Math for America
Math for America (MƒA) is a nonprofit organization with a mission to improve mathematics education in US public secondary schools by recruiting, training and retaining outstanding mathematics teachers. Founded in New York City in 2004, MƒA also has sites located in Berkeley, Boston, Los Angeles, San Diego, Utah and Washington, DC. MƒA offers Fellowship programs [...]
Boise School District, ID
Idaho’s most diverse and widely recognized school district welcomes interest from teachers in all grades and instructional areas. With an enrollment of 25,000 students, Boise School District is the second largest district in Idaho. BSD provides teachers with access to valuable resources and opportunities, including professional development, peer assistance, and competitive salary and benefits. Our educational program offerings include: Dual [...]
Brainwashed: Challenging the Myth of Black Inferiority Book Review 03/10/10
Brainwashed: Challenging the Myth of Black Inferiority by Tom Burrell Smiley Books Paperback, $15.95 310 pages, Illustrated ISBN: 978-1-4019-2592-5 Book Review by Kam Williams “These pages examine the roots of why, more than 140 years after the Emancipation Proclamation, so many of us still think like slaves… In Brainwashed, we will question why we still [...]
3 US teachers removed over choice of black heroes 03/10/10
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Three Los Angeles elementary school teachers accused of giving children portraits of O.J. Simpson, Dennis Rodman and RuPaul to carry in a Black History Month parade have been removed from their classrooms, a school district spokeswoman said Wednesday. Children from other classes at the school displayed photos of more appropriate black [...]
Survey: Mich. school districts bracing for layoffs 3/10/10
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — School districts will lay off more teachers, reduce bus service and trim support for sports next academic year unless Michigan shores up its education funding system, an advocacy group said Monday. A coalition of education groups called Save our Students, Schools and State says schools would be forced to make their [...]
Quip strikes racial chord in NC school debate 3/10/10
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The debate over halting a policy that diversifies schools in a North Carolina county is turning strident with accusations of racism. Officials with the North Carolina NAACP filed a complaint Friday against the Wake County school board, arguing that a comment by its chairman referring to opponents of the policy as [...]
In Ruined Haiti Schools, Educators See Opportunity 3/3/10
Children sit in a makeshift schoolroom organized by Israeli and Haitian volunteers in a camp for homeless earthquake survivors in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, last month. Most schools in Haiti remain closed after the devastating Jan. 12 earthquake, with tens of thousands of children living in increasingly squalid encampments.—Ramon Espinosa/AP By The Associated Press Port-Au-Prince, Haiti After seven [...]
Obama Seeks Money, Interventions to Stem Dropouts 3/3/10
President Barack Obama addresses the crowd during The America’s Promise Alliance Education event at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce on March 1 in Washington. The president took aim at the nation’s school dropout epidemic, proposing $900 million to states and education districts that agree to drastically change or even shutter their worst performing schools.—Charles Dharapak/AP [...]
Visionary Chris Hedges Issues Dire Warning about America’s Impending Demise in Lecture at The College of New Jersey by Kam Williams 3/3/10
Pulitzer Prize-winner Chris Hedges is the author of nine insightful assessments of American culture astutely deconstructing the state of the union from a variety of angles, perhaps most notably, “War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning,” “American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War on America, “and his latest opus, “Empire of Illusion: The [...]
KIPP Schools, USA
KIPP is a national network of 82 public charter schools in underserved communities, serving more than 21,000 students in prekindergarten through twelfth grade. More than 80 percent of KIPP students are from low-income communities, and more than 90 percent are African American or Latino. Nationally, over 85 percent of KIPP alumni who have completed eighth [...]
Toe to Toe Film Review by Kam Williams 2/25/10
Coeds Lock Horns and Lacrosse Sticks in Cross-Cultural Drama For my money, the British flick Fish Tank was easily the best movie released in the first month of 2010. And if I were handing out another accolade for February, that would have to go to this compelling, super-realistic indie, a character-driven affair written and directed [...]
The Providence Effect TV Review by Kam Williams 2/25/10
Inspirational Documentary about Chicago Prep School Set to Air on TV One Paul J. Adams, III was the principal of Providence St. Mel, a parochial school in an impoverished section of Chicago, when he was informed by the Catholic diocese of its plans to close the institution. Instead of updating his resume’ to look for [...]
The New Jim Crow: Book Review 2/25/10
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness By Michelle Alexander The New Press Hardcover, $27.95 304 pages ISBN: 978-1-59558-103-7 Book Review by Kam Williams “Precisely how the system of mass incarceration works to trap African-Americans in a virtual (and literal) cage can best be understood by viewing the system as a [...]
Obama prods states to raise academic standards 02/25/10
Obama prods states to raise academic standards WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama wants to rewrite federal education law by sending aid for poor students only to states that adopt new standards to prepare high school graduates for college or a career. States that fail to raise the bar could lose their share of federal [...]
Plan to Fire All its Teachers Roils R.I. City 02/25/10
Central Falls High School math teacher and assistant volleyball coach Jorge Torres, second from right, is comforted by one of his players, sophomore Sasha Gonzalez, far right, after teachers’ names were called to be terminated during a school committee meeting on Feb. 23 in Central Falls, R.I.—Butch Adams/The Pawtucket Times/AP By The Associated Press Central Falls, [...]
L.A. School District Sued Over Teacher Layoffs 2/25/10
L.A. School District Sued Over Teacher Layoffs By The Associated Press Los Angeles Civil rights groups sued the Los Angeles Unified School District and the state on Wednesday, claiming thousands of teacher layoffs will deprive inner-city children of their right to an education. The budget-cutting dismissal of 2,100 permanent teachers last year disproportionately affected three schools [...]
The Haiti Relief Effort Interview with Soledad O’Brien 2/17/10
Soledad O’Brien The Haiti Relief Effort Interview with Kam Williams Soledad’s Eyewitness Report on the Haitian Relief Effort In the wake of the Haitian earthquake, CNN’s Soledad O’Brien rushed to the region to deliver the same sort of high-quality, eyewitness coverage that she has dependably broadcast in the past on location after location from such [...]
Indian ashram teaches poor girls to think big 2/17/10
DEHRADUN, India (AP) — In the pre-dawn fog of winter, a gong peals once and girls wrapped in shawls and head scarves emerge from their dormitories to attend Hindu prayers. A fire is lit as their young voices chant ancient Sanskrit verses. Lying in the foothills of the Himalayas, the Akhil Bharatiya Mahila Ashram is [...]
Lawmakers Debate N.M. Hispanic Education Act 2/17/10
By The Associated Press Santa Fe, N.M. The Senate, for the second time, debated legislation aimed at closing an achievement gap for New Mexico Hispanic students, improving their high school graduation rates and getting more of them to college. The Senate passed the House bill 25-13 on Wednesday after amending it to add language that would [...]
NJ’s poor urban schools hit hard by cuts 2/17/10
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Some of New Jersey’s poorest urban school districts stand to lose the most money under Gov. Chris Christie’s plan to cut $475 million in school aid. But suburban districts will lose the greatest percent of their state aid overall. An Associated Press analysis of the cuts found, on average, schools will [...]
Haitian Children Begin Enrolling in U.S. Schools 02/17/10
Haitian Children Begin Enrolling in U.S. Schools Garvey Fils-Aime, right, sits with a student tutor during class last week at the Silver Shores Elementary School in Miramar, Fla. Fils-Aime survived the earthquake in Haiti and is one of hundreds of Haitian citizens enrolled in South Florida public schools.—Hans Deryk/AP By The Associated Press Miramar, Fla. Some [...]
Jamie Foxx delivers music, instruments to kids 2/17/10
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Jamie Foxx wanted to entertain a group of musically inclined high school students with a few bars from his Grammy winning hit, “Blame It.” But since the song is an ode to the effects of alcohol, he changed the lyrics to “Blame it on the a-a-a-apple juice.” The kids roared. “I [...]
Philadelphia’s EduCon Promotes Innovative Teaching 2/17/10
By The Associated Press Philadelphia EduCon 2.2 was no ordinary assemblage of people from around the country involved in education. Consider that last month’s conference was conducted by the Philadelphia School District’s Science Leadership Academy, and held in its classroom building. Forget about yawn-inspiring presentations — these sessions featured rousing conversations blending realism with innovative idealism. [...]
University School of Nashville, TN
University School of Nashville is a K-12, independent, co-educational, non-sectarian day school established in 1975 as the successor to Peabody Demonstration School. Its enrollment is 1,022; 27% are students of color, and 17% are students from international families, representing 45 countries. Our location sets us apart: the main campus sits in the midtown university neighborhood [...]
Grossmont Union High School District, CA
GUHSD is located just minutes from the junction of I-8/I-15. We are comprised of 11 comprehensive high schools (two of which are independent charter schools), one continuation school, alternative and special education programs that reflect the rich diversity of East County. The GUHSD provides a myriad of career options. Each school varies in size, [...]
Gates Foundation gives Atlanta schools $10 million 02/03/10
ATLANTA (AP) — Atlanta Public Schools has received a $10 million from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to help continue a program designed to attract and retain high quality teachers. Atlanta Superintendent Beverly Hall said the three-year grant will help the district establish a better way to evaluate and support teachers. In the past, [...]
Union, NAACP Sue Over N.Y.C. School Closings 02/03/10
By The Associated Press New York The teachers union and the NAACP have filed a lawsuit that seeks to block the closing of 19 low-performing New York City schools. The union said the plan to close the schools violates state law because it fails to consider the impact of the closings on the community. New York [...]
Obama would overhaul No Child Left Behind 02/03/10
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is proposing to overhaul the No Child Left Behind education law, replacing the school accountability system that has slapped a failing label on more than a third of schools, including many that made big gains but just missed their annual targets. No Child Left Behind prods schools to improve [...]
Colo. lawmaker backs off Indian tuition plan 01/26/10
DENVER (AP) — A Colorado lawmaker who suggested changing a waiver for American Indian students at Fort Lewis College said Friday she will kill the bill on Monday, but she insisted her measure would not have hurt Native American students. Democratic Rep. Karen Middleton of Aurora sponsored a bill to have cut $1.8 million from [...]
SD names new Indian education director 01/26/10
PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — The South Dakota Department of Education has named a new state director of Indian education. LuAnn Werdel, of Chadron, Neb., is an enrolled member of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Sioux Tribe. She holds a master’s degree in educational administration and curriculum from the University of Oklahoma. She begins her duties Monday, replacing Stuart [...]
John Legend helps shine Sundance light on schools 01/26/10
PARK CITY, Utah (AP) — A convenient truth greeted John Legend when the singer contacted documentary director Davis Guggenheim about collaborating on a film to examine the nation’s public-school system. Legend had been working with the hip-hop group the Roots on an album exploring 1960s and ’70s music, which led to a discussion about the [...]
Phila. High School Grapples With Racial Bullying 01/26/10
By The Associated Press Philadelphia The blocks surrounding South Philadelphia High School are a melting pot of pizzerias fronted by Italian flags, African hair-braiding salons and a growing number of Chinese, Vietnamese and Indonesian restaurants. Inside is a cauldron of cultural discontent that erupted in violence last month — off-campus and lunchroom attacks on about 50 [...]
Bill Cosby Delivers Message To Annual Rainbow Push Conference 01/22/10
The Reverend Jesse Jackson almost never gets upstaged and I had never seen the Reverend Jesse Louis Jackson cry in public until last month. Jackson invited Bill Cosby to the annual Rainbow / PUSH conference for a conversation about the controversial remarks the entertainer offered on May 17 at an NAACP dinner in Washington, D.C. [...]
Bill Cosby’s Message to Annual Rainbow Push Conference 1/23/10
The Reverend Jesse Jackson almost never gets upstaged and I had never seen the Reverend Jesse Louis Jackson cry in public until last month. Jackson invited Bill Cosby to the annual Rainbow / PUSH conference for a conversation about the controversial remarks the entertainer offered on May 17 at an NAACP dinner in Washington, D.C. [...]
Teacher’s math adds up to White House visit 01/22/10
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Kris Jarboe worked hard to memorize her multiplication tables in elementary school — she wanted to earn a gold star that proved she knew her stuff. But as she got older, math was never her favorite subject. “My grades were good, but there comes a time when you have to apply [...]
Texas Board Debates High School History Standards 01/22/10
By The Associated Press Austin, Texas Texas’ board of education tackled high school history Friday, debating hip-hop and deciding how McCarthyism and immigration would be taught under new standards for teaching social studies that could affect students nationwide. The State Board of Education was expected to take a first vote on the guidelines later Friday, after [...]
Caveat Donor: Let the Benefactor Beware
Caveat Donor: Let the Benefactor Beware by Kam Williams “There is absolutely no inevitability as long as there is a willingness to contemplate what is happening.” –Marshall McLuhan Dr. Martin Luther King once said “An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader [...]
Report Probes Educational Challenges Facing Latinas 01/15/10
By Catherine Gewertz A potent mix of barriers—including family care-taking responsibilities, poor academic preparation, and gender stereotyping—leads Latina students to drop out of high school at “alarming” rates, a report released today concludes. The study says the dismal graduation rates threaten the future stability of the fastest-growing group of female students in the nation. For the report, [...]
The 10 Best Black Books of 2009 (Non-Fiction) 01/15/10
by Kam Williams 1. Sugar of the Crop: My Journey to Find the Children of Slaves by Sana Butler Who even knew that any children of slaves were still alive? A debt of gratitude is owed to Sana Butler for compiling this bittersweet collection of revealing interviews with the offspring of folks freed by the [...]
Brick City-Rough Streets of Newark Showcased in Gritty 4-Hour Documentary 01/13/10
Brick City DVD Review by Kam Williams Headline: Rough Streets of Newark Showcased in Gritty 4-Hour Documentary Mayor Cory Booker may doing his best to resurrect Newark, but it looks like he’s fighting a losing battle, judging by Brick City, a riveting documentary focusing on the body count and wanton violence in the beleaguered New [...]
Obama to announce teacher training initiative 01/12/10
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is announcing a $250 million initiative Wednesday to train math and science teachers in an effort to reach his administration’s goal of moving American students from the middle to the top of the pack in those subjects over the next decade. “The quality of math and science teachers is [...]
N.J. In-State Tuition Bill for Immigrants Fails 01/12/10
By The Associated Press Trenton, N.J. A bill that would have granted in-state tuition rates to New Jersey residents regardless of their immigration statuses has failed. The bill was pulled from the Senate agenda late Monday after it became clear it didn’t have enough votes to pass. The Assembly couldn’t consider the amended bill before the [...]
Texas Schools See More Low-Income Students 01/12/10
By The Associated Press Austin, Texas The number of students in Texas public schools from low-income families is increasing, according to a state report that also shows a rise in the number of minority students. The report from the Texas Education Agency said the state is experiencing an enrollment boom in public schools, growing 20 percent [...]
State Eyes American Indian Residential School 01/12/10
By The Associated Press Sioux Falls, S.D. South Dakota is applying for a federal grant to help it build a residential school designed to improve academic achievement among American Indian students. A limited number of states will receive money for Race to the Top, a U.S. Department of Education program aimed at encouraging and rewarding states [...]
NJ lawmakers focus on urban education 01/07/10
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey lawmakers are listening to ideas on how to improve urban education. The Assembly Education Committee heard Monday from national experts on how to best address the needs of low-income students. Committee Chairman Joe Cryan says the emphasis is on finding more opportunities for city students. Incoming Gov. Chris Christie [...]
The 10 Best Black Books of 2009 (Non-Fiction)
1. Sugar of the Crop: My Journey to Find the Children of Slaves by Sana Butler Who even knew that any children of slaves were still alive? A debt of gratitude is owed to Sana Butler for compiling this bittersweet collection of revealing interviews with the offspring of folks freed by the Emancipation Proclamation well [...]
Obama to Honor Math, Science Teachers 01/07/10
By The Associated Press Washington President Barack Obama is recognizing teachers from across the country for excellence in math and science. The White House says more than 80 teachers are expected to attend Wednesday’s event, where the president will announce new partnerships to help achieve his goal of moving U.S. students to the top of [...]
Minorities see punishment gap in Colo. schools 01/6/10
DENVER (AP) — Black and Latino children in Colorado schools are more likely than whites to face harsh punishments such as suspension or expulsion, The Denver Post reports. The newspaper published an analysis Tuesday of state disciplinary records for the 2008-09 school year. The paper found that black students made up just 5.9 percent of [...]
NC scholarship program aims to curb dropout rate 12/17/09
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — About half of a $4.5 million gift to North Carolina’s largest public school district is creating a scholarship program for black males at a low-performing high school with a high dropout rate. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools officials announced the donation Wednesday from the C.D. Spangler Foundation. C.D. Spangler Jr. says he hopes to [...]
Portland School Board OKs New Hip-Hop High School 12/17/09
By The Associated Press Portland, OR The Portland School Board has given its blessing to establishing a new charter high school in 2011 that highlights hip-hop music and culture. Proponents of the High School for Recording Arts Portland will spend the next 18 months strengthening their academic curriculum. The school board vote was 6-0 Monday night. [...]
Asian Students Suspend Boycott at Philly School 12/17/09
By The Associated Press Philadelphia Dozens of Asian students plan to head back to class at a Philadelphia high school after boycotting for eight days in response to a series of racial attacks. The students met with Superintendent Arlene Ackerman and other school officials for more than two hours Tuesday. Organizers say they made a strong [...]
N.Y. Regents Release New Plan to Improve Schools 12/17/09
By The Associated Press Albany, N.Y. A new Board of Regents proposal to improve New York’s public schools includes far more charter schools and would link teacher compensation and advancement to student performance. Those are also requirements for New York to qualify for as much as $700 million in the Obama administration’s Race to the Top [...]
Step Out on Nothing:How Faith and Family Helped Me Conquer Life’s Challenges 12/11/09
Step Out on Nothing: How Faith and Family Helped Me Conquer Life’s Challenges by Byron Pitts St. Martin’s Press Hardcover, $24.99 310 pages, illustrated ISBN: 978-0-312-57766-7 Book Review by Kam Williams “We all have those defining moments in our lives. Moments of great joy. Moments of unspeakable sadness and fear. We usually think we’re alone. [...]
Debate grows over NM Hispanic Education Act 12/11/09
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Some legislators are asking whether a Hispanic Education Act proposed by Gov. Bill Richardson this week is even necessary. Public Education Secretary Veronica Garcia says the proposed act is needed to close an achievement gap for Hispanics. They make up 56 percent of New Mexican students. Should the proposal become law, [...]
LA schools consider 5,000 job cuts over 2 years 12/11/09
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles school board is considering a budget plan that calls for more than 5,000 job cuts over the next two years. District Superintendent Ramon Cortines is slated to present the board with various proposals on Tuesday to deal with a projected budget deficit of $1.2 billion for the next [...]
U.S.-Born Hispanics See Gains in Education, Income 12/11/09
By The Associated Press Washington Young Hispanics born in the U.S. are less likely to drop out of school and live in poverty than young Hispanic immigrants, but they have higher exposure to gangs and violence, an independent research group says.The study being released Friday by the Pew Hispanic Center paints a mixed picture of assimilation for [...]
Study predicts severe Tenn. teacher shortage 12/11/09
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — University of Tennessee researchers predict 40 percent of current teacher positions across the state could be open within the next four years. A study released Tuesday anticipates an acute shortage of teachers beginning next year, and a projected 31,431 teacher openings by fall of 2013, The Commercial Appeal reports. UT economist [...]
Philly principal to address attacks on Asians 12/11/09
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The principal at a Philadelphia high school is set to discuss a new safety plan after a series of attacks on the school’s Asian students last week. South Philadelphia High School Principal LaGreta Brown will discuss the plan at a news conference Friday. The changes are prompted by assaults at the school [...]
Why He Hates You! How Unreconciled Maternal Anger Is Destroying Black Men and Boys 12/09/09
Why He Hates You! How Unreconciled Maternal Anger Is Destroying Black Men and Boys by Janks Morton iYAGO Entertainment Group Paperback, $19.99 200 pages ISBN: 978-1-449590-68-0 Book Review by Kam Williams “We have a generation of young black boys and girls coming along in droves that have been raised exclusively by single-mothers… Consequently, it is [...]
34.5% Of Young Black Men Are Unemployed 12/7/09
The Washington Post printed an article on the high unemployment statistics for black men. In case you missed, read the article below.By V. Dion Haynes Washington Post Staff Writer These days, 24-year-old Delonta Spriggs spends much of his time cooped up in his mother’s one-bedroom apartment in Southwest Washington, the TV blaring soap operas hour [...]
Decade After Decatur, Ill. Racial Discipline Gap Widens 12/2/09
By The Associated Press Springfield, Ill. In the decade since mass protests over the punishment of six black students in Decatur, the state’s racial gap in discipline has split wide open. It’s such a gaping hole that now more than half of all Illinois children suspended from public schools are black, even though they represent [...]
NAACP files complaint against NC school district 12/2/09
ALYSIA PATTERSON Associated Press Writer RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The state chapter of the NAACP has filed a federal complaint against an eastern North Carolina school system, saying its practices have created what the group calls “a district of apartheid education.” The NAACP president, the Rev. William Barber, said at a news conference Tuesday the [...]
The Wild, Wild Dr. West – Cornel West Interview 12/1/09
The “Brother West” Interview with Kam Williams One of America’s most provocative public intellectuals, Dr. Cornel Ronald West has been a champion for racial justice since childhood. His writing, speaking, and teaching weave together the traditions of the black Baptist Church, progressive politics, and jazz. Though currently the Class of 1943 Professor at Princeton University, [...]
