. This video of students allegedly from the elite, taxpayer funded Stuyvesant High School in New York City assaults and degrades a Black girl who is a student at the high school.
Complete Story...
Today is Sunday, February 05, 2012 1:06AM
Video by White Male Students at Renowned Stuyvesant HS Assaults Black Girl
March 02, 2011 by Sharon D. Toomer,
Reading Is Fundamental; Critical for Black Boys. Black Men, Do Your Part!
November 28, 2010 by Cedric Brown, BBN Guest Contributor
It has taken me many, many teeth-gnashing weeks to write these words. Ever since early November, when the Council of Great City Schools released its report, “A Call for Change: The Social and Educational Factors Contributing to the Outcomes of Black Males in Urban Schools,” I’ve been trying to sufficiently channel my outrage and frustration.
Complete Story...
Challenging Mainstream News on Reporting Education Stats for Black Males
November 11, 2010 by BBN Editors,
. This week The New York Times published, “Proficiency of Black Students Is Found to Be Far Lower Than Expected,” a report that cites new data suggesting the achievement gap is even bleaker than generally known for Black male students.
Complete Story...
‘Tidal Wave’ of Homeless Students Hits Schools Across U.S.
March 05, 2009 by Kari Huus, MSNBC
(msnbc) Nine-year-old Daniel Valdez is absorbed in “The Swiss Family Robinson,” the fictional story of a family shipwrecked on a tropical island. In real life, he and his family also are marooned, but there is little romance in their tale of survival in this seaside town northwest of Los Angeles.
Complete Story...
Alarming Facts on Black and Latino H.S. Graduation Rate
July 30, 2008 by bbn editors,
Two recent reports highlight alarming facts for Black and Latino students in High School.
(Schott Foundation) More than a half-century after Brown v.
Complete Story...
Rev. Flake 'looting' lesson. Got 340G a year while destroying black college: profs
October 10, 2011 by editor (View Source)
(nyp) New York political kingmaker and religious leader Floyd Flake rakes in the cash -- and leaves wreckage behind, critics say.
For five years, the former congressman headed one of the largest churches in the country in Queens while simultaneously running a small college in Ohio -- pocketing hundreds of thousands in salary and benefits from both places.
Now Wilberforce University faculty members say he bled them dry, setting the storied black Protestant college on the road to financial ruin.
“He came in and looted the place,” said Robert Fitrakis, a lawyer for the faculty who filed a complaint last month with the Ohio Attorney General’s Office.
The faculty is seeking to oust the current board and Flake’s handpicked successor, charging that they have breached their legal and financial duties. More...
Denzel Washington has donated $2.25 million to Fordham University, his alma mater.
October 05, 2011 by editor (View Source)
(accessatlanta) NEW YORK — Denzel Washington has donated $2. 25 million to Fordham University, his alma mater.
FILE - In this Dec. 11, 2010 file photo, actor Denzel Washington speaks at a press conference in Oslo, Norway, before a concert in honor of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo. Washington's alma mater, Fordham University, announced Monday, Oct. More...
Nightmare: Yonkers School District In Dire Financial Straits. Student: “On the first day of school for my Spanish class there were over 52 students."
September 28, 2011 by editor (View Source)
(cbs2) The budget knife draws blood.
A local school system is ordered to find another $41 million in cuts — that’s 8 percent — from an already lean budget. And the results are not pretty.
The ax has already fallen, but the pain is just beginning to set in. It will include crowded hallways and classrooms, and students with individual horror stories. More...
Children Lack Knowledge of History of Civil Rights
September 28, 2011 by TishGreene (View Source)
This lack of knowledge is a big part of the reason our children don't understand their responsibilities to themselves and their communities. . . . . More...
Ruth J. Simmons, the first African-American to lead an Ivy League university, is stepping down as president of Brown University.
September 17, 2011 by editor (View Source)
(boston. com) Ruth J. Simmons, the first African-American to lead an Ivy League university, is stepping down as president of Brown University. Simmons announced her departure Thursday in a letter sent to students, faculty and alumni. She said that after 11 years the time was right to move on and prepare the university for new leadership. More...
Bill Gates: Poverty not excuse for no education.
July 28, 2011 by editor (View Source)
(AP) Microsoft founder Bill Gates told the National Urban League on Thursday that a child's success should not depend on the race or income of parents and that poverty cannot be an excuse for a poor education.
Gates said shifting the emphasis to education helps in the battle against poverty.
"Let me acknowledge that I don't understand in a personal way the challenges that poverty creates for families, and schools and teachers," the billionaire said at the civil rights group's annual convention. "I don't ever want to minimize it. Poverty is a terrible obstacle. More...
Blacks Making Solid Progress in Graduate School Enrollments: Women are in the Lead
June 24, 2011 by editor2 (View Source)
(Journal for Blacks in Higher Education) -- A new report by the Council of Graduate Schools finds that African Americans continue to make good progress in enrollments in master’s and doctoral degree programs.
The data shows that in 2007 there were 170,167 African Americans enrolled in graduate education in the United States. They made up 13 percent of all graduate students. Therefore, in terms of enrollments in graduate programs, black Americans have reached parity in comparison to the black percentage of the U. S. More...
