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Tag: High School
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Twin brothers graduate high school at top of their class
Twin brothers graduate high school at top of their class – CBS News
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PROOF POINTS: Writing researcher finds AI feedback ‘better than I thought’
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Researchers from the University of California, Irvine, and Arizona State University found that human feedback was generally a bit better than AI feedback, but AI was surprisingly good. Credit: Getty Images This week I challenged my editor to face off against a machine. Barbara Kantrowitz gamely accepted, under one condition: “You have to file early.” Ever since ChatGPT arrived in 2022, many journalists have made a public stunt out of asking the new generation of artificial intelligence to write their stories. Those AI stories were often bland and sprinkled with errors. I wanted to understand how well ChatGPT handled a different aspect of writing: giving feedback.
My curiosity was piqued by a new study, published in the June 2024 issue of the peer-reviewed journal Learning and Instruction, that evaluated the quality of ChatGPT’s feedback on students’ writing. A team of researchers compared AI with human feedback on 200 history essays written by students in grades 6 through 12 and they determined that human feedback was generally a bit better. Humans had a particular advantage in advising students on something to work on that would be appropriate for where they are in their development as a writer.
But ChatGPT came close. On a five-point scale that the researchers used to rate feedback quality, with a 5 being the highest quality feedback, ChatGPT averaged a 3.6 compared with a 4.0 average from a team of 16 expert human evaluators. It was a tough challenge. Most of these humans had taught writing for more than 15 years or they had considerable experience in writing instruction. All received three hours of training for this exercise plus extra pay for providing the feedback.
ChatGPT even beat these experts in one aspect; it was slightly better at giving feedback on students’ reasoning, argumentation and use of evidence from source materials – the features that the researchers had wanted the writing evaluators to focus on.
“It was better than I thought it was going to be because I didn’t have a lot of hope that it was going to be that good,” said Steve Graham, a well-regarded expert on writing instruction at Arizona State University, and a member of the study’s research team. “It wasn’t always accurate. But sometimes it was right on the money. And I think we’ll learn how to make it better.”
Average ratings for the quality of ChatGPT and human feedback on 200 student essays
Researchers rated the quality of the feedback on a five-point scale across five different categories. Criteria-based refers to whether the feedback addressed the main goals of the writing assignment, in this case, to produce a well-reasoned argument about history using evidence from the reading source materials that the students were given. Clear directions mean whether the feedback included specific examples of something the student did well and clear directions for improvement. Accuracy means whether the feedback advice was correct without errors. Essential Features refer to whether the suggestion on what the student should work on next is appropriate for where the student is in his writing development and is an important element of this genre of writing. Supportive Tone refers to whether the feedback is delivered with language that is affirming, respectful and supportive, as opposed to condescending, impolite or authoritarian. (Source: Fig. 1 of Steiss et al, “Comparing the quality of human and ChatGPT feedback of students’ writing,” Learning and Instruction, June 2024.) Exactly how ChatGPT is able to give good feedback is something of a black box even to the writing researchers who conducted this study. Artificial intelligence doesn’t comprehend things in the same way that humans do. But somehow, through the neural networks that ChatGPT’s programmers built, it is picking up on patterns from all the writing it has previously digested, and it is able to apply those patterns to a new text.
The surprising “relatively high quality” of ChatGPT’s feedback is important because it means that the new artificial intelligence of large language models, also known as generative AI, could potentially help students improve their writing. One of the biggest problems in writing instruction in U.S. schools is that teachers assign too little writing, Graham said, often because teachers feel that they don’t have the time to give personalized feedback to each student. That leaves students without sufficient practice to become good writers. In theory, teachers might be willing to assign more writing or insist on revisions for each paper if students (or teachers) could use ChatGPT to provide feedback between drafts.
Despite the potential, Graham isn’t an enthusiastic cheerleader for AI. “My biggest fear is that it becomes the writer,” he said. He worries that students will not limit their use of ChatGPT to helpful feedback, but ask it to do their thinking, analyzing and writing for them. That’s not good for learning. The research team also worries that writing instruction will suffer if teachers delegate too much feedback to ChatGPT. Seeing students’ incremental progress and common mistakes remain important for deciding what to teach next, the researchers said. For example, seeing loads of run-on sentences in your students’ papers might prompt a lesson on how to break them up. But if you don’t see them, you might not think to teach it. Another common concern among writing instructors is that AI feedback will steer everyone to write in the same homogenized way. A young writer’s unique voice could be flattened out before it even has the chance to develop.
There’s also the risk that students may not be interested in heeding AI feedback. Students often ignore the painstaking feedback that their teachers already give on their essays. Why should we think students will pay attention to feedback if they start getting more of it from a machine?
Still, Graham and his research colleagues at the University of California, Irvine, are continuing to study how AI could be used effectively and whether it ultimately improves students’ writing. “You can’t ignore it,” said Graham. “We either learn to live with it in useful ways, or we’re going to be very unhappy with it.”
Right now, the researchers are studying how students might converse back-and-forth with ChatGPT like a writing coach in order to understand the feedback and decide which suggestions to use.
Example of feedback from a human and ChatGPT on the same essay
Source: Steiss et al, “Comparing the quality of human and ChatGPT feedback of students’ writing,” Learning and Instruction, June 2024. In the current study, the researchers didn’t track whether students understood or employed the feedback, but only sought to measure its quality. Judging the quality of feedback is a rather subjective exercise, just as feedback itself is a bundle of subjective judgment calls. Smart people can disagree on what good writing looks like and how to revise bad writing.
In this case, the research team came up with its own criteria for what constitutes good feedback on a history essay. They instructed the humans to focus on the student’s reasoning and argumentation, rather than, say, grammar and punctuation. They also told the human raters to adopt a “glow and grow strategy” for delivering the feedback by first finding something to praise, then identifying a particular area for improvement.
The human raters provided this kind of feedback on hundreds of history essays from 2021 to 2023, as part of an unrelated study of an initiative to boost writing at school. The researchers randomly grabbed 200 of these essays and fed the raw student writing – without the human feedback – to version 3.5 of ChatGPT and asked it to give feedback, too.
At first, the AI feedback was terrible, but as the researchers tinkered with the instructions, or the “prompt,” they typed into ChatGPT, the feedback improved. The researchers eventually settled upon this wording: “Pretend you are a secondary school teacher. Provide 2-3 pieces of specific, actionable feedback on each of the following essays…. Use a friendly and encouraging tone.” The researchers also fed the assignment that the students were given, for example, “Why did the Montgomery Bus Boycott succeed?” along with the reading source material that the students were provided. (More details about how the researchers prompted ChatGPT are explained in Appendix C of the study.)
The humans took about 20 to 25 minutes per essay. ChatGPT’s feedback came back instantly. The humans sometimes marked up sentences by, for example, showing a place where the student could have cited a source to buttress an argument. ChatGPT didn’t write any in-line comments and only wrote a note to the student.
Researchers then read through both sets of feedback – human and machine – for each essay, comparing and rating them. (It was supposed to be a blind comparison test and the feedback raters were not told who authored each one. However, the language and tone of ChatGPT were distinct giveaways, and the in-line comments were a tell of human feedback.)
Humans appeared to have a clear edge with the very strongest and the very weakest writers, the researchers found. They were better at pushing a strong writer a little bit further, for example, by suggesting that the student consider and address a counterargument. ChatGPT struggled to come up with ideas for a student who was already meeting the objectives of a well-argued essay with evidence from the reading source materials. ChatGPT also struggled with the weakest writers. The researchers had to drop two of the essays from the study because they were so short that ChatGPT didn’t have any feedback for the student. The human rater was able to parse out some meaning from a brief, incomplete sentence and offer a suggestion.
In one student essay about the Montgomery Bus Boycott, reprinted above, the human feedback seemed too generic to me: “Next time, I would love to see some evidence from the sources to help back up your claim.” ChatGPT, by contrast, specifically suggested that the student could have mentioned how much revenue the bus company lost during the boycott – an idea that was mentioned in the student’s essay. ChatGPT also suggested that the student could have mentioned specific actions that the NAACP and other organizations took. But the student had actually mentioned a few of these specific actions in his essay. That part of ChatGPT’s feedback was plainly inaccurate.
In another student writing example, also reprinted below, the human straightforwardly pointed out that the student had gotten an historical fact wrong. ChatGPT appeared to affirm that the student’s mistaken version of events was correct.
Another example of feedback from a human and ChatGPT on the same essay
Source: Steiss et al, “Comparing the quality of human and ChatGPT feedback of students’ writing,” Learning and Instruction, June 2024. So how did ChatGPT’s review of my first draft stack up against my editor’s? One of the researchers on the study team suggested a prompt that I could paste into ChatGPT. After a few back and forth questions with the chatbot about my grade level and intended audience, it initially spit out some generic advice that had little connection to the ideas and words of my story. It seemed more interested in format and presentation, suggesting a summary at the top and subheads to organize the body. One suggestion would have made my piece too long-winded. Its advice to add examples of how AI feedback might be beneficial was something that I had already done. I then asked for specific things to change in my draft, and ChatGPT came back with some great subhead ideas. I plan to use them in my newsletter, which you can see if you sign up for it here. (And if you want to see my prompt and dialogue with ChatGPT, here is the link.)
My human editor, Barbara, was the clear winner in this round. She tightened up my writing, fixed style errors and helped me brainstorm this ending. Barbara’s job is safe – for now.
This story about AI feedback was written by Jill Barshay and produced by The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Sign up for Proof Points and other Hechinger newsletters.
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52 years summed up in 24 hours: Cherry Creek HS lifts Marc Johnson to epic exit
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It’s rare for a career as long as Marc Johnson’s to be so perfectly summed up in a matter of moments, but if the look on his face after the Class 5A state championship game on Saturday afternoon doesn’t do it justice, then the preceding 24-or-so hours is Johnson’s baseball microcosm.
Cherry Creek claimed their 9th state crown by beating Regis Jesuit 5-2, knocking off the Rangers in back-to-back games to claim the title. Add in their defeat of Grandview on Friday and that makes one magical day to end a 52-year career.
“It’s really not about me, in my whole 52-year career I never got on the field to play ever,” said Johnson, affectionately known as “Jay Bird.”
“I was the jockey that rode the horse, slapped them on the butt and said play as hard as you can. For whatever reason it worked out for me.”
Johnson’s coaching style is direct, demanding, yet light and loving. He understood the impact he had on the lives of every kid who stepped onto the diamond at Cherry Creek.
“It’s been an awesome run,” said Coach Johnson. “I’ve loved every second, every day that I’ve coached, every kid that I’ve coached, it’s out of this world. It’s a story, I could write a book based on this final season. It’s unbelievable.”
The novel based on this past season, let alone the final days, would almost certainly be a best seller. Johnson’s connection with his teams – all 52 of them – creates relationships worth reading about.
52 years summed up in 24 hours: Cherry Creek lifts Marc Johnson to epic exit
“Ever since I came into Creek freshman year he’s always been there for me,” said Ryan Falke, a junior pitcher who tossed every pitch of the championship game. “Everyone says he’s the GOAT, and he truly is the GOAT. 52 years is hard to do and he’s done it really good, I’m glad we could give him another state title.”
“I don’t think I’d be the same without [Coach Johnson] in my life,” said senior outfielder Eddie Esquivel. “Every player here could say the same thing.”
What’s next for Coach Jay Bird? Only time will tell. For now, however, he rides off into the sunset as a kind conqueror – and the greatest baseball coach in the history of Colorado.
The Follow Up
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Extron AV Technology Powers First-in-Nation K-12 Cyber Innovation Center at Canyon Springs High School
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Anaheim, California – Moreno Valley Unified School District in Riverside County, California, recently opened its Cyber Innovation Center at Canyon Springs High School. It’s the home of the cybersecurity pathway program, and is recognized by the National Initiative for Cyber Education as the first center of its kind for a K-12 public school district. Here, students gain knowledge and skills in computer network maintenance and cybersecurity, earning college credits and CompTIA certifications. The late Aaron Barnett, IT Director of Moreno Valley USD, and Donna Woods, MSc.Ed., the Center’s lead instructor, spearheaded creation of the academic program and the 7,600 SF facility. Integral to the teaching and esports competition activities at the Center is an extensive audiovisual system powered by Extron switching, distribution, control, and audio, with NAV® Pro AV over IP at the center of AV signal distribution.
“The AV systems provide a high-level impact and excellent impression to visitors and participants engaged in our community outreach programs,” says Donna Woods, MSc.Ed, Career Technical Education Cyber Pathway Instructor. “Extron collaborated with our instructors during AV system design to understand specific uses and applications for each course. As Extron customized the AV systems, they provided training and support during and after installation. They were exemplary in follow-up as instructors began using the system verifying everything was running effectively.”
The main teaching spaces are an Esports Computer Lab, a Cyber Classroom, and a Cyber Innovation Lab that serve as classrooms and as competition venues for esports and Cyber Defense contests. The center also houses mentoring conference rooms and hands-on workstations with server racks and network equipment. Connecting all the rooms is the NAV Pro AV over IP system which allows any AV source to be viewed and heard on any display. Supporting this main distribution backbone is a host of Extron switching, distribution and control equipment, including HDMI switchers, DTP wallplates, ShareLink Pro wireless presentation gateways, DMP audio DSP processors, XPA and NetPA amplifiers, Flat Field and SoundField speakers and subwoofers, IPCP Pro control processors, TouchLink Pro touchpanels, and the Extron Control app. Alumni of Moreno Valley’s Cyber Academic Pathway program have gone on to well paying software security and IT positions in industry. Such student successes are all the more impressive because Moreno Valley USD qualifies for the US federal Title I education program for low-income students.
To read the Moreno Valley USD Cyber Innovation Center case study, click here
Extron – The AV Technology Leader
Every day, millions of people around the world are having their experiences enhanced by Extron audiovisual signal processing, distribution, and control solutions. We design advanced technologies to create better looking images, higher quality sound, systems that are easier to control and work more reliably. Our powerful asset management tools are helping technology professionals efficiently manage large numbers of audiovisual systems deployed throughout their enterprises and institutions. Extron AV technology solutions serve the diverse needs of organizations around the world and are deployed in a wide variety of corporate, educational, government, healthcare, retail, and entertainment applications.To learn more about Extron, click here.
Extron®, NAV®, DTP®, XPA®, NetPA®, Flat Field®, SoundField®, ShareLink®, and TouchLink® are registered trademarks of Extron.
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O’Connor Institute Announces John Jay Fetzer Memorial Scholarship Winner
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PHOENIX, May 29, 2024 (Newswire.com)
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The Sandra Day O’Connor Institute for American Democracy announces Molly Nealon of Sacramento, California, as the 2024 awardee of the $5,000 John Jay Fetzer Memorial Scholarship.The Institute awards each year the John Jay Fetzer Memorial Scholarship to an exceptional member of its O’Connor Institute Ambassadors program. High school seniors committed to positively impacting their communities while deepening their understanding of civics apply to be considered for this prestigious award. Molly proved to be a dedicated member of her community who excelled academically and demonstrated exemplary public service.
“Serving as an Ambassador for the O’Connor Institute, I am deeply committed to advancing its core missions of promoting civil discourse, civics education, and civic engagement,” Molly said. “I am eager to contribute to my community in ways that honor Justice O’Connor’s remarkable legacy, embodying the principles of engagement and public service she championed.”
Molly will attend the University of California, Davis honors program this fall, where she plans to major in Environmental Science Engineering.
Students, parents, or educators interested in learning about the O’Connor Institute Ambassadors Civics and Debate Club can find information on the program and the John Jay Fetzer Memorial Scholarship at OConnorInstitute.org/ambassadors. Currently, more than 600 students across the nation collaborate through the Institute’s Ambassadors forum.
The Institute congratulates Molly, celebrates her success, and salutes the accomplishments of all Ambassadors who are graduating this year. They are examples of Justice O’Connor’s understanding, which she once shared with a class of new graduates, “that even before you have reached your ultimate professional destination, if you always strive for excellence, you can and should have a substantial impact on the world in which you live.”
About Sandra Day O’Connor Institute for American Democracy
Founded by Justice Sandra Day O’Connor following her retirement from the U.S. Supreme Court, the nonpartisan nonprofit Institute continues her distinguished legacy and lifetime work to advance American Democracy through multigenerational civics education, civil discourse, and civic engagement. OConnorInstitute.org
Source: Sandra Day O’Connor Institute for American Democracy
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Outlier by Savvas Named to TIME World’s Top EdTech Companies 2024 List
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PARAMUS, NEW JERSEY — Savvas Learning Company, a next-generation K-12 learning solutions leader, is excited to announce that Outlier by Savvas, its online dual-enrollment course offerings, has been named to TIME World’s Top EdTech Companies 2024 list. Outlier by Savvas ranked #73 on this new global ranking of the 250 top edtech companies by TIME in partnership with Statista, a statistics and market research company.
Savvas recently acquired Outlier, an edtech startup that has created a portfolio of online, asynchronous dual enrollment courses — with real transferable college credit opportunities from a top 50 university — that enable high school students to earn dual credit while never having to leave their school building. Offering a diverse catalog of award-winning college courses with cinematic lectures from top-rated instructors, Outlier by Savvas provides high school students multiple pathways to college and career.
“We are thrilled that Outlier has been recognized on TIME’s list of the World’s Top EdTech Companies 2024,” said Bethlam Forsa, CEO of Savvas Learning Company. “Just as remote work is commonplace today, school district leaders are adopting online learning to bring college courses to the high school environment. Outlier by Savvas meets this need by offering high-quality online dual enrollment courses that broaden students’ academic horizons from the convenience of their high school classroom.”
Research shows that dual-enrollment programs can increase both high school graduation and college enrollment rates. Online dual-enrollment courses can expose students to a wider range of subjects that may not be offered by their high school or community college, allowing them to discover where their passions lie and providing a jumpstart on college or a future career. Taking college courses in high school helps students “try on” the college experience in a safe and familiar learning environment.
Another key benefit of earning high school and college credits simultaneously through dual enrollment courses is reducing the cost of college tuition.
“Getting transferable college credit at no cost to the student in high school can substantially reduce the burden of paying for college for many families,” Forsa said. “As student loan debt skyrockets and the cost of college tuition rises, the need to increase access to dual enrollment opportunities for high school students is greater than ever.”
The World’s Top EdTech Companies 2024 list recognizes companies that focus on developing and providing educational technologies, products, or services. In support of the research, data was gathered from company applications, annual reports, media monitoring, and other public sources. The ranking is based on the research and analysis of companies across two focus areas: financial strength and industry impact. Companies with the highest scores demonstrating extraordinary impact on the edtech industry along with strong financial performance were named to the list.
ABOUT SAVVAS LEARNING COMPANY
At Savvas, we believe learning should inspire. By combining new ideas, new ways of thinking, and new ways of interacting, we design engaging, next-generation K-12 learning solutions that give all students the best opportunity to succeed. Our award-winning, high-quality instructional materials span every grade level and discipline, from evidence-based, standards-aligned core curricula to supplemental and intervention programs to state-of-the art assessment tools — all designed to meet the needs of every learner. Savvas products are used by millions of students and educators in more than 90 percent of the 13,000+ public school districts across all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, as well as globally in more than 125 countries. To learn more, visit Savvas Learning Company. Savvas Learning Company’s products are also available for sale in Canada through its subsidiary, Rubicon.
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At East High’s graduation, moments of joy after a tumultuous few years
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Gia Rodriguez holds up her newly attained diploma during East High School’s graduation ceremony at the Denver Coliseum. May 21, 2024.
Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite
It’s been a tough few years for East High’s class of 2024.
Students who are now seniors graduated middle school at the start of the pandemic in 2020 without any ceremony to mark their transition. They continued to be confronted by COVID’s disruptions to their education for years.
East High School students hug after their graduation ceremony at the Denver Coliseum. May 21, 2024. Kevin J. Beaty/DenveriteLast year’s school year was also marked by gun violence. First, the death of Luis Garcia, who was a member of the class of 2024. Then, a school shooting that wounded two administrators and led to the death of the shooter, also a student.
But on Tuesday, the scene at Denver Coliseum was one of joy as hundreds of students from one of the city’s flagship public high schools celebrated a key milestone in American life: high school graduation.
East High School’s graduating class goes wild as their end-of-year ceremony concludes at the Denver Coliseum. May 21, 2024. Kevin J. Beaty/DenveriteThe speeches were full of reflections on the past few years, imaginings of what the class of 2024 has ahead of them and frequent references to the high school’s fire alarm.
Hundreds of families across several generations packed the stands and brought flowers and gifts to cheer on their graduates.
“You have advocated for legislative change, you continue to be brave and inclusive, embracing all of our differences that make this school so beautiful, and you’ve shown great empathy towards your community in a time where violence has been no stranger throughout the entire world,” principal Terita Walker said. “You have made your mark on his high school, and it’s now time for you to make your mark on the world.”
Here’s what we saw and what students said about the milestone.
East High School’s graduating class goes wild as their end-of-year ceremony concludes at the Denver Coliseum. May 21, 2024. Kevin J. Beaty/DenveriteOnstage and in interviews, first-generation students paid tribute to their parents.
Graduation speaker Isabella Pinedo talked about her parents’ experience immigrating to the U.S. and her identity as an Indigenous and Mexican American student.
“Education did not play a big role for either one of my parents. My father immigrated to the United States alone as a child and his only thought process was to work and to earn the American dream. My mom was unable to finish high school because she became a teen mom,” said Pinedo, who received a full-ride to attend nursing school at Metropolitan State University.
Isabella Pinedo speaks during East High School’s graduation ceremony at the Denver Coliseum. May 21, 2024. Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite“Although my parents are by no means perfect … they always made everything possible for us,” she said. “Seniors, let’s all make sure we thank the people that got us here today.”
Roland Huerta Caballero is headed to the University of Colorado Denver to study media production. In an interview with Denverite, he praised the teachers and mentors who helped him with college applications as a first-gen student.
“It’s a great accomplishment, my parents’ sacrifices weren’t in vain,” he said. “To me personally, I’m able to make a career, a big name for myself, and make my parents proud of who I’ll be, who I am,” he said.
Roland Huerta Caballero holds his diploma after East High School’s graduation ceremony at the Denver Coliseum. May 21, 2024. Kevin J. Beaty/DenveriteHuerta Caballero said making it to graduation showed how resilient his classmates are.
“While I was in the ceremony I definitely thought of many ups and downs,” he said. “I definitely remember the COVID years and then the shootings last year, but also remember all that goodness we had that helped strengthen our community.”
The people who couldn’t attend the ceremony were on the minds of many seniors at the East High graduation.
“It’s thanks to you mom,” said Noah Vong, one of the student speakers. “I would give anything for you to be here today.”
Another emotional moment came when diplomas were presented to the students and staff read out Luis Garcia’s name. The entire coliseum stood and clapped for a prolonged moment to honor the student who was shot outside the school in 2023.
East High School students stand for Luis Garcia, who was killed near the school in 2023, during what would have been his graduation ceremony. May 21, 2024. Kevin J. Beaty/DenveriteOther students had their minds on other missing loved ones.
“Right now I’m just thinking about my dad. I wish he was here,” said graduating senior Diamond Morgan after the ceremony. “It’s been a tough couple years.”
Diamond Morgan holds her diploma after East High School’s graduation ceremony at the Denver Coliseum. May 21, 2024. Kevin J. Beaty/DenveriteBut the overwhelming feeling from the class of 2024 was one of excitement.
“It kind of feels like a pipe dream a little bit, it doesn’t feel real,” said graduate Cian Murphy.
Murphy was a member of Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps and plans to join the U.S. Navy and work on submarines.
Cian Murphy holds his diploma after East High School’s graduation ceremony at the Denver Coliseum. May 21, 2024. Kevin J. Beaty/DenveriteHis hopes after graduating? “Not drown,” he said.
Draped in cords representing her involvement in Women of East, the Queer Student Alliance and a handful of other student groups, Madelyn Arnold recalled her favorite memory from her time at East High.
“I really loved contributing to the community,” she said. “I painted some murals around the school and just going to all the student activities, it was really amazing.”
Anthony James Cordova’s family goes wild as he accepts his diploma during East High School’s graduation ceremony at the Denver Coliseum. May 21, 2024. Kevin J. Beaty/DenveriteArnold plans to attend University of California Santa Cruz to study marine biology and art. Reflecting on the difficulties of the past few years, she said graduation made it all worth it.
“This really overshadows it all,” she said. “I’m really excited to go to college.”
Morgan, who plans to start cosmetology school, perhaps put her feelings about graduation best: “I’m excited to be grown.”
Aidan Dunning runs through a tunnel of family and friends after East High School’s graduation ceremony at the Denver Coliseum. May 21, 2024. Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite[ad_2]
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7 realities for Black students in America, 70 years after Brown – The Hechinger Report
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Linda Brown was a third grader in Topeka, Kansas, when her father, Oliver Brown, tried to enroll her in the white public school four blocks from her home. Otherwise, she would have had to walk across railroad tracks to take a bus to attend the nearest all-Black one.
When she was denied admission, Oliver Brown sued.
The case, and four others from Delaware, the District of Columbia, South Carolina and Virginia were combined and made their way to the Supreme Court. All of them involved school children required to attend all-Black schools that were of lower quality than schools for white children.
While the Supreme Court found in 1954 in Oliver Brown’s favor, years would pass before desegregation of American schools began in earnest. And for many Black students now, 70 years since the nation’s highest court held unanimously that separate is inherently unequal, educational resources and access remain woefully uneven.
Here are some of the racial realities of American public education today:
25: That’s the percentage increase in Black-white school segregation between 1991 and 2019, according to an analysis of 533 districts by sociologists Sean Reardon at Stanford University and Ann Owens at the University of Southern California. While school segregation fell dramatically beginning in 1968 with a series of court orders, it began to tick up in the early 1990s because of the expiration of court orders mandating integration, school choice policies, and other factors. Still, schools remain significantly less segregated than they did before and immediately after the Brown decision.
10: That’s the proportion of Black students learning in a school where more than 90 percent of their classmates were also Black, according to 2022 Department of Education data. That figure is down from 23 percent in 2000. Even as Black-white school segregation has increased slightly since the early 1990s, the number of extremely segregated schools has shrunk, in part because of an increase in the Hispanic student population. Meanwhile, from 2000 to 2022, the percentage of white students attending a school that is 90 percent or more white fell from 44 percent to 14 percent.
6: This is the percentage of teachers in American public schools who are Black. By comparison, Black students make up about 15 percent of public school enrollment. One legacy of Brown v. Boardis the dearth of Black teachers: More than 38,000 Black educators lost their jobs after the decision came down, as white administrators of integrating schools refused to hire Black professionals for teaching roles or pushed them out. Yet research suggests that more Black teachers in the classroom can help boost Black student outcomes such as college enrollment.
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2014: That’s the year that Wilcox County High School, in rural Georgia, held its first school-sponsored, racially integrated prom. After desegregation, parents in the community, like many across the South, began organizing private, off-site proms to keep the events exclusively white. That practice persisted in Wilcox County until 2013, when high schoolers organized a prom for both white and Black students. The next year, the school made it official, finally holding an integrated event.
$14,385: This is the average amount spent per Black pupil in public school, compared with $14,263 per white student, according to a 2022 analysis of 2017-18 data by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. The researchers found that while school district spending was very similar for Black and white students, the sources of funding differed somewhat, with Black students receiving more federal funding and white students receiving more local funding. The amount of money spent on instruction per pupil, meanwhile, was slightly lower for Black students – $7,169 – than for white students ($7,329). The researchers attributed that to a number of small, predominantly white districts that spent far above average on their students.
7: That’s the share of incoming students at the University of Mississippi who were Black in 2022 — even though nearly half the state’s public high school graduates, 48 percent, were Black that year. That gap between Black students graduating from high school in Mississippi and those enrolling at the state flagship university has grown over the past decade, according to a Hechinger analysis. Similar trends are playing out elsewhere in the country: In 2022, 16 state flagship universities had a gap of 10 percentage points or more between Black high school graduates and incoming freshmen. And at two dozen flagships, the gap for Black students stayed the same or grew between 2019 and 2022. Yet public flagships were created to educate the residents of their states, and most make that explicit.
Revisiting Brown, 70 years later
The Hechinger Report takes a look at the decision that was intended to end segregation in public schools in an exploration of what has, and hasn’t, changed since school segregation was declared illegal.
700: That’s roughly how many high schools are offering the College Board’s Advanced Placement African American Studies course this school year, more than 10 times as many that offered it a year earlier, when it debuted. The course was created in part in response to longstanding concerns that African American history has been downplayed or left out of K-12 curriculum. But the A.P. course, an elective, became ensnared in politics. The content has evolved after criticism that it introduced students to “divisive concepts,” among other reasons; it has been banned or restricted in some states. Nevertheless, about 13,000 students are enrolled in this second year of the pilot course, which took more than 10 years to develop. Forty-five percent of students taking the class had never previously taken another AP course, which can earn them college credit.
This story about Brown v. Board of Education was produced by The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education.
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New group targets AI skills in education and the workforce
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Key points:
A new commission comprising policymakers, education leaders, business leaders, and education stakeholders from 16 states is tackling AI’s role in education from kindergarten through postsecondary programs, focusing on AI skill readiness and policy development.
The Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) Commission on Artificial Intelligence in Education is chaired by South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster and is co-chaired by Brad D. Smith, president of Marshall University (WV) and former Intuit CEO.
The commission will review research and industry data and hear from education experts as it develops recommendations for southern states around using AI in teaching and learning, developing AI-related policies, and preparing students for careers in AI.
Top of mind for commission members after the group’s initial meeting was how to ensure AI is thoughtfully infused in K-12 and postsecondary curricula in a manner that equips students for success in a workforce that will demand AI skills and know-how for jobs that largely do not yet exist.
“This isn’t the age of Rosie the Robot taking over jobs–there will be jobs. The question is, are we going to have people equipped to fill those jobs?” said SREB President Dr. Stephen Pruitt during a conference to discuss the group’s first meeting.
The commission’s first meeting generated discussions about what, exactly, AI looks like at different levels of education and how to integrate it in useful and actionable ways for students, educators, and stakeholders.
“We have a blueprint of what it looks like to implement this technology into different fields of education and what types of relationships that creates with the workforce. We have a plan and we’re ready to progress that plan,” said Calvin McNeil, an Advanced Placement computer science instructor with the University of Florida.
Bringing in industry members is a critical part of the commission’s success in outlining what AI skill proficiency looks like at the K-12 and postsecondary levels.
“One of the great things, from education and the legislative side, is having the active involvement of industries and knowing what they’re looking for, so we can get back to schools and know what needs to be taught,” said Charles Appleby, senior advisor to the Coordinating Council for Workforce Development with the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce.
Ultimately, the group’s common goal is to ensure students aren’t lagging behind a rapidly evolving workforce that is increasingly centered around AI knowledge.
“Everyone here, from diverse perspectives, recognizes the importance and the critical nature of this technology. Our charge is to balance risks and opportunities in the education space,” said Sen. Katie Fry Hester of Maryland. “In thinking about education, you can use AI to tailor education to individual students, to improve mundane tasks, and to look at large data sets and identify trends. But we want to do all that in a really careful way and make sure the AI we’re using is fair and unbiased. We want to make sure student data stays safe. We want to ensure that with our teachers’ jobs, that the AI enhances, rather than replaces, the role of teachers. I think this is the right group to do that.”
“We’re really preparing our institutions to prepare people for a world that’s changed. They say about 60 percent of our jobs will be impacted by AI. Well, how do we use that technology to better prepare students for a world that will be very different from the world we’re currently in?” said Jim Purcell, executive director of the Alabama Commission on Higher Education.
“We’re bringing together industry, students, and parents, and we’re going to take advantage of what AI offers, which is a unique tool we can use to improve skillsets for the work environment. Students end up in a position where they can meet the needs of the job market,” said Stanton Greenawalt, professor of Cybersecurity at Horry-Georgetown Technical College in South Carolina.
Ensuring all students have access to AI skill development will play an important role in equity and access if AI skill frameworks reach students across all trajectories, particularly because education is key to economic mobility.
“In Florida, we’ve developed frameworks for learning standards going through our CTE division. In this division, students are learning high-level concepts, allowing them to become employable as we talk about this new Industrial Revolution 4.0, where there are jobs that haven’t been created yet,” said Nancy Ruzycki, an instructional associate professor and director of Undergraduate Laboratories at the University of Florida. “So, what skills do they need to learn, and how do we help them prepare? Helping people get into the AI pipeline provides equity and access for all students.”
Find a complete list of commission members here.
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5/4: CBS Weekend News
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California Superintendent Fired After Allegedly Bullying Daughter’s Softball Team
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Marian Kim Phelps was accused of threatening players for not clapping loudly enough for her daughter at an awards ceremony.
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What?! Baltimore Athletic Director Arrested After Allegedly Using AI To Frame High School Principal
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A Baltimore athletic director was arrested on Thursday (Apr. 25) after allegedly framing the principal at Pikesville High School.
According to ABC News, the man distributed a fake recording of the institution’s leader using racial slurs that caused him to lose his job temporarily.
RELATED: Cease & Desist! Tupac’s Estate Reportedly Demands Drake To Remove ‘Taylor Made Freestyle’ Using AI Vocals
The Principal Faced Extreme Backlash
A three-month investigation conducted by local police and the FBI revealed that Dazhon Darien used artificial intelligence to fake the recording. Investigators stated the tape had “profound percussions” on the administrator.
Before this discovery, Principal Eric Eisworth was forced to step down from his position. Furthermore, his safety was in jeopardy. The recording went viral, and he faced threats from the community.
The charging document stated it“triggered a wave of hate-filled messages on social media and numerous calls to the school.”
What Did The Fake Recording Say?
In the recording, the phony voice of Eiswork made racist remarks about Black and Jewish people. Additionally, the AI insulted the intelligence of the Black students at the school. The recording referred to them as “n******” who couldn’t “test their way out of a paper bag.”
The AI of Eisworth’s voice also criticized teachers for not properly educating students. Additionally, he said he was “gonna drag” a staff member’s “black a** out of here one way or another.”
On Jan. 16, the recording quickly circulated among staff and on social media.
What Was The Athletic Director’s Alleged Motive?
The principal pointed them in the direction of 31-year-old Darien. According to the charging document, Eisworth stated that the high school sports director was good with technology. Additionally, he noted that Dazhon had a motive. Principal Eric was having him investigated for potentially stealing money from the school.
The Baltimore Chief of Police Robert McCollough stated the athletic director “…made the recording to retaliate against the principal” because Eisworth was investigating him for the “mishandling of school funds.”
Check out the false recording below:
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Carmen Jones
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17-year-old brought revolver to Dallas high school where he shot student in leg
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One student was injured and transported to a hospital after “an active shooter” incident at Wilmer-Hutchins High School in Dallas on Friday morning, April 12, 2024, authorities said. Police say a suspect is in custody.
Courtesy: WFAA-TV
A 17-year-old male brought a 38-revolver and shot a student at Wilmer-Hutchins High School in Dallas on Friday, according to an arrest warrant affidavit obtained by media outlets.
Jakerian Rhodeswing, 17, is being charged, as an adult, with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and unlawful carrying of a weapon in a prohibited place, according to jail records.
After the student was shot in the leg, a teacher told Rhodes to leave the classroom and the building “to prevent further harm to the victim and others,” according to an arrest warrant obtained by KTVT.
The teacher in the classroom “helped us avoid additional tragedy,” Dallas ISD Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde said at a news conference Friday afternoon
Rhodes fled from the campus and was later found on Langdon Road, near the Wilmer Hutchins Athletic Stadium, according to KTVT. Police found the revolver in a semi-wooded area nearby.
The affidavit says Rhodes “intentionally and knowingly brought a 38-revolver handgun in a prohibited place and intentionally and knowingly shot the victim one time in his left leg, causing serious bodily injury,” KDFW reported.
The injured student, whose name was not released, is expected to survive, according to Elizalde. Police confirmed the suspect and the victim know each other.
A Dallas ISD trustee is hosting a community meeting Tuesday night for parents to discuss concerns regarding Friday’s shooting.
About 50 students staged a walkout Monday before returning to the campus the same day, KTVT reported.
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Nicole Lopez
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Elite team of Seattle-area athletes looks to WNBA Draft for inspiration
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Youth basketball players inspired by WNBA Draft
Athletes in the Seattle area are buzzing about the Storm and Iowa breakout star Caitlyn Clark, with young female athletes telling FOX 13 it’s building a positive momentum around the future of women’s sports.
SEATTLE – Young athletes are catching the wave of excitement following the WNBA Draft on Monday night.
Athletes in the Seattle area are buzzing about the Storm and Iowa breakout star Caitlyn Clark, with young female athletes telling FOX 13 it’s building a positive momentum around the future of women’s sports.
The young athletes say the Draft is very inspiring, and they look up to the older players, hoping to incorporate some of the skills that they see into their own games in order to take them to college and possibly the WNBA.
For young basketball players like Clara Stowe and Shayda Cordis, the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) basketball teams are the best way to sharpen their skills.
“The last hour and 30 minutes, we do team breakdowns,” said Cordis, a point guard/guard from Lacey.
The club is sponsored by Nike and players must try out to make the elite teams.
“Tonight is training,” said Cordis.
“It starts out with having fun, learning how to find a love for the game,” said Maurice Hines, a coach and trainer.
The club could later provide a stepping stone for college recruitment.
“We are really centered around just building that community, and we spend so much time together. It’s a really close-knit family,” said Stowe, a forward from Issaquah.
The teams typically practice three days a week, focusing on skill development, team dynamics and game strategy.
“These kids really don’t take too much time off. They are always in the gym to be on these teams. You have to be driven, you have to be wanting to be here,” said Hines.
Many are hoping to be the next Caitlyn Clark, who was just drafted to the Indiana Fever.
“I love Caitlyn Clark, she shoots the ball very well,” said Cordis.
“She knows how to execute. She knows how to take really far shots,” said Stowe.
Stowe says Jewell Loyd of the Seattle Storm also helps her team, inspiring them locally.
“She gives us our shoes, she helps us with a bunch of our jerseys and stuff, she’s really great,” she said.
“The 8th and 7th grade teams are Jewel Loyd’s teams. They are team Loyd. She actually helps out a lot,” said Hines.
Some of the players say they watched the WNBA draft before heading to practice.
“It inspires me to get in the gym every single day and put up plenty of shots,” said Cordis.
The young ladies say they hope to be part of the magic one day themselves.
“My goal is to make it D1,” said Cordis.
“I want to play D1 in college. That’s my goal. I’m trying to get there,” said Stowe.
The coach says the teams will hit the road to play other elite teams across the US this spring and summer. Try-outs generally take place in the fall.
More WNBA News
Seattle Storm select Nika Mühl, Mackenzie Holmes in WNBA Draft
WNBA draft: Caitlin Clark picked No.1 overall by Indiana Fever
Seattle Storm schedule: 2024 WNBA regular season, home games, tickets
Diggins-Smith finds a fresh start with the Storm. She’ll get to play with Ogwumike and Loyd
To get the best local news, weather and sports in Seattle for free, sign up for the daily FOX 13 Seattle newsletter.
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Jennifer.Dowling@fox.com (Jennifer Dowling)
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OPINION: Algebra success isn’t about a ‘perfect’ curriculum — schools need to invest in math teacher training and coaching – The Hechinger Report
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There has been much talk and concern in recent months about making higher-level math more accessible to high schoolers, particularly low-income students from Black and Hispanic communities. Much of this discussion dwells on what is the best curriculum to use to teach Algebra I and other higher-level math courses.
The right curriculum is important, of course. A high-quality curriculum creates the foundation for success in math. A curriculum that values culturally responsive education enables teachers both to value the many kinds of experiences that students bring to classrooms and to push them academically while engaging them personally.
But properly implementing an Algebra I curriculum is at least as important as the curriculum itself. The core of implementation, meanwhile, is coaching each teacher for the specific challenges they will face in their classrooms. The key to success is ensuring that teachers understand the vision for how to implement the curriculum and are therefore motivated and prepared to use it to help children learn in ways that are relevant to them.
In a way, it’s like photography. The key to creating art with light and time is not the equipment. Although Hasselblad and Leica cameras and a metal case of Nikkor lenses are great in the hands of those who know how to use them, a great tool to create expressive photographic art can also be found in your purse or pocket. As with teaching algebra, the key is not the specific tool, but knowing the right approach and being trained well enough to be confident in using that approach.
Related: Kids are failing algebra. The solution? Slow down
I’ve seen a focus on implementation pay off in my own work as director of Algebra Success for the Urban Assembly. One of our coaches at the nonprofit, Latina Khalil-Hairston, encouraged teachers at Harry S Truman High School in the Bronx to tinker with their curriculum to encourage more student involvement.
They created a new lesson structure that focused more on getting students to help each other solve problems than on getting direction from teachers. While doing so, they were mindful of adopting this new structure within the challenging constraint of having only 45 minutes for each lesson. Teachers saw more participation and better results, which has been its own motivation.
Professionals in all fields need coaching and support — why would high school math be any different? We wouldn’t give a basketball playbook to a player and expect them to be LeBron James. Even LeBron James still practices and gets coaching feedback. Even the most accomplished among us need to see a vision of excellence.
Yet I have seen many schools fall into the trap of investing in a curriculum without giving teachers the most useful ways to implement it. Unsurprisingly, these schools fail to achieve the results they hoped for and then abandon one curriculum for another.
But the curriculum is just the camera. Training and coaching, personalized to each teacher, produce the art.
And that coaching should not only help teachers understand their tools, but also help them better understand the backgrounds of their students to ensure that their perspectives are part of the learning process. Knowing the nature of the student body can dramatically enhance understanding, retention and interest in math (or any subject).
I’ve seen the results. Just last year, we saw pass rates on the Algebra I Regents for schools participating in our Algebra Success program rise 13 percent over the previous year. College-readiness math results rose 14 percent.
It is time for schools and districts to abandon the search for the one perfect curriculum — it does not exist. Instead, they should focus on how to better implement the systems they have in an engaging, effective way. They should invest in the training and support of teachers to master the instruction of that curriculum. With these changes, we know students will find success in Algebra I, putting them on the path to higher-level math courses and postsecondary success.
Shantay Mobley is the director of Algebra Success for the Urban Assembly, a nonprofit that promotes social and economic mobility by innovating in public education. She previously was a math teacher, school leader and instructional consultant.
This opinion piece about teaching Algebra was produced by The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Sign up for the Hechinger newsletter.
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How AI could transform the way schools test kids – The Hechinger Report
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Imagine interacting with an avatar that dissolves into tears – and being assessed on how intelligently and empathetically you respond to its emotional display.
Or taking a math test that is created for you on the spot, the questions written to be responsive to the strengths and weaknesses you’ve displayed in prior answers. Picture being evaluated on your scientific knowledge and getting instantaneous feedback on your answers, in ways that help you better understand and respond to other questions.
These are just a few of the types of scenarios that could become reality as generative artificial intelligence advances, according to Mario Piacentini, a senior analyst of innovative assessments with the Programme for International Student Assessment, known as PISA.
He and others argue that AI has the potential to shake up the student testing industry, which has evolved little for decades and which critics say too often falls short of evaluating students’ true knowledge. But they also warn that the use of AI in assessments carries risks.
“AI is going to eat assessments for lunch,” said Ulrich Boser, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, where he co-authored a research series on the future of assessments. He said that standardized testing may one day become a thing of the past, because AI has the potential to personalize testing to individual students.
PISA, the influential international test, expects to integrate AI into the design of its 2029 test. Piacentini said the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, which runs PISA, is exploring the possible use of AI in several realms.
- It plans to evaluate students on their ability to use AI tools and to recognize AI-generated information.
- It’s evaluating whether AI could help write test questions, which could potentially be a major money and time saver for test creators. (Big test makers like Pearson are already doing this, he said.)
- It’s considering whether AI could score tests. According to Piacentini, there’s promising evidence that AI can accurately and effectively score even relatively complex student work.
- Perhaps most significantly, the organization is exploring how AI could help create tests that are “much more interesting and much more authentic,” as Piacentini puts it.
When it comes to using AI to design tests, there are all sorts of opportunities. Career and tech students could be assessed on their practical skills via AI-driven simulations: For example, automotive students could participate in a simulation testing their ability to fix a car, Piacentini said.
Right now those hands-on tests are incredibly intensive and costly – “it’s almost like shooting a movie,” Piacentini said. But AI could help put such tests within reach for students and schools around the world.
AI-driven tests could also do a better job of assessing students’ problem-solving abilities and other skills, he said. It might prompt students when they’d made a mistake and nudge them toward a better way of approaching a problem. AI-powered tests could evaluate students on their ability to craft an argument and persuade a chatbot. And they could help tailor tests to a student’s specific cultural and educational context.
“One of the biggest problems that PISA has is when we’re testing students in Singapore, in sub-Saharan Africa, it’s a completely different universe. It’s very hard to build a single test that actually works for those two very different populations,” said Piacentini. But AI opens the door to “construct tests that are really made specifically for every single student.”
That said, the technology isn’t there yet, and educators and test designers need to tread carefully, experts warn. During a recent panel Javeria moderated, Nicol Turner Lee, director of the Center for Technology Innovation at the Brookings Institution, said any conversation about AI’s role in assessments must first acknowledge disparities in access to these new tools.
Many schools still use paper products and struggle with spotty broadband and limited digital tools, she said: The digital divide is “very much part of this conversation.” Before schools begin to use AI for assessments, teachers will need professional development on how to use AI effectively and wisely, Turner Lee said.
There’s also the issue of bias embedded in many AI tools. AI is often sold as if it’s “magic,” Amelia Kelly, chief technology officer at SoapBox Labs, a software company that develops AI voice technology, said during the panel. But it’s really “a set of decisions made by human beings, and unfortunately human beings have their own biases and they have their own cultural norms that are inbuilt.”
With AI at the moment, she added, you’ll get “a different answer depending on the color of your skin, or depending on the wealth of your neighbors, or depending on the native language of your parents.”
But the potential benefits for students and learning excite experts such as Kristen Huff, vice president of assessment and research at Curriculum Associates, where she helps develop online assessments. Huff, who also spoke on the panel, said AI tools could eventually not only improve testing but also “accelerate learning” in areas like early literacy, phonemic awareness and early numeracy skills. Huff said that teachers could integrate AI-driven assessments, especially AI voice tools, into their instruction in ways that are seamless and even “invisible,” allowing educators to continually update their understanding of where students are struggling and how to provide accurate feedback.
PISA’s Piacentini said that while we’re just beginning to see the impact of AI on testing, the potential is great and the risks can be managed.
“I am very optimistic that it is more an opportunity than a risk,” said Piacentini. “There’s always this risk of bias, but I think we can quantify it, we can analyze it, in a better way than we can analyze bias in humans.”
This story about AI testing was produced by The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Sign up for Hechinger’s newsletter.
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Caroline Preston and Javeria Salman
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Colonie students home from Italy after plane ignites
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COLONIE, N.Y. (NEWS10) -On the way back from a school trip to Italy, Colonie High students saw flames coming from the engine of a United Airlines plane. NEWS10’s Anthony Krolikowski met with six of the passengers at The Crossings Park of Colonie after returning home the night before.
Flying United Airlines, students and teachers landed in Milan at the end of March for a non-school sponsored trip. “I love the idea of traveling the world and experiencing new things. So, as soon as I heard there was an Italy trip, and I’ve never gotten the opportunity to leave the country, fly, or really even leave the state much, I really just wanted to have the experience,” said Miranda Winchell.
On their way back to Washington D.C., some passengers were waking up from naps and reading books when they noticed something was wrong with the plane.
“We took off and then like five minutes later, all the sudden, the plane started shaking and it wasn’t like, I thought it was turbulence. But for turbulence, the plane shakes side-to-side. This felt like an up-and-down shake,” explained Winchell.
“When it happened, you can see like halos of lights coming out from the cracks in the window and we could hear pops. The plane was shaking,” described Seamus McWatters.
The students describe the next minutes as terrifying. They texted loved ones and held onto each other while sobbing and unsure if they would get home safely.
“Maybe like five minutes before the pilot finally went on the intercom,” said Mari Zhao. “The pilot said that the left engine had lost airflow and that we were going to make a landing,” added McWatters.”
According to the airlines, the pilots noticed a technical issue with one of the engines and declared an emergency. The plane safely landed back in Rome nearly 30 minutes after takeoff. Both students and teachers still had two more flights to go before they returned home to Colonie.
“I was just thinking it better not happen again. That’s really all that went through my head,” stated Elizabeth Tran.
The students safely returned to their final destination at Albany International Airport late Friday night. They said United Airlines gave out food and drink vouchers along with an online delay feedback form for possible compensation.
The six say they can now laugh about the serious situation and will be flying again. “Definitely not on United,” said McWatters. “Yeah, I agree. Not again,” added Tran. “I would take a plane again but not on United,” laughed Zhao.
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Anthony Krolikowski
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Intuit Launches Intuit for Education and Announces Goal to Help 50M Students Become Financially Literate, Capable, and Confident by 2030
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MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.–( BUSINESS WIRE)–A new survey published today found that 85% of US high school students are interested in learning about financial topics in school. To close the gap in financial literacy, Intuit Inc. (Nasdaq: INTU), the global financial technology platform that makes Intuit TurboTax, Credit Karma, QuickBooks, and Mailchimp, today launched Intuit for Education, a new financial literacy program that provides high school teachers and students with free personal and entrepreneurial finance courses. The company also launched the Intuit Hour of Finance Challenge to challenge schools to spend one hour on financial education during Financial Literacy Month in April.
“Without personal finance knowledge, students struggle to make informed financial decisions, jeopardizing their long-term financial success after graduating,” said Dave Zasada, vice president of Education and Corporate Responsibility at Intuit. “We know that financial education works. Our survey shows that 95% of students who receive financial curriculum at school find it helpful. As an organization that has been powering prosperity globally for 40 years, Intuit recognizes our unique opportunity and set a goal to help 50 million students become more financially literate, capable, and confident by 2030.”
Intuit for Education
Available now, Intuit for Education is a free financial literacy program for US high school educators that offers a flexible, interactive curriculum leveraging real-world tools. Intuit for Education includes comprehensive personal and entrepreneurial finance courses, and features interactive lessons and simulations powered by Intuit products such as TurboTax, QuickBooks, Credit Karma, and Mailchimp. By providing educators with easy-to-use resources to teach essential skills like budgeting, saving, managing credit, and understanding basic finances, the company aims to prepare students to make smart financial choices. Intuit has set a goal to help 50 million students become financially literate, empowered, and confident through their use of Intuit for Education content by 2030. Intuit for Education includes more than 150 hours of curriculum that is customizable and supports educators by offering free live and on-demand professional development for educators, including webinars and podcasts.
Hour of Finance Challenge
As part of Intuit for Education, Intuit today announced its first-ever Intuit Hour of Finance Challenge to encourage all schools to spend one hour on financial education during Financial Literacy Month in April. The challenge includes plug-and-play lesson plans based on Intuit for Education curriculum, and an online game designed to teach critical financial concepts such as taxes, credit, and investments. Intuit Prosperity Quest is an interactive online game that makes financial education fun and relevant for students. This nationwide challenge gives schools a chance to compete against each other to win a celebration worth up to $25,000, $50,000, or $100,000, depending on the school size.
For more information on these free nationwide programs, visit Intuit.com/education. To learn more and sign up your school for the Intuit Hour of Finance Challenge, visit intuit.com/houroffinance.
Intuit Financial Education Survey
To better understand the experiences of high school students and their relationship with personal finances, Intuit surveyed 2,000 U.S. high school students between March 15 and March 25, 2024. The survey revealed that 95% of students who receive financial education at school find it helpful, and 85% of all high school students surveyed want financial education at school. To learn more about the insights from Intuit’s Financial Education survey and Intuit for Education, visit the Intuit blog.
About Intuit
Intuit is the global financial technology platform that powers prosperity for the people and communities we serve. With approximately 100 million customers worldwide using products such as TurboTax, Credit Karma, QuickBooks, and Mailchimp, we believe that everyone should have the opportunity to prosper. We never stop working to find new, innovative ways to make that possible. Please visit us at Intuit.com and find us on social for the latest information about Intuit and our products and services.
