When the first day of school arrives and your child boards the school bus, it may come as quite a shock that they don't buckle up. But times are changing. Some school bus manufacturers now offer an optional seat belt system.

This year alone, more than 60 lenders have exited the federal student loan market and in the private market, most lenders have significantly tightened restrictions or left the business altogether. As students prepare to enter college this fall, it's clear they have not been spared the squeeze of the credit crunch.

Remember when dorm food meant cooking on a hot plate? Times have changed. Here's what savvy students are doing today.

Scholarships are an important way for some students to help fund a college education, though identifying available awards can be daunting. However, if you are one of the many high school students affected by asthma, there's a special option for you.

A degree in criminal justice can lead to a wide variety of careers in crime prevention and corrections, including police officers, detectives, probation officers and correctional treatment specialists.

As teens head back to the classroom this fall, they'll be assigned a lot of homework in the three "Rs": reading, writing, and arithmetic. Important to students' success will be the homework parents do in teaching two other "Rs": role modeling and responsibility.

After three hot months of keeping the kids busy, you may find yourself with some time to breathe once they return to school in the fall. While it's probably not hard to think of ways to fill those few extra hours of free time, you may be wondering what the best way is. For many parents, the answer is to go back to school themselves with career-building certificate programs.