It's Supergirl: 5-year-old Queens prodigy can speak seven languages, play six instruments
May 25, 2011 by editor (View Source)
(NYDN) Seven languages. Six musical instruments. Two types of dance and two sports. It all adds up to one busy little Queens girl.
Five-year-old Mabou Loiseau's parents spend $1,500 a week on tutors and lessons - and she spends seven hours a day in some type of instruction, with Sundays off. More...
Broncos’ Bruton spending the lockout as a substitute teacher at his old high school in Ohio, teaching social studies and credit recovery.
May 24, 2011 by editor (View Source)
(yahoo) While some NFL players are spending the enforced off season in workouts with their teammates and others (like Minnesota's Ray Edwards(notes) and Baltimore's Tom Zbikowski are spending it in the boxing ring, third-year safety David Bruton of the Denver Broncos has set himself on a different path — he's spending the lockout as a substitute teacher at his old high school in Ohio, teaching social studies and credit recovery (yes, they have those classes for teenagers now) for the not-so princely sum of $90 per day.
Bruton, who majored in political science and sociology at Notre Dame and received a Bachelor's Degree in 2009, applied for and received a one-year substitute teacher's license from the Ohio Department of Education, according to Lindsay Jones of the Denver Post.
"I'm just trying to keep busy," Bruton told the Post, "and it's nice to be able to give back to my community. " First called to teach second-grade classes on March 12, Bruton moved to Miamisburg High School in Dayton, Ohio, to continue his teaching journey. He's been lifting weights close to home as opposed to training with teammates in Denver so that he can spend time with his 5-year-old son, who lives with his former girlfriend. More...
NAACP Lawyer to Defend Homeless Mother
May 11, 2011 by editor2 (View Source)
A lawyer with the state NAACP has stepped forward to represent the homeless woman facing charges of illegally registering her son in a Norwalk public school.
Attorney Darnell Crosland, chairman of the Connecticut NAACP Legal Redress Committee, will represent Tanya McDowell. Crosland attributed the charges against the woman to "budget tightening. "
At a news conference Tuesday evening, Scot Esdaile, president of the Connecticut State Conference of NAACP Branches, said the charges amounted to an "abuse of power. "
Crosland said McDowell potentially faces 20 years in prison, a $15,000 fine and five years probation. More...
Saheela Ibraheem, 15, Headed To Harvard With Aspirations Of Becoming Scientist
May 06, 2011 by editor (View Source)
(cbs) Many parents dream of their children going to Harvard one day. But one local resident has actualized the goal of getting into the prestigious university — at 15 years old!
Saheela Ibraheem, of Edison, was also accepted to MIT and 13 other schools, including Princeton and Columbia before settling on Harvard after falling in love with the campus.
Ibraheem skipped two grades and said the key to success is figuring out what you love to learn as early as possible — something she did at age 5.
“If you are passionate about what you do, and I am passionate about most of these things, especially with math and science, it will work out well,” Ibraheem told CBS 22s Cindy Hsu.
Her mother, Shakirat Ibraheem, said Saheela has been way ahead of the academic game since kindergarten — never cutting corners and trying to do everything on her own. More...
Reminders of Educational Inequalities. Homeless mother charged with felony theft for the crime of sending child to a better school than the one available to her.
April 28, 2011 by editor (View Source)
(nyt) The tale outlined outside court by the defendant’s supporters had a heartbreaking story line — a child tossed out of school, a homeless mother charged with felony theft for the crime of sending him to a better school than the one available to her, the inequalities that define America’s schools.
But despite the torrent of angry calls and e-mails that have flooded Norwalk’s City Hall and school district as a result of the recent publicity, the case of the mother, Tanya McDowell, got only murkier on Wednesday as she pleaded not guilty to first-degree larceny and conspiracy charges stemming from accusations that she illegally sent her child to a suburban Norwalk school when he really lived in urban Bridgeport.
Ms. McDowell’s story has become something of a cause célèbre since her arrest two weeks ago; education and civil rights advocates on Wednesday harshly criticized the charges against her. Others claim the child was summarily booted out of his elementary school in an affluent neighborhood. More...
OPINION: The TV set vs. black families: African Americans must quit their terrible 7-hour-a-day diet
April 22, 2011 by editor (View Source)
(Thomas Chatterton Williams/nydn) In the 1960 essay, "Fifth Avenue, Uptown," James Baldwin noted a form of greeting he would often hear in Harlem: "'How're you making it?' one may ask," he wrote. " 'Oh, I'm TV-ing it,'" would be the reply.
At that time, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was still a dream, educational and work opportunities were often pitiful, racism was rampant, and for a significant number of black youth and unemployed adults, television was about the best and safest method of escape available to them - the alternatives being, all too often, the corner, the bottle, the needle, the prison or the grave.
Fast-forward 50 years and a whole lot of socioeconomic progress in black America. Nielsen, the ratings agency, has released its latest State of the Media report showing national television-watching trends in the year 2010. More...
(NYC) Prep course aimed at diversifying elite city schools fails to reach black and Latino students.
March 25, 2011 by editor (View Source)
(nydn) A city program aimed at diversifying the city's specialized high schools is not making a lot of progress with black and Latino students, stats show.
Just 19% of black students who went through a city-funded prep course aimed at recruiting lower-income students to elite high schools were accepted, down from 21% last year. About 21% of Latino students were successful, down from 24% last year.
