Affirmative Action & Equal Opportunities
August 4, 2017 – Here’s our weekly roundup of education news you may have missed. Debates over affirmative action dominate higher ed headlines. Both homelessness and equity need addressing in K-12, say advocates.
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Elementary & Secondary Education:
- “Japan ranks highly among its peers in providing its rich and poor students with equal educational opportunities,” writes The Atlantic. The country’s methods for distributing funds and assigning teachers to schools stand in contrast to the systemic segregation in the United States Vox describes.
- An estimated 1.3 million students are homeless. Education Week reports that this will be the first year that public schools are required to report on their achievement and graduation rates.
Higher Education:
- The New York Times breaks the story that the Department of Justice is planning to shift resources toward “investigating and suing universities over affirmative action admissions policies.” The Chronicle of Higher Education unpacks several misconceptions about bias and race-conscious admissions.
- Inside Higher Ed summarizes the findings of a new study from the Urban Institute: “13 percent of students at community colleges experienced food insecurity in 2015.” In a Medium post, Professors Sara Goldrick-Rab and Katharine M. Broton explain why the actual rate of food insecurity may be even higher.
Cooke Foundation Highlights:
- Three Cooke Scholars share their stories in Diverse: Issues in Higher Education. Ryan Liu, Sarah Kashef, and Shrochis Karki describe their academic journeys and how they are making an impact in areas including global health and educational access.
- The Los Angeles Times cites our “True Merit” research in its editorial on discriminatory college admissions practices.
- At William & Mary, Camp Launch is underway. This residential summer program, originally funded by the Cooke Foundation, allows gifted middle school students from families with financial need to explore STEM on a college campus.
Social Media Spotlight: