Photo by Element5 Digital In 1972, American education underwent a monumental shift with the passage of Title IX. This landmark civil rights law prohibits sex-based discrimination in any educational program or activity that receives federal funding. Emerging from the women’s rights movement of the 1960s and 1970s, Title IX was crafted to ensure equal opportunities for […]
Three Years Without Education: Its Impacts on Afghan Girls and Afghanistan
Photo by Nk Ni September marked 3 years since the Taliban banned education beyond the secondary level for Afghan girls. More than 1,100 days have passed and there is no progress in reinstating education for girls in Afghanistan. The absence of education has also led to mental health issues – teenage girls struggling everyday not being […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Sexual Harrasment Laws In Limbo After Trump-admin Changes
With women representing 60 percent of college students, Title IX has shifted focus toward sexual harrasment and assault. In a 2019 survey from the Association of American Universities, one in four cis female undergraduates said they were sexually harassed. The ratio was more than one in five for TGQN (trans, grenderqueer, noncomforming) students and one […]
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 […]
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 […]
The Taliban Continues to Silence Afghan Women Protestors
Videos and images shared on social media show that the Taliban are violently beating and harassing a group of women protestors demanding their rights for education in Kabul on Thursday. Women protesters were holding banners that read, “Do not politicize education. Don’t break our pens, don’t burn our books, don’t close our school, education is […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Rhode Island Passes Legislation to Make Period Products Free in Schools
The Rhode Island Senate on Tuesday unanimously passed a bill that will allow public school students to have access to menstrual products for free. The bill says that public schools who teach grades five through 12 must provide pads and tampons in gender-neutral and women’s bathrooms beginning in the 2022-2023 school year at no cost […]
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 […]
Biden Releases Historic $6 Trillion Budget, Eliminates the Hyde Amendment
On Friday, President Biden released a bold new $6 trillion federal budget for fiscal year 2022 aimed at growing the economy as the country recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic, and which for the first time since the Clinton administration does not include the Hyde Amendment, a provision which prevents federal funds from being used for […]
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, […]
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 […]
