Category Archives: Education

books, Culture, Education, human rights, Politics, Social Justice

Why did the Illinois State House pass a bill prohibiting book bans in libraries, and what are the potential implications of this legislation for libraries and their patrons?

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The Illinois State House has approved a bill to prevent public and school libraries from restricting access to books and other materials. However, the bill also grants the Illinois secretary of state the power to withhold grant funding from violators. Alexi Giannoulias, the Democratic Secretary of State, started House Bill 2789. It says that libraries that want to get state grants must have a policy against book bans or follow the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights. The bill gives public libraries more freedom to buy books and protects them from attempts to censor them. Republican Rep. Martin McLaughlin expressed concern about the state dictating to local library boards. Giannoulias praised the legislation as groundbreaking and vital for defending the freedom of expression against censorship. The Illinois State Senate must now approve the bill.

What would the implication of this pass do to the educational system? The Illinois State House passed a bill prohibiting book bans in libraries to combat the practice of book censorship and support the principles of freedom of expression. The bill also aims to encourage the improvement of free public libraries and promote sharing of library resources, including digital resources. The potential implications of this legislation for libraries and their patrons are significant. Libraries must adopt a policy against book bans or adhere to the Library Bill of Rights established by the American Library Association to qualify for state grants. This may lead to increased transparency and accountability for libraries but also create tension between local library boards and the state. Additionally, the legislation may help protect patrons’ right to access information and expand their reading choices while ensuring that libraries are not subject to external limitations or censorship attempts. However, the bill’s potential impact on the availability of controversial library materials and the balance between freedom of expression and public decency may be debated.

Source

Nur Ibrahim. Did Illinois State House pass a Bill Prohibiting Book Bans in Libraries?https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/illinois-house-bill-prohibiting-book-bans-libraries/.

Behavioral Science, books, Culture, Education, education, equal rights, Ethics, government, Politics, Social Justice

Would you like to know more about Critical Race Theory?

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The term “critical race theory” refers to an interdisciplinary intellectual and social movement that originated with civil-rights activists and academics.

Illustration by Marcus Torres

Illustration by Marcus Torres

The mission of the Critical Race Theory (CRT) is to investigate the ways in which race, society, and the law interact in the United States and to contest the liberal mainstream American approach to racial justice. Along with other critical schools of thought, such as critical legal studies, which investigates the ways in which legal procedures maintain the status quo, it emerged for the first time in the 1970s. Theorists affiliated with the Critical Race Theory (CRT) contend that the social and legal construction of race serves to further the interests of white people at the detriment of people of color. Since the year 2020, conservative legislators in the United States have been attempting to outlaw or place restrictions on the teaching of CRT and other forms of anti-racism education in elementary and secondary schools. Those who support the imposition of such prohibitions believe that CRT is not only untrue but also anti-American, promotes extreme leftism, demonizes White people, and indoctrinates youngsters. However, this is a section of my dissertation study that I have completed on this subject. It is written in a way that is easy to comprehend for the lay reader who is interested in learning more about CRT. If you would to purchase a copy of my book on Amazon this is the link: https://www.amazon.com/Critical-Race-Theory-Addressing-Prejudice/dp/B096TJMS4Y/ref=sr_1_7?crid=31E5LGF2EAXTG&keywords=Kenneth+Dantzler+Corbin&qid=1660858504&sprefix=kenneth+dantzler+corbin%2Caps%2C1501&sr=8-7

Culture, Education, education, equal rights, Ethics, government, human rights, Politics, Public health, Science, Social Justice, White House

Did you know that there will likely be further demonstrations this weekend in response to the agony and anger caused by the Supreme Court’s decision about abortion?

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According to authorities, tear gas was deployed to disperse protesters outside the Arizona State Capitol. Numerous protestors gathered in New York City’s Washington Square Park to oppose the judgment. Anti-abortion protestors were there, although they maintained a low profile. Following the demonstration, at least 20 individuals were “taken into jail with charges pending” throughout the city. In 2019, the biggest proportion of abortions performed on women requesting the procedure were performed on black women.

According to the statistics, they also had the highest abortion rate, with 23,8 abortions per 1,000 women. Black women who are pregnant or have just given birth are three to four times more likely to die than White women in the same circumstances. Friday, after the Supreme Court reverses Roe v. Wade, anti-abortion groups protest in Washington, D.C. Champagne is consumed by anti-abortion activists in front of the Supreme Court. Rachel Herring, an anti-abortion campaigner, said, “According to Judaism, life starts with the first breath, when the soul enters the body.”

Following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, supporters for abortion rights pound on the doors of the Arizona State Senate. On Friday, June 24, anti-abortion demonstrators celebrate in front of the US Supreme Court in Washington, DC. An anti-abortion activist wears socks that proclaim “abortion is cruel” while arguing with an abortion rights activist. On Friday, Jill McElroy and her nine-year-old daughter Meriam joined in an abortion rights rally in front of the Supreme Court. She stated, “A lesson we have always taught our children is that they are the masters of their own bodies, and the Court’s ruling today goes against that, and as a family, we believe that’s wrong.”

