Plus, special ed students left out of dual-language programs

This is a weekly newsletter. Sign up ([link removed]) for a free subscription. And invite a friend to subscribe by sharing that link!

Support for this newsletter comes from:
[link removed]

A newsletter from The Hechinger Report

By Liz Willen

June 6, 2023

Dear reader,

Disputes over what teachers can teach and what books students can read have long dominated headlines and education discussions. That's why this week, we take a deep look inside Florida’s Sarasota County ([link removed]) , which has become an “underground lab” for some hard-right education policies. In her piece, co-published in Vanity Fair, reporter Kathryn Joyce explores the transformation of a high-flying school district into one overrun by politics. The superintendent was ousted and the school board has been fighting over book bans, “woke audits,” anti-LGBTQ+ policies and much more, contributing to staffing and hiring challenges, a budding exodus of left-leaning people from the county and fears that destroying public education is the ultimate endgame.

Also, as part of our coverage of the upcoming U.S. Supreme Court decision on affirmative action, we have an extensive interview ([link removed]) with Michael Wang, who became the poster child for the fight against race-conscious admissions policies. Now he says “a part of me regrets what I’ve put forward,” in a story that also ran with our partners at USA Today.

In Boston, The Hechinger Report’s Tara García Mathewson reported on the many obstacles students with disabilities face when it comes to accessing bilingual language programs, in a scathing story ([link removed]) that also ran in The Boston Globe. Tara also took home an Education Writers Association news writing award (small newsrooms) last week in Atlanta, for her deep reporting on the continued use ([link removed]) of corporal punishment in Mississippi schools. The Hechinger Report also won in the feature category (small newsrooms) for a heart-wrenching look ([link removed]) at the first modern public elementary school to have hosted a long-term,
overnight family shelter.

Enjoy these stories and keep in mind that we love to hear feedback and ideas from our readers, so stay in touch. And please, remind others to sign up ([link removed]) for our newsletters and become a member ([link removed]) so we can continue to do this important work.

Liz Willen, Editor

Was this newsletter forwarded to you?
Click here to subscribe! ([link removed])
 


** Main Idea
------------------------------------------------------------

Inside Florida’s ‘underground lab’ for far-right education policies ([link removed])

In Sarasota County, as school board members battle over book bans, character education, attacks on LGBTQ+ individuals and ‘woke audits,’ students feel like ‘non-consenting lab rats’
 
 


** Reading List
------------------------------------------------------------

Michael Wang became a poster child for protesting affirmative action. Now he says he never meant for it to be abolished ([link removed])

As the Supreme Court considers banning race-conscious admissions policies, Wang reconsiders what his endorsement meant

Students with disabilities often left out of popular ‘dual-language’ programs ([link removed])

Advocates say it’s both a missed opportunity and discrimination

PROOF POINTS: How important was your favorite teacher to your success? Researchers have done the math ([link removed])

A study finds significantly higher college going rates for students who cultivated mentors in high school

OPINION: No matter how the Supreme Court decides on affirmative action, colleges must do a better job of helping all students feel welcome ([link removed])

Strategies for a more inclusive college experience will matter more than ever if colleges can no longer consider race as a factor in admissions

My trip to the Alien Zoo: a virtual Biology 101 class ([link removed])

Dreamscape Learn and Arizona State have created new virtual reality science classes

TEACHER VOICE: Calculus is a roadblock for too many students; let’s teach statistics instead ([link removed])

Students who struggle with abstract math are effectively barred from pursuing degrees that offer a potentially high starting salary, and that’s wrong

Early Childhood: How to bring more nature into preschool ([link removed])

Many children lack access to nature and its many benefits

Support for this newsletter comes from:
[link removed]
 

You made it to the bottom of this free email. Will you support our nonprofit newsroom with a gift?

Donate

Give today ([link removed]) to make this message go away.

This email was sent to [email protected] (mailto:[email protected])
why did I get this? ([link removed]) unsubscribe from this list ([link removed]) update subscription preferences ([link removed])
The Hechinger Report . 525 W 120th Street . Suite 127 . New York, NY 10027 . USA