Education

It took more than 90 rounds and a delay of two weeks, after judges ran out of words. But Jackson County, Mo., finally has its spelling bee champion, after two stellar spellers broke a tie Saturday.

"If you are squeamish
Don't prod the
beach rubble."

Those wise words from Sappho, the Greek woman lyric poet born around 610 B.C. came to mind this week when the College Board announced it will make the essay on the SAT exam optional.

Finland, a country the size of Minnesota, beats the U.S. in math, reading and science, even though Finnish children don't start school until age 7.

Despite the late start, the vast majority arrive with solid reading and math skills. By age 15, Finnish students outperform all but a few countries on international assessments.

New student recruitment programs are underway at UW-Milwaukee. Chancellor Michael Lovell discusses the ongoing work of the Council on Enrollment Management.

Dr. Lovell also discusses his meeting with alum Satya Nadella, who was recently appointed the third-ever CEO of Microsoft Inc. And, he talks about the challenges of paying for a college education.

Transcript

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST: