Think of it as a few tips from someone who’s been here for three and three-quarters years, and loved every minute. Article

The New Rules of College Credit
A law that took effect this year cracks down on high-interest credit cards and aggressive marketing tactics used by card issuers to sign up college students. But it won’t stop banks from trying to win students as customers.Article

No Pay, No Problem
The value of an unpaid internship. Article

The Case for Saturday School
Kids in China attend school 41 days a year more than students in the U.S. Now, schools across the country are cutting back to four-day weeks. Chester E. Finn Jr. on how to build a smarter education system. Article

Devaluing a College Degree
The idea that a college grad earns $800,000 or more than a high school grad is based on fuzzy math. The real number is much lower. Article

Bill Limits Restraint of Unruly Schoolchildren
Physically restraining unruly schoolchildren or locking them in isolated spaces would be subject to federal restrictions under legislation passed by the House. Article

The Error-Free College Application
As the deadline period for college applications draws close, high school seniors are busy filling out financial aid applications. But some simple-to-avoid mistakes could jeopardize both college entry and aid. Article

Study Abroad -- Pricey and Priceless
Students who study abroad and immerse themselves in another country's culture come back with a more wide-eyed view of the world. Article

Inside the Admissions Office
Watch video excerpts from “Inside the Admissions Office,” an online forum featuring admissions deans from eight of America’s most selective colleges and universities. They tackle such topics as: How involved should your parents be in the admissions process? And what makes a good college essay? Watch

The Best and Worst Jobs
From actuary to roustabout, a look at some of the best and worst jobs for the coming year, ranked based on factors such as income, stress and employment outlook. Article