We’re back with Last Week’s Best Articles In Education!
Our team is always seeking the latest news in the field of education. As advocates for a quality education for ALL students, we know we have to stay up-to-date on everything that’s going on in the education spheres of our nation…from the White House to the local public school district, from new legislation to the small acts of bravery and kindness made by a single teacher, from the milestones and celebrations to the hazardous injustices affecting many of our nations students.
Here are the best stories we came across last week…because we believe you should stay up-to-date, too!
Cut from the same cloth: Why it matters that black male teachers like me aren’t alone in our schools via Chalkbeat
The professional journey of a black male teacher can be completely isolating: Without colleagues of the same gender and cultural and ethnic background, having supportive and fulfilling professional relationships is much harder.
Do not get me wrong — there are amazing teachers and leaders of all backgrounds in schools across Colorado and the country. But there is so much power in being able to see someone and work with someone like you.
I know because I am one of few black male teachers in Denver, and I’ve taught in schools where I was alone, and in schools where I worked with people who looked like me.
Trump’s Immigration Policies Are Harming American Children via American Progress
Being separated from a parent or caregiver—or even the idea of a separation—exposes young children to stress and trauma. In extreme cases, children may be present during immigration raids, where armed U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents may burst into a home and forcibly remove parents. Children who have been separated from their parents frequently show signs of trauma, including anxiety, depression, disrupted eating and sleeping, and difficulties in school.
What should America do about its worst public schools? States still don’t seem to know. via Washington Post
John King Jr., who was Obama’s second education secretary said he hopes states will draw on promising strategies for school improvement, such as looking for ways to boost socioeconomic diversity.
“I certainly worry that there may be folks who are using the rhetoric of local control as an excuse for inaction in schools that are struggling or schools that have groups of students that are struggling,” he said. “The law rightly requires action in those schools … and it will still be the responsibility of the Education Department to ensure that states follow the law.”
One thing to read this week…
Who Is Betsy DeVos? And how did she get to be head of our schools? via New York Magazine
DeVos believes passionately in “school choice,” the idea that poor families should have the same educational options as rich ones do — and that the best way to achieve this is to deregulate schools, creating an educational free market driven by consumer demand. (In the first regard, DeVos has good company; in the second, she is an outlier.) She was raised to believe she knew exactly what was right. And for decades, this certainty has propelled her ever forward, always with her singular goal in mind.
Did any of these articles particularly speak to you? We would love to know your thoughts! Let us know in the comments below: