Figuring out what is going on in your schools is not always easy. The accounts children bring home, though colorful, may not be entirely accurate. Notes sent home get lost. Neighborhood chatter is unreliable.
To help, Post staff writer Jay Mathews, who has been covering schools for 22 years, will answer a reader question each week -- or maybe two or three if they are easy ones.Extra Credit Archive
Washington Post education reporter Jay Mathews writes a weekly column for washingtonpost.com, Class Struggle, which runs on Tuesdays.
Marguerite Kelly offers parents advice in her weekly column, Family Almanac, which runs on Fridays.
Challenge Index
Challenge Index: Education reporter Jay Mathews evaluates high schools by weighing their efforts to challenge students. Charts included.
Condolences Pour In for Va. Crash Victims When they heard about Monday's fatal school bus crash in Arlington, the students -- from John Adams and James K. Polk elementary schools -- wanted to help.
In the News