News

Buzz Bissinger blasts Mason City schools’ ban of his ‘Friday Night Lights’

Wednesday, August 16th, 2023

via The Gazette (Iowa)

Mason City relied on AI in banning of 19 renowned books, including Buzz Bissinger's bestseller about a high school football team and the world in which it lived.

Racism

Arkansas joins Florida in nixing AP African American Studies

Wednesday, August 16th, 2023

via The Kansas City Star (Kansas)

Arkansas is joining Florida in nixing the AP African American Studies course from its schools. The state announced right before classes began for the 2023-2024 school year that AP African American Studies would not count for credit toward high school graduation. 'On this first day of school, we share in their surprise, confusion, and disappointment...

Racism

Retiring as director of Madison Public Library, Greg Mickells reflects on 11 years of changes big and small

Wednesday, August 16th, 2023

via Madison.com (Wisconsin)

"Libraries are becoming this center in the communities ... to address a lot of the social issues that communities experience," Mickells said.

LGBTQ+, Book Bans, School Board – General, Racism

You must hear ‘Bible Belt,’ a song by Houston-born Lou Ridley that recounts her ‘religious trauma’

Wednesday, August 16th, 2023

via Houston Chronicle (Texas)

'If you're tired of country songs about trucks by men who hate us this is for you,'

Racism

Little Rock School District will pay African American Studies exam expense

Wednesday, August 16th, 2023

via Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Inc. (Arkansas)

'LRSD has taken a proactive step to recognize the importance of diversity and inclusivity in our curriculum,' the Little Rock School District said in a news release.

Racism

Southwest Allen County Schools board OKs work with FAIR on diversity, inclusion efforts

Wednesday, August 16th, 2023

via The Journal Gazette (Indiana)

Southwest Allen County Schools will begin listening sessions to address diversity and inclusion issues as early as October now that the board has unanimously agreed to work with the Foundation

Racism

Florida students and professors say a new law censors academic freedom. They’re suing to stop it

Tuesday, August 15th, 2023

via The Seattle Times (Washington)

College students and professors in Florida are suing over a new law that they say censors academic freedom.

Racism

Florida students and professors say law censors academic freedom; they’re suing to stop it

Tuesday, August 15th, 2023

via Las Vegas Sun (Nevada)

College students and professors in Florida are suing education officials over a new law spurred by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis' war on 'woke," saying it violates their constitutional rights by…

Racism

Arkansas says AP African American Studies is ‘indoctrination,’ students can’t earn credit

Tuesday, August 15th, 2023

via Lohud (New York)

As the school year began across the state, the Arkansas education department said students who take the course could not earn high school credit for it.

Racism

A year ago, an Iranian woman’s death sparked hijab protests. Now businesses are a new battleground

Tuesday, August 15th, 2023

via Madison.com (Wisconsin)

Iranian authorities have for months done little to enforce the law on women wearing the mandatory headscarf, but now the country's theocracy is pushing to make businesses the new battleground over the…

Parent Involvement, Racism, School Board – General

AP African American studies canceled by Arkansas officials just before school begins

Tuesday, August 15th, 2023

via abc7NY (New Jersey)

College Board's AP African American studies has been canceled by the Arkansas Department of Education just before the school year started.

Racism

A new Florida law censors courses, New College group alleges in federal lawsuit

Tuesday, August 15th, 2023

via Sun Sentinel (Florida)

Alleging that numerous courses and topics will be prohibited or 'severely curtailed' by a new state law, a group that opposes Gov. Ron DeSantis' efforts to remake New College of Florida filed a fed…

Racism

New College group sues Florida, says law censors courses

Tuesday, August 15th, 2023

via Orlando Sentinel (Florida)

Alleging that numerous courses and topics will be prohibited or 'severely curtailed' by a new state law, a group that opposes Gov. Ron DeSantis' efforts to remake New College of Florida filed a federal lawsuit Monday challenging the statute.

Racism

Up for debate: Trump, DeSantis, and 2024 GOP hopefuls’ stances on education

Tuesday, August 15th, 2023

via Washington Examiner (District of Columbia)

The first Republican presidential debate is fast approaching on Aug. 23, when candidates will hope to close the gap on former President Donald Trump and separate from the rest of the pack. In this series, Up For Debate, the Washington Examiner will look at a key issue or policy every day up until…

Parent Involvement, Racism

Oliva defends removing code for African American studies

Tuesday, August 15th, 2023

via Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Inc. (Arkansas)

Arkansas Department of Education Secretary Jacob Oliva said Monday that the agency removed an African American studies class from its course code listings because it didn't meet "rules that have long…

Racism, School Board – General

Global monitoring networks, some of them taxpayer-funded, suppress conservative news media

Monday, August 14th, 2023

via The Washington Times, LLC (District of Columbia)

Conservative media outlets and journalists are fighting against a network of organizations that have worked to kill their advertising revenue by slapping them with misinformation labels.

Racism

In Seattle, test scores lag but opportunities align to help Black male students

Monday, August 14th, 2023

via The Seattle Times (Washington)

As part of a Seattle Public Schools initiative to make the system work better for students of color, some students are doing summer internships this year.

Racism

Fact check: Kamala Harris says some states have tried to ‘ban teaching Latino and Hispanic history’

Monday, August 14th, 2023

via Houston Chronicle (Texas)

The vice president made the claim during a speech in Florida, where she said the...

Racism

Excuses and diversions, but still no official explanation for dropping AP African American Studies

Sunday, August 13th, 2023

via Arkansas Times (Arkansas)

The Arkansas Department of Education's delay in explaining its 11th hour maneuver to cull AP African American Studies from its list of recognized course offerings created an information vacuum. Public…

Racism