The Jazz Baroness-HBO Bio-Pic Revisits Life of Jazz Patron/Civil Rights Pioneer 11/24/09
Film Review by Kam Williams Although Baronness Pannonica “Nica” – Rothschild (1913-1988) was born into a very wealthy European dynasty, when she moved to Manhattan in the early Fifties, she gravitated towards another type of royalty altogether, namely, the elite musicians on the New York City jazz scene. She preferred hanging around these African-American innovators, [...]
EDUCATION SECRETARY DUNCAN ENDORSES EFFORTS TO IMPROVE STEM EDUCATION 11/24/09
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan today praised corporate and philanthropic leaders for stepping up to support improvements in science, technology, engineering and mathematics education. “The president and I believe that ensuring our nation’s children are excelling in the STEM fields is essential for our nation’s prosperity, security, health and quality of life,” Secretary Duncan [...]
A Passion for Giving-PBS Documentary Extols Virtues of Philanthropy 11/24/09
A Passion for Giving Film Review by Kam Williams The Chinese philosopher Lao-Tzu once said, “He who obtains has little, he who scatters has much.” That sentiment is the recurring theme of A Passion for Giving, an inspirational documentary marking the brilliant directorial debut of Robin Baker Leacock. Accompanied by her husband, Robert, who served [...]
Defamation-Incendiary Israeli Traverses Planet in Search of Anti-Semitism 11/23/09
Defamation (Hashmatsa) Film Review by Kam Williams Being a Jew raised in Israel, Yoav Shamir had never personally experienced any anti-Semitism. Although his people were decimated by Hitler and the Holocaust, he nonetheless wonders, “How does anything that happened 60 years ago have any relevance today?” So, since he was raised in a country where [...]
Lawmakers Send Few Minorities to U.S. Military Academies 11/21/09
Baltimore Polytechnic Institute Air Force Junior ROTC cadets salute while practicing drills on Nov. 12 in Baltimore.—Rob Carr/AP By The Associated Press Annapolis, Md. As the nation’s military academies try to recruit more minorities, they aren’t getting much help from members of Congress from big-city districts with large numbers of blacks, Hispanics and Asians. From [...]
Teachers Of Color Popular Articles
Teachers of Color Making A Difference Dr. Steve Perry Interview Uncovering the “Secrets” of High Poverty, High Success Schools Black Boys and Special Education – Change Is Needed! Experts Call for More Black Male Teachers 11/3/09 34.5% Of Young Black Men Are Unemployed 12/7/09 Classroom Diversity Articles: Classroom Lessons on Race, Culture and Language Creating [...]
William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe: Bio-Pic Chronicles the Life and Times of Late Civil Rights Lawyer 11/20/09
William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe Film Review by Kam Williams Bio-Pic Chronicles the Life and Times of Late Civil Rights Lawyer William Kunstler (1919-1955) was one of the most reviled figures of the 20th Century. For he was an attorney who not only represented controversial causes and unpopular people, but his approach in the courtroom [...]
The Cartel:Expose’ Uncovers Cronyism at Heart of N.J. Public Education System 12/20/09
The Cartel Film Review by Kam Williams Expose’ Uncovers Cronyism at Heart of N.J. Public Education System I got the shock of my life soon after graduating from college when I tried teaching in an inner city public school. I was totally unprepared for an educational system which had already failed the students entering my [...]
Losing Control: Loving a Black Child with Bipolar Disorder 11/16/09
Losing Control: Loving a Black Child with Bipolar Disorder by Dr. Cassandra L. Joubert with Dr. Linda Thompson Adams and Dr. Jan Hutchinson Advantage Media Group Paperback, $14.99 206 pages, illustrated ISBN: 978-1-59932-060-1 Book Review by Kam Williams “Pediatric bipolar disorder manifests itself similarly in the African-American population to the way it does in the [...]
Transforming Teaching through Teacher Induction
By Ellen Moir Imagine putting new hires alone in an office, isolated from co-workers, giving them a difficult job to do, and then expecting that they perform at the same level as the experience colleague next door. Hardly a formula for success, but that’s exactly what we do with many new teachers. Our education system’s [...]
The Diversity Advantage: Enhancing Inclusion in the Classroom
By Lenora Billings-Harris Robert, Faheem, Tracee, Kewal, ShaShanda, Hernando, and Sarah are students in today’s typical classroom. Their parents range in age from 23 to 59 years old; two are adopted, two are being raised by their grandparents; two live with one parent; one has gay parents; one has physical limitations; and one student is [...]
Call Me MISTER!
