They're too dumb to know they're in a bad school," said Friedman, who is a professor at Hunter College. She then appeared to misattribute and misquote Black historian Carter G. Woodson. "Apparently Martin Luther King said it: If you train a Black person well enough, they'll know to use the back. You don't have to tell them anymore," Friedman said.
These numbers look stark, but in context they reveal far more about the conditions California children are growing up in than the quality of classroom instruction. California educates a disproportionate share of children experiencing housing insecurity. A 2024 analysis found that 4% of California students were homeless, with some counties reaching 16%. The California Department of Education reports 230,443 homeless students statewide, a 26% increase over five years that mirrors broader trends in affordability, overcrowding and displacement.
At the same time, children's development and families' needs do not end when the bell rings or when they enter kindergarten; continuous afterschool programming from early childhood through adolescence is critical. To fully realize the goals of universal childcaresupport working families, advance educational equity, and strengthen the economyNew York City must extend this vision to K12 students and make universal afterschool programming a core part of the solution.
Meanwhile, students are quietly bearing a cost that few are tracking: between $1,200 and $1,800 over four years in AI tool subscriptions that fragmented and unenforceable institutional policies have made necessary. Here's what a typical student experience looks like. Freshman fall semester: The composition professor bans ChatGPT even though the university has a site license. The biology lab recommends NotebookLM for research synthesis.
Acting as navigators and coaches in high-poverty schools, site coordinators from the nonprofit Communities in Schools (CIS) help students access resources both within and outside of school, including tutoring, food aid, housing and health services. CIS is the nation's largest program of its kind, serving nearly 2 million students in more than 3,000 schools - nearly three times bigger than Head Start.
As part of National Transfer Student Week, hundreds of college campuses are hosting public celebrations to uplift their transfer student communities, including many in our home state of California. While these celebrations are important to increase visibility and a sense of belonging, transfer students warrant our attention and support year-round. The data demonstrate why: While 80 percent of community college students nationally aspire to earn a bachelor's degree, just 17 percent of community college students in California reach that finish line within six years.
A group of students, eager to explore the halls of power in Washington, D.C., found their path blocked by closed doors. But instead of sending them home disappointed, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, whose district includes parts of the Bronx, stepped in. She didn't just say hello to them she personally led them on a tour of the Capitol and turned what could have been a major letdown into a civics lesson they will never forget.
"North Carolina's constitution guarantees every child an equal opportunity to a public education - but these numbers reveal that promise as hollow for far too many students of color throughout the state," said Jake Sussman, Chief Counsel for Justice System Reform at SCSJ. "The disparities between the experiences of white students and Black students are shocking. We're not just failing individual children; we're systematically pushing them out of classrooms and continuing cycles of inequality that will affect generations to come."
Like Project Head Start for much younger folks, this is one of the great successes inaugurated or expanded during the Clinton administration. The program is under fire now, though, and its survival is threatened in a time when the Trump administration has managed to eliminate many programs it labels as promoting diversity, equity and inclusion. For sure, California's Latino students need some kind of help.
In our region, transportation is key for our students to achieve their educational goals. With our partner from VVTA, we will guarantee that transportation is not an obstacle. BCC is creating a route for success for all the students.
Colleges can offer undocumented students non-employment-based educational opportunities (NEBOs) to develop personal, academic and professional skills that also provide students with financial aid.
