Google Argentina shared a video from the Obama visit to Argentina, where Michelle Obama and Argentinian First Lady Juliana Awada spoke about the importance of education to young girls. Obama spoke about her “modest upbringing” and the challenges she faced, from teachers who would ignore her to people who thought women shouldn’t have ambition. She spoke about facing objectification and judgement as she studied to attend Harvard and make real change, something she’s discussed openly in the past.

As I got older, I found that men would whistle or make comments about how I looked as I walked down the street, as if my body were their property, as if I were an object to be commented on instead of a full human being with thoughts and feelings of my own. I began to realize that the hopes I had for myself were in conflict with the messages I was receiving from people around me. Messages that said that, as a girl, my voice was somehow less important. That how my body looked was more important than how my mind worked. That being strong and powerful and outspoken just wasn’t appropriate or attractive for a girl.

I started to question myself: Was I too loud? Too much? Was I too bossy? Was I dreaming too big? And for years, I would lie awake at night and those doubts would eat away at my heart. But eventually, I just got tired of always worrying about what everyone else thought of me. So I decided not to listen to the voices of those who doubted or dismissed me. Instead, I decided to listen to my own voice and to rely on the support of the people in my life who believed in my ability to achieve my own dreams.

Speaking to the young women, Obama emphasized the need for education, something she’s consistently promoted through Let Girls Learn and #62MillionGirls, a campaign whose name refers to the amount of girls not in school. She spoke about the need for girls to become leaders and to empower other girls both in their countries and worldwide.

I thought her speech did well balancing between talking about her personal experience and the state of girls’ education in the United States, Argentina, and the world. She touched on topics like the NiUnaMenos demonstration, the wage gap, domestic abuse, hygiene and more, making for a rousing speech.

Obama also brought up “This Is For My Girls,” a song featuring featuring Missy Elliott, Janelle Monaé, Kelly Clarkson, Kelly Rowland, Lea Michele, and Zendaya that you can listen to here. All proceeds go to Let Girls Learn Fund. Both the speech and the song are very worthwhile listens.

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The Obama administration is issuing a directive to allow transgender students to use bathrooms and other facilities that align with their gender identity. A letter to school districts is going out Friday signed by officials from both the Department of Justice and the Department of Education that provides guidance on how to understand and implement changes. NY Times shared portions of the letter, which also includes a 25 page document about practices schools can take. It says:

A school may not require transgender students to use facilities inconsistent with their gender identity or to use individual-user facilities when other students are not required to do so.

…to ensure nondiscrimination on the basis of sex requires schools to provide transgender students equal access to educational programs and activities even in circumstances in which other students, parents, or community members raise objections or concerns. As is consistently recognized in civil rights cases, the desire to accommodate others’ discomfort cannot justify a policy that singles out and disadvantages a particular class of students.

Attorney General Loretta Lynch asserts that “there is no room in our schools for discrimination of any kind,” and believes the guidance will equip administrators, teachers, and parents with information and tools needed to protect transgender students. This comes after North Carolina’s horrendous anti-trans bathroom bill (along with similar discriminatory legislations and hate speech), which Obama criticized in a news conference last month.

The letter states that students are to be treated as the gender they identify with the assertion of a guardian without requiring a medical diagnosis or birth certificate. NY Times points out that while the letter “does not have the force of law” schools that don’t fulfill the expectations “could face lawsuits or a loss of federal aid.”

Some, including Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has called the guidance “blackmail” and stated the federal government could keep their “30 pieces of silver.” Sen. John Cornyn of Texas called Obama’s intervention “unwelcomed.” However, John B. King Jr., secretary of the Department of Education, says it very well in a statement about how gender identity is protected under Title IX:

No student should ever have to go through the experience of feeling unwelcome at school or on a college campus.We must ensure that our young people know that whoever they are or wherever they come from, they have the opportunity to get a great education in an environment free from discrimination, harassment and violence.

This decree is a step forward, and I hope that schools will take the guidance seriously to protect transgender children.

(via NY Times, Image via Shutterstock/VGstockstudio)

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The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is a test given to eighth grade students in public and private schools nationwide every two years to test their proficiency in various subjects and allow for policymakers and school districts to track skills over time and adjust their policies and teaching methods accordingly. In 2014, NAEP included a test that measure literacy in technology and engineering for the first time, and the results were finally made public today.

Out of 21,500 students in more than 800 schools, 45% of girls and 42% of boys scored proficient on the test. BOOM. Take that, anyone who doesn’t think girls “like” or “are good at” things like engineering! According to The Washington Post, “The test was designed to measure students’ abilities in areas such as understanding technological principles, designing solutions and communicating and collaborating. Girls were particularly strong in the latter.”

So…all those “feminine” traits that girls are taught, but then get downplayed by everyone? They’re actually really important in tech fields, because zero innovations happen in a bubble at the hands of only one person.

