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☆ Over 200 unqualified Texas educators had someone else take their exam in cheating scandal
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-30 | by ( Marlene Lenthang | Marlene Lenthang Is A Breaking News Reporter For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

Five people have been charged in Texas, accused of organizing and participating in an illegal cheating scheme that certified more than 200 unqualified teachers and saw the plot’s “kingpin” rake in more than $1 million, prosecutors announced. Investigators noticed a pattern: Numerous teacher certification candidates who previously failed certification exams would drive from faraway Texas cities to the Houston area to take an exam. Then a tip came in that exposed the cheating scheme. He'd pay her about 20% of the $2,500 to allow the cheating, Levine said. “They are going to go over every teacher, I’m sure, and take whatever action they see fit if they believe someone fraudulently obtained a certification,” Levine said.

Persons: proctor, Kim Ogg, Vincent Grayson, Booker T, Tywana Gilford Mason, Nicholas Newton, Nikole, LaShonda Roberts, Ken Paxton, Mike Levine, Texas “, ”, Ogg, —, Levine, proctors, ” Levine, Grayson, Gilford Mason, He'd, Nicolas Newton, Newton, “, Roberts, HTEC, It's, Brandon G, Leonard, I’m, — Grayson, Alexandra Elizondo Organizations: Washington High School, Houston Independent School District, Texas Education Agency, Training, Education Center, DA, Public, Houston Training, Booker, Yates High School, NBC News, TEA, Houston ISD, HISD, Public Affairs, Communications Locations: Texas, Houston, Harris County, Newton, Houston ISD, TACTIX

☆ The Willful Amnesia Behind Trump’s Attacks on Harris’s Identity
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-04 | by ( Nikole Hannah-Jones | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Our mother might be white, he told us, but in this country, that fact was irrelevant to how we would be seen and treated. I cannot say exactly how I knew I was Black before my dad sat us down, but I knew. With my white family I was not white but part white. With my Black family and in the rest of America, I was Black. In American society, this race rule is so embedded that it is not even questioned.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Kamala Harris, “ Organizations: Republican Locations: America, Mississippi, Loving, Virginia, Iowa

☆ Book bans are accelerating across the country amid right-wing pressure campaign
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-17 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

But, as they try to claim that mantle, many of those same forces in media and politics are behind a disturbing wave of book bans sweeping the nation. PEN America, a non-profit organization committed to protecting free expression, published an alarming report Tuesday indicating that the “book ban crisis” is only getting worse. “There were over 4,000 instances of book bans in the first half of this school year—more than all of last school year as a whole. In doing so, they have also disproportionately targeted books by women and nonbinary authors,” PEN America said. Ted Shaffrey/APSuch brazen book bans — unprecedented in modern American history — is at its worst in the red states of Florida and Texas.

Persons: New York CNN —, Nikole Hannah, Margaret Atwood’s, ” Amy Reed’s, Rupi, “, ”, ’ ‘, Ted Shaffrey, Ron DeSantis, Abdi Nazemian, I’ve, ” Nazemian, “ I’ve, ” Kasey Meehan, Read, we’re Organizations: New York CNN, PEN America, The New York Times, ” PEN America, Central Library, Brooklyn Public Library, PEN Locations: New York, USA, birthed, ’, New York City, Florida, Texas, In Florida, In Texas, Iranian, Iowa

☆ Five Takeaways From Nikole Hannah-Jones’s Essay on the ‘Colorblindness’ Trap
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Nikole Hannah-Jones | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Conservatives are interpreting the court’s ruling broadly, and since last summer, they have used it to attack racial-justice programs outside the field of higher education. These challenges to racial-justice programs will have a lasting impact on the nation’s ability to address the vast disparities that Black people experience. Though the civil rights movement is celebrated and commemorated as a proud period in American history, it faced an immediate backlash. The progressive activists who advanced civil rights for Black Americans argued that in a society that used race against Black Americans for most of our history, colorblindness is a goal. In the affirmative-action decision, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., writing for the majority, embraced this idea of colorblindness, saying: “Eliminating racial discrimination means eliminating all of it.”

