February 4, 2004  As more and more schools confront the problem of mold, plenty of individuals and companies, some reputable and some not, are seeking to profit from the situation.

December 10, 2003  The student-photography industry, facing increasing competition and a projected decline in its client base, is undergoing a technological and marketing makeover as it struggles to stay relevant to schools and parents.

November 5, 2003  Earlier this year, the beverage giant Coca-Cola Inc. said it would stop marketing to children under age 12. Yet the Atlanta-based multinational company has stepped up its presence in the lives of students and in the education world in other ways, some industry observers say.

October 1, 2003   An increasing number of districts, as well as towns and government agencies, are turning to eBay to sell everything from buildings to reams of construction paper.

August 6, 2003   Education vendors are seizing on the "No Child Left Behind" Act to promote their wares.

May 28, 2003  Less than three years after the Educational Testing Service moved into the precollegiate testing market, the SAT's publisher managed last year to pull $100 million from that increasingly lucrative pond.

April 23, 2003  Reference books? Or vanity publications? The standards for picking honorees—and the prices—vary among Who's Who-type books, which are published by a number of companies.

March 19, 2003   Textbook company executives have been upbeat about their sales prospects for K-12 education this year. But state policymakers have thrown some cold water on that outlook. Includes a chart, "Hard Times Ahead?"

February 12, 2003   The nearly $2 billion-a-year school fund-raising industry is cruising along with a lot of long-held relationships between educators and business people, and many proven products. But that doesn't keep new ideas from entering the marketplace, where they can get at least a one-season tryout.

January 8, 2003  After years of plunging profits, hardcover encyclopedias are making a comeback against their digital competitors, especially in sales to schools and libraries.

November 13, 2002  Edison Schools Inc. is rolling out a new line of services revolving around student assessment, professional development, and what it calls "achievement management systems."

October 9, 2002   Little more than a year after it was acquired for $2.2 billion by a French media company, the educational publisher Houghton Mifflin Co. now bears a sign that says: À Vendre. That's "for sale," in French. Includes the chart, "Education Publishers."

September 4, 2002   A look at the stocks of a selection of K-12 education companies shows that most have performed poorly this year. Some have been downright abysmal, while a handful had racked up modest year-to-date gains in their share prices through late last month. Includes the table, "Wall Street Blues."

June 5, 2002   Parents who choose to home school their children have a wide choice of educational materials and services targeted just at them, as curriculum providers take note of home schooling's growing popularity.

May 1, 2002   The resilience of students from the 19,000-student Arlington district and elsewhere is leading to a faster-than-expected recovery for the growing student-tour industry in a school year marked by unusual worries over travel.

March 27, 2002   Richard Robinson's $2 billion-a-year company, Scholastic Inc., is known for classroom magazines and other supplementary educational materials, school book clubs and fairs, TV and Internet ventures, and U.S. children's book publishing that includes a character by the name of Harry Potter.

February 20, 2002   Last week, Edison Schools Inc. learned just how sensitive Wall Street is to the issue: The school management company's stock plunged 11 percent after a report raised questions about how it adds up its revenues. Includes a chart, "Quarterly Blues"

January 16, 2002   With a demographic bump in the number of young children, and with many parents eager to spend on toys that will not only entertain but also teach, this could be a golden era for educational toys. Includes an accompanying business story, "School Managers Chancellor and Beacon Merge."

November 21, 2001  The education industry has emerged from the past two months largely unaffected by the terrors of Sept. 11 and anthrax-tainted mail. Whether it can endure the economic downturn is another question.

October 17, 2001   K12 Inc., William J. Bennett's for-profit company that promises to use the Internet to deliver a "classical" education to American children, launched its learning program for kindergarten through grade 2 last month. But it made the splash amid much skepticism from education industry analysts.

September 12, 2001   For several school-management companies, the past three months have been about as much fun as a summer day spent in a hot classroom.

July 11, 2001   Princeton Review Inc. has taken its big admissions test on Wall Street. Its scores didn't quite put it at the head of the class. Includes an accompanying story, "Deal Reached To Keep Edison in S.F. School."

July 11, 2001  In a compromise that ends the threat of losing a high-profile contract, Edison Schools Inc. will sever its relationship with the San Francisco school district but is poised to continue managing an elementary school there under a state charter.

June 13, 2001   Mark Twain, meet Eminem and the Mummy. Houghton Mifflin Co., one of the nation's oldest independent trade and educational book publishers, is being acquired by Vivendi Universal SA, a French media conglomerate with major interests in movies, publishing, video games, and music.

May 16, 2001   While it may not be apparent to yearbook advisers and their staffs, the past year or so has been a time of upheaval in the industry, with corporate buyouts and the resolution of a major legal battle between two publishers.

April 18, 2001   Unveiled about a year ago with great fanfare, some school purchasing sites are already out of business or are looking to merge. But others have adapted their business plans and just may be poised to catch.

March 21, 2001   Incidents of violence have produced a growing industry of school security and safety businesses. Plus, "Coca-Cola Cans Exclusive Contracts."

February 21, 2001   The London-based publisher Pearson PLC has integrated its extensive assets and devised a strategy for using them to build on its already powerful position in the highly competitive educational publishing arena.

January 24, 2001  The overall downturn in the Internet sector, which began last spring, hasn't spared the dozens of education Web businesses that were just getting off the ground. Includes the table, "Dot-Com Doldrums."

December 15, 1999  As the education industry grows, will the bottom line be about learning or earnings? Raising student achievement or making a profit? Can it be about both? Includes: "Companies Taking on Role of Guidance Counselors" and "Companies at a Glance."

December 8, 1999  While certain businesses have long profited from education—just think of textbooks, cafeteria food, and school supplies—the new education industry is expanding into the area of instruction itself. Tutoring, college counseling, even running entire schools have all opened up as markets for the private sector. Third in a four-part series. Includes: "'Chance of a Lifetime' for Founder" and "The Business of Running Schools."

December 1, 1999  While certain businesses have long profited from education—just think of textbooks, cafeteria food, and school supplies—the new education industry is expanding into the area of instruction itself. Tutoring, college counseling, even running entire schools have all opened up as markets for the private sector. Includes: "For M.B.A.s, Interest Rate in Education Keeps Going Up."