The test was computer-based, and “asked students not only to answer discrete questions but also to perform tasks embedded in real-life scenarios such as designing a safe bike lane, engineering a healthy habitat for a classroom iguana named ‘Iggy,’ and creating an online museum exhibit about Chicago’s history of dealing with water pollution.” Whoa!

A more disheartening fact is that only 43% of all US eighth-grade students were proficient. Even more discouraging is the way that race and class come into play with how kids did on the test, though not terribly surprising. Here’s how it went down:

• 25% of students that receive free and reduced-price lunch scored proficient
• 59% of affluent students scored proficient
• 18% of black students scored proficient
• 28% of Latinx students scored proficient
• 56% of white and Asian students scored proficient
• 5% of ESL students scored proficient
• 42% of public school students scored proficient
• 60% of private school students scored proficient

It’s amazing that so many eighth grade girls have done so well in technology and engineering, especially considering that girls start losing self-esteem and doing more poorly in math and science around middle school. But there’s still so much further to go with regard to access to and opportunities in education. Hopefully, this test will provide some insights into solutions in addition to highlighting the problem areas.

(image via Shutterstock)

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Yesterday, the California State Board of Education unanimously voted on new curriculum for social science courses that includes “a study of the role of contributions” of “lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans.”

The changes were based on the 2012 passage of the Fair, Accurate, Inclusive and Respectful (FAIR) Education Act, which mandated that California K-12 institutions include marginalized groups that are too often overlooked or skimmed in education. Associated Press lays out some of the content these courses will cover.

In second grade, California students will learn about families with two moms or two dads. Two years later, while studying how immigrants have shaped the Golden State, they will hear how New York native Harvey Milk became a pioneering gay politician in San Francisco.

Students in their senior year will also study the recent legalization of same-sex marriage, and the current fight for transgender access to bathrooms.

While there’s a fair amount of pushback (AP points out the Department has received over 10,000 emails about the FAIR Education Act), it’s a big step in inclusive education. In a press release, Tom Torlakson, the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, said:

This document will improve the teaching and learning of history and social science. It will give our students access to the latest historical research and help them learn about the diversity of our state and the contributions of people and groups who may not have received the appropriate recognition in the past.

Thinking back, I don’t think my U.S. History class in California covered any LGBTQIA history and if we did, it was often reduced to a footnote. It wasn’t until university that I really learned about the Stonewall Riots and really learned names like Bayard Rustin and Harvey Milk—and when I did, I felt a little cheated and embarrassed that they were left out of what my school deemed important enough to teach.

The history of marginalized groups isn’t an elective or something to be referenced in passing, but a crucial part of understanding American history that should be be given as much weight as the history of the pilgrims, the Puritans, and presidents. Hopefully, other states departments will take similar actions to incorporate the contributions of LGBTQIA Americans.

(via Advocate, Image via Stabler Department of Nursing on Flickr)

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In a bid to raise money and awareness for global education, 18-year-old Erinne Paisley designed a fashionable (and mathematical) dress for her graduation.

Erinne’s dress was made out of old calculus homework, black satin, and velvet, with the message “I’ve received my education. Not every woman has that right. Malala.org” written on it in red ink. Erinne also donated the money she would have otherwise spent on the dress to the Malala Fund, and raised additional money by auctioning off the dress after her ceremony.

According to Fashionably Geek, Erinne will be studying International Relations at the University of Toronto in the fall and hopes to eventually work at the UN.

(images via Facebook)

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John Oliver offers a subject-by-subject breakdown of what this coming school year might look like for a bunch of kids in traditional Last Week Tonight fashion … which is to say: hilarious and full of sarcasm.

Oliver is probably the best living Cliff Notes resource ever, dispensing stunning gems like, “You’ll learn that Africa and Asia are places … but that’s about it,” and, “The most lasting lesson [about dissecting frogs] will be what frog embalming fluid smells like.” Ahh, memories.

But perhaps the best part of the segment is John Oliver’s section on “Who Dies At The End” for English classes. No “Snape kills Dumbledore” shenanigans here—we’re talking classic literature, people. We’re talking about the books that you read then promptly forgot about after the test.

Spoiler: all the books are about the American Dream, and the American Dream always dies at the end.

(via The Daily Dot)

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Computers are necessary tools to help students learn … about computers, that is. For other subjects, a study shows that heavy reliance on computers as educational tools doesn’t necessarily help students learn—or teachers teach—more effectively.

The report, from the UK’s Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, found that the effect of technology on students’ international standards tests (PISA tests) performance—and even “digital skills”—was “mixed at best.” They also found “no noticeable improvement” in reading, math, and science scores in school systems that relied heavily on technology for teaching compared to those that didn’t.

BBC reports that the study’s general findings were as follows:

• Students who use computers very frequently at school get worse results
• Students who use computers moderately at school, such as once or twice a week, have “somewhat better learning outcomes” than students who use computers rarely
• The results show “no appreciable improvements” in reading, mathematics or science in the countries that had invested heavily in information technology
• High achieving school systems such as South Korea and Shanghai in China have lower levels of computer use in school
• Singapore, with only a moderate use of technology in school, is top for digital skills

So it seems that, like any other teaching tool, it’s more about how the computers are used than just throwing a ton of them into classrooms, and so far, more computer use doesn’t mean better proficiency. England’s schools minister, Nick Gibb, advised that schools should consider each student individually when deciding how technology should bes supplement an educational program—it’s not the teching cure-all people may have assumed.

Still, while it may be wise to reevaluate whether the investment in technology in schools is being put to good use, removing computers is unlikely to have a positive effect, either. Microsoft spokesman Hugh Milward told BBC News, “The internet gives any student access to the sum of human knowledge, 3D printing brings advanced manufacturing capabilities to your desktop, and the next FTSE 100 business might just as well be built in a bedroom in Coventry as in the City.”

(image via World Bank Photo Collection)

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Michelle Obama’s newest campaign for education in her Reach Higher initiative is Better Make Room, which aims to encourage youth to pursue education past high school, through college or vocational school. Variety reports that Obama has recruited orgs like “NBCUniversal Cable, A+E Networks, the CW, AwesomenessTV, Vine, Funny or Die and CollegeHumor” to create PSA and special content to promote their message.

Better Make Room is about creating a space for all the great things you’ll do next. It’s about staking a claim, forging a path and lighting the way for others just like you. And it’s a lot more fun to get there together.

Take the next step: Get a better education, have a better career, imagine a better future and live a better life.

You’re about to arrive—and the world Better Make Room.

The participants and companies involved in Better Make Room sound excited and I can’t wait to see what kind of content they’ll produce. Funny or Die did a promotional video for Amber Rose’s Slut Walk which I though was hilarious, so I’m looking forward to seeing how they’ll approach education.

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American Ballet Theater principal dancer Misty Copeland knows what it’s like to grow up poor and what it feels like to have dance be an escape for the harsh world around you. Recently, she was in Kigali, Rwanda to help MindLeaps, a non-profit that “uses dance as a way to attract street youth into formal education,” launch its first girls program there. She recounts some of her experiences in the vlog above.

MindLeaps seeks to help transition street kids into formal education through dance, which improves their cognitive development and behavioral skills, preparing them for more structured learning. Eventually, the program incorporates English and IT classes to prepare the children for either boarding school, or a workplace environment. Through its International Artists Fund, MindLeaps brings professionals like Copeland in to join the children and raise awareness and support for street children around the world.

In addition to being there to award one top dance student the Misty Copeland Scholarship so that he will be able to attend boarding school, Copeland was also there to help launch MindLeap’s first-ever Girls Program at the MindLeaps center in Kigali. Now, out-of-school girls will have the chance to participate in the dance classes and have a better chance at an education, as well as receive food and basic health care.

The International Artists Fund is currently raising funds for its next scholarships. If you want to check out more information, you can visit them here.

(via Pointe Magazine; Featured Image via Gary Gershoff for Getty Images)

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It’s amazing to me that this is actually still a “serious discussion” that’s happening. But apparently, too many college educators still completely misunderstand trigger warnings, how they’re supposed to function, and what they actually do. Here’s what they don’t do – hinder academic freedom.

A recent survey done by the National Coalition Against Censorship revealed that of 800 college educators surveyed, more than 60 percent said that “trigger warnings pose a threat to academic freedom” and about 45 percent said they are “detrimental to classroom discussions.”

First of all, you’d think that the National Coalition Against Censorship would have a better understanding of what censorship actually is. And yet they open their survey with:

As a cover story in The Atlantic put it, “A movement is arising, undirected and driven largely by students, to scrub campuses clean of words, ideas, and subjects that might cause discomfort or give offense.”

A broad range of instructional materials, from a documentary about sexual assault to an historical account of slavery, could be considered ‘triggering.’ If professors steer clear of potentially controversial work, either out of concern for students’ well-being or fear of getting in trouble with administrators, the free speech implications are enormous.

OK, that right there – that part I put in bold – that’s the fundamental thing that everyone keeps misunderstanding. *grabs bullhorn* NO ONE IS TELLING ANYONE WHAT THEY CAN AND CAN’T TEACH. Especially not in a college setting. Trigger warnings are just that – warnings. That’s it. And if you see those warnings as a threat to expression, then so are ratings on movies and television shows!

The assumption is always that, by fighting for these warnings, students are cocooning themselves against learning or talking about certain things. It’s assumed that, if you warn a student about sensitive content, they’re going to run screaming for the hills. Instead, let’s frame it this way: trigger warnings prepare students to talk about certain things.

