Teaching, Leading, and Social Justice

Creating America, 2012 [Video]

Vincent Harding, Children’s Defense Fund

I am a citizen of a country that does not yet exist. That is who I see you all as being, especially you younger folks … We are citizens of a country that we still have to create. A just country, a compassionate country, a forgiving country, a multi-racial, multi-religious country, a joyful country that cares about its children and about its elders, that cares about itself and about the world, that cares about what the earth needs as well as about what individual people need. I am, you are, a citizen of a country that does not yet exist and that badly needs to exist.”

What’s at Stake for Schools as Trump Returns to the White House

Alyson Klein, Education Week

Former President Donald Trump, who has pledged to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education, slash K-12 spending, and put public schools squarely in the crosshairs of culture warriors, is headed back to the White House, the Associated Press projected. Conservative supporters of expanding school choice and parents’ rights groups such as Moms for Liberty are likely to cheer his ascendency. Civil rights advocates have warned for months that a second Trump term would decimate federal protections for LGBTQ+ students, students of color, and students from low-income backgrounds. Big questions loom over just how much Trump, who is only the second president in U.S. history to be elected to non-consecutive terms, can actually get done on K-12 this time around.

Teachers toss their lesson plans, give students the floor to grapple with Trump win

Chalkbeat Staff 

“Doomed.” “Baffled.” “Scared.” “Happy.” “I don’t care.” “We are so cooked.” Those were the reactions to the presidential election result that students scrawled on a white board Wednesday morning inside Joshua Ferguson’s 11th grade government class at Ypsilanti Community High School in Michigan. Before he knew that former President Donald Trump had won a second term, Ferguson thought he would do a lesson on disinformation in politics. Instead, he gave students room to talk. The most important piece of this lesson, he said, was for his students to feel safe and heard. “I think that’s my job as a teacher,” he said.

Language, Culture, and Power

California education leaders try to reassure students of protections against Trump policies

Zaidee Stavely, Diana Lambert, Betty Márquez Rosales, Emma Gallegos, Michael Burke, Amy DiPierro, Mallika Seshadri, and Thomas Peele, Education Week

When Alejandra Lopez saw swing states that had gone for Joe Biden in 2020 leaning red for Donald Trump on Tuesday night, it felt like déjà vu. “I was really distraught. Honestly, I really would have never thought I would see him having a second term in office,” said Lopez, who is a second-year political science student at Cal Poly Pomona. For Lopez, the stakes were personal. Both of her parents are undocumented immigrants from Mexico who have lived in the U.S. for almost 20 years. Trump has pledged to enact mass deportation of undocumented immigrants. When Trump won for the first time in 2016, Lopez was 11 years old. She remembers feeling scared that her parents — or even she, a U.S. citizen — would be deported and crying all day in class. Now, she feels more angry. “I’m angry that he was elected into office again, that he has promised the same thing again, and that people keep perpetuating it and moving it forward, not recognizing how harmful it can be,” she said. “You look back, and you see that time and time again, he’s just rephrased the same hate that he’s spewed.”

“So much of this work is asking, what is the world we want to live in? What is the world we want to see?”

Silky Shah and Rita Kamani-Renedo, La Cuenta

Near the end of our conversation with author Silky Shah, she reflected on something now feels portentous, publishing this newsletter two days after the U.S. election. Speaking (back in September), she shared her discouragement of “seeing how much the Dems have moved that much further to the right” when it comes to immigration policy. Looking at the then upcoming election, Shah noted the overdue work that political parties had to do when it came to meaningful immigration reform. As we close out this interview, we recognize that this is a difficult time for many members of La Cuenta’s community. We share Shah’s words as guidance for dreaming and building better worlds together.

Former DACA recipient wins New Mexico legislative seat, making history

Taylor Velasquez, NPR

Democrat Cindy Nava, a former DACA recipient and official in the Biden administration, has won a seat in the New Mexico Legislature according to a race call by The Associated Press. Nava defeated Republican Audrey Trujillo to represent the Albuquerque-area district. Nava is one of the first former DACA recipients to win public office. Her parents came to the U.S. when she was seven years old. As a teenager, Nava advocated for policies to support other undocumented youth before the 2012 program created federal protections for those brought to the country illegally.

Whole Children and Strong Communities

In Gaza, Students Yearn for Life Before War

Yousef Aljama, The Progressive

As millions of children in the U.S. return to school, students in Gaza continue to be deprived of this right amid Israel’s ongoing attacks. Most schools have been damaged or destroyed. Those that remain standing have become shelters for Palestinians who have been displaced. Recently, Yousef Aljamal of the American Friends Service Committee interviewed several young students—ages eight to twelve years old—about their school memories and what they missed most. Here’s what they had to say.

