Hopefully, your child’s school welcomes parents every day. Oftentimes, however, parent-teacher conferences are the only times parents visit their child’s school. Either way, I strongly encourage parents to visit whenever you can.
Education:
A space for local and national stories about issues surrounding education, especially as they relate to African Americans.
Twin Cities’ public schools ask voters to make up for state cuts
The district reports that while it has the second largest school district in Minnesota, it has one of the lowest voter-approved operating levies as compared to the state’s 10 largest districts.
New coalition aims to double number of women in color in tech
Twelve technology companies have teamed with Melinda Gates to form the Reboot Representation Tech Coalition which will invest $12 million in efforts to address gender diversity in tech.
One-third of community college students ‘misdirected’ to remedial classes
According to new research, one-third of community college students enrolled in remedial classes don’t even need them. The Community College Research Center (CCRC) and social policy researcher MDRC recently released a research guide, “Toward Better College Course Placement,” revealing standard placement tests, such as the College Board’s ACCUPLACER, are actually “misdirecting” student placements. This is […]
Stress-free lunch tips for busy families
Still, despite much progress with that indicator, major gaps still exist. And there is great concern that the graduation rate hype not only masks those gaps, but distracts us from what must be our ultimate goal: ensuring all students earn a high school diploma and are college-and-career-ready.
Black student activists face penalty in college admissions
Back when I taught at a predominantly White, selective liberal arts college, I came across a book called Acting White? Rethinking Race in ‘Post-Racial’ America. In the book, legal scholars Devon Carbado and Mitu Gulati argue that in the “post-racial” era, White-controlled organizations prefer to hire “‘good Blacks’ who will think of themselves as […]
Raise your voice at your school’s parent advisory council
Both Minneapolis and St. Paul Public Schools host culturally specific councils, including African American-focused, to give parents a voice for change and impact while helping them to learn about district issues, share concerns, and identify solutions.
The power of belief as an educational tool
In a handful or so of previous columns, I have explored what educators and social scientists have come to call “the word gap.” The research in support of the word gap comes from landmark studies at the University of Kansas and Stanford University, which reveal that by the time a low-income child reaches the age of three they have potentially heard 30 million fewer words than peers who come from higher socioeconomic backgrounds.
Parent-teacher relationships can help improve students’ success
Parents also play a key role, especially for younger students, in helping them do well academically. This includes having an active presence in school and developing relationships with their children’s teachers.
UNCF to award nearly $100K in scholarships to Mpls students
The United Negro College Fund (UNCF), which awards more than $100 million in scholarships to more than 10,000 students annually, is now accepting applications for its Minneapolis MLK Legacy Scholarship Program.