The overall number of black and Latino students accepted after attending the Specialized High School Institute grew - 38 black students compared with 31 last year and 39 Latino students, up from 31 last year.
Still, the pass rates for students who went through the program are better than those who didn't. More...
Still Waiting for Superwoman. What Michelle Rhee's fans don't get about education reform.
February 22, 2011 by editor (View Source)
(slate) Most education researchers, though, recognize that Rhee's simple vision of heroic teachers saving American education is a fantasy, and that her dramatic, often authoritarian, style is ill-suited for education. If the ability to fire bad teachers and pay great teachers more were the key missing ingredient in education reform, why haven't charter schools, 88% of which are nonunionized and have that flexibility, lit the education world on fire? Why did the nation's most comprehensive study of charter schools, conducted by Stanford University researchers and sponsored by pro-charter foundations, conclude that charters outperformed regular public schools only 17 percent of the time, and actually did significantly worse 37 percent of the time? Why don't Southern states, which have weak teachers' unions, or none at all, outperform other parts of the country? Rhee often noted that poor blacks in New York are two years ahead of poor blacks in Washington, which properly illustrates that demography is not destiny, but New York didn't get ahead by firing bad teachers. Chancellor Joel Klein terminated only three teachers for incompetence between 2008 and 2010. . . More...
State orders Detroit to close half its schools. Emergency financial manger told to balance troubled system's budget by consolidating operations; Class size could reach 60.
February 21, 2011 by editor (View Source)
(cbs/ap) State education officials have ordered the emergency financial manager for Detroit Public Schools to immediately implement a plan that balances the district's books by closing half its schools.
The Detroit News says the financial restructuring plan will increase high school class sizes to 60 students and consolidate operations.
State superintendent of public instruction Mike Flanagan says in a Feb. 8 letter that the state plans to install another financial manager who must continue to implement Emergency Financial Manager Robert Bobb's plan after he leaves June 30. Flanagan's said approval of Bobb's plan means the district can't declare bankruptcy. More...
Obama: US needs better math, science education
February 19, 2011 by editor (View Source)
(AP) President Barack Obama says improving math and science education is essential to helping the U. S. compete globally, and he wants the private sector to get involved in making it happen. . . More...
Report faults Massachusetts on Latino Student Education
January 31, 2011 by editor (View Source)
(BH) Latinos students in Massachusetts are missing an average of nearly three weeks of school a year and have lower high school graduation rates than other ethnic groups, according to a new report released Wednesday.
The report, "The State of Latinos and Education in Massachusetts: 2010," issued by UMass-Boston’s Mauricio Gaston Institute, faulted Massachusetts on a number of fronts for failing to properly educate Latino students.
According to the report, Latino students miss about 13 days of school a year compared to white students, who miss about nine days. In some schools districts, such as Springfield, the Latino absence rate is 17 days, said Andrew Flannery Aguilar, the institute’s education policy and research fellow and one of the report’s authors. . More...
(Va) The U.S. Department of Education says it is investigating Henrico County Public Schools to determine if it discriminates against African-American students.
November 21, 2010 by editor (View Source)
(rtd) The U. S. Department of Education says it is investigating Henrico County Public Schools to determine if it discriminates against African-American students.
The department's Office for Civil Rights is seeking to determine whether the school district fails to provide African-Americans with the same resources and educational opportunities that it provides white students in order to prepare them for postsecondary education and careers, Department of Education spokesman Jim Bradshaw said.
The investigation is a compliance review, meaning it was not prompted by a complaint. More...
Spelman Students Beat Out Harvard and MIT for Best Mobile App
November 12, 2010 by editor (View Source)
(jandjpolitics) T&T is pleased to announce that Jonecia Keels and Jazmine Miller of Spelman College, a historically black liberal arts college for women, have won the 2010 AT&T Big Mobile on Campus ChallengeSM with their next generation e-learning mobile application, HBCU Buddy.
HBCU Buddy is a mobile application created to educate and inform users, including both prospective and current college students, about Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) across the United States. It is a fully-fledged mobile service application that provides detailed information about each and every HBCU in the nation and integrates all facets of college life.
The application opens with a directory profiling each HBCU with information on academics, admissions, research, student life, alumni, among other details. After selecting a school, students can navigate through the school – literally – by accessing virtual tours of buildings, on-campus videos, and local GPS and directions. More...
Number of Education Civil Rights Complaints on the Rise. African American boys are suspended at double and triple the rates of their white male peers.
October 14, 2010 by editor (View Source)
(AP) African American boys who are suspended at double and triple the rates of their white male peers. English language learners who, for years, remain in separate classes, falling behind their peers and scoring poorly on standardized tests. Disabled students and those with illnesses who are shortchanged at school because of their impairments.
The Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights received nearly 7,000 complaints this fiscal year, an 11 percent increase and the largest jump in at least 10 years, according to data provided by the department. The increase comes as the office proceeds with 54 compliance reviews in districts and institutions of higher education nationwide, including cases involving disparate discipline rates and treatment of students with disabilities. More...
Mean Girl Behavior.The Playground Gets Even Tougher.
