New Funding for Massachusetts School Safety Initiatives BOSTON — Today, Governor Charlie Baker and Lt. Governor Karyn Polito, joined by Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education Jeff Riley, Acting Commissioner of Early Education and Care Amy Kershaw and public safety officials, announced plans to file legislation proposing significant investments in school safety initiatives to support programming, training and resources for schools and…
Skeptics of the Student-Loan Forgiveness Plan By John L. Dorman and Ayelet Sheffey Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen was skeptical of a large-scale student-loan forgiveness plan as President Joe Biden was mulling over the specifics to address student debt, with first lady Jill Biden also expressing reservations of such a plan, while Vice President Kamala Harris was one of the administration’s staunchest backers…
Student Loan Forgiveness: The Future By: Zack Friedman, Senior Contributor Here’s what to expect next with wide-scale student loan forgiveness. Here’s what you need to know — and what it means for your student loans. Student Loans President Joe Biden is days away from announcing his decision on student loan forgiveness. Biden, who already has canceled $32 billion of student loans, is considering…
UN Recommits to Afghan Women and Girls’ Education By U.N. Writers “It has been a year of increasing disrespect for their right to live free and equal lives, denying them opportunity to livelihoods, access to health care and education, and escape from situations of violence,” said Sima Bahous, Executive Director at UN Women. Ms. Bahous outlined how the Taliban’s “meticulously constructed policies of inequality”…
Student Loan Payment Pause: Why? By: Zack Friedman, Senior Contributor The U.S. Department of Education has now confirmed President Joe Biden will decide “soon” on whether the student loan payment pause will be extended. Here’s what you need to know — and what it means for your student loans. Student Loans Payment It’s crunch time in America for student loans. Biden…
Female Protesters Beaten by Taliban Fighters Shots fired into air and rifle butts used to attack dozens of women protesting outside Afghan education ministry. By The Guardian Taliban fighters beat female protesters and fired into the air on Saturday as they violently dispersed a rare rally in the Afghan capital, days before the first anniversary of the hardline Islamists’ return…
Turning Pages: Inside Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library How a core team of 15 and thousands of volunteers and partners help the country-music philanthropist deliver books to kids around the world By Stephen L. Betts Dolly Parton is many things to so many people: singer-songwriter, actress, humorist, icon. But to nearly 2 million kids around the world, she’s their librarian. Since 1995,…
Closing the Digital Divide for Women By Makhtar Diop: Managing Director, International Finance Corporation Women in the least developed countries are half as likely to be online as men, curtailing their chance to learn online and improve their lives. The digital divide hurts women and costs the world billions of dollars in GDP every year. A concerted effort by the…
Us vs. Them: The Political Polarization of Education By Todd Washburn It is a truth so universally acknowledged that it is a cliché: Education is essential to democracy. Thomas Jefferson viewed an informed citizenry as the indispensable bulwark against tyranny, writing that no civilized nation could be both ignorant and free. Franklin Roosevelt called education “the real safeguard of democracy,” and Ronald Reagan said education was…
Improving Education of Black Boys Across County By Kate Ryan Black boys are at the top of suspension and expulsion rates and at the bottom of test scores, a Maryland educator said during a summit aimed at improving the experiences and outcomes of Black male students at the state’s public schools. Dr. Vermelle Greene is a member of the state…