Race

Education news, analysis, and opinion about how race and racism affect schools and how they are taught about in schools

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Illustration of student reading being erased.
F. Sheehan for EdWeek / Getty
Reading & Literacy Opinion Whose Life Experiences Are Being Disappeared by Book Banning?
For schools to prepare students for our pluralistic democracy, we need inclusive books, writes AERA president Tyrone Howard.
Tyrone C. Howard, July 24, 2023
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4 min read
Demonstrators protest outside of the Supreme Court in Washington on June 29, 2023, after the Supreme Court struck down affirmative action in college admissions, saying race cannot be a factor.
Demonstrators protest outside of the Supreme Court in Washington on June 29, 2023, after the Supreme Court struck down affirmative action in college admissions, saying race cannot be a factor.
Jose Luis Magana/AP
Equity & Diversity From College Advising to Teacher Preparation: Affirmative Action Ruling May Reshape K-12
These are some ways in which the Supreme Court’s decision may impact K-12 schools.
Eesha Pendharkar, July 14, 2023
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6 min read
Illustration of a boy standing on an open book facing large shadowy hands stopping his progress.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week + iStock/Getty Images
Equity & Diversity Opinion No, Public Education Isn't Too Woke. It's Barely Even Awake
Some politicians claim they want to protect children from "the radical left woke mob," but it's a false narrative, writes Bettina L. Love.
Bettina L. Love, July 14, 2023
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4 min read
Abstract Illustration of long winding path to unknown destination framed by diverse people looking on.
John Woodcock/DigitalVision Vectors + Vanessa Solis/Education Week
Equity & Diversity Opinion Now That the Court Has Ruled on Affirmative Action, What Must School Leaders Know?
Nothing in the Supreme Court decision keeps K-12 educators from working for racial equity, writes a teacher educator.
John Pascarella, July 10, 2023
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5 min read
People protest outside of the Supreme Court in Washington, Thursday, June 29, 2023. The Supreme Court on Thursday struck down affirmative action in college admissions, declaring race cannot be a factor and forcing institutions of higher education to look for new ways to achieve diverse student bodies.
People protest outside of the Supreme Court in Washington, Thursday, June 29, 2023. The Supreme Court on Thursday struck down affirmative action in college admissions, declaring race cannot be a factor and forcing institutions of higher education to look for new ways to achieve diverse student bodies.
Mariam Zuhaib/AP
Law & Courts Supreme Court Ends Affirmative Action in College Admissions in Decision Watched by K-12
The U.S. Supreme Court struck down affirmative action in college admissions, a change to the use of race that may be felt in K-12 schools.
Mark Walsh, June 29, 2023
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10 min read
Conceptual collage of a student waiting outside a door in school hallway.
Collage by Laura Baker/Education Week (Image: DigitalVision)
School Climate & Safety How Teacher Bias and School Culture Shape School Discipline
A new study found that teacher biases alone don't explain racial/ethnic disparities in school discipline. School culture plays a hand too.
Ileana Najarro, June 16, 2023
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5 min read
Madison Lyman, 17, stands for a portrait on June 1, 2023, in the 18th and Vine District in Kansas City, Mo.
Madison Lyman, 17, stands in the historic 18th and Vine district in Kansas City, Mo., on June 1, 2023. A rising high school senior, she serves on the city's 13-person commission to study reparations for Black residents, which recently started meeting.
Erin Woodiel for Education Week
Equity & Diversity Meet the High School Student Helping Her City Study Reparations for Black Residents
In Kansas City, Mo., 17-year-old Madison Lyman serves on a 13-member commission studying reparations for Black residents.
Mark Lieberman, June 14, 2023
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7 min read
A blue, monochromatic illustration shows an empty classroom chair in front of a chalkboard.
iStock/Getty
School Climate & Safety Biden Administration Asks Districts to Investigate Their Discipline Disparities
A new letter marks the latest salvo in a years-long debate over school discipline.
Evie Blad, June 9, 2023
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7 min read
Dennis K. Bordley, 6, right, one of the first two black children at a previously segregated all-white school, Caesar Rodney Elementary School in Camden-Wyoming, Del., strides along with hand in pocket on the way to first grade, Sept. 9, 1959.
Dennis K. Bordley, 6, right, one of the first two Black children at a previously segregated all-white school in Camden-Wyoming, Del., makes his way to 1st grade on Sept. 9, 1959. Public schools remain deeply segregated almost 70 years after the U.S. Supreme Court outlawed racial segregation.
Bill Ingraham/AP
Equity & Diversity Public Schools Are Still Segregated. But These Tools Can Help
Data show that racial and socioeconomic segregation persist, but districts may be able to seek federal help to address it.
Eesha Pendharkar, June 7, 2023
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4 min read
A teen boy in a red graduation cap and gown wears an eagle feather on his neck. He stands outside among classmates.
Elijah Wiggins wears an eagle feather, a gift from his grandfather, at his graduation from Cedar City High School on May 25, 2022, in Cedar City, Utah. Utah is one of a growing number of states that have passed laws to allow students to wear items of cultural or religious significance during graduation ceremonies.
Rick Bowmer/AP
Equity & Diversity When Graduation Dress Codes Clash With Students' Cultural Expression
Students have sued to wear culturally significant items at graduation, and some states have also passed legislation protecting the practice.
Evie Blad, May 31, 2023
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5 min read
Images shows colorful speech bubbles that say "Q," "&," and "A."
iStock/Getty
Teaching Opinion Beyond the Curriculum: Educators Reflect on Racism, Democracy, Purpose
What's the point of school? It does all and none of the things expected of the education system, one teacher concludes.
Larry Ferlazzo, May 26, 2023
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13 min read
James Pan, the parent of an eighth-grader, speaks about a lawsuit he and other parents filed against the Fairfax County School Board over its plans to change the admissions process at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, an elite public schools regularly ranked as one of the nation's best on Nov. 5, 2020 in Fairfax, Va.
James Pan, the parent of an 8th grader in Fairfax, Va., speaks Nov. 5, 2020, about a lawsuit he and other parents filed against the Fairfax County district over its plans to change the admissions process at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology.
Matthew Barakat/AP
Law & Courts How a Court Ruling on a School’s Admission Policy Could Impact Others
Legal experts say a coming U.S. Supreme Court decision on race in college admissions could be relevant for the magnet school's policy.
Mark Walsh, May 25, 2023
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8 min read
Conceptual image of two circles of influence, with one much bigger than the other.
ajijchan/iStock/Getty and Laura Baker/EdWeek
School Choice & Charters Opinion White Parents Say They Want Diverse Schools, But Will They Send Their Kids?
Racial stereotypes and reluctance to be in a racial minority are part of the calculus of how white parents choose schools.
Kathleen Hayes & Cassandra Kaczocha, May 22, 2023
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5 min read
Fourth graders work together to plan life for their “colony” during a class activity focused on colonial America at Capital City Public Charter School in Washington, D.C., on April 4, 2017.
Fourth graders work together to plan life for their “colony” during a class activity focused on colonial America at Capital City Public Charter School in Washington, D.C., on April 4, 2017.
Allison Shelley/The Verbatim Agency for EDUimages
Equity & Diversity Lessons From 4 District Leaders Who Conducted Equity Audits
Four district leaders emphasize the importance of equity audits, including the process, the results, and the changes made based on findings.
Eesha Pendharkar, April 26, 2023
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7 min read
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