October 11, 2010 by editor (View Source)
(nyt) Mean-girl behavior, typically referred to by professionals as relational or social aggression and by terrified parents as bullying, has existed for as long as there have been ponytails to pull and notes to pass (today’s insults are texted instead). But while the calculated round of cliquishness and exclusion used to set in over fifth-grade sleepover parties, warfare increasingly permeates the early elementary school years.
“Girls absolutely exclude one another in kindergarten,” said Michelle Anthony, a psychologist and co-author of the new book “Little Girls Can Be Mean. ” When her own daughter was manipulated by a “friend” into racing down a slide booby-trapped with mud, making it appear to a group of boys as though she’d soiled her pants, Dr. Anthony was taken aback. More...
Georgia Colleges May Ban Illegal Students. Regents to vote on recommendations that would bar If there's no room for all academically qualified applicants.
September 22, 2010 by editor (View Source)
(ajc) Illegal immigrants would be barred from attending the University of Georgia, Georgia Tech and any other public college that doesn’t have the space to admit all academically qualified applicants, under a recommendation a state committee approved Tuesday. The committee assembled by the State Board of Regents also recommended that all Georgia colleges verify every admitted student seeking in-state tuition to determine if the student is in the country legally. Illegal immigrants are not eligible for in-state tuition.
The regents are scheduled to vote on the suggested policy changes next month. If approved, the changes would be in effect with applications for the fall 2011 semester. More...
Xerox CEO calls for educational reform. More home-grown scientists, engineers and mathematicians to preserve its economic position and quality of life.
September 11, 2010 by editor (View Source)
(detnews) If the United States wants to keep its lead in the global economy, it might want to look to the CEO of Xerox -- and turn out a few thousand copies.
In a visit to the Detroit Economic Club on Wednesday, Ursula Burns, CEO and chairwoman of Xerox Corp. , called for educational reform and said the United States needs more home-grown scientists, engineers and mathematicians to preserve its economic position and quality of life.
"The path that we're on in education, particularly in science, technology, engineering and math, makes it impossible for anybody who has a bit of a brain to sit by and watch what's happening," Burns said.
America's schoolchildren would do well to follow in Burns' footsteps. More...
(Listen to Story) Nashville Schools See Racial Disparities In Suspensions. Some 40 percent of students who received out of school suspensions are black.
July 22, 2010 by editor (View Source)
(npr) According to a Department of Education report, some 40 percent of students who received out of school suspensions are black. In Tennessee, the racial disparity in suspensions is even more profound. There, black students are four times more likely to be suspended than other students. Host Michel Martin discusses the statistics and what influences them with Maury Nation, a psychologist and professor of human and organizational development at Vanderbilt University; David Martin, a principal at Jerre Baxter Middle School in Nashville and Pedro Noguera, professor in the Steinhart School of Culture, Education and Human Development at New York University. . More...
Indian students face fewer chances for academic success under education standards that don't embrace their traditional cultures. Lawmaker: No Child Left Behind has failed them.
June 18, 2010 by editor (View Source)
(ap) Indian students face fewer chances for academic success under education standards that don't embrace their traditional cultures, lawmakers and witnesses said Thursday during a Senate hearing considering revisions to the No Child Left Behind Act.
In 2001 Congress passed the law, a hallmark of the Bush administration, requiring states to test students yearly in reading and math from grades three through eight, and once in high school. Scores are tied to school and district evaluations. Teachers widely criticize the law for its funding being disproportionate to its standards.
Federal education standards complicated by varying state tests do not recognize tribal culture, which unfairly challenges Indian students, according to testimony before the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. More...
‘This was our home'. Budget crises force Detroit, other cities to close schools. Cooley High on the List.
June 15, 2010 by editor (View Source)
(msnbc) Cooley High School, Detroit’s third-largest public high school and a neighborhood institution since it opened one year before the start of the Great Depression, will close its doors this week, ending a family tradition for students like RaShanda Sherrer.
“This was our home, our family, our future," said RaShanda, a junior and A student. "Everyone in my family has graduated from Cooley. I'll be the first one in two generations to not graduate from there. It's part of my history. More...
Fashion For A Cause
May 17, 2010 by winfreylee (View Source)
On Tuesday May 18th between the hours of 2pm and 5 pm at Champion Studios 257 West 39th ST 14th floor, New York, New York there will be a
Open Casting call for male/female models, ages 21 - 35, sizes 2-18, all shapes, complexions. . . .
If you can not make Tuesday May 18th, there will be a second date of Saturday May 22th between 5-7 pm. More...
Latino Kindergartners' Social Skills Found Strong
May 04, 2010 by editor (View Source)
(education week) A majority of Latino children enter kindergarten with the same social skills as middle-class white children, while low-income Latinos demonstrate stronger social skills than low-income African-American kindergartners at the start of school, says a studyRequires Adobe Acrobat Reader published in the May issue of Developmental Psychology.
The article is one of seven focusing on factors leading to the success or lack of successRequires Adobe Acrobat Reader of Latinos in school published this month in both the print and online editions of the journal. The studies show that, overall, Latino children tend to start school with some strong assets, but those early gains are likely to soon disappear if they attend low-quality schools and live in low-income neighborhoods.
“We need to get beyond this myth that low-income parents always raise disadvantaged children,” said Bruce Fuller, a professor of education and public policy at the University of California, Berkeley, who co-edited the articles and was a researcher for the study looking at kindergarteners’ skills. Latinos appear to have some cultural practices that make their children ready to learn, he said. More...
