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Epoch Times
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Epoch Times
Harvard University Renames Its Diversity Office
Harvard's Office for Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging will be renamed Community and Campus Life, the university The university is currently entangled in a conflict with the Trump administration after it refused requests to act against diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, with authorities cutting off funding and Harvard filing a lawsuit against the government. The name change is 'effective immediately,' Sherri Ann Charleston, who oversees the office, wrote in the letter. Charleston said the office will redouble efforts to ensure it provides a forum for Harvard schools to share best practices on building a culture of belonging for 'all members' at the university. It also plans to expand and support programs that give community members 'greater opportunities to engage across difference.' Another objective is to boost support for low-income and first-generation students. 'In the weeks and months ahead, we will take steps to make this change concrete and to work with all of Harvard's schools and units to implement these vital objectives, including shared efforts to reexamine and reshape the missions and programs of offices across the university,' the letter said. 'Much of that work is already underway in our schools.' Related Stories 4/29/2025 4/26/2025 While Charleston lists her position in the letter as 'Chief Community and Campus Life Officer,' she continues to be The Education Department's task force on anti-Semitism The funding freeze was implemented after Harvard refused to comply with certain demands made by the General Services Administration, the Department of Education, and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The demands include eliminating DEI initiatives, banning the use of face coverings during campus protests, and reforming hiring and admission processes to prioritize merit over race or gender criteria. On April 11, the agencies made more demands, including screening out applicants during the international admissions process who seemed to be 'hostile to American values' or 'supportive of terrorism or anti-Semitism.' Harvard refused to comply, with the university's resident, Alan Garber, saying in an open letter on April 14 that the institution 'will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights.' On April 21, Harvard 'Before taking punitive action, the law requires that the federal government engage with us about the ways we are fighting and will continue to fight antisemitism. Instead, the government's April 11 demands seek to control whom we hire and what we teach,' he said. On April 17, the Department of Education asked Harvard to submit a list of its foreign funders after finding that the university's foreign funding disclosures were 'incomplete and inaccurate.' Racial Discrimination Probe The Education Department said in an April 28 The probe follows reports that the Law Review used 'race-based criteria' in its article selection process and journal membership, which would violate Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. 'Title VI's demands are clear: recipients of federal financial assistance may not discriminate on the basis of race, color, or national origin,' Craig Trainor, acting assistant secretary for civil rights, said in the statement. 'The Trump Administration will not allow Harvard, or any other recipients of federal funds, to trample on anyone's civil rights.' One of the reported instances of discrimination involved a journal editor saying it was 'concerning' that most people who wanted to respond to an article regarding police reform were white men, the statement said. Another journal editor reportedly suggested that an article 'should be subject to expedited review because the author was a minority,' according to the statement. Commenting on the investigation, Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in an April 29 Other universities are also feeling the heat from federal authorities over discriminatory practices or policies. On April 28, the Education Department
The Hindu
24-04-2025
- Science
- The Hindu
Rooted in tech, rising through inclusion, reaching for equity
Rajesh Dadi sat on the edge of a chair, his thin frame curled into an almost defensive posture. One leg was pulled close to his chest, his knee tucked under his chin, and his other leg stretched out awkwardly towards the floor. The nine-year-old fourth-grade student's attention was on the glow of the screen in front of him. His small fingers danced on the keyboard as he typed with intense focus to complete the task at hand. On the screen before him was a map of India with each State taking shape as he effortlessly coded the outlines and borders with precision. The bright and sunny drawing room felt irrelevant as the boy appeared distant, lost in his own thoughts. 