As America finally approaches a Covid-free society with looser mask rules and overall restrictions, the aftermath of the pandemic becomes clearer and highlights one of the near future’s political challenges. In education, schools’ survival and students’ academic progress were defined by the availability of funds and resources. Not surprisingly, the education quality of minority...
by Sami Gottsegen (PZ ’25) On Thursday, March 10, the Florida State Senate passed HB 7/SB 148. Now on its way to the desk of Governor Ron DeSantis, the bill, dubbed the “Stop Wrongs to Our Kids and Employees (WOKE) Act,” is part of a series of attacks on critical race theory. In an interview with the New York Times, Trip Gabriel simply defined critical race theory as “a lens or...
By Grace Fan (PO ’23) The need for education reform has never been clearer. From the response of the Trump administration to the Black Lives Matter movement to the outrage and pushback that the movement garnered, Americans must reckon with the pitfalls of their current education system. Schools are where the youth are supposedly introduced to the tools necessary for success and are...
The college admissions scandal of 2019, Operation Varsity Blues, revealed just how far wealthy parents were willing to go to secure spots for their children at elite universities. While money has always shored up a student’s chances in the college admissions game, the scandal highlights a particular anxiety amongst the White upper class that increased competition and interest in educational...
By Jon Burkart (PO ‘24) In 2008, the Great Recession struck. And in its wake, upwards of 20 states cut public spending: Ohio was one of them. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic struck. And while the future remains uncertain, one thing is clear: austerity is returning. In some states, it has already made a return. On May 6, 2020, just months into the pandemic, Ohio’s Republican Governor Mike DeWine...
Jon Burkart (PO ’24) If the past 6 months have proved anything, it’s that nothing is wholly immune to COVID-19. Institutions of higher education (IHE) are certainly no exception. On October 15th, National Student Clearinghouse reported that average undergraduate enrollment for the fall 2020 semester is down 4%, and overall enrollment is down 3% compared to last year. This trend has hit four...
By Jon Burkart (PO ’24) “A $1.5 trillion crisis” “…exceeds accumulated car loans and even credit card debt” “…43 million Americans held federal student loans” “…roughly seven million borrowers are in default” Year after year, these punchy phrases populate news headlines, underscoring the unending...
David Ruiz (PO ’23) I, along with three other students from the Claremont Colleges in Southern California, was scheduled to attend the University of Washington’s Model EU conference in Seattle this weekend. As headlines from Washington worsened over the course of the week, my colleagues and I became deeply concerned about the status of the conference. Our worries were especially centered on...
By Rowan McGarry-Williams (PO’ 21) For many Americans, the relationship between home and school seems simple enough: they live in a neighborhood and they go to their neighborhood’s public school. But this simplicity belies an entire, constructed network of policy decisions. For example: how does one define a neighborhood, or a school zone? Why do neighborhoods look the way they do? How did...
By Andy Liu (HMC ’23) During the ongoing 2020 Democratic primaries, many candidates have proposed varying levels of tuition-free public college, ranging from moderate proposals involving free community college, some level of student loan forgiveness, or the complete elimination of tuition and fees at all public colleges. Yet, while these plans have come under fire from conservative commentators...