Voters agree to fix up California schools. $10 billion construction bond passes

Carolyn Jones, Cal Matters

With California’s fund for school repairs on empty, voters approved a $10 billion bond to pay for much-needed upgrades at K-12 schools and community colleges. “This is very good news for all students,” said Adam Clark, superintendent of Mt. Diablo Unified in Contra Costa County. “In our district, we have so many fundamental repair needs – electrical, plumbing, roofs, windows – and this relieves the pressure. It means we can get to work.” Proposition 2 will help fix dry rot, mold, malfunctioning electrical systems, gas leaks and other health and safety hazards that plague hundreds of aging campuses. At least 38% of the state’s K-12 students attend schools that don’t meet the minimum safety standards, according to the Public Policy Institute of California.

Student-led Climate Resolution marks historic win in Tucson Unified School District

Ruby Wray

The Tucson Unified School District has become the first school district in the nation to pass a fully comprehensive student-crafted Climate Action Resolution. This resolution passed with a 3-to-2 vote at the Governing Board’s public meeting at the Duffy Family & Community Center on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. The Arizona Youth Climate Coalition is a statewide advocacy group fighting for climate justice through mutual aid, civic engagement and educational policy reform. Members of AZYCC aged 13-20 spent 16 months engaging district leaders, researching, lobbying and writing this plan, which could become a blueprint for America’s 12,000 plus school districts. Ojas Sanghi, Tucson co-lead of the AZYCC and junior at the University of Arizona, spoke on this step forward for climate justice. 

Access, Assessment, Advancement

How a New Approach to Early Childhood Could Avert a ‘Public Policy Catastrophe’

Emily Tate Sullivan, Ed Surge

In the United States, young children attend programs that most refer to as “daycares” or “child cares,” staffed by people that many think of as “workers.” That has to change, argues author Dan Wuori in his new book, “The Daycare Myth: What We Get Wrong About Early Care and Education (and What We Should Do About It).” We ought to eliminate those terms from our lexicon and, instead, think of those programs as schools and the adults employed there as teachers, Wuori writes. Those are two totally free and “simple changes” he proposes to the field.

What The Election Results May Mean For Student Loan Forgiveness, Repayment And Relief Programs

Adam S. Minsky, Forbes

The 2024 presidential election has ended, and Donald Trump is poised to retake the White House, with big implications for student loan forgiveness and repayment programs that would impact millions of borrowers. Vice President Kamala Harris ran on the Biden administration’s student debt relief victories, which have collectively resulted in more than five million borrowers receiving student loan forgiveness — even as several initiatives remain tied up in court. Trump, meanwhile, had repeatedly blasted the Biden administration’s efforts to wipe out student debt. Here’s what the election results may mean for student loan borrowers, and what to expect in the coming months.

“I Knew It Was Gonna Be Hard, but I Always Knew I Had Support From My Parents”: The Role of Family on Undocumented Students’ College Aspirations and Persistence

Cinthya Salazar, Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory & Practice

Literature shows that undocumented students in the United States experience significant challenges to and through higher education. Only a few studies have uncovered the mechanisms that undocumented students use to persist in college; in particular, the role that family plays on their postsecondary success is understudied. In this qualitative study, I examine the role that family plays on undocumented students’ college aspirations and persistence. Findings from a sample of 16 undocumented students attending a four-year public university show that their families are the stimulus motivating them to pursue higher education, as well as the support system they can rely on to manage college barriers. However, the data also revealed that for a few participants, their families are a source of stress, resulting in additional challenges they must manage as they navigate higher education. I present these findings using participants’ vignettes and conclude with implications for higher education research and practice.

Inequality, Poverty, Segregation

USDA bans school lunch fees for low-income families

Adriana Morga and Cora Lewis

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that students eligible for free or reduced price school meals cannot be charged processing fees beginning in 2027. School districts currently work with processing companies to offer cashless payment systems for families. But the companies can charge “processing fees” for each transaction. By law, students who are eligible for reduced price meals cannot be charged more than 30 cents for breakfast and 40 cents for lunch. With processing fees, however, families can end up paying 10 times that amount. Processing companies charge as much as $3.25 or 4% to 5% per transaction, according to a recent report from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. For families with lower incomes who can’t afford to load large sums in one go, processing fees can arrive weekly or even more frequently, increasing costs disproportionately. Families that qualify for free or reduced lunch pay as much as 60 cents per dollar in fees when paying for school lunches electronically, according to the report.