Persons: colorblindness, John G, Roberts, ” Organizations: Times, Howard University, Black Locations: ’

☆ The ‘Colorblindness’ Trap: How a Civil Rights Ideal Got Hijacked
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Nikole Hannah-Jones | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

But Howard is no ordinary university. Chartered by the federal government two years after the Civil War, Howard is one of about 100 historically Black colleges and universities, known as H.B.C.U.s. is an official government designation for institutions of higher learning founded mostly in the South during the time of slavery and continuing through the end of legal apartheid in the 1960s. H.B.C.U.s were charged with educating the formerly enslaved and their descendants, who for most of this nation’s history were excluded from nearly all of its public and private colleges. Though Howard has been open to students of all races since its founding in 1867, nearly all of its students have been Black.

Persons: Howard, H.B.C.U.s Organizations: Chartered

☆ The New York Times Wins 3 Polk Awards
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-19 | by ( Katie Robertson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The New York Times on Monday won three George Polk awards, including two for its coverage of the Israel-Hamas war. Long Island University, the home of the journalism awards, announced the winners in 13 categories, which were selected from 497 submissions of work done in 2023. This year is the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Polk Awards, which will be celebrated with an event in April inviting all past recipients. Sixteen will be honored as George Polk career laureates, including Dean Baquet, a former New York Times executive editor; Nikole Hannah-Jones, a staff writer at The Times Magazine; Christiane Amanpour, the CNN chief international correspondent; and the former Washington Post executive editor Martin Baron. The awards are named for the CBS journalist George Polk, who was killed in 1948 while covering the Greek civil war.

Persons: George Polk, ” John Darnton, Dean Baquet, Nikole Hannah, Jones, Christiane Amanpour, Martin Baron Organizations: New York Times, Monday, Long Island University, Polk, Times Magazine, CNN, Washington Post, CBS Locations: Israel, Ukraine

☆ Reese Witherspoon sparked a hygiene debate online after eating snow, but it's nothing new. What is 'snow cream' and why is it all over TikTok?
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-21 | by ( Lauren Edmonds | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewReese Witherspoon sparked an internet debate among her fans and critics after she filmed herself eating snow as a dessert on TikTok. Witherspoon, 47, went viral on Friday when she shared a TikTok video showing herself making a "snow salt Chococinno." "I thought eating snow was like dangerous to our health," one person wrote. Filtered snow. Another reminisced about their childhood, writing, "So nobody grew up eating snow cream?

Persons: —, Reese Witherspoon, Witherspoon, @sugar_boogerz, Alexis Nikole —, TikTok, they've, Jennifer Johnson, AccuWeather, Johnson, Elena Lavrinovich Organizations: Service, Business, Mayo, Health

☆ Harvard president's resignation draws strong reactions from her critics and supporters
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-02 | by ( Jordan Hart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Claudine Gay is out as the president of Harvard. Gay announced Tuesday in a letter that she was stepping down, and reactions have poured in on social media from both her supporters and critics. AdvertisementElon Musk voiced his agreement with a social media user's post that said Gay had been "caught plagiarizing." I admire Claudine Gay for putting Harvard's interests first at what I know must be an agonizingly difficult moment. AdvertisementNot everyone celebrated Gay's resignation.

Persons: Claudine Gay, Gay, —, Larry Summers, Gay's, Elon Musk, Emil Michael, Uber's, Alan Garber, — Lawrence H, Summers, Bill Ackman, Ackman, hasn't, Sally Kornbluth, Elizabeth Magill, it’s, 3yUDw6tciF — Emil Michael, @emilmichael, Christopher Rufo, Rufo, Elon, Jason Calacanis, Timnit Gebru, Couldn't, Gebru, Nikole Hannah Jones, Janai Nelson, Liz Magill's, Gary Marcus, Uber, Marcus Organizations: Harvard, Service, Treasury, Twitter, Billionaire, Gay, Former University of Pennsylvania, Harvard Corporation, Conservative, Google, NAACP Legal Defense, Educational Fund