Champagne is consumed by anti-abortion activists in front of the Supreme Court. I was there at the moment the decision was made. I am delighted. Earlier, I was walking on air, says pro-life activist Noah Slayter. Friday, the phrase “Our bodies, our choices” is spray-painted on a temporary wall in Washington, D.C.

Following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, pro-choice protestors pound on the doors of the Arizona State Senate on Friday. Outside the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday, an anti-abortion protester wears socks that proclaim “abortion is cruel.” In Arizona and Arkansas, abortion providers have began discontinuing their services. Dr. DeShawn Taylor remarked that she anticipates a period of darkness, albeit hopefully not for too long.

Approximately twenty abortion appointments originally planned for Friday through next week were canceled by Taylor’s facility. The head of Planned Parenthood said, “The majority of patients were desperate or scared” before to Friday’s Supreme Court ruling on abortion availability in certain states. A new legislation in California shields anybody conducting, helping, or receiving an abortion from any prospective civil action originating from outside the state. A clinic owner in Mississippi said that a woman should not have to leave the state to get medical treatment.

Education, Politics

Did you know that regulations limiting education on racism make it difficult for teachers to explain the Buffalo massacre?

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On Saturday, a white shooter opened fire at a grocery store in Buffalo, New York, killing ten Black individuals.

Elizabeth Close spoke to her high school ethnic studies class in Austin, Texas, about the Buffalo shooting.Liz Moskowitz for NBC News

Elizabeth Close’s high school ethnic studies class was addressing a new state legislation mandating that she present balanced viewpoints on “widely disputed and politically contentious matters.” Texas is one of many states that have recently enacted legislation restricting how instructors may address racism. Teachers debated on social media and in essays how to discuss the massacre in Buffalo. A math instructor in Atlanta said that he was hesitant to respond when his pupils brought up the subject.

A teacher in east Texas wrote, “Legally, I cannot touch it.” They might equip pupils with historical background and media literacy skills on the history of racism in America. A teacher might use the massacre in Buffalo as a springboard to initiate a lesson on gun regulation. In the present context, however, these debates may potentially put teachers at danger, according to one expert. Terry Harris, executive director of student services for the Rockwood School District in the St. Louis suburbs, said that instructors are required to explain the historical background of contemporary events.

Harris observed, “Teachers are thinking, ‘I’m not prepared to risk that dialogue and lose my job because I need to feed my family.'” Sen. Bernie Feingold argues that legislation mandating a balanced viewpoint on contentious matters may be applied to the mass shooting in Buffalo, New York. A teacher in Texas informed her pupils that she was required to provide several viewpoints on the assault. Elizabeth Close said that she could not conceive of a method to approach the topic appropriately in a classroom with kids of color and immigrants.

Behavioral Science, economics, Education, education, Intelligent people

Is there such a thing as having too many intelligent people around?

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Peter Turchin foresaw a decade of increasing volatility in western Europe and the United States.

Oct 22nd 2020

The ensuing rise in populism has made him somewhat famous and sparked the curiosity of economists in “cliodynamics.” His focus on the “overproduction of elites” creates unsettling problems and provides instructive policy insights. Elite civilizations create an increasing number of aspiring elites because access to education tends to increase. The benefits of being at the top are precious, and those who do not get them feel their absence strongly.

People who are articulate and educated revolt, causing a rush for political and economic dominance. Elites cease cooperating, counter-elites emerge, and order collapses. Due to the dominance of a few “superstar” companies, few prominent professions are available. Over thirty percent of British graduates are overqualified for their professions. Under Jeremy Corbyn, the British Labour Party attracted an increased number of upper-middle-class and middle-class individuals. Joe Biden’s margin over Bernie Sanders in the Democratic primaries was much narrower among college graduates than high school dropouts.

books, Education

Would you like to know that Florida’s prohibited, ‘problematic’ math textbooks contain a graph depicting racial bias? Or is this only another political maneuver?

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The Florida Department of Education revealed instances of questionable material that forced the state to ban hundreds of math textbooks—including one that had an algebra graph measuring racial prejudice.

The Florida Department of Education released excerpts from math textbooks they rejected that they claim were trying to indoctrinate children.

The DOE rejected 54 math textbooks—roughly 41% of publisher submissions—on the grounds that they allegedly attempted to indoctrinate students or expose them to “dangerous and contentious ideas.” In response to a deluge of requests for examples of the limits, the agency posted four photos of arithmetic problems on its website on Thursday. What? What about me? As stated in a lesson titled “Adding and Subtracting Polynomials,” add and subtract polynomials. Over 2 million people have completed an online version of the Implicit Association Test to determine their level of racial prejudice. While the majority of groups get average evaluations of “slight” to “moderate” discrimination, the issue observes that the disparities across groups by age and political affiliation are “intriguing.”