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Here are news and opinion stories educators, advocates, policy wonks and makers are talking about today:
News and Analysis
It was an unlikely trio that led a student roundtable convened in Chicago by XQ America and its Super School Project on Thursday at the Mikva Challenge Foundation: actor/rapper Common, world-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma, and former U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan. So what did they have in common? They’re avid supporters of a “reimagining high school” project launched last year by XQ America, which is chaired by philanthropist Laurene Powell Jobs, widow of Apple founder Steve Jobs. (Chicago Sun-Times)
The White House and Department of Education plan to ask American colleges and universities to reconsider using a person’s criminal history as part of the admissions process, opening access to higher education for millions. The announcement will be made on Friday, following a meeting with presidents, deans, provosts and other representatives from institutions who have already taken the Fair Chance Education Pledge, as the initiative is called. (The Atlantic)
It’s one of the oldest issues in school improvement: Getting kids to show up. If students miss 10 percent of the school year — that’s just two days a month —research shows they are way more likely to fall behind — even drop out. (NPR)
In the spring of 2014, when our daughter, Najya, was turning 4, my husband and I found ourselves facing our toughest decision since becoming parents. We live in Bedford-Stuyvesant, a low-income, heavily black, rapidly gentrifying neighborhood of brownstones in central Brooklyn. (The New York Times)