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Desegregation may have occurred decades ago, but some areas of the country are still dealing with segregation to this day. In Texas, thousands of schools are nearly as segregated in 2013 as they were at the time of Brown vs. the Board of Education in 1954. With a rising percentage of minority students in the state, segregation could have serious implications on the future education of Texas students, as well as the readiness of those students to graduate and enter the state’s workforce.

The Rise of Minorities in Texas

The reports that segregation issues, coupled with disparities in education affecting schools made up of mostly minority students, could have serious long-term effects on education and economic conditions in the state. The problems are particularly pronounced in the Dallas Independent School District, where just 5 percent of the entire student population is white. Compare that number to the one in 1970, when the district was cited for failing to desegregate schools effectively. White students comprised around 60 percent of the entire student population at that time.

The school board president for Dallas, Lew Blackburn, told the Dallas Morning Star he is concerned about the fact that students are not getting exposed to the racial diversity in their schools that they see in their communities. Blackburn also believes that while he doesn’t know precise reasons for the dwindling number of white students in Dallas schools, he suspects it might be linked to an

An anti-bullying bill in the throngs of the state legislature in Minnesota recently passed a major hurdle. The Minnesota House approved the bill designed to strengthen schools’ responses to bullying in a vote that mostly ran along party lines. While many applaud this step forward as a way to protect children from damaging behavior in school more effectively, others have voiced concern that state lawmakers are overstretching their reach to the public school system.

About the Bill

According to , House representative Jim Davnie (DFL-Minneapolis) introduced the new anti-bullying bill. Davnie says that the bill is necessary because the current 37-word anti-bullying law for the state is inadequate in protecting bullied victims. Davnie asserts that if his bill is passed, it would take Minnesota from being one of the weakest states in the country on bullying to “instead, being a leader in building safe and supportive school climates for all students.”

According to a report at Minnesota Public Radio, one of the most important features of the bill is the fact that it defines bullying. Davnie explains, “It established clear definitions of bullying, cyber-bullying, harassment, and intimidation, and then sets a high bar for school involvement.”

This video from Minnesota Public Radio examines the issue of bullying in Minnesota public schools.

The new bill identifies bullying as any word or action that “disrupts a student’s education.” It also lists bullying

A recent Opens Doors Day by Detroit Public Schools gave parents and students the chance to catch a glimpse of the wide range of schools available in one of the largest school districts in the country. Among other possibilities, this tour featured a unique school in Michigan and one of the only schools of its kind in the U.S. Who would have suspected that a district-wide open house could cumulate into a tour of the city by air – in a private plane used at a high school that prepares students for a career in the aerospace industry?

Future Students in Flight

According to a report at , students who recently visited Davis Aerospace Technical High School as part of their tour of Detroit Public Schools got a welcome surprise. One of the instructors at the school, who also happens to be a pilot, took students and their parents on free airplane rides using one of the small private planes kept at the school for training purposes. The four-seat aircraft was the smallest many of the guests had ever flown in, and the tour of Downtown Detroit from miles above the ground could only be described as “breathtaking.”

Flights took off from a small runway adjacent to the Davis Aerospace Technical High School campus. The pilot of the flights, Captain Miller, is an instructor at Davis, and a veteran of the U.S. Air Forces with more than 35 years of flying experience. Captain Miller

A recent study revealed some startling statistics about teacher retention in Duval County Public Schools. The Jacksonville Public Education Fund study found that this large U.S. county loses more than half of its public school teachers within five years of their careers. This high turnover rate may be costing the school district a significant amount of money and impacting the quality of education provided to public school students. As the statistics come to light, theories begin to circulate on how to promote public school teaching as a long-term career choice in Duval County.

The Human Capital Issue

was one of the first to broadcast the results of the study by the Jacksonville Public Education Fund. The news station reported that researchers in the study surveyed 600 Duval County public school teachers to explore the possible reasons for the high turnover rate. The teachers interviewed told the station that salary and benefits are both factors that could either keep teachers in the profession – or drive them away.

Teachers were also asked what would make them stay in the profession rather than search for greener pastures after just a few short years. Trey Csar, president of the Jacksonville Public Education Fund, said that most teachers told them compensation and benefits, increased autonomy, and a louder voice in policy decisions could be the driving force behind the long-term employment of public teachers in the county. Calling the findings a “human capital” issue, Csar also told