Education

Florida bans DEI from State College System

On January 17th, 2024, the Florida State Board of Education passed a ruling that will strictly limit public funding towards DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) initiatives in the Florida College System. This ruling comes with Gov. Ron DeSantis’ long campaign against “WOKE” policies in Florida.  The bill details how education should be “free from undue […]

Afghanistan Education Global

What Does the Future Hold for Education in Afghanistan? The Taliban Takes Control of All Education Programs. 

In a new development, international education programs in Afghanistan will hand control over to local groups, under the control of the Taliban and its de facto Ministry of Education. NGOs have been crucial in providing support to Afghan children, especially girls by means of food, education and healthcare services after the takeover of the government […]

Afghanistan Education Global Womens Rights

Taliban Orders International Organizations to Stop all Education Programs in Afghanistan

A new order from the Taliban demands that all international organizations providing education in Afghanistan stop their activities in a month and hand them over to local groups. A WhatsApp voice note began circulating among the Afghan networks on Wednesday, in which the official, purportedly a senior education official of the Taliban in Kabul, demands […]

Education Sports

Record Breaking Audience for Women’s NCAA Championship

Earlier this week, LSU and Iowa’s women’s basketball teams drew a record number of viewers as they competed for the collegiate championship. With 9.9 million viewers on ABC and ESPN2, the game became the most-viewed NCAA women’s basketball game in history. Basketball fans across the country tuned in for the game. At its peak, the […]

Education

Biden Moves to Reduce Student Debt

Student loan debt disproportionately affect students of color and women. On August 24th, President Biden announced new student loan debt relief. The relief is up to $10,000 for individuals earning less than $125,000 per year and for households earning less than $250,000 a year. Those that received Pell grants for low-income students can have $20,000 […]

Education

Title IX Celebrates 50 Years of Progress in Gender Equity

Title IX, an appendage of the 1972 Education Amendments, is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. The law, which prohibits sex-based discrimination in federally funded educational programs and institutions, has been pivotal for gender equity progress. The National Coalition for Women and Girls in Education (NCWGE) published a report this month detailing the successes and […]

Afghanistan Education Global Womens Rights

Two Months in, the Taliban Continues to Abandon Girls’ Education

Earlier this week, at a speaking engagement in Doha, the foreign minister of the Taliban, Amir Khan Mottaqi avoided answering questions about education for women and girls and reiterated that they need more time on girls’ education. In response to questions on girls’ education, the Minister used “cultural appropriations” as the argument for not allowing […]

Economy Education

U.S. Education Department Cancels $5.8 Billion in Student Loans for Borrowers with Permanent Disabilities

On Thursday, the Education Department announced that over 323,000 borrowers who have permanent disabilities will automatically receive federal student loan forgiveness, amounting to a total of $5.8 billion in canceled student loan debt. The federal student loan forgiveness process for borrowers who cannot work due to permanent disabilities will now be automated. Borrowers declared permanently […]

Education Politics Race

Texas Senate Passes Bill that No Longer Requires Schools to Teach the History of Marginalized Groups or White Supremacy

Last week, the Texas Senate passed SB 3, a new bill that would eliminate several social studies curriculum requirements from public schools. Most of the omitted requirements involved teaching the history of marginalized populations and the history of white supremacy in the United States. The Texas Senate voted to pass the bill 18-4. However, it […]

Education Race

Teachers’ Unions Pledge to Defend Teachers Against Critical Race Theory Backlash

On Tuesday, the country’s second-largest teachers’ union announced its commitment to offer legal protection to teachers who face repercussions for how they teach the history of race and racism in the United States. The president of the American Federation of Teachers, Randi Weingarten, said during a virtual union conference, “Mark my words: Our union will […]

Education On the Hill

Gender Equity in Education Act Reintroduced in House and Senate to Advance Title IX’s Implementation

Last Wednesday, Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) and Representative Doris Matsui (D-CA), reintroduced the Patsy T. Mink and Louise M. Slaughter Gender Equity in Education Act (GEEA) in Congress. The House and Senate versions of the bill, H.R.4097 and S.2186, would support the implementation of Title IX by providing resources, funding, and training to reduce […]

Education LGBT Rights LGBTQ

LGBTQ+ Students Protected Under Title IX, Says Education Department

On Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Education released a notice saying that Title IX’s protections against sex discrimination also forbid discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. This interpretation of the 1972 Title IX law, which prohibits sex discrimination in “any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance,” will protect gay […]

Education Sports

NCAA Facing Criticism for Unequal Treatment of Men’s and Women’s Basketball Players

This week, the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s (NCAA) has faced criticism after basketball player Sedona Prince posted a video on social media showing the significant disparities between the men’s and women’s weight rooms at their Division I basketball tournaments.  Prince said, “so for the NCAA March Madness, the biggest tournament for college basketball for women, […]

Education Health LGBT Rights LGBTQ Sports

Kansas Senate Passes Bill Targeting Trans Student-Athletes

On Wednesday, the Kansas Senate passed a bill banning transgender students from girls’ and women’s school sports. The measure passed 24-10, sending it to Kansas’ conservative House.  Governor Laura Kelly referred to the bill as “regressive,” and said that the controversial policy could repel businesses from the state, which supporters dismissed. One legislator, Representative Stephanie […]

Education Global Health

New Zealand Schools Will Begin Offering Free Menstrual Products to All Students

Today, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Arden announced that all schools will make free menstrual products available to students for the next three years in an effort to alleviate period poverty, the lack of access to menstrual products that negatively affects employment, education, and health. Arden’s announcement follows a six-month pilot program which involved 3,200 […]

Education LGBTQ Sports

Georgia House Introduces Bill Targeting Trans Youth

Last week, legislators in the Georgia State House introduced House Bill 372, which prohibits trans students from participating in athletic programs that affirm their gender identity. The bill first defines ‘gender’ as “a person’s biological sex at birth and shall be recognized based on a person’s reproductive organs at birth”. It states that no student […]