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!

---

Black and Hispanic kids get lower quality pre-K via Brookings

How can we expect all students to start school on the same level if we are offering them different qualities of Pre-K? Learn more about the issue in the full article. 

“Learning gains over the course of the preK-4 year are substantial for children regardless of race. But black children start behind and don’t catch up. This is at least in part because they are more likely to end up in lower-quality pre-K classrooms. Education gaps by race, then, start early and often persist through school, college, and into the labor market. America’s race gaps are stark and stubborn from the cradle to the grave. Closing them will require a concerted effort at each and every stage.”

---

To Teach a Child to Read, First Give Him Glasses via The New York Times

Learn how these schools are getting their students to become engaged in their own education.

“A community school is both a place and a set of partnerships with local organizations intended to deliver health, social and recreational supports for students and their families. The idea of a school that serves as a neighborhood hub holds widespread appeal, and 150 school districts, including Chicago, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Albuquerque, Tulsa, Okla., and Lincoln, Neb., have bought into the idea.“

---

Black Families Work More, Earn Less, and Face Difficult Child Care Choices via Center For American Progress

African American families are hit hard by the rising cost of child care and limited options for working families. Is there a way we could fix the issue?

“High-quality child care benefits the whole of society and its effects can last a lifetime. Children who attend quality child care programs are more likely to have future educational success, more likely to be employed, and are more likely to develop positive social and emotional skills than those who do not attend similar programs. Unfortunately for far too many families, whether they are families of color or not, high-quality child care is simply unaffordable.”

---

5 Questions for the Principal of DC’s First All-Boys Public High School via The Washingtonian

Benjamin Williams will open Ron Brown College Preparatory High School this August. The Washingtonian asks him five questions about how he’s prepared for this upcoming school year.

“When it comes to educating young men of color, DC is failing miserably. Black and Hispanic boys graduate at rates of 48 percent and 57 percent, respectively, compared to 82 percent of white boys. Nevada is the only other jurisdiction in the country with rates so low.”

---

Did any of these articles particularly speak to you? We would love to know your thoughts! Let us know in the comments below: