For the children of the poor, education is emphasised: the poorer your family, the worse, on average, you do at school, and the worse your chances of getting a good job, or any job at all.

ECONOMIST: Labour��s crusade

However, you do get something of a break at military school in that you can deduct the cost of insignia, shoulder boards, and related items.

FORBES: Back to School: Deductibility of School Uniforms

The cumulative message of several recent studies is that there are serious limits to what school can do for you, and this is true at both the low and high ends of the ability distribution.

FORBES: The Big Lie

"People come to school to learn, and if you do a good job at sharing ideas and working with peers, you get a network as a byproduct, " he says.

CNN: Network a valued study by-product

I've been meeting with parents and I've been asking parents to do their parts, because it doesn't matter what we feed you at school, but if you get home and it's hard for parents to make healthy choices, then you guys still aren't leading healthy lives, so we've asked parents to step up and do more.

WHITEHOUSE: Let's Move Rally in Jackson, Mississippi

It's saying: right, kids do actually do have to go to school, I will be there at 7.30 until you get your kids up on you own and get them to school.

BBC: Problem families: Case worker intervention 'works'

Surely the point is that you can't do very much without qualifications these days, so encouraging teenagers to stay on at school can only be a good thing.

BBC: Staying-on: Is it a good idea?

It can prevent the flu, and it can be beneficial even if you do get sick, said Dr. Bill Schaffner, chairman of the preventive medicine department at Vanderbilt University's School of Medicine.

CNN: Had a flu shot? You'll be OK -- maybe