Editorials
Help struggling students
While the new FCAT graduation standard puts more students at risk of failing, the state hasn't seen fit to fund any serious remediation efforts.

When discipline goes overboard
With her family, friends and even a university president behind her, Lindsay Brown shouldn't worry that missing her high school graduation on Tuesday will cause her any lasting regrets. It's not an event that most seniors want to skip.

Extend immigration deadline further
The U.S. House of Representatives has voted to extend the deadline under which illegal immigrants can seek visas without having to leave the country. Now the Senate has a chance to improve the measure by further extending the new cut-off date and removing some restrictions from the law.

Letters
Take aim at reading skills early on
Re: Scores foretell diploma trouble, May 20.

Martin Dyckman
More interest in governor's race than support and money allows
TALLAHASSEE -- If there is such a thing as too much of a good thing, Florida Democrats may soon find out. Not long ago, they wondered if anyone would dare bell the cat. Now they have nine -- nine! -- people who might run against Jeb Bush. But first they must run against each other, and nine is about three times as many as they, and their campaign contributors, can afford.

Philip Gailey
Jefford's jump forces compromise
When the U.S. Senate is evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans, one senator can make a difference. The Bush White House and Republicans leaders in the Senate didn't figure that out until it was too late. Washington can call off the Strom Thurmond death watch. As it turns out, Republicans had more to fear from a conscience-stricken moderate in their ranks than from the Grim Reaper in the shadows.

Robyn E. Blumner
The press is under China's thumb
BEIJING -- The first thing you notice as you tour the newsroom of the Xinhua news agency are the uniformed armed sentries standing at attention at the doorway. The military posture and forward gaze of the men alert the visitor that this may look like a newsroom but it is really a place of official Chinese government business.

Bill Maxwell
Graduates, serve your communities
I have the dubious honor of delivering two college commencement speeches and one to a group of high school students. I always work hard to keep my speeches under 15 minutes. Here is the gist of what I am going to say. My hope is that some of it will be beneficial: