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Bilingual Education: 5 Reasons it should be Required

By Matthew Lynch This generation of K-12 students is growing up in a society that is increasingly bilingual.  While foreign language requirements have long been a core requirement for high school graduation—second language classes at an earlier age would improve overall fluency for most students.  It’s time to introduce second-language concepts to the youngest of K-12 students, and here are just a few of the reasons why: 1. Bilingual Children have an Academic Advantage.  Studies in language development show that when young children have more exposure to all languages at an early age, it actually gives them a distinct academic …

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Want black boys to stay in school? Improve income equality

Income equality is a hot political topic as of late. Politicians use it as a wedge issue on both sides to ensure that voters will flock to the polls. But its more than political as many Americans struggle to earn a decent living wage. Income inequality impacts education as well. By way of new information from the Brookings Institution, students who reside in low-income states are more likely to drop out of school than students in low-income inequality areas. This is not necessarily earth shattering news, but noteworthy as we have conclusive evidence that shows a correlation between education and income inequality. …

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What do special educators need to succeed?

Elizabeth Bettini, Boston University and Kristin Murphy, University of Massachusetts Boston A shortage of special education teachers is threatening the ability of schools in many states to provide high-quality education to students with disabilities. On a national level, 49 states identified a shortage of special education and related service personnel during the 2013-14 school year. In Arizona, for instance, where districts reported a 29 percent increase from 2013 to 2014 in the number of positions that remained vacant, special education was one of the areas with the highest vacancy rates. Special educators serve students with significant learning and behavioral needs. …

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Remembering Ahmed’s Clock: 3 Facts about the Harsh Reality of the School-to-Prison Cycle

In September, Ahmed Mohamed was detained by officers from the Irving Police Department for bringing a homemade clock to school that his teacher mistook for a bomb. This may not have happened if Ahmed were not a student of color, a Muslim with foreign-born parents. The stereotypes associated with Ahmed’s existence may have led to his unfair arrest. The school-to-prison pipeline is a real phenomenon, especially for students of color. Here are some facts for you that detail the reality of the school-to-prison cycle. Black students are suspended at a much higher rate than white students. According to study by …

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2 Reasons the Concept of “Justice for All” Does Not Apply to American Schools

In the US, the concepts of equality and justice are intertwined. The idea of “justice for all” has existed since America’s early days. But the truth is that the application of this idea has been far from perfect to this very day. Let’s take a quick look at our historical lapses in carrying out the idea and how those affect us today. De jure and de facto segregation. De jure segregation, or legalized segregation of Black and White people, was present in almost every aspect of life in the South during the Jim Crow era: from public transportation to cemeteries, …

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With harsher disciplinary measures, school systems fail black kids

**The Edvocate is pleased to publish guest posts as way to fuel important conversations surrounding P-20 education in America. The opinions contained within guest posts are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official opinion of The Edvocate or Dr. Matthew Lynch.** Esther Canty-Barnes, Rutgers University Newark Although it has been over 60 years since the Brown v Board of Education decision, black students are still more likely to receive out-of-school suspensions for minor violations of the code of conduct. As a result, they are more likely to drop out of school or enter the juvenile justice …

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Grading Obama’s Education Policy

A couple of weeks ago, a friend and I were discussing President Obama’s performance in the area of education — more specifically P-20 education, which begins in preschool and ends with graduate school. As is usually the case when we debate matters of education politics, the debate became quite contentious and in the end we had to agree to disagree. In response to that debate, I decided to write an opinion piece, assessing Obama’s education record. Toward the end of the article, I will issue a letter grade (A-F) denoting my assessment of the president’s level of performance in education …

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Many low-income students use only their phone to get online. What are they missing?

Crystle Martin, University of California, Irvine For many of us, access to the Internet through a variety of means is a given. I can access the Internet through two laptops, a tablet, a smartphone and even both of my game systems, from the comfort of my living room. However, this access is unequally distributed. Although nine out of 10 low-income families have Internet access at home, most are underconnected: that is, they have “mobile-only” access – they are able to connect to the Internet only through a smart device, such as a tablet or a smartphone. A recent report, “Opportunity …

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Epidemic of rights abuse fails black kids across the US

**The Edvocate is pleased to publish guest posts as way to fuel important conversations surrounding P-20 education in America. The opinions contained within guest posts are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official opinion of The Edvocate or Dr. Matthew Lynch.** Noelle Witherspoon Arnold, University of Missouri-Columbia As the world grapples with the containment of diseases such as Ebola, there is another epidemic that demands attentive responses, policies, and actions. It is one of grave proportions regarding the violation of basic civil and human rights in black communities across the United States. These violations end all too …

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Why many smart, low-income students don’t apply to elite schools

**The Edvocate is pleased to publish guest posts as way to fuel important conversations surrounding P-20 education in America. The opinions contained within guest posts are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official opinion of The Edvocate or Dr. Matthew Lynch.** A guest post by Carol Miller It’s taken me a few days to respond, but when I went home the other day, the first thing my husband said to me when I got home was, “Did you listen to NPR today?  They were talking about Guidance Counselors.” (Of course, before I could respond to his question, …

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