Students of Color

Read more about the needs and experiences of students of color in K-12 schools
A science teacher in elementary or middle school showing a student how to use a microscope.
E+/Getty
Future of Work For These Black Women in STEM, Teachers’ Encouragement Went a Long Way
Black women continue to be underrepresented in science, tech, engineering, and math careers.
Lauraine Langreo, February 22, 2024
3 min read
Illustration of a scientist holding a giant test tube.
iStock/Getty + Vanessa Solis/Education Week
Science Opinion STEM Is Failing People of Color. What Educators Can Do
Students, especially students of color, need fresh incentives to pursue the fields, explains a STEM professor.
Ebony O. McGee, January 25, 2024
5 min read
Principal Bilma Bermudez looks at the virtual reality scene 8th grade student Miguel Rios created at Jefferson Elementary School in Compton, Calif., on Jan. 19, 2024.
Principal Bilma Bermudez looks at the virtual reality scene 8th grade student Miguel Rios designed at Jefferson Elementary School in Compton, Calif., on Jan. 19, 2024.
Lauren Justice for Education Week
Equity & Diversity Suburban Schools Reborn: Compton, Calif., Is Charting a Hopeful Path
An exclusive excerpt from a new book about America's fast-changing suburban schools by former Education Week Staff Writer Benjamin Herold.
Benjamin Herold, January 23, 2024
7 min read
Teenage student taking notes during class
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Mathematics What the Research Says How Schools Can Diversify Math Course-Taking
Low-income students and students of color take fewer advanced-math courses—or start taking them later—than their white peers.
Sarah D. Sparks, December 7, 2023
4 min read
Adrian Mims
Adrian Mims, courtesy of the Calculus Project
Mathematics Q&A How to Support Black and Latino Students to Tackle Calculus
The founder of the Calculus Project speaks about how high school math pathways shape students’ postsecondary options.
Sarah Schwartz, November 28, 2023
11 min read
schoolboy sitting on a chair isolated in a hallway
DigitalVision/Getty
School Climate & Safety Explainer What Is Restraint and Seclusion? An Explainer
Restraint and seclusion are dangerous practices that are used to control students with disabilities, experts say.
Eesha Pendharkar, November 14, 2023
8 min read
Happy Black female student celebrating while receiving exam results from her Black female teacher in the classroom.
iStock/Getty
Teaching Profession Here's What High School Students of Color Think About Being a Teacher
New research asked high school students of color and Indigenous students what they think about a career in teaching.
Madeline Will, October 17, 2023
6 min read
Illustration of a young black woman with missing pieces. Some of the slices are sliding back into place, making the figure whole again.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week + Madina Asileva/iStock
Equity & Diversity Opinion American Education Hurt Black Students. We Deserve Reparations
The value of the educational harm inflicted on my generation of Black students exceeds $2 trillion, writes Bettina L. Love.
Bettina L. Love, September 5, 2023
5 min read
Indigenous Navajo high school students in the hallway of a high school.
E+
Equity & Diversity Schools Struggle to Properly Count Native Students. Some States Want Them to Try Harder
Michigan recently became the latest state to require the collection of data on Native K-12 students' tribal affiliations.
Mark Lieberman, September 5, 2023
7 min read
Trevor Packer, head of the College Board’s AP Program speaks at the AP Annual Conference in Seattle, Wash. on July 20, 2023.
Trevor Packer, head of the College Board’s AP program, speaks at the AP Annual Conference for educators in Seattle on July 20, 2023.
Ileana Najarro/Education Week
College & Workforce Readiness Q&A College Board Leader Discusses Controversy Over AP Courses
Trevor Packer, head of the College Board's AP program, answers EdWeek's queries about the nonprofit's future—and its recent curriculum controversies.
Ileana Najarro, August 28, 2023
10 min read
Demonstrators protest outside of the Supreme Court in Washington on June 29, 2023, after the Supreme Court struck down affirmative action in college admissions, saying race cannot be a factor.
Demonstrators protest outside of the Supreme Court in Washington on June 29, 2023, after the Supreme Court struck down affirmative action in college admissions, saying race cannot be a factor.
Jose Luis Magana/AP
Equity & Diversity From College Advising to Teacher Preparation: Affirmative Action Ruling May Reshape K-12
These are some ways in which the Supreme Court’s decision may impact K-12 schools.
Eesha Pendharkar, July 14, 2023
6 min read
Reading & Literacy Video This After-School Program Is Improving Students’ Reading, One Black History Book at a Time
An after-school program seeks to teach its students about Black history and improve their reading scores at the same time.
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F. Sheehan for Education Week
Equity & Diversity Why Pronouncing Student Names Correctly Matters, and How to Get Them Right
Many students routinely have their names mispronounced, making school more stressful and less welcoming.
Lydia McFarlane, July 13, 2023
6 min read
A school resource officer in Anderson, Calif., walks a middle school student back to class on Dec. 9, 2013.
A school resource officer in Anderson, Calif., walks a middle school student back to class on Dec. 9, 2013. Advocates disagree on police presence in schools, but agree that they should not be making discipline decisions.
Andreas Fuhrmann/The Record Searchlight via AP
School Climate & Safety Advocates Agree: Police Shouldn't Handle Routine Discipline in Schools
School discipline should be handled by administrators, not school police, advocates for and against school police agree.
Eesha Pendharkar, June 29, 2023
7 min read