'Rajesh, it's time for lunch,' his mother, Sumathi, said softly, unsure if it was alright to distract him. Her patient, repeated pleas were met with her son's swift and soft clicks of the mouse, which filled each State with vibrant hues. Suddenly, flashing an ear-to-ear smile, he declares, 'I love geography!' The story of Dadi, a student of Kankipadu Government Primary School in Vijayawada, underscores the importance of recognising and nurturing the potential in every child, regardless of their needs. He was diagnosed with savant syndrome, a rare condition in which individuals with significant neurological impairment, often related to autism, exhibit exceptional abilities in specific areas like art, music, or mathematics and have a prodigious memory. Dadi possesses an exceptionally high Intelligence Quotient (IQ) that was initially overlooked. A local doctor even dismissed him as intellectual disability, but a clinical psychologist associated with 'Project 2027' recognised his true potential when she visited the Bhavitha Centre, where Dadi is placed. Soaring with digital wings The Education Department launched 'Project 2027' to integrate students with special needs into mainstream institutions and provide them with quality education rooted in futuristic technology. Bhavitha Centre is a facility established by Samagra Shiksha, a national education programme, across Andhra Pradesh to promote inclusive education. 'Rajesh is a gem we found at Bhavitha. His hyper nature and reluctance to communicate with others resulted in his isolation in a mainstream school he went to in the past,' says P. Tharun, his technology mentor. The boy is currently undergoing training in a Junior Python coding course, honing his skills in a field that aligns with his strengths. 'We believe that with the right support and environment, children like Rajesh can break through the barriers that might have held them back from achieving remarkable success'Ram KamalSenior Advisor to Andhra Pradesh School Education Department 'We believe that with the right support and environment, children like Rajesh can break through the barriers that might have held them back from achieving remarkable success,' says Ram Kamal, Senior Advisor to Andhra Pradesh School Education Department on Inclusive Education. The young boy's story demonstrates the value of inclusive education, he adds. Sitting next to Dadi is Safaru Sanath Kumar, immersed in the world he created on the monitor of his Chromebook, a gift he received from his 'Ram Sir' (Ram Kamal). The 16-year-old, who stands just 95 cm tall and weighs 11 kg due to growth hormone deficiency, is another example of the transformative impact of inclusive education. The well-lit room is part of a hostel called Ram Parivar, situated near the Penamaluru Zilla Parishad High School in the Penamaluru mandal of Krishna district, Andhra Pradesh. The hostel is managed by Chakshumathi, a think tank co-founded by Kamal, dedicated to inclusive education. It collaborates with global tech companies, academic experts, and research labs to develop a free Digitally Accessible Pedagogy (DAP) that breaks the barriers caused by traditional print-based teaching methods for children with diverse learning needs. A long table, scattered with laptops and tablets, holds half a dozen children, all of whom have special needs. They are engrossed in their tasks under the watchful eyes of their mentor, Tharun. Their quiet concentration fills the space as the young learners explore the power of technology that fosters independent learning. Designed to nurture dreams Outside, the sky slowly darkens with thick clouds, and a soft drizzle cools the surroundings—an unexpected change in the weather for this time of year. However, the children remain oblivious to it, as they continue to interact with the Google tools and master their skills, undistracted. As Kumar speaks about his journey, which was replete with challenges, including bullying at his previous school for being of small build and his shift to Ram Parivar, Tharun contributes by explaining how, by providing a safe, accessible, and inclusive learning space and mastering technology, he won the title of 'Google Champion in 2024'. 'I was fortunate to visit the Google office at Gurgaon. Since we had extra time, we went to the India Gate and I relished the Delhi chaat,' Kumar fondly recalls. He dreams of working for Google someday. Kamal says that in the education sphere, there are only two categories of children with special needs under the medical category: those with mobility challenges and those with learning differences. He says that accessible schools and toilets, along with adaptable furniture, will help mitigate the learning diffuculties faced by these children. 'The idea is to alleviate their learning difficulties posed by print-based pedagogy with DAP and accessible e-contents in a digital way,' says Kamal. 'Our team of educationists have devised DAP, an effective pedagogy that uses a blended education mode of digital and conventional methodologies for successful inclusion. It helped Andhra Pradesh to conduct the first Digital Inclusive Festival, where 100 projects based on coding, robotics, games, IOT, and web designs put together by children with special needs won a world record for the State,' says B. Srinivasa Rao, State Project Director of Samagra Shiksha Andhra Pradesh. He added that global records in digital initiatives and inclusive yoga brought national awards to the State in 2024 for its 'Andhra Model of Inclusive Education' initiative, an achievement made possible through DAP. 'DAP is the mantra here, which has a protocol of nearly 30 mainstream applications and customised accessibility options to enable people with print disabilities (persons who can't use a printed document mode for reading and writing) to work effectively in the mainstream education system,' explains Tharun. Meanwhile, Kamal cites K. Deepika, a partially blind Class XI student, and B. Meghana, a blind student studying Class XII from the Anantapur district, as excellent examples of the benefits of successfully utilising technology. Meghana wrote her Board exams in online mode without the help of a scribe. Despite excelling academically, her teachers suggested that she opt for commerce, economics and civics, as they thought she might struggle with science. But Meghana chose her favourite subjects, mathematics, physics, and chemistry, as her main subjects. 