Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Continues legacy of leadership
DEFENDER NEWS NETWORK — “We’re unique men who feel the need to help others. Our constant goal is to make sure mankind is doing better,” said Jeffery Williams, who serves as the Life Membership Board Regional Director for the Ninth District (Omega chapters in Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas).
read moreKamala Harris helps get millions for HBCUs
DEFENDER NEWS NETWORK — California Democratic Senator Kamala Harris knows that higher learning at the nation’s historically Black colleges and universities requires higher funding. Harris has been a longtime advocate for HBCUs, helping to push through a funding increase that would put millions into these schools.
read moreThe ‘March for Our Lives’: A Timeline of Photos, Videos, and Tweets
At Saturday’s March for Our Lives, survivors of last month’s Parkland, Fla., school shooting will join an expected half a million people to protest against gun violence and call for more restrictive gun laws
read moreRep. Sargent (Recycled) Statement on Assembly Republicans’ Refusal to Adopt Universal Background Checks in Wisconsin — Again
MILWAUKEE COURIER — A month ago Assembly Democrats attempted to pass Assembly Bill 65, a bill introduced by State Representative Terese Berceau (D-Madison) requiring universal background checks on firearm purchases in Wisconsin. Democratic efforts then were stymied by Assembly Republicans who, refusing to vote on background checks for gun purchases, instead pulled several procedural stunts, and ultimately gutted Democrats’ universal background check proposal.
read moreCOMMENTARY: Dear Betsy DeVos, Don’t Bring Back Discrimination in School Discipline – Education Week
“The reality is, many American schools have a problem: separate and unequal discipline practices that discriminate on the basis of race. We know from careful investigations we oversaw at the departments of Justice and Education that children of color and those with disabilities often receive harsher disciplinary interventions than their white and nondisabled counterparts—for the same offenses. In one investigation, school staff could not identify nondiscriminatory reasons for racially different disciplinary treatment of students in more than a quarter of the files investigated…”
read moreCOMMENTARY: Whites comprise nation’s highest number of teachers
MINNESOTA SPOKESMAN RECORDER — “My hoodie was an act of silent dissent. Today, I completely understand when my students want to do the same, even with me in front of the room. Academia and public schools are spaces where people of color often feel underrepresented, unwelcome and unheard…”
read moreSecretary of State Ruth Johnson makes Reading Month visits to two Davison schools
Secretary of State Ruth Johnson visited two elementary schools in Davison today in observance of National Reading Month to talk about the importance of having strong reading skills.
read moreMAKING A DIFFERENCE: 826LA helps local student writers become published
LOS ANGELES WAVE NEWSPAPER — Through its numerous free programs, more than 9,000 economically disadvantaged students in L.A. are taught how to write everything from poems, chapbooks and short films to stories, magazines and comic books during its weekend workshops.
read moreVIDEO: Secretary Johnson makes Reading Month visits to Grand Blanc, Swartz Creek schools
Secretary of State Ruth Johnson visited elementary schools in Grand Blanc and Swartz Creek today in observance of National Reading Month to talk about the importance of having strong reading skills.
read moreTorlakson Speaks at 2018 CABE Conference
Torlakson will speak at an awards ceremony and open the general session where he will unveil the release of the California English Learner Roadmap Guidance document which will support districts in strengthening comprehensive policies, programs, and practices for English learners. He will also join a roundtable with Mexico officials including state of Baja California Education Secretary Miguel Ángel Mendoza.
read moreThe ‘kindness team’ at Dr. Michael Conti School – PS 5 receives AASL Roald Dahl Miss Honey Social Justice Award
CHICAGO – Mike Havener, school librarian for Springfield (Illinois) High School, is the recipient of the 2018 American Association of School Librarians’ (AASL) Ruth Toor Grant for Strong Public School Libraries. Sponsored by Jay Toor, the grant provides $3,000 in funding for the creation and implementation of a local public awareness/marketing campaign that promotes and positions the school library as a necessary resource in the community.
read moreHISD Board of Education names Chief Academic Officer Grenita Lathan as acting Superintendent
AFRICAN AMERICAN NEWS & ISSUES — The Houston Independent School District Board of Education unanimously voted to name Chief Academic Officer Grenita Lathan as interim superintendent of the state
read moreSupport Staff of DISD Urges School Board for Wage Increase
NORTH DALLAS GAZETTE — “In many cases, these employees are single parents with children who attend schools, here in DISD, when we consider paying DISD employees a livable wage we must consider both the employees and the example we are setting for other districts to model,” Washington said.”
read moreOakland Students Head to D.C. for “March for Our Lives” Demonstration
OAKLAND POST — A group of nine young leaders from East Bay schools, organized and led by Regina Jackson of East Oakland Youth Development Center (EOYDC), will participate in the “March for Our Lives” demonstration for an end to gun violence Saturday in Washington, D.C.
read moreLeVar Burton: America has sold its soul to special interests, and the Parkland students know it
CHICAGO CRUSADER — I believe that it is possible that, in the annals of time — should our republic survive this period in history — America will be revealed to be the hollow, shallow shell of what the experiment was meant to be. The kids from Parkland, Florida are proving that it was and should always be the government of the people, by the people, for the people, and not the people with the most money.
read moreSecretary DeVos Forms School Safety Commission
U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos today announced new details on the Federal Commission on School Safety the President appointed her to chair. The Commission has been charged with quickly providing meaningful and actionable recommendations to keep students safe at school.
read moreNorth Charleston Presents Interactive STEAM-based Children’s Theatre Performance April 12
THE CHRONICLE — The City of North Charleston’s Cultural Arts Department is pleased to offer a highly interactive Children’s Theatre performance at the North Charleston Performing Arts Center from 10:00-11:00am on Thursday, April 12, 2018. Savannah based theatre group The Story Ship will present The Great Pirate Race, a math-based “game show.” The program is best suited for grades pre-K to 6. Schools, daycares, community groups, families, and individuals are welcome to attend. Tickets are $2 per child with accompanying adults admitted at no charge. Parking is free.
read moreParents, Black Publishers Discuss Excellence in Public Education During Black Press Week
THE MADISON TIMES — Educators and education experts discussed parental engagement, equity in education and teacher diversity, during a special breakfast session for the NNPA’s Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Public Awareness Campaign in Washington, D.C.
read moreNNPA TORCH AWARDS HONOR ICONS DURING BLACK PRESS WEEK 2018
DALLAS POST TRIBUNE — Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), James Farmer of General Motors, and Rev. Dr. Amos C. Brown, a student of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and pastor of the Third Baptist Church of San Francisco took home the coveted trophies which are bestowed upon those who demonstrate excellence in their chosen profession or endeavor.
read moreProtestors At ‘March For Our Lives’ Rally Push For Additional Gun Control
An estimated several hundred thousand protesters gathered in Washington DC and in cities across the United States on Saturday to push for additional gun control legislation. At the demonstration in the nation’s capitol, a dozen celebrities were in attendance and several — Miley Cyrus, Ariana Grande, and Demi Lovato — took the main stage to perform.
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