Eastern States

On May 17, 1954, the United States Supreme Court issued its decision in Brown v. Board of Education, which declared that segregation in public schools was unconstitutional. Yet, 60 years later, public schools across the nation continue to be highly segregated based on race and socioeconomic status. Curiously, America’s most segregated schools are not in the Deep South but in New York, a state that has expansive ethnic, cultural, social, and economic diversity. Perhaps even more surprising, New York City, one of the most diverse cities in the world, also has one of the most segregated school districts in the country.

Segregation by the Numbers

According to a report by UCLA’s Civil Rights Project, school segregation in New York is widespread. It occurs in metropolitan New York City, rural areas, and urban locales upstate. However, as the nation’s largest public school system with 1.1 million students, the New York City Public Schools greatly influenced the depth and breadth of the segregation problem. And a significant problem it is. Although the number of Asian and Latino students has dramatically increased since the late 1980s, exposure of these groups to white students has decreased. In fact, of New York City’s 32 school districts, 19 had less than 10 percent white enrollment as recently as 2010. Some of New York City’s schools, particularly charter and magnet schools, are identified by the authors of the report as being so segregated that they are classified as “apartheid schools.”

Compounding the problem

This year, Boston Public Schools students will be returning to free lunches when they return to school. The large district recently joined a national program that serves free meals to all students, regardless of income level. This program eliminates the need for families to complete paperwork involving sensitive information like income amounts and ensures every student has access to a hot, nutritious lunch as part of their daily learning experience.

No Paperwork Required

The Boston Globe reports that the district has signed on to a federal initiative designed to simplify the process of offering free or reduced-price lunches to low-income students in a district. In some cases, the process of qualifying for affordable meals in school meant filling out complex paperwork that families might not always understand. For example, families in Boston Public Schools speak as many as 100 different languages, which meant that even forms completed in English might be difficult for some parents to comprehend completely.

This video explains how the Community Eligibility Option works in detail.

In addition, the process of receiving free lunches can create a socio-economic divide in some schools, as some students get free food and others had to pay for it. While many students used identification cards which made the process more discreet, some students still pay for their meals with cash. By allowing every student access to a free meal, needy

Students heading back to school in Fairfax County may be doing so without access to some of the sugary drinks they love most. This large school district is experimenting with a pilot program that bans sugar-filled soft drinks on school property during and after school hours. If the pilot program succeeds, sodas may be removed from schools on a larger, county-wide scale.

Banning “Public Enemy Number One”

The new soda ban follows recent media reports likening soda to “public enemy number one.” Studies continue to support the fact that soda consumption is linked to the obesity crisis in the United States and a host of other potential health problems. A recent report at Fox News cited a study from Mt. Sinai Medical Center in New York City that showed precisely how the body responds to soda consumption.

“The main thing is excess calories,” Dr. Christopher Ochner, assistant professor of pediatrics and adolescent medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai, explained to Fox. “If everything else in their diet is equal, a person who has a can of coke a day adds an extra 14.5 pounds per year, just from the calories alone.”

Ochner adds that some studies have suggested that all calories are not created equal in terms of how the body processes them. Those that come directly from sugar may be more easily turned into fat by the body than calories from other food sources. The fact that soda is

A recent probe of 15 school districts in New Jersey has resulted in the finding that more than 100 government employees in the state have lied on applications to score free school lunches for their children. The findings could lead to the prosecution of at least some of these individuals, who appear to have used their knowledge of the system to take advantage of it. The findings also point to the need for tightening up a federal system that seems to lend itself to easy and widespread fraud.

Investigation Turns Up Disturbing Findings

The Huffington Post reports that the investigation was conducted by the New Jersey Office of the State Comptroller. The recently released report on the investigation shows that 109 public employees and their family members lied about income amounts on free lunch applications - some by thousands of dollars. All of the individuals have now been referred to the Division of Criminal Justice for possible prosecution.

According to NJ.com, at least some of the 83 public employees were school board members or teachers at the schools where the free lunches were offered. The other 26 individuals were family members of those employees. They intentionally misrepresented how much income they made to qualify for free lunches under false pretenses.

This video explains the free school lunch program.

Excuses, Excuses

The excuses some of the individuals involved in the

For those who relied on Schoolhouse Rock to memorize important facts like the Preamble to the Constitution and the meaning of conjunction, there’s a new kid in town. Rap meets rock in Science Genius, a new way to help kids get excited about subjects like atoms and DNA. The program has recently been tested out in schools in New York City – with great enthusiasm and success. Read on to discover how hip hop and science facts collide to create a whole new generation of science-mania.

Music Meets Academics

Science Genius is a collaboration between rapper GZA from Wu-Tang Clan and Columbia University Teachers College professor Christopher Emdin. The unlikely pair teamed up to use hip hop music to teach a wide range of science subjects to students. According to a report at PBS, the effort began as GZA’s attempt to “bring order to the chaos.”

Emdin explains that the new curriculum is designed to address achievement gaps in science and mathematics that are particularly prevalent in areas like New York City. More importantly, the program was created to inspire an interest in science that has been lacking, using a culturally relevant form of music many students in the New York district can relate to.

“The people who most embrace hip-hop culture are the same populations who are most disinterested in school and disinterested in science,” Emdin told the Huffington Post.

This video illustrates the creativity behind Science Genius.