http://www.thedefendersonline.com A civil rights blog promoting informed discourse on issues of race, justice, equality and democracy. Tue, 16 Mar 2010 04:01:07 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 en hourly 1 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/02/16/is-the-free-ride-over-for-nyc-students/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/02/16/is-the-free-ride-over-for-nyc-students/#comments Tue, 16 Feb 2010 21:08:58 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=12364 Doug Miller Richard Brodsky, the legislator who chairs the New York State Assembly’s committee overseeing the operations of the MTA, says that while its officials have a legitimate gripe about funding its operating budget, the agency is floating phony numbers in its threat to eliminate free and reduced fares for New York City school kids.]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/02/16/is-the-free-ride-over-for-nyc-students/feed/ 0 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/02/02/race-to-the-top-banking-on-charter-schools-to-save-the-failing-public-school-system/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/02/02/race-to-the-top-banking-on-charter-schools-to-save-the-failing-public-school-system/#comments Tue, 02 Feb 2010 22:28:49 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=12196 C. Nicole Mason Amid protest from parents and teachers, New York City’s Department of Education voted on January 27 to close 19 failing public schools. The closings come on the heels of a heated battle among state legislators to lift a ban limiting the number of charter schools in the state. The measure failed, but not without revealing a troubling trend around the country with regard to public education in states and cities—chasing dollars instead of what’s in the best interest of students.]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/02/02/race-to-the-top-banking-on-charter-schools-to-save-the-failing-public-school-system/feed/ 0 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/01/20/unequal-opportunity-and-whitewashed-resumes/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/01/20/unequal-opportunity-and-whitewashed-resumes/#comments Wed, 20 Jan 2010 20:06:38 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=11969 Khalil Gibran Muhammad "Education is the key to success. Knowledge is power." Wise words repeated countless times to young people at home and in school every single day. But what should we say to them if one day their hard work meets empty promises, if their dreams are deferred, or their first paycheck of material reward is marked insufficient funds.]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/01/20/unequal-opportunity-and-whitewashed-resumes/feed/ 1 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/01/15/if-you-learned-it-then-you-should-have-got-an-a-on-it/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/01/15/if-you-learned-it-then-you-should-have-got-an-a-on-it/#comments Fri, 15 Jan 2010 21:12:38 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=11847 TaRessa Stovall A clever response to Beyonce’s super-hit, Single Ladies, with the line, “If you like it, then you should have put a ring on it,” has inspired a group of young students from the Hope Christian School in Milwaukee to create their own version with a very different—and much more empowering—message.]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2010/01/15/if-you-learned-it-then-you-should-have-got-an-a-on-it/feed/ 7 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/12/04/chancellor-school-students-having-a-ball/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/12/04/chancellor-school-students-having-a-ball/#comments Fri, 04 Dec 2009 21:12:31 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=11412 Doug Miller The seventh-and eighth-graders were part of a nationwide art project involving 60 community groups and schools around the country that produced nearly 700 hand-decorated ornaments—red and gold balls—for the Obamas to hang on the White House tree.]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/12/04/chancellor-school-students-having-a-ball/feed/ 0 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/12/01/the-business-of-you-is-the-ivy-league-your-best-option/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/12/01/the-business-of-you-is-the-ivy-league-your-best-option/#comments Tue, 01 Dec 2009 20:57:48 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=11361 Jackie Jones For those who end up in the brand-name schools, Jeffrey Mazique has some advice. “If you go to an Ivy League, study as if you life depends on it. Expand your horizons and move outside your comfort zone and interact with all races and classes.”]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/12/01/the-business-of-you-is-the-ivy-league-your-best-option/feed/ 1 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/11/10/the-business-of-you-does-college-pay-off-for-black-students/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/11/10/the-business-of-you-does-college-pay-off-for-black-students/#comments Tue, 10 Nov 2009 20:51:41 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=11141 Jackie Jones “The question is whether or not you get your return on that investment in actual financial capital or some sort of human capital or emotional capital or social capital,” Boyce Watkins, a professor of finance at Syracuse University, told National Public Radio (NPR) in a recent interview. “The truth of the matter is that this blanket notion that going to college will guarantee you a better economic future is not always true.”]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/11/10/the-business-of-you-does-college-pay-off-for-black-students/feed/ 0 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/10/29/fathers-field-%e2%80%98studies%e2%80%99-and-failure-what-really-helps-black-kids-learn/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/10/29/fathers-field-%e2%80%98studies%e2%80%99-and-failure-what-really-helps-black-kids-learn/#comments Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:06:42 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=10995 TaRessa Stovall “Why don’t you guys study like the kids from Africa?” This is the question posed by a white male high school teacher to his “virtually all African-American” 12th grade English class, where not a single student raised their hand when asked if they have a father living at home.]