A Program that Recruits, Trains, Certifies, and Secures Employment for African-American Men as Teachers by Ross Norton The statistic is alarming: less than 1 percent, or fewer than 200, of South Carolina’s 20,300 elementary school teachers are African-American men. A unique partnership is changing that. The Call Me MISTER program has received national attention and [...]
Release Your Brilliance Through Teaching
Release Your Brilliance Through Teaching By Simon T. Bailey Teaching is a Universal Assignment that invites you to release your brilliance in the world. It’s more than a job, a career or a title – it’s a calling. You are here on Earth for a very specific reason. There is a void in the world [...]
Becoming A Teacher
Becoming A Teacher by Nat LaCour Difficult, wonderful, exhausting, fun, stressful, enlightening, rewarding beyond compare: That’s what you hear when you ask veteran teachers what their job is like. Then, when you ask veteran teachers if they would choose the same career if they could live their lives over, the answer is usually yes. Teaching [...]
Teachers – Make an Impact.
By Preston “Pres” Edwards, Jr Each April the National Football League holds its annual draft. This highly-anticipated selection date gives teams especially those that have not done so well the opportunity to recruit top players in order to – hopefully – change their fortunes for the upcoming season. Before each draft, talent scouts make their [...]
How To Improve Academic Achievement In African American Males
By: Dr. Jawanza Kunjufu Since 1954 and the Landmark Decision Brown vs. Topeka, there has been a 66 percent decline in African American teachers. Presently, African American students are 17 percent of the total population, but only 6 percent of the teachers are African Americans. Black males are only one percent! There are schools where [...]
Teachers of Color Metro Area Teaching Jobs
Teaching Jobs in Tucson Arizona Teaching Jobs in Eden Prairie, Minnesota Teaching Jobs in Fairfax County, VA Teaching Job in Prince William County, VA Job Search on Teachers of Color
Education Department Report: States set low bar for student achievement 11/3/09
WASHINGTON (AP) — Many states set achievement standards so low that they can say their students are reading and doing math at their grade level when they haven’t truly mastered the subjects, the Education Department asserted Thursday. The Obama administration said the report bolsters its effort to persuade all states to adopt the same set [...]
Duncan: Preschool Key to Solving Education Crisis 11/3/09
By The Associated Press Education Secretary Arne Duncan says the key to solving the education crisis in the United States is offering quality early childhood programs to every child. Duncan spoke to thousands of educators from across the country gathered in Atlanta on Monday for the National Black Child Development Institute. He said schools have [...]
Experts Call for More Black Male Teachers 11/3/09
By The Associated Press Lenny Macklin made it to 10th grade before having a teacher who looked like him — an African-American male. Gregory Georges graduated from high school without ever being taught by a black man. Only about 2 percent of teachers nationwide are African-American men. But experts say that needs to change if [...]
Northside Independent School District, TX
NISD BASIC FACTS • Northside Independent School District is the 4th largest school system in Texas, and we are an urban, suburban and rural district. Northside ISD is a Texas Education Agency “Recognized” School District in Texas and was the first school district in the state to be honored by the H-E-B Excellence in Education [...]
Brave New Voices DVD Review 11/15/09
DVD Review by Kam Williams Headline: Russell Simmons’ HBO Talent Search Series Released on DVD When I was coming of age back in the day, most of us who were musically- inclined tended to have an interest in either jazz or R&B. But the current generation of aspiring artists have been profoundly influenced by hip-hop, [...]
Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story 11/12/09
Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story DVD Review by Kam Williams Bio-Pic about Brilliant Black Brain Surgeon Released on DVD World-renowned Dr. Ben Carson has long been considered by his colleagues as the best pediatric neurosurgeon around, so it’s no surprise that he remains in such great demand. Besides being stationed at Johns Hopkins Hospital [...]
School Diversity Profiles
FEATURED SCHOOLS World Class Teachers of Color are encouraged to apply for teaching jobs with the following schools. These schools are committed to diversity and serving their students and communities with the best and brightest teachers. NORTH-EAST Anne Arundel County Public Schools, MD Arlington Public Schools, VA Baltimore City Public Schools, MD South DeKalb County [...]
Documentary Exposes Pattern of Predatory Lending in Minority Communities 09/16/09
American Casino Film Review by Kam Williams How exactly did the current economic crisis come to pass? Why have minority communities been hit so hard by the tidal wave of mortgage foreclosures? Why are another million people likely to lose their homes in 2009? Was this a coincidence or did the banking community specifically target [...]
