Ever heard of the Council of Conservative Citizens? They're a White Supremacist group that believes "the American people and government should remain European in the composition and character," and that in order to ensure this, even "legal" immigration "must be severely restricted or halted." Not convinced of their "white supremacist" status yet? "We also oppose all efforts to mix the races of mankind," says their statement of "principles."
Easy enough to dismiss these folks as a bunch of lunatics taking out their life woes on dark-skinned boogeymen of their own creation. But what if I told you that told you that this group was having a marked influence on the education of young Americans?
Here's a tale of two well-known clothing retailers, Old Navy and Kohl's, and how they've pledged to help schools. One idea encourages school attendance; one is a thinly-disguised marketing ploy that ended up backfiring.
It's no secret that big corporations often hop onto the education bandwagon with benefits for local school districts and school programs. Pepsi Refresh is the most high-profile of the part-marketing campaign, part-benefit that happens when companies want to be associated with positive change in education.
Old Navy is the latest retailer to join the fray with a partnership with New York City schools. Students who show good or improved attendance get $50 to spend at Old Navy on school clothes, if they sign a pledge that they'll continue to try to attend school. Rewarding students for showing up is a product plug with a good result.
 | FILE - In this March 22, 2010 file photograph, Itawamba County Agricultural High School senior Constance McMillen, gestures as she leaves the federal courthouse in Aberdeen, Miss., following a hearing regarding the ACLU's preliminary injunction to force the prom at her high school. McMillen's fight against intolerance is a reason Glamour magazine has named her as one of its "Women of the year 2010. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File) |
JACKSON, Miss.—The lesbian who successfully challenged a rural Mississippi school district's ban on same-sex prom dates says she wept when she read about the recent spate of gay teen suicides linked to harassment.
Constance McMillen, who was recently named one of Glamour magazine's "Women of the Year 2010," told The Associated Press that she became a bullying victim after she challenged the Itawamba School District over a policy that prohibited her from bringing her girlfriend to the prom and wearing a tuxedo.
McMillen, 18, said she became emotional after reading about the suicides of 13-year-old Seth Walsh, of California, who hanged himself outside his home after enduring taunts from classmates, and of Tyler Clementi, an 18-year-old Rutgers
Congress continues to drag its heels on passing comprehensive school lunch reform. It's been more than a year since legislators introduced the Child Nutrition Act, yet students still suffer through the same, gross meals at their school cafeterias. One non-profit aims to give those lunches a much-needed face lift — without waiting for the House and Senate to get their acts together.
The Food, Family, Farming Foundation (F3), led by Chef Ann Cooper, launched its Great American Salad Bar Project this summer. The initiative aims to provide free salad bars to 564 deserving school cafeterias throughout the country. These salad bars would offer up fresh veggies, fruits, whole grains, and lean proteins. The salad stations could act as a much-needed alternative or supplement to the processed chicken nuggets, rubbery hot
Since the school year began, GothamSchools and WNYC reporters have been telling stories from inside three struggling high schools as they try to improve. To help readers put these changes in context, the clever minds behind the extensive Big Apple Ed database have created profiles for each of the schools.
The profiles for the three schools — Chelsea CTE High School, Christopher Columbus High School, and William E. Grady CTE High School — display data on the schools’ graduation rates, how much money the federal