☆ Donor revolt at Harvard and UPenn over Israel shows big checks often have strings attached
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

New York CNN —Big money donations are booming at America’s colleges, helping fund higher education for millions of students. The biggest donors often sit on universities’ board of trustees, which governs the university and selects university leadership, priorities and direction. The donor backlash at the University of Pennsylvania and uproar at Harvard University over Israel and Palestine highlight how big donations often come with demands for changes to university policy and politics. The backlash has raised questions about the influence big donors wield and pressure donors may exert over leadership, hiring decisions and academic affairs. Restricted giftsMore donations are coming with strings attached, rather than letting schools spend their donations however they want.

Persons: ’, ”, Cliff Asness, James Finkelstein, David Callahan, George Mason, Nikole Hannah, Jones, Rob Reich, “, Ann Marcus Organizations: New, New York CNN, University of Pennsylvania, Harvard University, Harvard, George Mason University, Faculty Senate Tri, Council, Advancement, “, ”, Aid, Education, Critics, Indiana University, George, Koch Foundation, Yale University, University of North, Chapel, Michigan State, Stanford University, Universities, New York University, NYU’s Steinhardt, of Higher Locations: New York, Israel, Palestine, University of North Carolina, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait

☆ From Martha’s Vineyard to Cleveland: Celebrating the Day Slavery Ended
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Shayla Martin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Juneteenth didn’t become important because it became a national holiday, and it didn’t become important in 2020 after the unfortunate murder of George Floyd. The Nia Cultural Center, headquarters of the Juneteenth Legacy Project, will host a gospel-centered Emancipation Celebration on Friday at the Grand 1894 Opera House with live music to honor social justice pioneers (from $20). At 6 p.m. that day, one of the most poignant events is the Emancipation March, a re-enactment of the first celebration of emancipation that took place in Galveston on Jan. 1, 1866. Martha’s Vineyard, Mass. A vacation getaway for African American families since the early 20th century, particularly the town of Oak Bluffs, Martha’s Vineyard has only recently started celebrating Juneteenth.

Persons: Juneteenth didn’t, George Floyd, ”, Granger, Al Edwards, it’s, Martha’s, Vineyard, Van Dyke, Nikole Hannah, Jones Organizations: Juneteenth, Cultural Center, Galveston Juneteenth, Ashton Villa, United States Colored Troops, Narragansett House, Service, Union Chapel, New York Times Locations: Galveston, Menard, Texas, Oak, Narragansett, Haven, Oak Bluffs

☆ Nikole Hannah-Jones makes a case for reparations with ‘The 1619 Project’ series
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Candice Williams | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

The fight for reparations has been going on for centuries in federal and state governments. “I don’t think there’s anything else that can be done besides a federal program, direct payments to Black American descendants of U.S. slavery,” Darity said. “Every time there is a local or state reparations bill that’s moving forward, it just further legitimizes the larger federal effort,” she said. “So I definitely am an advocate of both.”The subject of state reparations and the return of land are discussed in the series, along with the idea that reparations should be more than just a cash payout. If the federal government were to ever issue reparations, Darity surmised that Black Americans might begin to feel a sense of equality.

☆ New York Times journalists stage historic 24-hour strike after management and union fail to reach deal
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Stacy Cowley holds a sign outside the New York Times building in Manhattan, New York, U.S., December 8, 2022. Joe Kahn, executive editor of The Times, said in a note to staff, “We will produce a robust report on Thursday. “We’re asking readers to not engage in any [New York Times] platforms tomorrow and stand with us on the digital picket line!,” Amanda Hess, a critic-at-large for the newspaper, wrote on Twitter. New York Times reporter Nikole Hannah-Jones speaks outside the Times' office, Thursday, Dec. 8, 2022, in New York. “When Times management comes to the bargaining table with their insulting and disrespectful offers, they have to explain it to a room full of their own employees—and they hate it.