'I want to be a data scientist, for which I need to be good in mathematics and science,' she says, flashing a confident smile. 'In the DAP mode, we have been trained to use tools that help us read the text,' she says, explaining about the technology they use called the Unicode block Optical Character Recognition, which contains symbols used in this system for reading written text, while converting text from print into digital format. Meghana is known as a 'human calculator' at Ram Parivar due to her extraordinary mental math skills. 'Coming from a humble background with a modest income, I can't afford to invest much in her education. But I'm glad that her academic needs are not only being met—she's also being nurtured to discover her potential and excel in what she truly loves'B. RammohanFather of Meghana, a student at Ram Parivar 'We are incredibly proud of her,' says her father, B. Rammohan, a farmer from Ramagiri Mandal in Anantapur district. 'Coming from a humble background with a modest income, I can't afford to invest much in her education. But I'm glad that her academic needs are not only being met—she's also being nurtured to discover her potential and excel in what she truly loves,' he says. Most of these children with special needs come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. They are delighted to find an opportunity to thrive academically and creatively under the nurturing guidance of experts. Equipped to unlock their full potential, they feel empowered. DAP is an innovation by Chakshumathi and has been in use by individuals since 2013. However, in Andhra Pradesh, it was introduced in the school education sector in 2022, as part of 'Vision 2025', which preceded 'Project 2027'. Over 10,000 students are familiar with DAP, which Bhavitha Centres use. Since 2023, students with print disabilities in the state have been appearing for Board examinations using computers or chromebooks. The Education Department is also working diligently on tools for Digitally Accessible Deaf (DAD), a sub-protocol of DAP, to assist children with hearing impairments. 'DAD is not a sign language, but it enables the children with sensory impairment to read and write effectively without having to depend on sign language,' explains Kamal, adding that any speech format can be transcribed into text under DAD. Under 'Project 2027,' guidelines are being framed to facilitate the participation of children with special needs in mainstream and adventure sports. In the first episode of adventure sports, which took place in May last year, a large group of children from all special needs categories were trained in techniques involving efficient body positioning, footwork, and strategic use of holds to move safely and effectively up a rock before they were allowed to explore trekking and rock climbing at Gandikota adventure sports park in Kadapa district. Pushing frontiers in sports 'A team of selected participants will visit Ladakh this summer,' informs Abhishek Dutt Bahuguna, a research fellow and a trainer under Shankar Kadapella, who is currently working with 'Project 2027' as the Inclusive Sports trainer. Kadapella is a seasoned mountaineer, a former member of the Indian Cricket B Team, and a Sports Management professional with the Indian Institute of Sports Management. The government is reportedly actively considering the establishment of an inclusive sports academy in Narpala village, Anantapur district. Srinivasa Rao says that in the upcoming academic year, the State will also revamp the 679 Bhavitha Centres by equipping them with modern technology and facilities. The proposed 125 Bhavitha Autism Support Centres and the 1,358 Bhavitha Learning Support Rooms in government high schools will experience groundbreaking initiatives. New features, such as labs on trolleys, tactile image books, and smart panels, alongside the establishment of Dr. T.V. Raman Experiential Computer Science labs, are seen as a game-changer. 'These labs will be inclusive in nature and have accessibility features for students with learning differences,' says Srinivasa Rao. He informs that a prototype design of the lab is ready for a formal launch in June at the China Kakani Zilla Parishad High School in Mangalagiri, Guntur district. The first Autism Support Centre will also be established at the MPPS Government School in China Kakani. The modern labs are named after T.V. Raman, a distinguished computer scientist at Google. He is the father of Speech Engines that change the lives of people with blindness. For his role in leading accessibility research at Google, he is hailed as a modern-day Louis Braille. As is evident from the bitter experiences shared by children with special needs, in most schools, they are overlooked, sidelined, and segregated into separate classrooms or schools altogether, or typecast as 'different and often left behind. 'This segregation not only limits their educational opportunities but also hampers their social development and self-esteem. They should be included actively, meaningfully, and equally in the education system,' says Laxmi Rao, who is associated with 'Project 2027'.
