A sobering new study of secondary schools in Britain concluded that homophobic bullying is “almost epidemic.” The School Report study, conducted by the Schools Health Education Unit for LGBT-rights organization Stonewall, found: 65% of young LGB people experience homophobic bullying in Britain’s schools. 97% of gay pupils hear derogatory phrases such as “dyke” or “poof”
Newark School Superintendent Marion Bolden apologized to student Andre Jackson for blacking out a yearbook photo of him and his boyfriend David Escobales kissing. She said the district would reissue an “un-redacted version” of the yearbook to any student at the school who wants one. Jackson is disappointed about the apology, however, since it was
A New Jersey High School has taken every copy of its new yearbook and blacked out a photo of a student kissing his boyfriend—even though it left photos of opposite-sex couples kissing. The photo appeared in a section of pages that students may purchase to fill with pictures of family and friends. NJ.com reports: Newark
Last Monday, I posted an interview with Tina Owen, one of the winners of this year’s Point Foundation scholarships. Today, the other Point Scholar who is also a parent, Utah resident Kim Hackford-Peer, gives us her thoughts on winning the scholarship, parenting, and education. Kim is pursuing her PhD in Education Culture and Society at
The Point Foundation, the nation’s largest publicly-supported scholarship organization for LGBT students, last week announced its Point Scholars for 2007. Point Scholars receive financial support, leadership training, and mentoring from the Foundation after undergoing a rigorous selection process—in 2006, only 1% of applicants were chosen. The Foundation “[pays] particular attention to those students who have
I’ve been evaluating preschools for my son over the past few weeks. As part of my discussions with teachers and administrators, I always mention that we’re a two-mom family, and ask “Is this going to be a problem for anyone here?” I don’t expect anyone would ever come right out and say “yes”—we’re in a
A lot of my posts here are aimed at parents of young tots, so here’s one for you folks with older children, or those not long out of higher education yourselves. The Christian Science Monitor just published a lengthy article on student-loan consolidation, offering advice on what to consider and highlighting some recent changes in
A bevy of interesting articles in the past few days: The Christian Science Monitor examines proposed changes to the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). As lawmakers debate its reauthorization, they are considering whether the evaluation of schools should emphasize progress, rather than merely achieving certain goals. Across the pond, educators in the U.K.
The Evesham School District of Marlton, New Jersey, eliminated a diversity film from its curriculum in early February after some parents protested its inclusion of same-sex families. (Here’s my original post on the matter, and a follow up, plus an excursus on same-sex families in the classroom.) The district has now formed a committee of
Parent-teacher associations (PTAs), historically known for bake sales and other social events in support of local schools, are becoming a driving force in large-scale fundraising, school administration, and even state politics, reports the New York Times: Parent groups across the country, especially in affluent suburbs, are undergoing a kind of corporate makeover, combining members’ business
