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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.

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.

Photo Credit: Paul Stevensby Michelle Riddles, Associated PressCARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — Republican presidential hopeful Marco Rubio says the U.S. doesn’t need a federal Education Department, arguing that its recommendations to state and local governments often turn into mandates tied to money. Read the rest of the story at U.S.News.

by Sara GilgoreThe World Privacy Forum, a public-interest research group focused on privacy protection, has launched a campaign urging parents to “opt out” of allowing schools to release “directory” information—student data the organization says schools could otherwise disclose to third-parties who request access.Read the rest of the story at Education Week.

edCircuit recently caught up with Chad Ratliff, Director of Instructional Programs for Albermarle County Public Schools, to learn more about the district’s Startup Weekend.  Here’s our Q&A.Dr. Berger: Why organize a Startup Weekend for your teachers and what was the initial response to the idea from both teachers and administrators?

Photo credit: SuperFantasticUpdated by Libby NelsonEvery year, a new paper argues, tens of thousands of Americans die sooner than they should for an entirely preventable reason. It’s not smoking, or not exercising, or eating sugar. It’s dropping out of high school and college.Read the rest of the story on Vox.