Read Full Text of E-mail sent by a Harvard Law student questioned intelligence of Blacks. Student, Stephanie Grace: it is at least possible that African Americans are less intelligent on a genetic le
May 03, 2010 by editor (View Source)
(bostonglobe) An e-mail sent by a Harvard Law student that questioned the intelligence of blacks caused outrage when it was leaked and spread on the Internet this week. Here is the full text of the original e-mail message written by Harvard Law student Stephanie Grace to her two friends, followed by a letter from Harvard Law dean Martha Minow, and Grace's apology. . . . More...
Arizona legislature bans ethnic-studies programs. Bill forbids schools from using curriculum that promotes "the overthrow of the US government" or "resentment toward a race or class of
May 03, 2010 by editor (View Source)
(yahoonews) Just a week after signing the country's toughest immigration bill into law, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer now must decide whether to endorse another bill passed by her state legislature — one that outlaws ethnic-studies programs in public schools.
The bill forbids Arizona schools from using any curriculum that promotes "the overthrow of the United States government" or "resentment toward a race or class of people. " It also disallows any curriculum that's "designed primarily for pupils of a particular ethnic group" or that seeks to "advocate ethnic solidarity instead of the treatment of pupils as individuals. "
Arizona's superintendent for public instruction, Tom Horne, has said he's backing the measure because ethnic-studies programs encourage "ethnic chauvinism"; he's also suggested that such programs could breed secessionist sentiment among Hispanic students. More...
Stop The Violence
April 29, 2010 by winfreylee (View Source)
There is a video on youtube featuring Council man Charles Barron and The Rev. Al. Sharpton who came out this past Friday to help stop the violence. Go to www. youtube. More...
Stop the violence movement
April 26, 2010 by winfreylee (View Source)
Well the Chris S. Owens Fundraiser was a success. Were Worth It was very pleased that we were one of the sponsors of this amazing event. The Stop the violence event was truly amazing it was well attended. The event had guest speakers such as Councilman Charles Barron, The Rev. More...
Mary J. Blige helps save Harlem School of the Arts with promise to keep funds rolling in.
April 22, 2010 by editor (View Source)
(nydn) A beloved Harlem arts school will re-open this weekend with a new board, a $1 million lifeline and a promise from R&B star Mary J. Blige to help keep the funds rolling in.
"This organization really has made a difference," Mayor Bloomberg said Wednesday as he announced a rescue plan for the troubled school that shut down three weeks ago amid a fiscal and management crisis.
"When it came for others to step up and bail this organization out of a bad situation, a situation that had gone on for much too long, there was a core of quality here that everybody understood had to be preserved," Bloomberg said.
The city helped broker a deal that replaces the school's board with five new members and re-opens its doors with $1 million in grants from the Herb Alpert Foundation -- which offered $500,000 -- the Starr Foundation and others. More...
Accentuate the positive
April 16, 2010 by winfreylee (View Source)
Accentuate the positive in your life. Right now we are living in very tough times, some people have lost there jobs, some are losing there jobs, home, death etc. The most important thing to remember is that you are still here on earth and that tough times never last but tough people do. Lets take a look at whats positive in your life, how about good health, your child, your friends, family, the change of the seasons. What about your ability to make people laugh, what about your ability to be a problem solver. More...
Historically Black Colleges and Universities Ranking. Top Five: Spelman College, Howard University, Morehouse College, Fisk University, Xavier University of Louisiana
April 11, 2010 by editor (View Source)
Historically Black Colleges and Universities Ranking. See where your HBCU ranks.
. . . More...
Self worth and self esteem
April 09, 2010 by winfreylee (View Source)
Were Worth It aka wereworthit. com is a company that is creating a movement of self esteem and self worth is at it again. We will be having an event in front of Macy's Herald Square on May 9th by the Broadway entrance. This event is called The I'm Worth It ladies. To many of our ladies have low self esteem and self worth, how many ladies do you know that are in a domestic violence situation wether physical or verbal? This event is to honor our ladies and to help give them the strength to make a change. More...
Stop The Violence
April 02, 2010 by winfreylee (View Source)
wereworthit. com is continuing its effort of giving back to society by being one of the sponsors of the upcoming event. The Chris Owens Foundation, Stop The Violence Fundraiser on April 23 from 7pm to 10pm at the elegant Taj Lounge at 48 w. 21st st. in Manhattan. More...
Board Of Education Prevented From Closing 19 Schools
March 27, 2010 by ceecee4justice (View Source)
Kudos to the dedicated parents, students and teachers who spoke up and stood out and raised their voices against arbitrary, unreasonable and inequitable actions by the Board of Education, Joel Klein and Mayor Bloomberg to shut down 19 public shools without first considering the adverse impact it would have on the communities that desperately need to have these schools preserved and fully operational. Our kids are being 'short-changed' and it's time for more challenges to proposed budget cuts and school closings. Our children, gifted, talented, uniquely designed, all represent one of our greatest resources to become future leaders in education, science, art and political governance. May we fight for their futures. I hope and pray that parents and teachers continue to work together to stop the arbitrary school closings because these schools struggled against the odds and have made significant improvements. More...
