138 Search results for "urban education"

Education is a major source of concern in Black communities; they are understaffed and under resourced. Hence, our children are being gravely under served in perhaps the most important social institution. We are in the midst of a new wave of school reform in the nation and there are several models attempting to overturn this […]

Tomorrow, President Barack Obama speaks to the nation in the annual State of the Union address, which got me thinking about  the state of our communities and neighborhoods. I know many of us are already swooning just from the President’s crooning at the Apollo or still putting 100% of the blame on former President Bush, […]

Why is white the norm? Why do minorities represent the deviation? Well, the word minority should say it all, shouldn’t it? We are not the majority. We’re certainly not made to feel like the majority. We look at ourselves as different. In the past, there have been scientific tests to prove our inadequacy and incompetence. […]

When I’m asked “What are you?” a question which my slight racial ambiguity warrants on almost a daily basis, I say black. So I check black on my college app. Then sometimes (most times actually), the question is followed by “Yeah, but what else?” and sometimes “She’s Cuban!” “She’s Puerto Rican.” “She’s Italian.” from eavesdroppers. […]

(Since my last two blogs have been relatively serious, how about something light this Monday morning?) Dear Queen Latifah, Well, look at you! Just the other week I was considering the conditions under which you might come out, and now word on the street is you’re all up in the magazines talking about what kind of […]

  The social and economic implications of the quality education that children in the United States of America receive ,while not absolute, are critical in determining their future trajectories. The institution that children come into contact with the most in their prepubescent, formative years outside of their communities are schools. From both an operational and […]

Last week I lost a hero. The man who helped me fall in love with power of the spoken word passed away leaving behind timeless pieces of greatness that will continue to empower the most marginalized and disaffected.  Gil Scott-Heron used his pen and voice to challenge racism and classism. His mere existence made it […]

Is Race to the Top Working? Cynthia Gordy, The Root | March 30, 2011 There’s a new conversation bubbling up these days at Howard High School of Technology in Wilmington, Delaware. “We’ve been researching best practices, visiting other schools to learn about programs that have worked for them, and we are constantly talking about what’s […]

Reformers Can’t Dodge Race Issues Richard Whitmire, Huffington Post | March 8, 2011 School reformers like to talk, so they conference a lot. They like writing even more, so they dash off torrents of commentaries on improving schools. But in all that talking and writing there is one topic that rarely gets raised, especially among […]

I grew up in Chicago with a mom that was overzealous about education.  By the time I was twelve, I’d gone to seven different schools.  I went to one school for Kindergarten, two schools for first grade, I was home-schooled halfway through second grade and then started at a new school where I stayed for […]

Republican school board in N.C. backed by tea party abolishes integration policy Stephanie McCrummen, Washington Post, January 12, 2011 RALEIGH, N.C. – The sprawling Wake County School District has long been a rarity. Some of its best, most diverse schools are in the poorest sections of this capital city. And its suburban schools, rather than being […]

Pennsylvania Parents Sue Lower Merion School District For Wrongly Classifying Children As Special Needs Students Huffington Post | January 4, 2011 More than three years ago, parents and students in suburban Philadelphia filed suit against their school district for classifying black children as special education students improperly. Finally, a trial for Blunt et al v. Lower […]