| How Do You End Racism? Start a Conversation Posted: 17 Jun 2016 05:05 PM PDT  Nine people shot and killed by a white supremacist in a church in Charleston, South Carolina. Could the ingrained racial prejudice that led to these deaths—and that drives discrimination everywhere, from the Airbnb rental market to America's public schools—end if people from different backgrounds started talking and listening to each other? In the aftermath of Gray's death, the Baltimore-based workshops have become a vehicle for healing.
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| No food, no teachers, violence in failing Venezuela schools Posted: 17 Jun 2016 12:36 PM PDT  CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Maria Arias slipped her notebooks into her backpack, scrounged for a banana to share with her brother and sister, and set off for high school through narrow streets so violent taxis will not come here for any price. She hoped at least one of her teachers would show up.
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| UVA grad sues education officials over sexual assault policy Posted: 17 Jun 2016 06:45 AM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — A former University of Virginia law student disciplined for sexual misconduct is suing the Department of Education over the way colleges evaluate allegations of sexual assault on campus. |
| Tens of thousands sign petition to stop Australian girl from getting bullied Posted: 16 Jun 2016 08:05 PM PDT  The Internet doesn't like bullies. Neither does Tayla Sekhmet. That is why the 13-year-old from Dysart State High School in Queensland, Australia, alongside her mother Kali, created a petition on Change.org to get her school to do something about it. SEE ALSO: 4 myths that will change how you define bullying "I'm the most unpopular kid at school and people make my life a living hell," Tayla writes in the petition. "Every day people call me fatso, weirdo, ugly, freak, and tell me I should kill myself. I've been pushed to the ground, had people go through my bag, or break my scooter when I rode it to school. Even people in other grades who I don't know do these things to me too." The student claims that the school hasn't done anything to alleviate the situation, despite repeated complaints, calls and meetings. "I have told teachers many times, my mum has called the school, and I have had school meetings," she wrote. "None of this is helping. I've been told to just ignore these people, but I can't take it anymore. I don't know what else to do or where else to go for help." As of Friday morning, the petition, which launched on Monday, has collected more than 41,000 signatures. Tayla wrote that she would show the signatures to "my school and the Government to show them other people want to take a stand against bullying." A spokesperson from the Queensland Department of Education told Mashable Australia via email that bullying is "not tolerated" in their schools. "Any situation that threatens the safety and wellbeing of students and teachers is treated seriously, and dealt with as a matter of urgent priority," the spokesperson said. "The school has been working closely with the family for some time to resolve their concerns ... The principal is happy to meet with the family at any time if they have ongoing concerns." 'There needs to be a better policy' Kali told the Brisbane Times that Tayla has been bullied since she started at the school and that she understands not everyone has a great time at school, but the language being used by students is "full on." The petition also aims to help other victims of bullying. "There needs to be a better policy from the education department for dealing with bullying," Kali said. SEE ALSO: This text line is helping teens talk about mental health without saying a word In an update on the petition Friday, Kali wrote that her daughter Tayla "cried" upon reading the comments of support. "She couldn't believe that so many people could care about —in her words — 'a insignificant freak like me,'" Kali wrote. "I know that you are all random strangers on the internet and we will never meet, but thank you from the bottom of my heart for signing this petition, because you have changed my daughter's life forever."
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| Obama’s Student Loan Writeoff Posted: 16 Jun 2016 04:17 PM PDT In its final months the Obama Administration is accelerating rule by regulation. Behold the sweeping "borrower defense" rule it proposed this week that targets for-profit colleges while creating large-scale student debt relief and enriching the plaintiffs bar. Last summer the Education Department established a "negotiated rulemaking committee" to clarify an obscure provision in the Higher Education Act of 1965 that authorizes the Secretary to discharge student loans based on "acts or omissions of an institution of higher education." The committee failed to reach a consensus, so the White House is now rewriting the law wholesale. |
| Big Perks for College Presidents Posted: 16 Jun 2016 11:25 AM PDT Salaries of college and university presidents have been escalating for years to the consternation of students and their parents, who are shouldering rising tuition and debt. Contracts obtained for a new academic study and reviewed by The Wall Street Journal offer a rare glimpse into these presidential compensation packages. Highlights include guarantees to make presidents the most well paid professor on campus after they leave office, six-figure annual retention bonuses, $500,000 sabbaticals and a second contract—and paycheck—for spouses. |