Self esteem and self worth in the community
March 26, 2010 by winfreylee (View Source)
Were Worth It was started because of all the negativity that is in our society. Every time you turn around, you hear about, murder in our streets, job losses, home foreclosures, someone just doing something negative. These negative things come from low self esteem and self worth. What Were Worth It is doing is creating a movement of positivity in our society.
When people see three simple yet powerful words. More...
Drastic Measures? More than two dozen seniors at Lincoln University (HBCU) are in danger of not graduating because they have BMI of above 30 OR did not take ‘Fitness for Life’ Class.
December 03, 2009 by editor
(highereducation) More than two dozen seniors at Lincoln University, in Oxford, Pa. , are in danger of not being able to graduate this spring -- not because they’re under disciplinary probation or haven’t fulfilled the requirements of their majors, but because they were obese as freshmen.
All had body mass index (BMI) scores above 30 -- the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services’ threshold for obesity -- when they arrived on campus in the fall of 2006, but none have taken college-sanctioned steps to show they’ve lost weight or at least tried. More...
(CA) 32% Tuition Increase. Comments war: UC students and non-UC students discuss the student fee hike
November 20, 2009 by editor (View Source)
(lat) It seems the recent decision by the University of California Board of Regents to increase student fees by 32% has caused not only a "students vs. regents" demonstration at UCLA's campus today, but also a "students vs. non-students" quarrel in our comments sections.
The fee hike that everyone is arguing about (justifiably so) will come in two steps by fall 2010. Basic UC education fees will rise then to about $10,300, plus another $1,000 for campus-based charges and an estimated additional $16,000 for room, board and books. More...
(MS) Gov. Barbour: Economy demands mergers. Two historically black universities eyed in cost-cutting measure.
November 17, 2009 by editor (View Source)
(clarion) Facing growing budget constraints, Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour wants to save money by cutting the state's public universities from eight to five. On Monday, Barbour proposed combining historically black universities Mississippi Valley State and Alcorn State into Jackson State, also an HBCU.
He also called for merging Mississippi University for Women into Mississippi State.
But some lawmakers, alumni and students say the mergers won't happen without a fight. More...
Morehouse College dress code seeks to “get back to the legacy”. No "Pumps, Do-Rags". See full list of DO NOT Wear....
October 17, 2009 by editor (View Source)
(ajc) Young men of Morehouse, pull up your pants, remove your do-rags and remove your shades and hats when you enter a building.
Thanks to a new policy on the campus of Morehouse College, they are no longer permissible.
The new policy is an effort to “get back to the legacy” of Morehouse leaders, said Dr. William Bynum, vice president of the Office of Student Services.
“We expect our young men to be Renaissance men,” said Bynum. More...
Study Finds High Rate of Imprisonment Among Dropouts
October 09, 2009 by editor (View Source)
(nyt) On any given day, about one in every 10 young male high school dropouts is in jail or juvenile detention, compared with one in 35 young male high school graduates, according to a new study of the effects of dropping out of school in an America where demand for low-skill workers is plunging.
The picture is even bleaker for African-Americans, with nearly one in four young black male dropouts incarcerated or otherwise institutionalized on an average day, the study said. That compares with about one in 14 young, male, white, Asian or Hispanic dropouts.
Researchers at Northeastern University used census and other government data to carry out the study, which tracks the employment, workplace, parenting and criminal justice experiences of young high school dropouts.
“We’re trying to show what it means to be a dropout in the 21st century United States,” said Andrew Sum, director of the Center for Labor Market Studies at Northeastern, who headed a team of researchers that prepared the report. More...
Spelman Student Develops One of iPhone's Top Apps
September 16, 2009 by editor (View Source)
(wabe) Like many college students, Jonecia Keels is well-versed in navigating her iPhone. But what makes the Spelman engineering major a bit different she actually wrote the program she's using. In iPhone language, it's called an "app" for "application. "
Named "iDex," the idea came from her 12-year-old sister.
"She just was like OK--I need a guide to tell me which weakness to use against your Pok mon, cause I keep losing. More...
Support young children in their education through the "Adopt- A- Classroom" Program.
July 05, 2009 by editor (View Source)
Adopt-A-Classroom invites the community into the classroom in support of teachers and their students. By adopting a classroom, donors form partnerships with specific classrooms providing financial and moral support. The result is a meaningful contribution to education in which donors experience the impact of their efforts and celebrate in a classroom's success.
. . More...
Feniosky Peña-Mora, Dominican, named Dean of the Columbia Engineering School
June 19, 2009 by editor (View Source)
(nydn) The Dominican immigrant arrived in the city 21 years ago unable to speak a word of English - and never dreaming he'd some day land a top job at the Ivy League school.
"It does feel surreal, standing here, knowing I'll be part of this important university," Peña-Mora, 43, said recently on the Morningside Heights campus.
Peña-Mora's rise made him a sensation in the Dominican Republic and a hero to transplanted Dominicans in the five boroughs. Headlines in Dominican papers proclaim him a "prodigy son. "
He plans to move to the city from Illinois before starting his new job on July 15, followed by his wife and their three children. More...
Up To 50 Schools Could Close in Detroit.
April 05, 2009 by editor (View Source)
(freep) Surprise, disgust and uncomfortable confrontation marked the meeting Thursday night when the state-appointed emergency financial manger for Detroit Public Schools discussed a historic $305. 8-million deficit and stood up to board members who want more power than the law allows under a state takeover.
