Race

Education news, analysis, and opinion about how race and racism affect schools and how they are taught about in schools

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Webinars on Equity & Diversity
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Conceptual collage of a student waiting outside a door in school hallway.
Collage by Laura Baker/Education Week (Image: DigitalVision)
School Climate & Safety How Teacher Bias and School Culture Shape School Discipline
A new study found that teacher biases alone don't explain racial/ethnic disparities in school discipline. School culture plays a hand too.
Ileana Najarro, June 16, 2023
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5 min read
Madison Lyman, 17, stands for a portrait on June 1, 2023, in the 18th and Vine District in Kansas City, Mo.
Madison Lyman, 17, stands in the historic 18th and Vine district in Kansas City, Mo., on June 1, 2023. A rising high school senior, she serves on the city's 13-person commission to study reparations for Black residents, which recently started meeting.
Erin Woodiel for Education Week
Equity & Diversity Meet the High School Student Helping Her City Study Reparations for Black Residents
In Kansas City, Mo., 17-year-old Madison Lyman serves on a 13-member commission studying reparations for Black residents.
Mark Lieberman, June 14, 2023
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7 min read
A blue, monochromatic illustration shows an empty classroom chair in front of a chalkboard.
iStock/Getty
School Climate & Safety Biden Administration Asks Districts to Investigate Their Discipline Disparities
A new letter marks the latest salvo in a years-long debate over school discipline.
Evie Blad, June 9, 2023
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7 min read
Dennis K. Bordley, 6, right, one of the first two black children at a previously segregated all-white school, Caesar Rodney Elementary School in Camden-Wyoming, Del., strides along with hand in pocket on the way to first grade, Sept. 9, 1959.
Dennis K. Bordley, 6, right, one of the first two Black children at a previously segregated all-white school in Camden-Wyoming, Del., makes his way to 1st grade on Sept. 9, 1959. Public schools remain deeply segregated almost 70 years after the U.S. Supreme Court outlawed racial segregation.
Bill Ingraham/AP
Equity & Diversity Public Schools Are Still Segregated. But These Tools Can Help
Data show that racial and socioeconomic segregation persist, but districts may be able to seek federal help to address it.
Eesha Pendharkar, June 7, 2023
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4 min read
A teen boy in a red graduation cap and gown wears an eagle feather on his neck. He stands outside among classmates.
Elijah Wiggins wears an eagle feather, a gift from his grandfather, at his graduation from Cedar City High School on May 25, 2022, in Cedar City, Utah. Utah is one of a growing number of states that have passed laws to allow students to wear items of cultural or religious significance during graduation ceremonies.
Rick Bowmer/AP
Equity & Diversity When Graduation Dress Codes Clash With Students' Cultural Expression
Students have sued to wear culturally significant items at graduation, and some states have also passed legislation protecting the practice.
Evie Blad, May 31, 2023
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5 min read
Images shows colorful speech bubbles that say "Q," "&," and "A."
iStock/Getty
Teaching Opinion Beyond the Curriculum: Educators Reflect on Racism, Democracy, Purpose
What's the point of school? It does all and none of the things expected of the education system, one teacher concludes.
Larry Ferlazzo, May 26, 2023
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13 min read
James Pan, the parent of an eighth-grader, speaks about a lawsuit he and other parents filed against the Fairfax County School Board over its plans to change the admissions process at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, an elite public schools regularly ranked as one of the nation's best on Nov. 5, 2020 in Fairfax, Va.
James Pan, the parent of an 8th grader in Fairfax, Va., speaks Nov. 5, 2020, about a lawsuit he and other parents filed against the Fairfax County district over its plans to change the admissions process at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology.
Matthew Barakat/AP
Law & Courts How a Court Ruling on a School’s Admission Policy Could Impact Others
Legal experts say a coming U.S. Supreme Court decision on race in college admissions could be relevant for the magnet school's policy.
Mark Walsh, May 25, 2023
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8 min read
Conceptual image of two circles of influence, with one much bigger than the other.
ajijchan/iStock/Getty and Laura Baker/EdWeek
School Choice & Charters Opinion White Parents Say They Want Diverse Schools, But Will They Send Their Kids?
Racial stereotypes and reluctance to be in a racial minority are part of the calculus of how white parents choose schools.
Kathleen Hayes & Cassandra Kaczocha, May 22, 2023
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5 min read
Fourth graders work together to plan life for their “colony” during a class activity focused on colonial America at Capital City Public Charter School in Washington, D.C., on April 4, 2017.
Fourth graders work together to plan life for their “colony” during a class activity focused on colonial America at Capital City Public Charter School in Washington, D.C., on April 4, 2017.
Allison Shelley/The Verbatim Agency for EDUimages
Equity & Diversity Lessons From 4 District Leaders Who Conducted Equity Audits
Four district leaders emphasize the importance of equity audits, including the process, the results, and the changes made based on findings.
Eesha Pendharkar, April 26, 2023
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7 min read
Photo of dictionary definition for reparation.
iStock / Getty Images Plus
Equity & Diversity Reparations for Black Americans: How K-12 Schools Fit In
Cities, states, and school districts are studying ways to atone for past injustices and prevent future ones, including in K-12 education.
Mark Lieberman, April 13, 2023
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5 min read
Pedestrians walk past a sign in Evanston, Ill., on April 30, 2021. The Chicago suburb is preparing to pay reparations in the form of housing grants to Black residents who experienced housing discrimination. The city is being hailed as the first to do so, and is being held up as a model in its approach for other cities looking to do the same.
Pedestrians walk past a sign in Evanston, Ill., on April 30, 2021. The Chicago suburb is preparing to pay reparations in the form of housing grants to Black residents who experienced housing discrimination. The city is being hailed as the first to do so, and is being held up as a model in its approach for other cities looking to do the same.
Shafkat Anowar/AP
Equity & Diversity Schools Are Confronting Centuries of Racial Injustice. Will They Offer Reparations?
Reparations efforts have multiplied recently, with some districts considering how they can atone for discrimination against Black Americans.
Mark Lieberman, April 11, 2023
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11 min read
Image of a female student playing the flute, and another student in the background playing a horn.
iStock/Getty
Equity & Diversity Laws That Limit Teaching About Race and Gender Imperil Music Instruction
Music educators in states with laws restricting discussions of race, gender, and sexuality aren't sure how to explain spirituals or jazz.
Alyson Klein, March 31, 2023
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4 min read
Illustration of a woman of color in distress with hands in her face and hair blowing upwards.
Fedrelena/iStock/Getty
Equity & Diversity How Can Schools Help Students Process Racial Trauma? A New Program Provides Answers
The pilot program sheds light on the role schools play in helping students heal from racial trauma.
Ileana Najarro, March 24, 2023
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6 min read
Student alone in an empty school hallway (blurred). Bullying, discrimination and racism.
Pornpak Khunatorn/iStock/Getty
Equity & Diversity Q&A How Schools Can Address Racial Stressors, An Expert Explains
A Stanford researcher looks at how schools play a role in interventions for students of color dealing with racial stressors.
Ileana Najarro, March 23, 2023
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6 min read
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