A Call for Research on the Role of Legal Counsel in Promoting (In)Equitable Educational Policies in a Hostile, Anti-DEI Sociopolitical Climate

Maria M. Lewis and Raquel Muñiz, Educational Researcher

The current climate reflects not only a hostile politicization of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) work but also an institutionalization of anti-DEI sentiments through legislation and litigation, leaving educational institutions to operate within a hyper-legalistic environment. Although there are a large number of education attorneys who interface regularly with educational institutions, the field of education knows very little about contemporary models of collaboration between attorneys for educational institutions and the values that inform these collaborations. In this article, we aim to illustrate the significant role of attorneys for P–20 educational institutions, the need for more research to help us better understand existing strengths and limitations, and ways to harness this role in meaningful ways to further DEI commitments.

Perceptions of inequality and loneliness as drivers of social unraveling: Evidence from South Korea

Yookyung Lee & Seungwoo Han, Nature

This study investigates the relationship between perceptions of inequality, feelings of loneliness, and societal fragmentation in South Korea, focusing on their interconnected dynamics. The research emphasizes the social contexts in which loneliness emerges and exerts its influence. In the first phase, path analysis is employed to examine how perceived inequality contributes to societal fragmentation—manifested through disbelief, exploitation, and indifference—with loneliness serving as a mediating factor. The findings reveal a significant link between perceived inequality and loneliness, which, in turn, undermines social cohesion. The second phase delves deeper into this relationship by analyzing each regression model, further substantiating the connection between perceived inequality and loneliness and its role in shaping perceptions of societal fragmentation. In an era marked by rising economic inequality and democratic erosion, loneliness extends beyond an individual concern, posing broader implications for societal emotional health. The study underscores the urgent need for interventions aimed at reducing economic inequality and addressing loneliness to promote more cohesive societies.

Democracy and the Public Interest

Schools Are Often Blamed for Our Foundering Democracy. It’s Not That Simple

Nicole Mirra & Antero Garcia, Education Week

It is midnight in American politics. With the presidential election upon us, a large majority of voters are disillusioned by the state of our democracy. The word “fascism” is increasingly prevalent in our news feeds. Historians and political scientists speculate about the potential for civil unrest, even war. These are dark times. As scholars of civic education and former high school teachers, we are thinking a lot about how to help students make sense of a democracy in crisis, which will remain an urgent problem regardless of which candidate prevails. What should we teach young people on Nov. 6 and beyond?

Voters rejected multiple school choice measures in 2024 election

Kayla Jimenez, USA Today

Multiple efforts that supported giving parents public funds to spend on private or alternative schools fared poorly in the 2024 election. Voters rejected separate proposals in Colorado and Kentucky aiming to add language supporting school choice, an issue that has divided parents and school staffers across the nation for years, to their states’ constitutions. And voters in Nebraska chose to repeal a $10 million school voucher program passed by its state legislature earlier this year, which aimed to help private school families with state funding.

Democrats Demobilized Their Base. A Movement Is Now Needed to Oppose Trump [Video]

Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor and John Nichols, Democracy Now

Donald Trump’s performance in the 2024 election surpassed expectations, with the candidate winning the key battleground states of Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Georgia and picking up larger shares of more diverse segments of the electorate, including Black and Latino male voters. Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, a professor of African American studies at Princeton University, says the blame lies squarely on the Harris campaign, which refused to differentiate itself from unpopular incumbent President Joe Biden. “The problem here is with the leadership of the Democratic Party,” adds John Nichols, national affairs correspondent for The Nation. Nichols and Taylor discuss how Democrats “demobilized” young voters and grassroots organizers, to their electoral detriment.

Other News of Note

We Are All Bound Up Together – May 1866

Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, Archives of Women’s Political Communication

In May 1866, Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, a leading poet, lecturer and civil right activist, addressed the Eleventh National Women’s Rights Convention in New York, joining Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, and Lucretia Mott, who were among the featured speakers. 

I feel I am something of a novice upon this platform. Born of a race whose inheritance has been outrage and wrong, most of my life had been spent in battling against those wrongs. But I did not feel as keenly as others, that I had these rights, in common with other women, which are now demanded. About two years ago, I stood within the shadows of my home. A great sorrow had fallen upon my life. My husband had died suddenly, leaving me a widow, with four children, one my own, and the others stepchildren. I tried to keep my children together.