Occasional gasps broke the silence in a crowd of more than 100 people as Robert Bobb described how Detroit Public Schools racked up the deficit.
"Could that number change next week?" Bobb asked. "Very well could. More...
First Lady Michelle Obama Visits Anacostia H.S. in DC. Tells students to aim their goals high.
March 19, 2009 by editor (View Source)
(ap) First lady Michelle Obama promoted the value of a college education and hard work Thursday, telling high school students that the people who doubted her when she was younger only encouraged her to aim higher.
"That never stopped me. That always made me push harder," she said.
Mrs. Obama's appearance at Anacostia High School was part of a day in which she put an array of talented, accomplished women in front of area high school students as an example of the types of success they, too, can achieve if they are willing to work hard for it. More...
'Painful Lessons': Abuse At Chicago Schools. Hundreds Of Kids Beaten, Whipped, Even Choked By Teachers, Coaches.
February 11, 2009 by editor (View Source)
(cbs2) Hundreds of students have allegedly been beaten by teachers, coaches and staff at Chicago Public Schools. 2 Investigator Dave Savini continues his ongoing investigation involving the illegal use corporal punishment.
Treveon Martin, 10, is afraid of a teacher at his school.
"I've seen him hit five of them in the classroom," Martin said.
Martin says he and others have been hit, grabbed and even struck with a belt. More...
'Angry moms' outraged by statewide cuts in public-school funding, and fearing the loss of clubs, art classes and electives, parents across South Florida and across the state are starting to stir.
January 25, 2009 by editor (View Source)
(mh) With Tallahassee likely to embark on a new round of cuts in school funding, parents are rebelling in a variety of ways and could help tilt the political balance. Mothers from Cutler Bay held a funeral for public education -- and posted the video on YouTube.
Two others from Doral went on a weeklong hunger strike.
Outraged by statewide cuts in public-school funding, and fearing the loss of clubs, art classes and electives, parents across South Florida and across the state are starting to stir. They are phoning lawmakers, sending out e-mail blasts, assembling at school board meetings and engaging in protests akin to performance art. More...
Morris Brown College building facing foreclosure; City of Atlanta cuts off the school's water for non-payment.
December 22, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(ajc) Morris Brown College faces another financial indignity early next month: the sale of one of its classroom buildings on Fulton County’s courthouse steps.
A bank representing investors who purchased bonds issued to build Jordan Hall on the Morris Brown campus is foreclosing on the property, saying the school defaulted on a $13. 1 million debt dating to 1996. The foreclosure sale is scheduled for Jan. 6, less than a week before the school is supposed to begin its spring semester. More...
A Georgia state senator has created a stir with plan to reduce education spending by merging two historically Black universities with nearby mostly white institutions.
December 15, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(nyt) As Georgia faces a potential $2 billion budget deficit, a state senator has created a stir with a plan for reducing education spending: merge two historically black universities in Albany and Savannah with nearby mostly white institutions.
The proposal was made this month by Seth Harp, a Republican who is the chairman of the State Senate Higher Education Committee, and quickly drew condemnation from many black educators, politicians and alumni.
But supporters say the plan would not only save millions of dollars but also reduce racial segregation in state-run universities.
“Institutions supported by taxpayers should be diverse, educating men and women of all colors and creeds,” wrote Cynthia Tucker, the Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial page editor of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, who is black. “There is no longer good reason for public colleges that are all-white or all-black. More...
Morehouse College Takes on Saggy Pants, Cursing. College looks to promote ‘Renaissance man’.
December 09, 2008 by editor (View Source)
William Tweedle, a residence hall director at Morehouse College, wants students at the historically black men’s school to get “In the Zone. ”
That’s the zone where there’s no cursing, no saggin’ pants, and no use of the word whose plural spelled backward is “saggin. ’ ” All are beneath the image of the Morehouse man, Tweedle said.
Morehouse President Robert Franklin is making the same points to students on a somewhat different plane. He talks about the new “Renaissance man” who is “well-read, well-traveled, well-spoken, well-dressed and well-balanced. More...
Why Boys Are Struggling In School. Expert Cite School, Parents. New study says parents are right to worry about their sons.
September 10, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(newsweek) Every other week it seems a new study comes out that adds to our already-formidable arsenal of parental worries. But even by those escalating standards, the report issued last week by the federal government's National Center for Health Statistics contained a jaw-dropper: the parents of nearly one of every five boys in the United States were concerned enough about what they saw as their sons' emotional or behavioral problems that they consulted a doctor or a health-care professional. By comparison, about one out of 10 parents of girls reported these kinds of problems.
The report confirms what many of us have been observing for some time now: that lots of school-age boys are struggling. And, parents are intensely worried about them. More...
Study finds minorities more likely to be paddled. Blacks, American Indians and kids with disabilities got a disproportionate share of the punishment
August 20, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(ap) Paddlings, swats, licks. A quarter of a million schoolchildren got them last year — and blacks, American Indians and kids with disabilities got a disproportionate share of the punishment, according to a study by a human rights group.
Even little kids can be paddled. Heather Porter, who lives in Crockett, Texas, was startled to hear her little boy, then 3, say he'd been spanked at school. Porter was never told, despite a policy at the public preschool that parents be notified. More...