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ESchool News Staff
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Imhotep’s Grand Dynasty – Philadelphia Sports Nation
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Imhotep’s Third Straight PIAA Championship Was Sweeter Than Ever.
If you visit Imhotep Institute Charter High School in Philadelphia — whatever you do — don’t reference The Mummy movie trilogy with Brendan Fraser. The basis for the name isn’t the film according to the website. The actual Imhotep was an Ancient Egyptian Chancellor, was a high priest of the Sun God Ra at Heliopolis, and an architect.
This year, the Imhotep Charter High School PIAA Class 5A Basketball Championship had additional meaning.
After all, it’s not all of the time that a high school basketball program goes from 2A to 5A.
All other Philadelphia-area high school powerhouses had already been eliminated from the PIAA Playoffs, Roman Catholic, Neumann-Goretti, Archbishop Wood, and Archbishop Carroll.
On this night at Hershey’s Giant Center, Imhotep Charter (29–3) was given all of the competition that they could handle against Franklin Regional.
Located between East Oak Lane and East Germantown, Imhotep Charter Institute High School is relatively new by Philadelphia standards, having first opened in 1998.
Imhotep has a total of nine state championships. They are 9–0 in State Title games as well. A recent poll by USA Today ranked them #21 nationally according to a TribLive.com article.
Late in the game on Friday night, Franklin Regional pulled to within 49–40. It was the closest that they ever came and Imhotep pulled the game out 58–49.
Imhotep’s 10th State Championship came with all other Philadelphia teams already having been eliminated.
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Michael Thomas Leibrandt
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COLUMN: Should schools teach climate activism? – The Hechinger Report
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Yancy Sanes teaches a unit on the climate crisis at Fannie Lou Hamer High School in the Bronx – not climate change, but the climatecrisis. He is unequivocal that he wants his high school students to be climate activists.
“I teach from a mindset and lens that I want to make sure my students are becoming activists, and it’s not enough just talking about it,” the science and math teacher said. “I need to take my students outside and have them actually do the work of protesting.”
The school partners with local environmental justice organizations to advocate for a greener Bronx. Sanes recently took some students to a rally that called for shutting down the jail on Rikers Island and replacing it with a solar energy farm, wastewater treatment plant and battery storage facility.
Sanes gets a lot of support for this approach from his administration. Social justice is a core value of Fannie Lou Hamer Freedom High School, and the school also belongs to a special assessment consortium, giving it more freedom in what is taught than a typical New York City public high school.
For Sanes, who grew up in the neighborhood and graduated from Fannie Lou Hamer himself, getting his students involved in activism is a key way to give them agency and protect their mental health as they learn what’s happening to the planet. “This is a topic that is very depressing. I don’t want to just end this unit with ‘things are really bad,’ but ‘what can we do, how are we fighting back’.” Indeed, climate anxiety is widespread among young people, and collective action has been identified as one way to ameliorate it.
Related: Teaching ‘action civics’ engages kids – and ignites controversy
Sanes is at the far end of the teaching spectrum when it comes to promoting climate activism, not to mention discussing controversial issues of any kind in his classroom. Conservative activists have already begun branding even basic instruction about climate change as “left-wing indoctrination.” The think tank Rand recently reported in its 2023 State of the American Teacher survey that two-thirds of teachers nationally said they were limiting discussions about political and social issues in class. The authors of the report observed that there seemed to be a spillover effect from states that have passed new laws restricting topics like race and gender, to states where no such laws are on the books.
The current level of political polarization is having a chilling effect, making civics education into a third rail, according to Holly Korbey, an education reporter and the author of a 2019 book on civics education, “Building Better Citizens: A New Civics Education for All.” “We are living in this time where there’s increased scrutiny on what schools are telling kids,” she said.
She said that, as a mom living in deep-red Tennessee, she wouldn’t be happy to have a teacher bringing her kids to protests. “I really don’t want schools to tell my kids to be activists. I think about how I personally feel about issues and flip that around. Would I be okay with teachers doing that? And the answer is no.”
Even Sanes has a line he won’t cross. He taught his students about Greta Thunberg and her school strikes, but he stopped short of encouraging his students to do the same. “I specifically cannot tell students, you gotta walk out of school,” he said. “That goes against my union.”
Yancy Sanes (front left, with green sign) brings his students to rallies to advocate for a greener Bronx. Credit: Image provided by Yancy Sanes And yet, there is a broad bipartisan consensus that schools have an obligation to prepare citizens to participate in a democracy. And, emerging best practices in civics education include something called “action civics,” in which teachers in civics and government classes guide kids to take action locally on issues they choose. Nonprofits like Generation Citizen and the Mikva Challenge, Korbey said, cite internal research that these kinds of activist-ish activities improve knowledge, civic skills, and motivation to remain involved in politics or their local community. Others have argued that without a robust understanding of the workings of government, “action civics” provides a “sugar rush” without enough substance.
Related: The climate change lesson plans teachers need and don’t have
Even at the college level, it’s rare for students to study climate activism in particular, or political activism more generally. And this leads to a broader lack of knowledge about how power works in society, say some experts.
“Having visited many, many departments in many schools over the years, I’m shocked at how few places, particularly policy schools, teach social movements,” said sociologist Dana Fisher. Fisher is currently teaching a graduate course called “Global Environmental Politics: Activism and the Environment,” and she also has a new book out about climate activism,“Saving Ourselves: From Climate Shocks to Climate Action.”She’s taught about social movements for two decades at American University in Washington, D.C., and the University of Maryland-College Park.
“It’s crazy to me that, given that the civil society sector is such a huge part of democracy, there would not be a focus on that,” she added.
When she got to college, Jayda Walden discovered urban forestry and climate activism. “I am a tree girl,” she said. “The impact that they have is very important.” Credit: Image provided by Jada Walden Through empirical research, Fisher’s work counters stereotypes and misconceptions about climate activism. For example, she’s found that disruptive forms of protest like blocking a road or throwing soup on a masterpiece are effective even when they’re unpopular. ”It doesn’t draw support for the disruption. It draws support for more moderate parts of the movement,” she said. “And so it helps to expand the base.”
As an illustration of the ignorance about disruptive action and civil disobedience in particular, Fisher noted K-12 students rarely hear about the topic unless studying the 1960s era, and “a very sanitized version. They don’t remember that the Civil Rights Movement was really unpopular and had a very active radical flank that was doing sit-ins and marches.”
In 12 years of public school in Shreveport, Louisiana, for example, Jada Walden learned very little about activism, including environmental activism. She learned a bit in school about the Civil Rights Movement, although most of what she remembers about it are “the things your grandmother teaches you.”
Related: How do we teach Black history in polarized times?
Walden didn’t hear much about climate change either until she got to Southern University and A&M College, in Baton Rouge. “When I got to college, there’s activism everywhere for all types of stuff,” she said.
She’d enrolled with the intention of becoming a veterinarian. “When I first got there. I just wanted to hit my books, get my degree,” she recalled. “But my advisors, they pushed for so much more.” She became passionate about climate justice and the human impact on the environment, and ended up majoring in urban forestry. She was a student member of This Is Planet Ed’s Higher Education Climate Action Task Force (where, full disclosure, I’m an advisor.)
If it were up to her, Walden would require all college students to study the climate crisis, and do independent research to learn how it will affect them personally. “Make it personal for them. Help them connect. It will make a world of difference.”
Korbey, the “Building Better Citizens” author, would agree with that approach. “Schools exist to give students knowledge, not to create activists,” she said. “The thing we’re doing very poorly is give kids the knowledge they need to become good citizens.”
This column about teaching climate activism was produced by The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Sign up for Hechinger’s newsletter.
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Anya Kamenetz
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