☆ The New York Times is bracing for a historic mass walkout as union negotiations go down to the wire
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The historic work stoppage is set to go in effect at midnight on December 8 and last for an entire 24 hours. In effect, the public will get a glimpse of a world without much of The Times’ hard-hitting and informative journalism. And it is possible an agreement will somehow be struck before the work stoppage goes into effect. But NewsGuild spokesperson Wen Zhuang said there are no more planned sessions on the schedule, which would make it far more difficult to hammer out a last-minute agreement. And as Vanity Fair’s Charlotte Klein reported Tuesday, management is also working to find content to fill the paper during the day of work stoppage.

☆ Pro-DeSantis midterm mailer did more than mock LGBTQ communities
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Nicholas Mitchell | Nicholas Mitchell Is An Assistant Professor Of Curriculum Studies At The University Of Kansas. He Is A Curriculum Theorist Whose Scholarship Focuses On The Intersection Of Education Theory | Policy | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

It and other publications rightly called it out for mocking the LGBTQ community. Republicans are belittling knowledge that they find threatening to the status quo that gives the lives of social conservatives meaning. To play on the words of Ben Shapiro, I call this movement the “feelings over facts” orientation, and it has been positioned as a bulwark against indoctrination by disciplines that focus on race, gender and art. This is the not-so-subtle implication of the mailer supporting DeSantis. For everyone who doesn’t believe gender studies is threatening, the student in the photo the mailer used is just a new nonbinary college graduate.

☆ Two Florida medical boards advance ban on gender-affirming care for minors
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( Zachary Schermele | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Florida’s state medical boards voted Friday afternoon to approve the language of a first-of-its-kind rule banning gender-affirming care for transgender minors who don’t already receive it. The rule updates the medical standards of practice in the state to mostly prohibit health care professionals from starting treatment for gender dysphoria in those younger than 18. Gender dysphoria refers the stress and discomfort some experience when their gender identity doesn’t match their sex assigned at birth. The measure bans the prescription of puberty blockers or hormone therapy to new patients who are minors, and it forbids gender-affirming surgeries. In a statement Friday, Equality Florida said once the rule goes into effect, it will be the only ban in the country of gender-affirming care for minors instituted by a state medical board.

I was continuously berated with various comments.”A spokesperson for the UNC Board of Governors declined to comment on the lawsuit. Justin CookLeigh, Younge, Kapadia and Long painted a different picture from Brown’s of the professors in their open letter. Neither Leigh nor Younge, who were both at the university during Brown’s time there, reported having negative interactions with Brown, they said. “We acknowledge the fact that our experiences are unique to ourselves and not everybody shares those same experiences,” Younge added. In response to the letter on Brown's behalf, Brown’s attorney, Artur Davis, said: “While we respect the experiences of these individuals two things come to mind.

I had panic attacks every time I went to school.”Brown was accepted into the school’s five-year organizational behavioral program in March 2020 and dismissed from the program in July 2021, the lawsuit alleges. The lawsuit alleges that while Brown was admonished for requesting extensions, her white colleagues received “scheduling accommodations for reasons ranging from personal crises to writer’s block with no penalty or consequence.”The lawsuit alleges that Brown informed Melwani and Christian of the court hearings and the assaults. The lawsuit says Brown consistently got good grades, even as she battled with her advisers about her work, the lawsuit states. When Brown reported the disparity, the lawsuit alleges, Desai told her, “You are not as competent as we thought you were.” Desai did not immediately respond to the allegation. The lawsuit alleges that, fed up, Brown reported the professors’ “discriminatory pattern of conduct” to the school’s Equal Opportunity Compliance Office in June 2021.

Now, in response to the 1619 Project and its examination of slavery, Texas leaders have created an alternative project that highlights their state’s contributions. Greg Abbott approved a 15-page draft of a document titled the Texas 1836 Project, which is named for the year that Texas declared its independence from Mexico. Nikole Hannah-Jones, creator of the 1619 Project, said the Texas project was a tactic to limit the discussion of slavery. In addition to approving the Texas 1836 Project, in June 2021 Abbott signed a critical race theory bill limiting the teaching of race relations in schools. She said the Texas project was a tactic to limit the discussion of slavery, not to limit discussion of critical race theory.

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