Teacher's edition.

• Author: Zack, Ian

For many American teens, getting a driver's license has long symbolized the approach of adulthood. But with mounting evidence that teens are at high risk for deadly crashes, states have increasingly limited the privileges of young drivers. Is that a sensible precaution or an infringement on teen rights?

Continuing our in-depth coverage of Election 2012, we delve into two topics students will be hearing a lot about in the next month. We look at political polls--how they're conducted, why candidates and the media swear by them, and why we shouldn't always believe them. And in "Electoral College 101," we offer, in plain English, a primer on the complicated process the Constitution's Framers designed for electing the president.

In Russia, we examine Vladimir Putin's clampdown on political freedoms amid a rising opposition movement. It's fueling a growing sense that democracy is...