Dan Carsen

Security experts say the U.S. has a dearth of professionals qualified to take on cyberthreats like attacks on power grids or defense systems. A school district in Alabama and the U.S. Army Cyber Command have teamed up to help prepare a new generation for cyberwarfare careers.

There are way more veterinarians than there is work for them to do, according to a recent survey by the American Veterinary Medical Association, as the nation's veterinary schools continue to crank out graduates.

The decision by a suburban Birmingham school district to eliminate its busing program has erupted into a controversy over race and class. Officials in the Hoover school district say they were forced to drop the buses because of a severe budget shortfall. Many community members believe the decision was designed to force out the growing numbers of minority and low-income students who are lowering average test scores in Hoover schools.

Most kids look forward to their school's winter break. But millions of students in the U.S. get free or reduced-price meals at school, and when school is closed, many of those children eat less until classes are back in session.

Many schools and colleges train students and staff to lock doors, call police and stay put during shooting threats. But a growing number of schools are adopting the advice of security experts who say students should be taught when and how to fight back when confronted by a gunman.

As a handful of middle-class, white families send their kids to Birmingham's public schools, where students are predominantly black and poor, the uncommon trend raises issues about diversity, integration and gentrification.

Activists and educators are reaching out to Hispanic families in Alabama who are worried about what the tough new law will mean for them. The measure requires schools to record the immigration status of all newly enrolled students, prompting more than 2,000 Hispanic children to vanish from schools early last week.