Department of Education statistics show that men, whatever their race or socioeconomic group, are less likely than women to get bachelor's degrees — and among those who do, fewer complete their degrees in four or five years. Men also get worse grades than women.  And in two national studies, college men reported that they studied less and socialized more than their female classmates.

• Men now make up only 42 percent of the nation's college students.
• Young men from low-income families, which are disproportionately black and Hispanic, are the most underrepresented on campus, though in middle-income families too, more daughters than sons attend college."

"Over all, the differences between blacks and whites, rich and poor, dwarf the differences between men and women within any particular group," says Jacqueline King, a researcher for the American Council on Education's Center for Policy Analysis and the author of the forthcoming report.

• "Gender-Specific Trends in the Value of Education and the Emerging Gender Gap in College Completion," Thomas A. DiPrete, Columbia University; Claudia Buchmann, The Ohio State University 

The Pew Global Attitudes Project is a series of worldwide public opinion surveys encompassing a broad array of subjects ranging from people's assessments of their own lives to their views about the current state of the world and important issues of the day.

• In one of the survey's most striking findings, majorities in Indonesia, Turkey, Egypt, and Jordan say that they do not believe groups of Arabs carried out the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
• Nearly four-in-ten Germans (37%), and 29% of Americans, say there is a natural conflict between being a devout Christian and living in a modern society.
  

• The Great Divide: How Westerners adn Muslims View Each Other. 13-Nation Pew Global Attitudes Survey
• America's Image Slips, But Allies Share U.S. Concerns Over Iran, Hamas, 15-Nation Pew Global Attitudes Survey
• Among Wealthy Nations, U.S. Stands Alone in its Embrace of Religion

Bigger, Older cities are losing ground

• Elk Grove, Calif., wasn't even incorporated six years ago, and now it's the fastest-growing city in America. 
• The Sacramento suburb grew by 11.6 percent last year, to 112,000 people
• Americans have been moving west and south for decades, and last year was no different.
• All but three of the 50 fastest-growing cities from 2004 to 2005 were in those regions of the country, with many in California and Florida, according to Census Bureau estimates Wednesday.
• The estimates were for cities with populations of 100,000 or more. 
• Elk Grove was followed in the top five by North Las Vegas, Nev.; Port St. Lucie, Fla.; Gilbert, Ariz., and Cape Coral, Fla. 
• All five are suburban, and all have fewer than 200,000 residents. 

• Read more.
• Fastest Shrinking Cities
• Fastest Growing Cities
• Fastest Growing Cities are Suburban
• Download PowerPoint® Slides