San Francisco School District Drops ‘Equitable Grading' Plan Amid Backlash
'It's clear there are a lot of questions, concerns, and misinformation with this proposal. We want to make sure any changes benefit our students,' SFUSD Superintendent Maria Su said in an emailed statement to The Epoch Times on May 29. 'I have decided not to pursue this strategy for next year to ensure we have time to meaningfully engage the community.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
'Criminal political war': Coalition launches indefinite encampment in Tel Aviv to protest Gaza war
Mika Almog, the content director for the It's Time Coalition, told The Jerusalem Post that the war has been prolonged for the current government's political gain. A coalition of more than 60 Jewish and Arab peace organizations has erected an encampment in Tel Aviv's Dizengoff Square, protesting the ongoing war inGaza. The protest, which began today, marks 667 days since the conflict began and is set to remain in place indefinitely. Organized by the It's Time Coalition, the encampment aims to spotlight the humanitarian crisis in Gaza while calling for the immediate release of Israeli hostages and an end to the war. The coalition includes groups such as Rabbis for Human Rights, Standing Together, and the Forum of Israeli Peace NGOs. Mika Almog, the content director for the It's Time Coalition, told The Jerusalem Post that the war has been prolonged for the current government's political gain. "This is a criminal political war that is still going on for political reasons that is not certainly the interest of the Israeli people. Hostages should have been home a long time ago,' she stated. The coalition, founded in the summer of 2024, held a kickoff event at Menorah Stadium attended by 60,000 supporters. Almog, who is the granddaughter of former Israeli president Shimon Peres, emphasized the shared belief among encampment attendees that the war is "not only inhuman and immoral, but [it's] detrimental to the future of Israel." A statement from the coalition highlighted the urgency of their message, stating, "This war must end. The most devastating war in our history must be stopped—now." The statement directly addresses the humanitarian toll, referencing the "mass killing, the total destruction, and the starvation of an entire population" and comparing it to the Israeli vow of "Never again." Peace activist coalition launches indefinite encampment in Tel Aviv to protest Gaza War (It's Time Coalition) The statement also condemned the treatment of Israeli hostages, describing them as "abandoned to die brutally in tunnels," and called out settler violence in the West Bank. 'We've had enough of death,' the press statement declared, 'We wake up to death in the morning and toss with death through sleepless nights." This sentiment was echoed by Almog, who told the Post, "We will not stop resisting until life once again rules this land." Counter-protests and disruptions The encampment has been met with opposition. The article notes that counter-protesters have come in waves, interrupting lectures and yelling at speakers and attendees. The groups have been accused of hating Israel and not caring about the hostages by passing drivers who pulled over to confront them. Despite the disruptions, the coalition remains steadfast. Almog told the Post that their goal is to end the war, and they intend to stay until it does. 'We have had enough death. We're surrounded by death. We wake up to death in the morning. It's time to allow life to rule,' she said. The organization's statement echoed this resolve, stating that the group will not stop their actions until the war and all its horrors cease.
Associated Press
13 hours ago
- Associated Press
In Ecuador, environmentalists worry Noboa is unwinding nation's green reputation
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — When Ecuadorians voted two years ago to block oil drilling in Yasuni National Park, it was a triumph for environmentalists seeking to protect one of the most biodiverse places on Earth. And it was in character for a country that was first to enshrine the 'rights of nature' in its constitution and is home to parts of the Amazon rain forest and the Galápagos Islands. But recent moves by President Daniel Noboa have alarmed environmentalists and Indigenous leaders who say the country's green reputation — and its protections for civil society — are unraveling. Noboa's administration has moved to scrap the country's independent Environment Ministry. It's pushing legislation ostensibly aimed at choking off illegal mining, but which critics fear will devastate nonprofits. The National Assembly — pressed by Noboa — approved a law last month allowing private and foreign entities to co‑manage conservation zones that critics say weakens protections and threatens Indigenous land rights. And Ecuador just signed a new oil deal with Peru that could accelerate drilling in sensitive areas. Natalia Greene, an environmental advocate with the Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature, said Noboa's decision to fold the Environment Ministry into the Ministry of Energy and Mines will speed up mining just as Ecuador is grappling with a surge in illegal gold mining tied to organized crime. She called it 'like putting the wolf in charge of the sheep.' 