education
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Slew of Data Shows Widening Inequality Among Students Due to Coronavirus Pandemic
In the last week, more data has come out showing the extent that the coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated an already-unequal education system. As the Washington Post reports, the scope of the data varies—some look at national trends, other reports focus on state and district-level education. Each piece of data provides a snapshot of a particular…
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Va. Chemistry Teacher Suspended After Making a George Floyd Pun on a Chemistry Quiz
A Virginia high school is divided this week after a chemistry teacher was suspended for using a George Floyd pun for a student quiz, with students of color saying they felt unsafe as a result of the casual reference and white students complaining that the entire incident has been overblown. The quiz, given virtually on…
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For Survivors of Sexual Violence at Howard University, a Fund That Truly Trusts Them
(Content note: This piece contains details about specific incidents of sexual violence.) Nylah Burton didn’t tell her mother about the first sexual assault she experienced during her time as a Howard University student—one that she has little memory of. But she did tell her about the second, in part because there was no mistaking what…
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Exclusive Extended Trailer: 'If You Are the Big Tree, We Are the Small Axe'
Small Axe, director Steve McQueen’s anthology collection of five films, three of which (Lovers Rock, Mangrove and Red,White and Blue) recently premiered at the New York Film Festival (NYFF), will soon be available to view for the public starting this month. “I dedicate these films to George Floyd, and all the other Black people that…
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Black Lives Matter Shirts Banned at Ohio School District for Being 'Controversial'
Man, nothing seems to offend white folks more than a simple appeal for a better, more inclusive world. If you needed proof of that outside of The Root’s comment section, then take a look at Dublin, Ohio, where teachers were told by district officials to remove their shirts with inclusive messages because they were “controversial.”…
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Racism Cost America $16 Trillion Over the Last 20 Years, Bank Finds
For years, researchers have attempted to quantify the cost of racism and discrimination in the United States, whether it be by analyzing wage gaps, disparities in incarceration, or lost economic mobility across generations. This week, a new study by Citigroup focused on the specific costs of discrimination to the American economy—$16 trillion, all in the…
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A 'Confederacy of Whiteness': Virginia Military Institute's Uncivil War Against Its Black Students
When Vice President Mike Pence visited the Virginia Military Institute, the Black students disappeared. That is not a metaphor. Everyone loves a good metaphor. But Mike Pence is not the personification of VMI’s racism, and there are much better ways to compare 181-year old VMI—the oldest state-supported military college in the U.S.—with the 244-year-old country…
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California Announces ‘Education to End Hate’ Curriculum, Trump’s Threats to Withhold Funding Be Damned
California has decided to swipe left on y’all’s president’s threats to withhold funding from the state if it implements antiracism courses into its school curricula. On Monday, the Golden State unveiled plans to offer antiracist training to public school officials and students as well as mandatory ethnic studies courses for public schools. Newsweek reports that…
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Diddy and Education Mogul Dr. Steve Perry Opening Charter School in the Bronx
Diddy and educational speaker Dr. Steve Perry announced on Thursday that they are opening their latest charter school, Capital Prep Bronx, which aims to provide “historically disadvantaged” students with a standout curriculum, in order to prepare them with “college and career readiness skills.” This will be the third school opening up through the Capital Preparatory…