Wyoming standards, Common Core’s gay agenda, grad student secular groups, commencement brou-hahas, and the Brown case: Required Readings, 5.20.14
RR has been following the Wyoming situation regarding the Next Generation Science Standards. The New York Times examines the issues at hand, including the role of energy extraction industries.
Speaking of educational standards, Common Core has been debated since its inception. But a Florida state representative has a rather novel argument against the standards: They will “attract every one of your children to become as homosexual as they possibly can.” Who knew?
The Friendly Atheist discusses why graduate schools need secular student groups. Having witnessed firsthand the efforts of Law Students for Reproductive Justice and other graduate-level support and advocacy organizations (as well as seeing situations where a graduate secular group would have been helpful), I concur wholeheartedly.
This year has brought a wide variety of controversies regarding commencement speakers as well as backlash against student protests. One speaker recently used his remarks as an opportunity to rebuke students for their campaign against another speaker.
Saturday marked the 60th anniversary of the Brown vs. Board of Education decision. The Los Angeles Times presents the original Associated Press article detailing the ruling, while the Washington Post covers the case in its regular Five Myths feature. Despite the focus on Brown and the Topeka schools, 75% of plaintiffs in the case were from a small county in Virginia where, after the decision, lawmakers closed public schools for 5 years to avoid having to integrate them; The Atlantic tells their story. The decision did not eliminate segregation, which remains a concern in the 21st century. Charter schools in particular are a concern.
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