It’s like, if you were to warn someone that up ahead there’s a huge hole – a person could then choose to a) not walk in that direction, b) go around the hole, c) bring a ladder, climb down into the hole, walk to the other side, then climb out of it again, or d) fly over the hole. The point is, trigger warnings give people options as to how they want to handle certain material, while asking almost nothing of college professors. They wouldn’t have to change their curriculum or reading material one iota if they didn’t want to.

Now, here’s the thing – trigger warnings are difficult, because even among those who’ve suffered trauma, people’s triggers are different. For some, it may be the mention of graphic sexual assault. For others, it may be the smell of a certain food that happened to be in the room when they experienced a traumatic event. So, I understand that instituting university-wide policies is damn near impossible, because there’s no way to be able to incorporate every person’s triggers.

However, I do think that students need to be encouraged to bring their specific needs to the school, or to their professors, without the fear of being thought and treated like a big baby because they “can’t handle” certain topics, or want them discussed in a more sensitive or inclusive way. Because the real “big babies” in this scenario are professors and administrators who can’t be bothered to deal with listening. Educators who can’t bear to have the way that they teach things challenged. Professors who are so afraid that a small percentage of students might walk out of their class on a particular day that, rather than risk their audience being diminished, they’d rather remain blissfully ignorant of issues of concern to their students, cocooning themselves against having to deal with an alternate view of education.

Who’s being coddled now?

(via Houston Chronicle; Image via Twitter)

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Ladies, Gentlemen, and non-binary people of Arizona, listen up! This is, Sylvia Allen, aka the woman who has just been appointed to lead the Arizona State Senate committee that oversees education legislation.

Sylvia Allen is the Republican state Senator from Snowflake, AZ, and she has gone on record as believing the following:

• That the Earth is 6,000 years old (as you can hear in the video above)
• That “chem-trails” coming from the backs of planes are going to be the deaths of us all and blames the government for “manipulating the weather,” and also…the Fast and the Furious franchise?
• That there should be a law in Arizona making going to church “of your choice” mandatory. (Um…even non-Christians or atheists? Or does she just not think about them?)

This is the person that’s now in charge of dealing with education legislation? Why in the hell…? According to NBC 12 News, AZ Senate President Andy Biggs actually thinks she’d be great at the job:

She understands what Arizona students and parents need in our education system. She is a very experienced legislator and I know she will do a wonderful job.

Clearly, he must think that Arizona students and parents need misinformation, fear-mongering, conspiracy theories, and inaccuracy. Not, you know, actual education. Listen, she might be the best legislator ever, but she knows nothing. Putting her in charge of education legislation is like putting a member of the KKK in charge of a state committee on voter rights.  Like yeah, they might “do their job” well, but their views might also get in the way of lots of people getting what they need from that committee.

But clearly, AZ’s state government doesn’t particularly care about the biases certain people hold. In fact, they’re encouraging it with this horrible idea of a hire. I feel sorry for the children that will be going to school under her watch. Here’s hoping they get the hell out of AZ once it’s time for college.

(via Boing Boing; Featured Image via Gage Skidmore/Flickr)

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At yesterday’s Supporting Syria and the Region Conference in London, 18-year-old Malala Yousafzai spoke to world leaders encouraging them to pledge $1.4 billion this year to help educate Syrian refugee children, highlighting the fact that the 700,000 refugee children currently living in camps in Jordan, Lebanon, and other neighboring countries are out of school.  This is of particular importance for Syrian girls, who are often seen as financial burdens to their families, and so are married off at 12 or 13.

To hammer this point home, she attended the conference accompanied by 17-year-old Mazoon Almellehan, a Syrian refugee who currently lives in Northern England, but for three years lived in two different refugee camps in Jordan, and fought for girls’ education there. They first met in 2014 at the Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan, reuniting once Almellehan was resettled in the UK.

According to Buzzfeed, Yousafzai spoke at a press conference at the event about girls getting an education, not just for the sake of knowledge, but for safety:

[I]t’s not just learning, but in a way a protection for them, for their independence, for their own personality, to have that identity of being themselves. Because once they get married at such an early age, they do not get the opportunity to fulfill their dreams and go forward in their lives.

Meanwhile, Almellehan was on hand to talk about her first-hand experience in a refugee camp, and how she thinks access to education would be a huge help:

Many girls think that education is not important. They think, ‘if I get married, that will give me my future and protect me in my life.’ When I was in [the] camps, I saw many parents and girls think that early marriage is better than education. But in my opinion, education is the best protection for girls and is the best way to help us in our future, because if we want to bring peace to Syria, we must be educated. Without education we cannot do anything. Who will rebuild the country, who will bring peace? We need education because Syria needs us.

Yousafzai praised Jordan and Lebanon for their commitment to taking in refugees, despite being small countries with economic issues of their own. She then subtly criticized European nations for not doing everything they could be doing. She also brought up the excellent point that the sole focus should not be refugee placement, but that we should also make sure that we’re caring for refugees once in a host country.

She says:

If you welcome more refugees it’s going to help more, but also we should not forget supporting the refugees who are already in the host countries. On one hand we see there’s a debate about whether European countries should welcome Syrian refugees or not, but on the other hand people are forgetting about the people who are already refugees in the host countries – and that’s really disappointing because there’s lack of funding in terms of education and other facilities.

Bottom line: more countries need to be doing their part to take in these people so that the enormous burden isn’t placed on a tiny few, and wherever they are, we have to concern ourselves with more than simply providing refugees with food, clothes, and shelter. We shouldn’t simply be focusing on survival — we should also be helping them thrive.

If you’d like to help, the conference’s page on where you can donate is a great place to start.

(image via Statsministerens kontor/Flickr)

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Google Argentina shared a video from the Obama visit to Argentina, where Michelle Obama and Argentinian First Lady Juliana Awada spoke about the importance of education to young girls. Obama spoke about her “modest upbringing” and the challenges she faced, from teachers who would ignore her to people who thought women shouldn’t have ambition. She spoke about facing objectification and judgement as she studied to attend Harvard and make real change, something she’s discussed openly in the past.

As I got older, I found that men would whistle or make comments about how I looked as I walked down the street, as if my body were their property, as if I were an object to be commented on instead of a full human being with thoughts and feelings of my own. I began to realize that the hopes I had for myself were in conflict with the messages I was receiving from people around me. Messages that said that, as a girl, my voice was somehow less important. That how my body looked was more important than how my mind worked. That being strong and powerful and outspoken just wasn’t appropriate or attractive for a girl.

I started to question myself: Was I too loud? Too much? Was I too bossy? Was I dreaming too big? And for years, I would lie awake at night and those doubts would eat away at my heart. But eventually, I just got tired of always worrying about what everyone else thought of me. So I decided not to listen to the voices of those who doubted or dismissed me. Instead, I decided to listen to my own voice and to rely on the support of the people in my life who believed in my ability to achieve my own dreams.

Speaking to the young women, Obama emphasized the need for education, something she’s consistently promoted through Let Girls Learn and #62MillionGirls, a campaign whose name refers to the amount of girls not in school. She spoke about the need for girls to become leaders and to empower other girls both in their countries and worldwide.

I thought her speech did well balancing between talking about her personal experience and the state of girls’ education in the United States, Argentina, and the world. She touched on topics like the NiUnaMenos demonstration, the wage gap, domestic abuse, hygiene and more, making for a rousing speech.

Obama also brought up “This Is For My Girls,” a song featuring featuring Missy Elliott, Janelle Monaé, Kelly Clarkson, Kelly Rowland, Lea Michele, and Zendaya that you can listen to here. All proceeds go to Let Girls Learn Fund. Both the speech and the song are very worthwhile listens.

(via Motto)

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The Obama administration is issuing a directive to allow transgender students to use bathrooms and other facilities that align with their gender identity. A letter to school districts is going out Friday signed by officials from both the Department of Justice and the Department of Education that provides guidance on how to understand and implement changes. NY Times shared portions of the letter, which also includes a 25 page document about practices schools can take. It says:

A school may not require transgender students to use facilities inconsistent with their gender identity or to use individual-user facilities when other students are not required to do so.

…to ensure nondiscrimination on the basis of sex requires schools to provide transgender students equal access to educational programs and activities even in circumstances in which other students, parents, or community members raise objections or concerns. As is consistently recognized in civil rights cases, the desire to accommodate others’ discomfort cannot justify a policy that singles out and disadvantages a particular class of students.

Attorney General Loretta Lynch asserts that “there is no room in our schools for discrimination of any kind,” and believes the guidance will equip administrators, teachers, and parents with information and tools needed to protect transgender students. This comes after North Carolina’s horrendous anti-trans bathroom bill (along with similar discriminatory legislations and hate speech), which Obama criticized in a news conference last month.

The letter states that students are to be treated as the gender they identify with the assertion of a guardian without requiring a medical diagnosis or birth certificate. NY Times points out that while the letter “does not have the force of law” schools that don’t fulfill the expectations “could face lawsuits or a loss of federal aid.”

Some, including Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has called the guidance “blackmail” and stated the federal government could keep their “30 pieces of silver.” Sen. John Cornyn of Texas called Obama’s intervention “unwelcomed.” However, John B. King Jr., secretary of the Department of Education, says it very well in a statement about how gender identity is protected under Title IX:

No student should ever have to go through the experience of feeling unwelcome at school or on a college campus.We must ensure that our young people know that whoever they are or wherever they come from, they have the opportunity to get a great education in an environment free from discrimination, harassment and violence.

This decree is a step forward, and I hope that schools will take the guidance seriously to protect transgender children.

(via NY Times, Image via Shutterstock/VGstockstudio)

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The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is a test given to eighth grade students in public and private schools nationwide every two years to test their proficiency in various subjects and allow for policymakers and school districts to track skills over time and adjust their policies and teaching methods accordingly. In 2014, NAEP included a test that measure literacy in technology and engineering for the first time, and the results were finally made public today.