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/10/29/fathers-field-%e2%80%98studies%e2%80%99-and-failure-what-really-helps-black-kids-learn/feed/ 1 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/10/13/fighting-for-clean-water-in-inner-city-schools/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/10/13/fighting-for-clean-water-in-inner-city-schools/#comments Tue, 13 Oct 2009 21:49:56 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=10794 Makani Themba-Nixon Many children of color are trapped in underfunded schools where parents must fight for the most basic of needs: lighting, bathroom doors, books and even water. Yes, water.]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/10/13/fighting-for-clean-water-in-inner-city-schools/feed/ 2 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/10/09/the-business-of-you-black-college-grads-need-extra-hustle-finesse-to-succeed/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/10/09/the-business-of-you-black-college-grads-need-extra-hustle-finesse-to-succeed/#comments Fri, 09 Oct 2009 21:38:50 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=10743 Jackie Jones Jobs can be found, but for black graduates that likely means going outside of their comfort zones, employment experts say.]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/10/09/the-business-of-you-black-college-grads-need-extra-hustle-finesse-to-succeed/feed/ 0 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/09/29/%e2%80%98clout-u-%e2%80%99-the-admissions-scandal-at-the-university-of-illinois/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/09/29/%e2%80%98clout-u-%e2%80%99-the-admissions-scandal-at-the-university-of-illinois/#comments Tue, 29 Sep 2009 21:17:54 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=10613 Lee A. Daniels Last May, the Chicago Tribune, began publishing dozens of articles on how the “clout” admissions game worked at the state’s flagship university. Those stories’ revelations were subsequently confirmed by the scathing report of a special committee of investigation chaired by Abner Mikva, the former Congressman and federal judge.]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/09/29/%e2%80%98clout-u-%e2%80%99-the-admissions-scandal-at-the-university-of-illinois/feed/ 0 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/09/24/news-in-education-from-around-the-nation-9/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/09/24/news-in-education-from-around-the-nation-9/#comments Thu, 24 Sep 2009 04:58:57 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=10568 Smita Ghosh Virginia City Considers Apology for School Segregation -- Westchester Lawmakers Put Off Vote on Historic Housing Desegregation Settlement -- TUSD: Discipline Colorblind -- Help with Aid Form Found to Boost College Attendance -- Latest Challenge in 'Race to Top': Find Review Team for Applicants -- National Standards: Has the Time Finally Come? -- N.Y.C. Charters Found to Close Gaps -- Study Finds Mayor Bloomberg's Boast on Graduation Rates Misleading -- A Political Swirl on Charter Schools.]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/09/24/news-in-education-from-around-the-nation-9/feed/ 1 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/09/21/news-in-education-from-around-the-nation-8/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/09/21/news-in-education-from-around-the-nation-8/#comments Tue, 22 Sep 2009 00:44:48 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=10504 Smita Ghosh Complaint Says Nonprofit Biased...Seattle Schools Moving Ahead with New Student-Assignment Plan...Williams Eyes Cuts in Busing, Return to Neighborhood Schools...Initiative Focuses on Early Learning Programs...Memphis City Schools Focus on Interventions to Help Students...Debate Simmers Over School Expulsions]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/09/21/news-in-education-from-around-the-nation-8/feed/ 0 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/09/08/the-real-lesson-about-obama%e2%80%99s-school-speech/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/09/08/the-real-lesson-about-obama%e2%80%99s-school-speech/#comments Tue, 08 Sep 2009 20:57:25 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=10321 Lee A. Daniels The bizarre claims about Obama’s motives for giving the speech made by some white politicos and parents in recent weeks never had anything to do with the substance of the President’s talk. They were aimed at President Obama himself.]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/09/08/the-real-lesson-about-obama%e2%80%99s-school-speech/feed/ 0 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/09/03/berkeley-school-diversity-lauded-as-national-model/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/09/03/berkeley-school-diversity-lauded-as-national-model/#comments Thu, 03 Sep 2009 21:22:29 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=10226 TaRessa Stovall Due to an innovative diversity effort that emphasizes where students come from rather than the color of their skin, most Berkeley, California, elementary schools are so well-integrated they may serve as a model for other schools around the nation.]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/09/03/berkeley-school-diversity-lauded-as-national-model/feed/ 0 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/08/17/federal-court-rules-university-of-texas-admissions-plan-is-constitutional/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/08/17/federal-court-rules-university-of-texas-admissions-plan-is-constitutional/#comments Tue, 18 Aug 2009 02:19:19 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=9880 The Editors A federal district judge Monday upheld the University of Texas at Austin’s use of race in its undergraduate admissions process, declaring that university officials had followed the diversity guidelines set by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2003.]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/08/17/federal-court-rules-university-of-texas-admissions-plan-is-constitutional/feed/ 0 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/07/22/news-in-education-from-around-the-nation-7/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/07/22/news-in-education-from-around-the-nation-7/#comments Wed, 22 Jul 2009 18:00:36 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=9354 Smith Ghosh District Court Judge revisits student assignment in Louisville… history of Virginia’s “massive resistance” to integration critically recounted… New Orleans parents discuss opposition to district’s desegregation plan… Massachusetts officials announce supportive charter school policy… Harvard researchers encourage regional charter schools to promote student integration… D.C. mayor reverses City Council decisions that would limit his control of education… New York City principal accuses charter schools of “dumping” challenged students.]