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump administration investigating Portland schools over transgender athlete
The Education Department is investigating Oregon's largest school district and the state's governing body for high school sports for allowing a transgender student to participate in girls' track and field competitions, the department's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced Tuesday. In letters sent this week to Kimberlee Armstrong, superintendent of Portland Public Schools, and the Oregon School Activities Association (OSAA), the department alleged both entities violated Title IX, the federal law against sex discrimination, by permitting one transgender teenager to compete against and alongside non-transgender girls and access the girls' locker room. OCR said it opened the inquiries in response to a complaint filed with the department and 'credible public reporting' that Leodis V. McDaniel High School in Portland allowed a trans student to race on its girls' track team the last two seasons. The student, according to OCR, easily won the girls' 200-meter and 400-meter dashes at this and last year's Portland Interscholastic League Championship. The department's investigations into the school district and sports association are the latest in a string of probes the department has opened since President Trump signed an executive order to ban transgender athletes from competing in girls' and women's sports. 'We are putting every school receiving taxpayer dollars on notice: If you let men take over women's sports teams or invade your locker rooms, you will be investigated for violations of Title IX and risk your federal funding,' Trump said at the order's signing ceremony in February. In an emailed statement, Armstrong, the school district's superintendent, said she is aware of the OCR complaint and the district 'is fully cooperating with the investigation.' 'I stand firm in our legal responsibilities, and I deeply value every student's right to be treated with dignity, safety, and respect,' Armstrong said, adding that the district 'is in full compliance with Oregon state law, which may differ from federal guidance.' 'We are actively working with our legal and state partners to navigate this complex legal landscape,' she continued. 'While I am limited in what I can share at this time due to the sensitive nature of the matter and our duty to protect student privacy, I want to be clear: my commitment — and our district's commitment — to doing what's right for all students, especially those most vulnerable, remains unwavering.' Oregon state law prohibits discrimination based on gender identity, meaning schools cannot categorically exclude transgender students from participating in interscholastic activities, according to the state's Education Department. 'Questions about individual sports eligibility or protocols should be directed to the applicable governing association,' reads a portion of the department's guidance for supporting gender-expansive students. The OSAA, representing nearly 200 Oregon cities and communities, has since 2019 allowed transgender student-athletes to compete on teams that match their gender identity. The organization developed the policy with education officials. An OSAA spokesperson said it received notification of the U.S. Department of Education investigation Tuesday, and it is consulting with its legal counsel to respond. 'We will not allow the Portland Public Schools District or any other educational entity that receives federal funds to trample on the antidiscrimination protections that women and girls are guaranteed under law,' said Craig Trainor, the Education Department's acting assistant secretary for civil rights. 'President Trump and Secretary [Linda McMahon] have been steadfast in their commitment to protect the rights of women and girls,' Trainor said in a statement. 'OCR will use every lawful means to ensure that no female athlete is denied equal athletic opportunities or robbed of her rightful accolades.' The department's investigations into the Oregon school district and the sports body come roughly a week after President Trump signed an executive order to dismantle the Department of Education, a longtime target of conservatives. The order, which claims the department 'has plainly failed' students and educators, recognizes it will take an act of Congress to fully shutter the agency. The White House said earlier this month that the department will retain 'critical functions' mandated by Congress, like funding programs for students with disabilities. An Education Department spokesperson did not answer questions about whether there are contingency plans in place for open Title IX investigations in the case of the department's dissolution. Recently, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) began opening Title IX investigations into schools and states that allow transgender athletes to compete on girls' and women's school sports teams, part of a new initiative within the department's Office on Women's Health. Last week, federal investigators found Maine had violated Title IX by permitting trans student-athletes to compete on teams that best align with their gender identity rather than their birth sex. The University of Maine System said Friday that the administration found its seven universities to be in compliance with state and federal laws, as well as a new NCAA policy barring transgender athletes from women's college sports. NCAA President Charlie Baker previously testified before Congress that fewer than 10 transgender athletes are competing at the association's member schools nationwide. Updated at 2:47 p.m. EDT Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Boston Globe
