This PBS website provides a timeline, resources, and 9 lesson plans for learning about the Ancient Near East, early civilization, early Israelite history, sayings of the teacher Hillel, the New Testament and the Hebrew Bible, migrations of Jews after the expulsion from Spain, losses European Jewish communities suffered in the Holocaust, and more. (WNET, supported by National Endowment for the Humanities)

Learn about 18 historical American songs and poems. Organized by time periods and considered from historical perspectives, songs and poems include Bonny Barbara Allan, Yankee Doodle, John Brown's Body/The Battle Hymn of the Republic, You're a Grand Old Flag, We Shall Overcome, and others. Sound recordings and original documents are provided. (Library of Congress)

Members of the G-8 Education Ministerial met in Moscow and issued the Moscow Declaration to confirm their commitment to cooperation and innovation in education at all levels.

Notices inviting applications have been issued recently under ED programs that include Grants for the Integration of Schools and Mental Health Systems, Underground Railroad Educational and Cultural Program, Improving Employment Outcomes for the Low Functioning Deaf Population, Mobility Aids and Wayfinding Technologies for Individuals with Blindness and Low Vision, Reducing Obesity and Obesity-Related Secondary Conditions in Adolescents and Adults with Disabilities, Rehabilitation of Children with Traumatic Brain Injury, Model Systems Knowledge Translation Center, Assistive Technology Outcomes Research Project, RERC for Wheelchair Transportation Safety, RERC for Wireless Technologies, RRTC on Effective Independent and Community Living Solutions and Measures.

High school students in the U.S. are consistently outperformed by those from Asian and some European countries on international assessments of math and science, according to the Condition of Education 2006, released today by ED's National Center for Education Statistics. Fourth-graders, by comparison, score as well or better than most of their international peers, although their counterparts in other countries are gaining ground.

A collection of Astronomy 101 reviewed digital resources for teachers and students. Topics include asteroids and comets, astrobiology, big bang theory, black holes and pulsars, cosmology, dark energy, dark matter, galaxies, historical astronomy, Milky Way, planetary astronomy, planetary geology, stellar astronomy, telescopes and satellites, terrestrial planets, planet formation, planetary atmospheres, space exploration, stars, and the sun. (National Science Foundation)

Secretary Spellings and Russian Education and Science Minister Andrei Fursenko signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the U.S. Department of Education and the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation on expanding cooperation and exchanges in the field of education. This MOU is the first of its kind between the U.S. Department of Education and the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation.

Learn about how genes work, exceptions to Mendel's rules, how DNA gets replicated, genes and disease, current research and recent discoveries, and how applications of genetic research (biotechnology) are being used in agriculture, health, and pharmacogenetics (medicine) to change our world for the better. (National Institute of General Medical Sciences, supported by National Institutes of Health)

This week Secretary Spellings travels to Moscow, Russia, and participates in the G-8 Education Ministerial and plenary sessions.

Learn about the life of our 16th president. See photos of the house in Springfield, Illinois, that Abraham Lincoln, his wife, and family occupied for 17 years. Read news accounts of his departure for Washington, D.C., from Springfield and of his funeral. Find out about the events that led to his election as the first president born west of the Appalachians. (National Park Service)

Deputy Secretary Ray Simon visited Franklin Sherman Elementary School in McLean, Virginia, where he spoke to students and paid tribute to America's troops as part of the "ThanksUSA" effort to mobilize citizens of all ages to thank the men and women of the armed forces for their contributions to preserving our freedom.

National Moment of Remembrance asks Americans to honor those who died in service to our Nation by observing one minute of silence and reflection. A timeline of America's wars and a profile of each are provided. (White House)

ED Deputy Press Secretary Chad Colby released a statement regarding hoax emails that are being circulated and that contain inaccurate information about graduation requirements and the No Child Left Behind Act.

Secretary Spellings delivered the closing remarks to the second annual Broader Middle East and North Africa (BMENA) Education Ministerial in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt.

Learn about the poems and works of William Blake, Stephen Crane, Walt Whitman, Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, and others. Hear Allen Ginsberg, Rita Dove, and Stanley Kunitz talk about their work. See videos of Americans discussing their favorite poems. Read a weekly column featuring an American poem. (Library of Congress)

Secretary Spellings issued a statement on the 2005 National Assessment of Educational Progress (Nation's Report Card) in Science results.

Learn about Spain's search for gold and silver in the New World (1500s-1700s) and its "treasure fleet system," which was intended to protect its treasure-laden ships from being pirated by England, France, and the Netherlands. In 1715 and 1733, hurricanes devastated Spain's treasure fleets off the coast of Florida. Today, two of the sunken ships' remains are protected as Florida Underwater Archaeological Preserves. (National Park Service, Teaching with Historic Places, National Register of Historic Places)

Secretary Spellings is traveling to Sharm el Sheikh and Cairo, Egypt, and will participate in the second annual Broader Middle East and North Africa (BMENA) Education Ministerial.

Secretary Spellings sent a letter to chief state school officers outlining Title I expectations for public school choice and Supplemental Educational Services (SES) implementation. The letter also invites eligible states to participate in an SES pilot next year.

Booklets on cells, genes, health, chemistry, and medicines explore advances in the development and delivery of drugs, links between genes and diseases, how genes work, the body's reaction to medicines, and the hundreds of thousands of molecules that perform specialized functions inside the fundamental unit of life (the cell). One booklet, "The Structures of Life," features stories designed to inspire young people to consider careers in biomedical research. (National Institute of General Medical Sciences, supported by National Institutes of Health)