Out of 21,500 students in more than 800 schools, 45% of girls and 42% of boys scored proficient on the test. BOOM. Take that, anyone who doesn’t think girls “like” or “are good at” things like engineering! According to The Washington Post, “The test was designed to measure students’ abilities in areas such as understanding technological principles, designing solutions and communicating and collaborating. Girls were particularly strong in the latter.”

So…all those “feminine” traits that girls are taught, but then get downplayed by everyone? They’re actually really important in tech fields, because zero innovations happen in a bubble at the hands of only one person.

The test was computer-based, and “asked students not only to answer discrete questions but also to perform tasks embedded in real-life scenarios such as designing a safe bike lane, engineering a healthy habitat for a classroom iguana named ‘Iggy,’ and creating an online museum exhibit about Chicago’s history of dealing with water pollution.” Whoa!

A more disheartening fact is that only 43% of all US eighth-grade students were proficient. Even more discouraging is the way that race and class come into play with how kids did on the test, though not terribly surprising. Here’s how it went down:

• 25% of students that receive free and reduced-price lunch scored proficient
• 59% of affluent students scored proficient
• 18% of black students scored proficient
• 28% of Latinx students scored proficient
• 56% of white and Asian students scored proficient
• 5% of ESL students scored proficient
• 42% of public school students scored proficient
• 60% of private school students scored proficient

It’s amazing that so many eighth grade girls have done so well in technology and engineering, especially considering that girls start losing self-esteem and doing more poorly in math and science around middle school. But there’s still so much further to go with regard to access to and opportunities in education. Hopefully, this test will provide some insights into solutions in addition to highlighting the problem areas.

(image via Shutterstock)

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Yesterday, the California State Board of Education unanimously voted on new curriculum for social science courses that includes “a study of the role of contributions” of “lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans.”

The changes were based on the 2012 passage of the Fair, Accurate, Inclusive and Respectful (FAIR) Education Act, which mandated that California K-12 institutions include marginalized groups that are too often overlooked or skimmed in education. Associated Press lays out some of the content these courses will cover.

In second grade, California students will learn about families with two moms or two dads. Two years later, while studying how immigrants have shaped the Golden State, they will hear how New York native Harvey Milk became a pioneering gay politician in San Francisco.

Students in their senior year will also study the recent legalization of same-sex marriage, and the current fight for transgender access to bathrooms.

While there’s a fair amount of pushback (AP points out the Department has received over 10,000 emails about the FAIR Education Act), it’s a big step in inclusive education. In a press release, Tom Torlakson, the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, said:

This document will improve the teaching and learning of history and social science. It will give our students access to the latest historical research and help them learn about the diversity of our state and the contributions of people and groups who may not have received the appropriate recognition in the past.

Thinking back, I don’t think my U.S. History class in California covered any LGBTQIA history and if we did, it was often reduced to a footnote. It wasn’t until university that I really learned about the Stonewall Riots and really learned names like Bayard Rustin and Harvey Milk—and when I did, I felt a little cheated and embarrassed that they were left out of what my school deemed important enough to teach.

The history of marginalized groups isn’t an elective or something to be referenced in passing, but a crucial part of understanding American history that should be be given as much weight as the history of the pilgrims, the Puritans, and presidents. Hopefully, other states departments will take similar actions to incorporate the contributions of LGBTQIA Americans.

(via Advocate, Image via Stabler Department of Nursing on Flickr)

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As we enter into a new era that brings us a President who spends his days tweeting about television ratings, let’s make sure to appreciate our last days with the current administration. As of Friday, Michelle Obama has given her last public speech as First Lady and oh wow, is it a beautiful one. Not that you’d expect any less from her, of course. The speech was given at an event honoring the 2017 School Counselor of the Year (an event only just established in 2015), so our FLOTUS was, of course, all about education, empowering youths, and that ever-important “power of hope.”

If you’re fearful for the future, or just grateful for the present and the recent past, then warning: major feelings ahead. Watch the whole video of her speech above, because there’s too much for just pull quotes. Well, okay, fine, just one. Here’s her “simple” final message to young people, from the end of her speech.

I want our young people to know that they matter. That they belong. So don’t be afraid. You hear me, young people, don’t be afraid. Be focused. Be determined. Be hopeful. Be empowered. Empower yourselves with a good education. Then get out there and use that education to build a country worthy of your boundless promise. Lead by example with hope, never fear. And know that I will be with you, rooting for you and working to support you for the rest of my life… Being your First Lady has been the greatest honor of my life, and I hope I’ve made you proud.

Again, watch that whole speech, because seeing her face and hearing Michelle Obama’s voice cracks as she tells you she believes in you is what we all need right now.