26-03-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Trump asks Supreme Court to let him cancel grants to teachers
The Education Department last month sent grant recipients boilerplate form letters ending the funding, saying the recipients were engaged in activities 'that violate either the letter or purpose of federal civil rights law; that conflict with the department's policy of prioritizing merit, fairness, and excellence in education; that are not free from fraud, abuse, or duplication; or that otherwise fail to serve the best interests of the United States.' Advertisement Judge Myong J. Joun of the US District Court in Massachusetts temporarily ordered the grants to remain available while he considered a suit brought by California and seven other states challenging the terminations. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up On Friday, the 1st US Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston, rejected a request from the Trump administration to pause Joun's order, saying the government's arguments were based on 'speculation and hyperbole.' In temporarily blocking the cancellation of the grants, Joun said he sought to maintain the status quo. He wrote that if he failed to do so, 'dozens of programs upon which public schools, public universities, students, teachers, and faculty rely will be gutted.' On the other hand, he reasoned, if he did pause the Trump administration action, the groups would merely continue to receive funds that had been appropriated by Congress. In the administration's emergency application in the Supreme Court, Sarah M. Harris, the acting solicitor general, said Joun's order was one of many lower-court rulings thwarting government initiatives. 'The aim is clear: to stop the executive branch in its tracks and prevent the administration from changing direction on hundreds of billions of dollars of government largesse that the executive branch considers contrary to the United States' interests and fiscal health,' she wrote. She added, 'Only this court can right the ship — and the time to do so is now.' Advertisement The case followed the Trump administration's termination of more than $600 million in grants for teacher training in February, as part of its crackdown on efforts related to diversity and equity. The Education Department claimed the funding was being used 'to train teachers and education agencies on divisive ideologies' like social justice activism and anti-racism. It came amid broader upheaval in the department that reached a climax this month, when Trump instructed the education secretary, Linda McMahon, to begin shutting down the agency altogether, though it cannot be closed without the approval of Congress. The raft of cuts to training grants had decimated two of the department's largest professional development programs, known as the Supporting Effective Educator Development program and the Teacher Quality Partnership Program. The initiatives offered competitive grants that helped place teachers in underserved schools — like low-income or rural regions — and addressed teacher shortages. Among their goals was to develop a diverse educational workforce. In New York, for example, officials said that public university systems had been granted more than $16 million to support students in graduating from teaching programs — who would then help to fill spots in tough-to-staff areas, such as math and special education. The lawsuit filed this month challenging the cuts came from a coalition of eight attorneys general, including those for New York and Massachusetts. It argued that the cuts would destabilize both urban and rural school districts, forcing them to hire 'long-term substitutes, teachers with emergency credentials, and unlicensed teachers on waivers.' 'This will harm the quality of instruction and can lead to increased numbers of students falling short of national standards,' the attorneys general wrote. Advertisement If the cuts were allowed to continue, the group contended, public school students and their teachers-in-training would suffer 'immediate and irreparable harm.' This article originally appeared in
New York Times
14-03-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Education Department Sued Over Cuts to Civil Rights Office
