Johnson and Humboldt high schools in St. Paul will get more than $1.2 million to reshape the high school experience.

The schools join Highland Park and Harding as St. Paul's winners of grants from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to create "small learning communities."

The grants are awarded by the University of Minnesota's Center for School Change and are part of a multimillion-dollar effort to improve the high school experience.

St. Paul hopes to place each student in its seven large high schools in such programs by 2004. Minneapolis launched small learning communities in its seven high schools last fall.

Drive continues for used children's books

Have your kids outgrown their Dr. Seuss books? Have they left Harry Potter behind? Well, Half Price Books is asking you to donate gently used or new children's books as part of its Half Pint Library book drive, which will benefit the Children's Home Society of Minnesota.

Donations can be made through March 31 at any Half Price Books location. Books can be for toddlers on up to teenagers. The books will be delivered to the Children's Home Society in April and then distributed to the nine Children's Home child-care centers in the Twin Cities. Some of the books will be kept at the centers and some will be given to kids who need them.

For more information, call Kirk Thompson of Half Price Books at 214-360-0833 , or the Children's Home Society of Minnesota at 651-646-6393 .

This Sunday's issue of the Star Tribune will be delivered not only to Sunday home-delivery customers, but also to those who subscribe on other days of the week.