'The government's intention is very clear — to be a machine gun of extractivism,' she said. Noboa has defended the ministry moves and other changes as necessary to cut costs, reduce bureaucracy and address Ecuador's financial crisis. Officials argue that consolidating ministries will make decision‑making more efficient. Neither the Ministry of Energy and Mines nor Noboa's office responded to questions from The Associated Press. Indigenous rights at risk In July, Peru and Ecuador signed a deal for Ecuador's state oil company to sell crude directly to Petroperu and link its southern Amazon reserves to Peru's Norperuano pipeline, with drilling eyed for January 2026. Environmental groups say it could fast‑track drilling in sensitive areas while skirting safeguards and Indigenous consultation. Peru's Achuar, Wampis and Chapra nations denounced the plan in a public letter, saying it would gut long-standing protections that require communities be consulted before projects move forward on their lands. They warned the pipeline already averages 146 spills a year and that expanding it would be 'a grave threat to the Amazon and to Indigenous livelihoods.' 'They are going to violate all our rights to enter our territories and extract the resources they want,' said Nemo Guiquita, a Waorani leader with the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of the Ecuadorian Amazon. She said Indigenous communities fear a surge of oil and mining projects across ancestral lands, threatening both ecosystems and livelihoods. 'There will be a weakening of environmental protection,' she said. 'There will be a lot of deforestation, contamination of rivers and destruction of the ecosystem, which is vital for our existence as Indigenous peoples.' Ricardo Buitrón, president of the Quito‑based environmental group Accion Ecologica, noted that the changes come just months after Ecuadorians voted to keep oil in the ground in Yasuni, a decision the government has yet to fully enforce. 'We have gone back decades,' he said. 'A development model is being prioritized that does not care about protecting ecosystems, but about extracting natural resources to the maximum.' Fears that proposed law will harm non-governmental organizationsThe proposed law that has alarmed nonprofits is formally called the Organic Law for the Control of Irregular Capital Flows. But activists call it the 'anti-NGO' law, saying it could impose heavy burdens on nonprofits and force many to close. The measure applies to more than 71,000 organizations nationwide, giving them six months to re‑register with the government, submit detailed financial records and disclose foreign funding sources. The government says the law is needed to prevent money laundering and political destabilization. Critics warn it could instead silence dissent by placing organizations under sweeping controls. Noboa submitted the bill to the National Assembly on July 29, giving lawmakers until Aug. 28 to act before it automatically becomes law. 'This has been hard for us,' Guiquita said. 'Practically, Indigenous organizations live mostly from donations and NGOs. The government is weakening us in every space.' 'It represents a threat because they could dissolve us under any pretext,' Buitrón said. 'This reminds us of what we already lived through a decade ago, when they tried to shut down some organizations in the country.' Regional and global stakes Kevin Koenig of Amazon Watch, a U.S.-based nonprofit that advocates for Indigenous rights and environmental protection in the Amazon, said the country's changes are part of a wider rollback. 'We are seeing a sweeping package of regressive reforms that are rolling back environmental protections, Indigenous rights guarantees, and threatening basic civil liberties like the freedom of speech and assembly,' he said. 'What it suggests is the massive expansion of oil and mining, particularly in the Amazon region.' Koenig said the changes send troubling signals ahead of COP30, the United Nations climate summit set for Brazil later this year. Similar trends are unfolding in Peru and El Salvador, where governments have limited environmental oversight, and in Brazil, where licensing for Amazon projects has been weakened. Mobilizing resistance Civil society groups are mobilizing against the changes. Greene said organizations have reactivated the Asamblea Nacional Socioambiental, a national coalition of environmental and social movements, and are planning legal challenges, demonstrations and appeals to international bodies. Many fear Ecuador's role as a global green pioneer is unraveling. 'Our only crime here has been protecting our territory, protecting our traditions, protecting our way of life,' Guiquita said. ___ The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at
New York Times
20 hours ago
- New York Times
Democrats Disagree (Again). This Time, It's About School Vouchers.
Democrats are already fighting viciously among themselves over Zohran Mamdani, transgender rights, immigration, Israel and affordability. Add education to the mix. The party is debating how to respond to the increasingly muscular Republican push for private-school vouchers — most recently, a provision in President Trump's budget bill that creates the first national private-school choice program. States will have the ability to opt in or out, presenting Democratic governors with a difficult decision, and one that competing advocacy groups are trying to influence. Democrats for Education Reform, a group closely affiliated with veterans of the Obama administration, has become a leading voice urging the party to cross what has long been a red line, and embrace some forms of private-school choice — including the Trump program. D.F.E.R. has prominent allies, including Arne Duncan, Mr. Obama's former secretary of education, who is working for the group as a consultant. But its new stance in favor of vouchers is provocative within the party — so much so that two former leaders of the organization have quit and are creating a rival group that will oppose vouchers, while supporting other forms of school choice. Mr. Trump's private-school choice program is funded by a federal tax credit, and will offer families of most income levels scholarships that can be used for private-school tuition, tutoring or other education expenses. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
