IMPROVING GPAS The company that produces the American College Testing (ACT) exam says the grade-point averages of high schoolers who take the test have increased in each of the last five years, reaching an average of 3.22 in 2001 (out of a possible 4.0), compared to 3.16 in 1997. Yet the average ACT score has remained stable, at 21 out of a possible 36. Deduction? ACT officials say the discrepancy suggests high school grade inflation.
RELIGION VIRTUES Attending religious services helps low-income kids do better in school, suggests a study by sociologists Mark Regnerus of Calvin College and Glen Elder Jr....