(image via screengrab)

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Listen, Idris, you don’t have to impress me. I’d let you be my Valentine without you having to do anything for it. But you just can’t help being socially conscious AF, can you? *sigh* Well, I’ll tell you something right here and now, Mr. Elba…nothing gets me hotter than raising money for girls’ education.

Omaze is at it again. This time, they’ve partnered with Idris Elba to offer a unique experience in the name of educating girls in Africa. W.E (Women Everywhere) Can Lead is an organization that aims to ensure “young girls receive the educational opportunity, leadership development and mentoring support necessary to become the new generation of female leaders across the continent of Africa.” If you donate to the organization through Omaze, you will be entered to win several amazing prizes including…a Valentine’s dinner with Idris Elba. That is not a typo. Check out this description from the site:

Idris Elba needs a Valentine and he thinks you’re just his type. No, this isn’t a dream. Pinch yourself if you don’t believe us. You (and a guest, if that’s your thing) will join Idris for a candle-lit meal at one of his favorite restaurants, where you’ll enjoy delicious conversation and great food. You can talk about anything you want to: movies, music, your deepest desires. Idris is a great listener. He’s also a great talker. He’s pretty much great at everything. I mean, have you seen Luther? We’re just over here pretending not to be bitter.

Whaaaat? Do you even know the can of worms you are opening up right now, Omaze? DO YOU? Well, not only do I plan on giving WE Can Lead soooo much money, but I’m already planning what Idris and I (and yes, we’re already on a first-name basis in my head) are gonna do on our date:

1) The Luther Experience

We meet up for dinner, but all isn’t what it seems, as he realizes that I’m the criminal he’s been pursuing this whole time. In a verbal game of cat-and-mouse over dessert, he tries to get me to divulge what I know…but I’m onto all of his tricks. With dessert finished and the check called for, it looks as though he’s going to have to take me elsewhere to interrogate the living bejeezus out of me. Because he’s very, very devoted to his work.

2) The Kaiju Experience

In a world overrun with Kaiju, it’s a wonder we could carve out the time to have dinner at all. I suppose we have to find the moments that remind us of our humanity when we can. He’s worried about his adoptive daughter, and I’m worried about having lost my partner in the Jaeger. It’s over a candlelit dinner, however, that we realize that all we really need is each other. “We can fight them together,” he says. “Tomorrow.” He may be cancelling the Apocalypse, but Valentine’s Day remains in full effect, and an effective neural bridge between us can be useful for plenty of things other than piloting a mecha.

3) The Dark Tower Experience

“The Woman in the Little Black Dress ran across the restaurant and to her suite at the four-star hotel, and the Gunslinger followed.”

Oh, are you, Idris? ARE YOU?!

Okay, okay. Perhaps I’m getting a little carried away. This is what charity does to me, people. It makes me turn my life into fan fiction.

But seriously, though. Great cause, and a chance to have a dinner for two (because seriously, are you gonna bring a friend? I mean, really. No one is that charitable!) with an amazing dining companion. There’s also prizes like this, which I desperately feel the need to own:

So, head on over to Omaze and give until you’re blue in the face! And if you happen to win instead of me, I totally wouldn’t blame you for not letting me tag along. But I’ll have you know I make an excellent “plus one,” if you know what I mean. (But do I know what I mean? I’m so confused…)

(featured image via Omaze)

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Remember last week, when we were talking about the good news/horrible news of the confirmation hearings for Trump’s cabinet nominees, and I said that at the very least, it looked like Trump might be beginning to surround himself with people who—even if they are evil and/or opportunism incarnate—were, in some cases, at least mildly knowledgable (more so than Trump, that’s for sure) and will be able to disagree with and, hopefully, guide Trump?

Ah, what simpler times those were.

If you’ve been following the hearings, you’ve most likely been realizing that these cabinet picks are, nearly across the board, shockingly ill-fitted for their proposed jobs. Trump’s Attorney General pick, Jeff Sessions, (in addition to being just wholly awful) hadn’t even talked to Trump yet about Russia. Scott Pruitt, the pick to head the Environmental Protection Agency, doesn’t believe seas levels are rising. The new proposed U.N. Ambassador, Nikki Haley, most definitely hasn’t even read the Iran deal. Ben Carson, a brain surgeon, is so unqualified for his role as the head of the Department of Housing and Urban Development that Trump is bringing in comedian Steve Harvey (seriously) to help him.

But we may have a new winner for worst nomination yet. Meet Betsy DeVos, the proposed Education Secretary. DeVos is a billionaire (her husband is heir to Amway) whose views of the education system seem to be heavily grounded in a desire to privatize education. She’s a huge supporter of the school voucher program, to the point that the New York Times said it’s “hard to find anyone more passionate about the idea of steering public dollars away from traditional public schools than Betsy DeVos.”

But all of that makes it sound like even if her ideas are controversial (read: terrible), she at least has some basic understanding of what her job might be as Education Secretary. She doesn’t. Here’s what we learned about DeVos during her three hour confirmation hearing. (By contrast, other nominees’ hearings lasted multiple days.)

