Despite investments, community goodwill and some good ideas, a vexing question remains in the age of school reform: Why has so much hope and effort led to disappointment?

The Federal Government will push for new reforms in health care and education when the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) meets in Adelaide today.

Charlie Crist, an American politician of the Republican Party and the current Governor of Florida, on Tuesday proposed reducing the number of Floridians living without health insurance by creating coverage options that he said would cost less than half what individual policyholders have to pay.

A new World Bank report says countries in the Middle East and North Africa need to overhaul their education systems in order to thrive in the new global economy. The report says the region has made important progress in improving literacy and closing the gender gap, but needs to shift the emphasis to teaching key skills such as problem-solving, critical thinking and languages. VOA Correspondent Challiss McDonough has more from our Middle East bureau in Cairo.