Challenge to Class of 2008 from Senator Barack Obama: Look beyond material gains and work for our "collective salvation."
May 26, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(Bloomberg) Barack Obama, standing in for Senator Edward M. Kennedy as commencement speaker at Wesleyan University, invoked the Kennedy family's legacy of public service and challenged students to look beyond material gains and work for our ``collective salvation. ''
``No one is forcing you to care,'' Obama said. ``You can take your diploma, walk off this stage and chase only after the big house and the nice suits and all the other things that our money culture says you should buy. But I hope you don't. More...
Children from American Indian families riding off-reservation to schools in Hardin, Mont. The shift has led to fewer resources for on-reservation schools.
May 26, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(nyt) One of the last traditional chiefs of the Crow Indian tribe, named Plenty Coups, had a vision as the Old West was fading. Education would be the way of the future, he said — a choice to be either the “the white man’s victim” or “the white man’s equal. ”
Roberta Walks Over Ice was among those who heard that message, from her grandfather. She then continued the tradition, preaching the value of education to her daughter, Jasmine, 15.
But the zeal for learning that took root in such families is now coming with a cost. More...
Morehouse valedictorian stands out -- he's white. Joshua Packwood says college provided him a perspective he wouldn't have gotten elsewhere.
May 11, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(ajc) From his first day at Morehouse College — the country's only institution of higher learning dedicated to the education of black men — Joshua Packwood has been a standout.
His popularity got him elected dorm president as a freshman. His looks and physique made him a fashion-show favorite. His intellect made him a Rhodes Scholar finalist. His work ethic landed him a job at the prestigious investment banking firm Goldman Sachs in New York City. More...
(NYC) Public schools are failing black boys, say a growing number of parents who are homeschooling
April 10, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(vv) Say "homeschooling" and what tends to come to mind are the whitest people you know, holding Sunday school every day of the week in their basements, producing kids who can declaim against Charles Darwin for hours on end, but who are so screwed up socially that you can't imagine them getting a date, except years later as part of a group outing to Christian Day at Disney World.
So, with that admittedly over-broad stereotype in mind, it's something of a shock to see the lessons in progress at Bread Stuy, a small café in Brooklyn, where customers sip at their coffee and read newspapers, unaware that a woman named P. Aurora Robinson is holding a homeschooling class in their midst.
Her two teenagers, working at laptops, are tapping away at their writing assignments for the day. They're a little young for coffeehouse literary types, but otherwise look the part: Deion in a baseball cap, Tau wearing his hair in twists, both hunched over their screens, glasses resting on the tips of their noses. More...
Howard Univ. Student Paper Suspended by University Administrators. Hilltop is the nation's only HBCU student paper published daily.
March 25, 2008 by editor (View Source)
(bcw) Howard University administrators have halted publication of the university's student newspaper, the editor in chief and the university spokesman told Black College Wire this week.
Drew Costley, a Howard senior and The Hilltop's top editor for the 2007-08 academic year, said the action was taken because of more than $48,000 in outstanding printing costs. He also said $20,000 is missing from the paper's account. Costley was reached in New Orleans where he was participating in alternative spring break to help Hurricane Katrina victims.
Costley said administrators "went against protocol" and independently decided to stop publication of The Hilltop indefinitely after it was revealed that the newspaper owed its printer, The Washington Times, $48,000 for printing during the fall semester. More...
Harvard announces new initiative designed to encourage talented students from families of low and moderate income to attend Harvard College.
December 10, 2007 by editor (View Source)
(harvard gazette) Harvard President Lawrence H. Summers announced Feb. 28 a major new initiative designed to encourage talented students from families of low and moderate income to attend Harvard College. The new initiative has four major components:
Financial aid: Beginning next year, parents in families with incomes of less than $40,000 will no longer be expected to contribute to the cost of attending Harvard for their children. In addition, Harvard will reduce the contributions expected of families with incomes between $40,000 and $60,000. More...
Inevitable Results of Prop 209: Black-Latino number of students at both Berkeley, UCLA plummeted. Decline to continue through the next decade.
October 02, 2007 by editor (View Source)
(nyt) Ten or 20 years ago, Frances Harris almost certainly would have been admitted. Her excellent grades might not have even been necessary, because Berkeley and U. C. L. A. More...
History is being made in Hattiesbrug
September 28, 2007 by BJNYC
The new Center for Black Studies at The University of Mississippi is "not just a black thing," said Director Curtis Austin but a program to educate all people about the "black experience" throughout history. The idea for the center has been marinating in faculty minds for years, Austin said. Established in June, the center is located in the Center for Oral History in the McCain Archives Library. Austin said the center will create boundless academic opportunities for faculty and students based on education through special programs, mentoring and tutoring. "Our goal is to provide access to all those people who have the knowledge to teach it," he said. More...
"Most lucrative college degrees." Confused about what to major in? see what industries are paying.
September 03, 2007 by editor (View Source)
(CNN Money) The salaries of new college graduates jumped across the board this year as demand increased, according to a new survey.
The students who made out the best were chemical engineering majors. They earned an average 5. 4 percent more than last year, bringing their average to $59,361, according to the survey.
Computer engineering majors were offered $56,201, up 4. More...
