 Dear reader,
This week, Hechinger’s Tara García Mathewson takes us deep inside a Mississippi school district to look at an issue that dates back to the colonial period, and has been debated for nearly as long: corporal punishment. García Mathewson found that the practice perpetuates in part because some schools present it as an alternative to suspension – and parents, faced with the prospect of missed learning time and a scramble for child care, opt for the faster, physical discipline and a return to class.
Another longstanding debate we’ve been reporting on this year involves the value and quality of free pre-K, a topic that’s getting renewed scrutiny after a Tennessee study found some state programs are of such low quality that some students do better without preschool. Columnist Jill Barshay takes a look at new research out of New York City, which expanded free pre-K to all four-year-olds in 2014. Turns out, low-income students are learning in classrooms that are of notably lower quality than those of high-income children.
This week, we also look at the implications of fascinating research on how girls are steered away from science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM fields, as early as elementary school, with the belief that boys are more interested in such topics. And we report on some promising news for historically Black colleges: In their search for a more diverse workforce, some of our nation’s largest employers are descending on HBCUs to recruit workers, while forming new collaborations and underwriting courses, programs and technology.
And don’t miss the latest on our opinion pages, where a graduate student who will soon become a teacher argues that it’s long past time to do a better job of teaching Asian American history and culture in the U.S. We hope you enjoy this newsletter and will let others know to sign up. As always, we love to hear from our readers.
Liz Willen, Editor
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