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/07/22/news-in-education-from-around-the-nation-7/feed/ 0 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/07/13/ldf-wins-ballie-award-for-fighting-ballot-initiatives-against-affirmative-action/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/07/13/ldf-wins-ballie-award-for-fighting-ballot-initiatives-against-affirmative-action/#comments Mon, 13 Jul 2009 23:13:04 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=9096 Smita Ghosh The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund (LDF) was honored recently for its 2008 battle against deceptive anti-affirmative action ballot initiatives in five states.]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/07/13/ldf-wins-ballie-award-for-fighting-ballot-initiatives-against-affirmative-action/feed/ 0 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/06/25/supreme-court-ruling-undervalues-equal-educational-opportunity/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/06/25/supreme-court-ruling-undervalues-equal-educational-opportunity/#comments Fri, 26 Jun 2009 02:35:17 +0000 The Editors http://www.thedefendersonline.com/?p=8681 The Editors The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund (LDF), which had filed a friend-of-the-court brief in the case, said in a statement that the Court's action "is likely to make it more difficult for courts to provide meaningful and lasting remedies for clear violations of federal law."]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/06/25/supreme-court-ruling-undervalues-equal-educational-opportunity/feed/ 0 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/06/14/berkeley%e2%80%99s-plan-to-promote-diversity-in-the-schools-stands/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/06/14/berkeley%e2%80%99s-plan-to-promote-diversity-in-the-schools-stands/#comments Sun, 14 Jun 2009 04:06:54 +0000 The Editors http://thedefendersonline.com/?p=8316 The Editors On June 11th, 2009, the California Supreme Court decided not to review a case challenging the student assignment plan in Berkeley, California, which means that the California Appellate Court's March 17, 2009 decision upholding the plan stands.]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/06/14/berkeley%e2%80%99s-plan-to-promote-diversity-in-the-schools-stands/feed/ 0 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/06/03/news-in-education-from-around-the-nation-6/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/06/03/news-in-education-from-around-the-nation-6/#comments Wed, 03 Jun 2009 21:03:53 +0000 The Editors http://thedefendersonline.com/?p=7934 Smita Ghosh Education advocates skeptical about closure of Dallas magnet programs... Study finds correlation between black student population and exit of high-quality teachers... Texas legislature limits state's "top ten percent plan"... Education Secretary Arne Duncan struggles with plan to "make over" failing schools... Alaska opts out of national standards initiative... Georgian legislature cuts funds intended for poor schools... Boston Superintendent's decision to restrict charter busing may be illegal.]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/06/03/news-in-education-from-around-the-nation-6/feed/ 1 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/05/22/news-in-education-from-around-the-nation-5/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/05/22/news-in-education-from-around-the-nation-5/#comments Fri, 22 May 2009 17:24:10 +0000 The Editors http://thedefendersonline.com/?p=7642 Smita Ghosh Nashville residents are skeptical of district promises in new desegregation plan... Tennessee researchers find that state's schools remain "separate and unequal"... Missouri court hears arguments on wording of anti- affirmative action ballot initiative for 2010... The American Prospect advocates interdistrict transfer programs... Staten Island parents note lingering racial inequality in treatment in schools... California schools and districts brace for budget cuts... Troubling NAEP score analysis reveals stagnance of high school performance.]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/05/22/news-in-education-from-around-the-nation-5/feed/ 0 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/05/22/brown-v-board-of-education-the-unwitting-contribution-of-louis-armstrong/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/05/22/brown-v-board-of-education-the-unwitting-contribution-of-louis-armstrong/#comments Fri, 22 May 2009 17:04:16 +0000 The Editors http://thedefendersonline.com/?p=7631 Jill Broderick Charles Black was born September 22, 1915, in racist Austin, Texas, one of three children of a prominent lawyer. In 1931, as a 16-year-old freshman at the University of Texas at Austin, he happened to hear Louis Armstrong play.]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/05/22/brown-v-board-of-education-the-unwitting-contribution-of-louis-armstrong/feed/ 0 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/05/15/news-in-education-from-around-the-nation-4/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/05/15/news-in-education-from-around-the-nation-4/#comments Fri, 15 May 2009 18:32:21 +0000 The Editors http://thedefendersonline.com/?p=7276 Smith Ghosh Louisville, KY, pursues its socio-economic integration plan amidst parent opposition... A Boston coalition forms to oppose the Superintendent's neighborhood schools plan... Detroit schools embrace various reforms... Civil rights advocates testify on the achievement gap in high schools... D.C.'s voucher program picks up surprising allies... Spellings, Booker and Klein weigh in on education policy developments]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/05/15/news-in-education-from-around-the-nation-4/feed/ 0 http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/05/15/troubling-link-between-education-and-health/ http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/05/15/troubling-link-between-education-and-health/#comments Fri, 15 May 2009 16:29:00 +0000 The Editors http://thedefendersonline.com/?p=7242 Smita Ghosh Graduation from high school and college may lead to better overall health. A May 6 report from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Commission to Build a Healthier America found a strong and troubling correlation between educational attainment and health.]]> http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/05/15/troubling-link-between-education-and-health/feed/ 1