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An overwhelming majority of the more than 40,000 public-school teachers in a wide-ranging survey reported that too many students leave high school ill-equipped. The Gates Foundation--funded study suggests that clear standards, student performance evaluations and teacher assessments are among the keys to improvement. Only 45% of teachers said that higher salaries--often touted as a panacea--are "absolutely essential" to retaining good instructors. Some 68%, however, cited quality leadership.
* | What They're Invalidating in Puerto Rico: In an effort to counter fraud, the government of Puerto Rico--a U.S. commonwealth--is rendering all its birth certificates worthless. A law passed last December, which is only now receiving widespread publicity, requires millions of native Puerto Ricans to replace their birth certificates starting July 1. Many of the documents, which were routinely used on the island for everything from school enrollment to sports-league registration, have been stolen and sold on the black market over the years.