By Sean Coughlan, Education CorrespondentInvesting heavily in school computers and classroom technology does not improve pupils’ performance, says a global study from the OECD.Read the rest of the story at BBC News. 

Photo credit: The Crunchiesby Harriet TaylorThis week, children across the country went back to school, and many are going into pilot programs started, sponsored or aided by Silicon Valley.The goal is to better equip the next generation with the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) skills needed for the high tech jobs of the future.Read the rest of the story at NBC News.

Photo credit: Christopher Webbby The Takeaway’s T.J. RaphaelA dozen parents and community activists in Chicago are on hunger strike over by a proposal from Chicago’s public schools to turn their community high school into an arts magnet. Read and listen to the story at WBEZ.org.

by Debbie Cafazzo and Melissa SantosA week after the state Supreme Court declared Washington’s charter schools unconstitutional, the outlook for salvaging the voter-approved system of privately run, publicly funded schools is unclear.Read the rest of the story at The News Tribune.

Photo credit: futurescienceleaders.orgby Karen KaplanAmericans get a D in science.So says the Pew Research Center, which issued a report Thursday on the state of the nation’s knowledge regarding some basic scientific facts.Read the rest of the story in the L.A. Times.

Photo credit: WoodleywonderworksSchool children have to carry a heavy load of notebooks, supplies and textbooks, resulting in a bulky backpack that can affect their posture and cause chronic pain. The American Chiropractic Association recommends that a child’s backpack should weigh less than 10 percent of the child’s body weight, so here are some things you can do to lighten the load.Read the rest of the story on The Literacy Site Blog.

by Andy Sullivan, ReutersWASHINGTON (Reuters) – On the campaign trail, Republican presidential candidates vow to roll back new U.S. education standards known as the Common Core.In the classroom, the multi-state guidelines increasingly look like they’re here to stay.Read the rest of the story at Yahoo! News.

Photo credit: Yakinodiby Susannah SniderThe new rankings offer data on nearly 1,800 schools, with information on borrowing and graduation rates.Read the rest of the story at U.S. News.

Photo credit: Jsclarby Elizabeth A. HarrisFrom the photo archives of The New York Times, here is a decade-by-decade look at city schools and moments in their history. See the story and pictures at The New York Times.

Photo credit: U.S. Dept. of Agricultureby Maureen SullivanIf you’re paying full price for your child’s lunch in the school cafeteria, you’re in the minority. As the school year starts, about 22 million children will qualify for the free and reduced-price lunches doled out daily in cafeterias around the country. That’s nearly 72% of all the lunches served in schools that participate in the lunch program.Read the rest of the story at Forbes.

Bombed the SAT? Not to worry.A growing number of schools — about 850 and counting — no longer require applicants to submit their scores. And college officials say that a test-optional policy helps them attract strong applicants that may not have previously applied — including students of color, and those from low income families.Read the rest of the story at CNN Money.

by John HigginsAfter nearly a year of deliberation, the state Supreme Court ruled 6-3 late Friday afternoon that charter schools are unconstitutional, creating chaos for hundreds of families whose children have already started classes.Read the rest of the story at The Seattle Times.

As American children prepare to head back to school tomorrow, many of them will return to racially homogenous classrooms. A 2014 report found that 60 years after the landmark desegregation case, Brown v. Board of Education (1954), segregation in American primary education — though certainly not at pre-Brown levels — has significantly increased since the 1980s, which generally marked the peak of integration.Read the rest of the story at The Week.

Education Corporation of America (ECA), which operates private, accredited colleges across the U.S., and Kaplan Higher Education, have completed the previously announced all-stock transaction exchanging 38 campuses, which include Kaplan College, Kaplan Career Institute, Texas School of Business and TESST College of Technology, for a preferred equity interest in ECA. Financial terms are not being disclosed.

by Juan Perez, Jr.In an effort to put an end to a hunger strike and protests that have upended two public hearings this week, Chicago Public Schools on Thursday announced that Dyett High School will open in the fall of next year as an “open enrollment, arts-focused neighborhood high school.”Read the rest of the story at the Chicago Tribune.