May 1 is when high school seniors have to send in their deposits to colleges to signal their decision to go there. Morning Edition visits Gonzaga High School in Washington, D.C. to hear from Eli Clarke at the College Counseling Office, and two high school seniors, about their choices.

Suspensions in middle and high schools across the U.S. have risen dramatically in recent years. Two million students were suspended during the 2009 school year, and boys of color and children with disabilities were suspended at much higher rates than others. Host Michel Martin speaks with Daniel Losen, lead author of the new report "Out of School and Off Track," about why kids are being suspended and how that can affect them in the future.

At Harvey Mudd College in California, about 40 percent of the computer science majors are women. That's far more than at any other co-ed school. And it's thanks in large part to the school's president, Maria Klawe. She has worked hard to keep women interested in computer science and empower them to succeed in the field.

On April 26, 1983, a panel appointed by President Ronald Reagan released an ominous report that painted a dire picture of the U.S. education system. Thirty years later, many educators point to the report as the catalyst for divides that still split education reformers.

In the third part of WAMU 88.5's "Yesterday's Dropouts" series, we'll hear about big changes in store for the GED test.