She doesn’t know the difference between proficiency and growth, a basic tenet in the debates and discussions of the American education system. Al Franken tore her to shreds on this.

Sen. Al Franken discovers Trump Education Secretary nominee Betsy DeVos doesn’t know the difference between proficiency and growth. pic.twitter.com/QFQchwHhuc

— Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) January 18, 2017

She doesn’t know what the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act is. (Or, in her words, she “may have confused it.” With what, no one knows.) But when pushed, she says that she thinks the states should be allowed to decide how they spend federal funding. Tim Kaine asked her, “So some states might be good to kids with disabilities and other states might not be so good and, what then, people can just move around the country if they don’t like how kids are being treated?”

Her response? “I think that’s an issue that’s best left to the states.”

You definitely want to watch Kaine eviscerate her.

Betsy DeVos fails @timkaine‘s test at Senate hearing: pic.twitter.com/qnyFZgc52X

— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) January 18, 2017

As you can see in that video, “best left to the states” is pretty much her mantra. Which makes sense. DeVos’ family is one of the wealthiest in Michigan. She’s one of those people that would get to move to a state where her needs and values were fully met. She’s a huge proponent of “school choice” (vouchers, charter schools, private schools, etc), and given everything she said to Kaine, it’s hard to think she has any interest at all in public schools, or the nationwide education system in general. “Best left to the states” seems to mean “If I don’t want to pay attention to it, I don’t want to be forced to.”

But veering away from her beliefs back to her experience, just a reminder—SHE HAS NONE. In terms of the Department of Education’s responsibilities in higher education , she has absolutely no experience running a program like the one she would be in charge of, or even participating in a program like the one she would be in charge of. No one in her family has even had to ever take out a student loan. (How very lucky for them.)

Sen. Elizabeth Warren finds Betsy DeVos has no experience managing student loan programs, never took out a loan & never had a child who did. pic.twitter.com/nuhGMYAebm

— Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) January 18, 2017

Which is maybe why the best she can do by way of answer to Bernie Sanders’ question on tuition-free public colleges and universities is a bland cliché.

“There’s nothing in life that’s truly free—somebody’s going to pay for it.” @BetsyDeVos on Sanders’ “free” tuition idea. pic.twitter.com/TYOkmzRNAc

— Heritage Foundation (@Heritage) January 18, 2017

If all of this makes you terrified for the future of our country, well, it should. And not that this is any less terrifying, but I have, at least, saved the best for last. When it comes to guns in schools, DeVos thinks that’s an issue—say it with me now—best left to the states. But ultimately, she’s in favor of guns in schools BECAUSE OF BEARS.

BEARS!

Betsy DeVos wants to allow guns in schools because there might be bears #DumpDeVos pic.twitter.com/5vEFhZR64W

— American Bridge (@American_Bridge) January 18, 2017

(image via screengrab)

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We haven’t even come to terms yet with the fact that Betsy DeVos–the woman who doesn’t know what the IDEA (the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) is, has no experience as an educator, has never attended or sent a child to public school, who thinks schools need to “advance God’s kingdom,” who can’t answer simple questions on the most basic points in the conversation around American education, and who, let’s not forget, argued we should allow guns in schools because of bears–was confirmed as the new United States Education Secretary today. But that’s not stopping Republican lawmakers from taking our dystopian education-related nightmares to a whole new level in proposing a bill that would eliminate the Department of Education entirely.

Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie has proposed a bill that’s all of one single page in length, which I can’t tell if that’s lazy or deliberately insulting to the presumed Democratic opposition. I’m going to guess both. Massie, whose bill declares the department would be terminated on December 31st, 2018, wants to bring all education policy decisions into the hands of state and local agencies. Massie said in a statement,

Unelected bureaucrats in Washington, D.C. should not be in charge of our children’s intellectual and moral development. States and local communities are best positioned to shape curricula that meet the needs of their students.

Of course, according to her confirmation hearing, DeVos agrees. Do we think she’d mind being out of a job?

During her hearing, Tim Kaine asked her about her thoughts on the IDEA. Aside from not knowing what that was (or, in her words, she “may have confused it” with… something), she thought that even the protection of students with disabilities shouldn’t be her concern. Kaine pushed, “So some states might be good to kids with disabilities and other states might not be so good and, what then, people can just move around the country if they don’t like how kids are being treated?”

Her response? “I think that’s an issue that’s best left to the states.”

Under DeVos, we’re already at risk of the new head of the Education Department declaring that any and all public school issues aren’t part of her job. Which means the rich (i.e. Devos and her Republican Senator friends) get richer and send their kids to better and better schools, while the rest of the country, well… I guess that’s just an issue that’s best left to the states.

Now, if Massie and the seven other Republicans who signed the bill get their way, we’re all at risk of seeing that isolationist version of an educational system to the extreme.

(via The Hill, image via Freaktography/Flickr)

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