S.D. Tribe Files Suit Over School Dress Code 9/15/09
By The Associated Press Eagle Butte, S.D. Carol Moran spent all she could spare on new school clothes for her 15-year-old daughter. Then she found out a new dress code had been imposed at the junior high school that serves the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. Moran, who walks with a cane and survives on welfare [...]
Bill Cosby returns Sunday to help Detroit schools 9/14/09
DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit school district says comedian and activist Bill Cosby will come back to town to continue boosting efforts to keep students in the troubled system. Enrollment the Detroit School District dropped below 100,000 last year, and Bobb has budgeted for 83,777 students this fall. Classes began Tuesday. Last week, the 72-year-old [...]
Obama Urges Students to Hit the Books, Persevere 9/10/09
President Barack Obama, accompanied by U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan, talks to students prior to delivering a speech on education at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Va., on Sept. 8. —Gerald Herbert/AP By The Associated Press Arlington, Va. In a pep talk that kept clear of politics, President Barack Obama on Tuesday challenged the nation’s [...]
American Indians: Stereotypes & Realities 12/12/09
American Indians: Stereotypes & Realities By Dr. Devon A. Mihesuah Clarity Press Paperback, $14.95 154 pages, illustrated ISBN: 978-0-932863-22-5 Book Review by Kam Williams “Accurate books about Indians have been written, yet misinformation abounds and inundates our children at an early age. Racist television cartoons which portray Indians as befeathered savages are still shown today as [...]
Decoding the Dragon’s Mindset: Inside China’s Destiny and Its Hint to the World 11/12/09
Book Review by Kam Williams “This book provides some fascinating and intriguing insights of the Chinese mindset that to most readers in the West are still something un-comprehendible and strangely foreign from the other side of the world. The 21st Century’s globalization and Internet-driven information exchanges are rapidly changing our globe into a small and [...]
President Obama to Speak Directly to Students in National Address on Educational Success 09/04/09
WASHINGTON, D.C. – As children across America go back to school, President Obama will deliver a national address directly to students on the importance of taking responsibility for their success in school on Tuesday, September 8th at 12:00 PM EDT at Wakefield High School in Arlington. In advance of this address, the Department of Education [...]
Ghost Towns Reveal American History in Brilliant Documentary DVD Review 8/10/09
California Company Town Film Review by Kam Williams Like a cinematic archaeologist, Lee Anne Schmitt packed her 16mm camera to explore the past of California’s once-booming ghost towns which presently lay empty for a variety of reasons, mostly because of the disappearance of the natural resources upon which the local industries had originally depended. What [...]
Harlem Program Singled Out as Model August 10,2009
Harlem Program Singled Out as Model Obama Administration to Replicate Plan in Other Cities to Boost Poor Children Harlem Children’s Zone Reaches Out to Youth By Robin Shulman Washington Post Staff Writer Sunday, August 2, 2009 NEW YORK — On a recent Saturday morning in Harlem, a few dozen pregnant women in a parenting class [...]
Schools to compete for $5B from stimulus law August 3, 2009
By LIBBY QUAID AP Education Writer WASHINGTON (AP) _ States and school districts will soon be able to compete for more federal money to undertake school reforms sought by President Barack Obama. Part of the economic stimulus law enacted earlier this year, the $5 billion education fund is Obama’s big shot at overhauling schools over the [...]
HARD TIMES: School budgets dip, class sizes grow August 3, 2009
By LIBBY QUAID AP Education Writer WASHINGTON (AP) _ Like a seesaw on the school playground, falling state budgets are pushing class sizes higher. The recession is forcing districts to lay off teachers even as the economic stimulus pumps billions of dollars into schools. As a result, classrooms across the country will be more crowded [...]
Janks Morton-The “Men II Boys” Interview 08/01/2009
One Man, One Camera, One Mission with Kam Williams Born August 18th, 1963 in Cincinnati, Ohio, Janks Morton, Jr. is a documentary filmmaker and founder of iYAGO Entertainment Group, a company he created to reflect both the conscious and unconscious soul of Black America. Mr. Morton is a 20-year veteran of the entertainment industry whose [...]
Lift Every Voice and Sing-Uplifting Video July 14, 2009
Video of the ‘Negro National Anthem’ originally screened at the historic African-American Church Inaugural Ball in Washington, DC on January 18th, 2009. It was performed by the Grace Baptist Church Cathedral Choir, conducted by Derrick James, produced and donated by Ascender Communications, LLC (www.ascender-c.com) at the request of The Balm In Gilead, Inc. Enjoy and [...]
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