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A Texas judge ruled on Feb. 22, 2024, that the Barbers Hill School District didn’t violate the law when it punished Darryl George, a Black student, for wearing his hair in long locs. The Texas law in question – the CROWN Act – prohibits discrimination against hairstyles in schools and workplaces. The school district argued – and Judge Chap B. Cain III agreed – that the law doesn’t mention anything about hair length. In the following Q&A, Kenjus Watson, an education professor at American University who studies the psychological and social effects of racism, discusses how the decision upholds a long-standing legacy of cultural assimilation . What message has the court just sent? I’d argue it’s a harsh reminder that the natural appearance, cultural expressions and freedom of Black children are incompatible with the objectives and ideals of the school system in the U.S. Those objectives and ideals were created to establish social order, enforce conformity, demand cultural assi...

After Teller Elementary School announced plans to set aside half a day every Friday next year for teachers to plan lessons, analyze student performance data and take time for professional development, Principal Sabrina Bates received a slew of sharp words from parents: “You obviously don’t care about our kids,” one fired-up parent wrote. Another sounded off in an email, complaining “the kids barely get enough time to be schooled as it is.” Teller Elementary School, in east Denver, will add to more than 80 out of 207 district-run schools in Denver that will cut classroom time to make room for teacher planning and professional development next year, raising concerns among some parents that schools are going too far in scaling back hours of instruction. More than 80 schools under Denver Public Schools have an early release this school year while another nine schools include a late start in their schedule, according to district data. It’s not clear how many of those schools hav...

Gov. Jared Polis joined higher education leaders and lawmakers Feb. 12, 2024, at the Auraria campus in downtown Denver to announce major investments in health care programs at four higher education institutions across the state. (Erica Breunlin, The Colorado Sun) Gov. Jared Polis and a bipartisan group of Colorado lawmakers are proposing to dramatically expand health care education programs at higher education institutions across the state to combat persistent workforce shortages in health care fields, including by creating a new medical college at the University of Northern Colorado that would graduate about 150 medical professionals a year. Polis joined lawmakers and leaders from higher education schools Monday afternoon at Denver’s Auraria campus to announce a proposal to spend $247 million to expand opportunities for students wanting to pursue careers in health care fields with legislation that was introduced later Monday afternoon. Along with a new medical college ...

More than a dozen high schools in northern Virginia have reported delays in notifying students of prestigious National Merit recognition. More than a dozen high schools in northern Virginia have reported delays in notifying students of prestigious National Merit recognition, as state officials investigate the growing controversy. The issue came to light last month, when several parents accused Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Fairfax County of not telling students they had received National Merit recognition to avoid upsetting others who had not. Parents picket about the merit controversy in Fairfax County, Virginia, on Jan. 14, 2023. WJLA School officials said they believed the delay was "a unique situation due to human error" and are investigating why notifications did not go out "in a timely manner" to those designated as commended students by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. Fairfax County Public Schools officials previously ...