This Issue:

Table of Contents

Cover Story

Cover Story - Spanish Version

Mini-Lesson

Comprehension Quiz

Teacher's Guide and Worksheets

A Tight Squeeze At Schools

At schools in North Carolina, kids spill outside for class in aluminum trailers. In New York City, students cram into a World War II torpedo factory. U.S. schools are exploding with kids, many more than their classrooms can hold. This fall a record 51.7 million students from kindergarten through Grade 12 headed to school!

The old record of 51.3 million was set in 1971, after a time called the baby boom. During the boom, from 1946 to 1964, more babies than ever were born in the U.S. Most were in school in the early 1970s.

The number of students dropped during the 1980s. The current crowding results from a steady rise in births since the 1970s, plus more immigration. The Southeast and West, where many newcomers arrive, are especially overcrowded.

Schools are trying to cope by holding classes in locker rooms, cafeterias and parking lots. Buses shuttle kids to nearby schools with more space.

The student population is expected to rise to 54.6 million by 2006. One plan is to keep schools open year-round. Kids would attend class at different times, so fewer would be in the buildings at once.

For now, cities are scrambling to find money to build new schools. The bumper crop of students is "a tremendous asset to our nation," said Education Secretary Richard Riley, "if we educate them well."

Next: Coke Has A Shaq Attack