The Education Department on Friday was sued over deep cuts to its office assigned to enforce civil rights in schools, with two parents of disabled students and a disability rights group arguing that it had become an instrument of discrimination under the Trump administration. . The lawsuit asserts the layoffs at the Education Department prevent its Office for Civil Rights from fulfilling its legal duties to promptly review and investigate complaints — not just pursue cases aligned with President Trump's agenda. It accuses the administration of sabotaging the office's work, making it harder for women and girls, L.G.B.T.Q. students and students of color to seek protections under civil rights laws. At the same time, the suit said, the administration prioritizes claims from people who are white, male or otherwise conform to the government's strict views of gender. The suit also aims to force the government to rehire investigators in the civil rights office who lost their jobs this week. Over the past two months, the administration has cut the department's staff of 4,133 workers in half and closed seven of the 12 regional branches of the civil rights office. Those firings and office closures have caused cases to abruptly be put on hold, fired employees and representatives of disability rights groups said in interviews. The case was filed in the U.S. District Court in Washington by the Maryland-based Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates on behalf of parents who said their civil rights complaints were left in limbo as a result of the layoffs in the civil rights office. 'In pausing thousands of complaints filed by the public while initiating and advancing selected investigations based on the administration's political priorities,' the lawsuit said, the Office for Civil Rights 'abdicated its responsibility to equitably consider complaints filed by students and their families, politicized its work and undermined its credibility as a neutral fact finder.' The Education Department did not respond to a request for comment. Madi Biedermann, a department spokeswoman, said earlier this week that the agency was 'confident that the dedicated staff of O.C.R. will deliver on its statutory responsibilities.' Mr. Trump's aggressive effort to overhaul the federal government by rapidly downsizing its work force has prompted a flurry of lawsuits from labor unions, state attorneys general and advocacy groups. Several of the suits make claims of discrimination and civil rights violations. But the one filed on Friday may be the first to accuse the Trump administration of targeting minority legal rights to advance its agenda. Mr. Trump has issued orders taking aim at diversity, equity and inclusion programs and rolling back transgender rights. In 2024, the Office for Civil Rights fielded 22,687 complaints of discrimination in schools based on race, gender, disability and sexual orientation, an 18 percent increase from the previous year, according to an annual report. Congress approved a $140 million budget for the office, for the salaries of 643 workers and other necessary resources, and the administration is obligated to spend those funds, according to the lawsuit. At the start of the year, investigators carried an average of roughly 50 cases, the lawsuit added. Instead of following the law, the Trump administration barred the civil rights office from advancing pending cases and instead opened new investigations into programs for students of color and L.G.B.T.Q. students, according to the lawsuit. On Friday, the Office for Civil Rights announced a new round of investigations into universities for 'awarding impermissible race-based scholarships' or other programs and activities based on 'racial preferences and stereotypes.' Any previously opened cases face considerable hurdles after the layoffs, which diminished the chances for parents and students to have their complaints investigated in a 'prompt, fair, consistent and impartial manner,' the lawsuit said. At the start of the new administration, civil rights investigators were barred from advancing pending cases even as new inquiries were opened that targeted programs for students of color and L.G.B.T.Q. students, according to the lawsuit. One new investigation focused on an annual 'Students of Color United Summit' held by the school district in Ithaca, N.Y., which a conservative group known as the Equal Protection Project complained had discriminated against white students. Another new investigation took aim at Denver's public school system for creating a gender-neutral bathroom. At a demonstration in Washington on Friday morning, dozens of people gathered below the vacant-looking windows of the Education Department headquarters to rally against what they called an agenda to undermine civil rights and public education. Brittany Myatt, who was recently laid off as a lawyer for the Philadelphia branch of the department's civil rights office, told the crowd that 'civil rights should not be a 21st-century debate.' She said that she had been 'silenced' in her work as a voice for vulnerable children and communities. Choking back tears, she recited a poem. 'Schools have lost a valuable asset, as O.C.R. had become a familiar facet to the important work that's done day in and day out at schools across the nation, serving diverse students throughout,' she said. 'To the students learning and growing up now, I wish I could take away your heartache somehow.' Maria Town, the chief executive of the American Association of People With Disabilities and a White House official in the Obama administration, told the crowd about growing up as a disabled child in public schools, an experience she described as critical to her development. 'I was a student getting adaptive physical therapy at school, I was a student getting mental health counseling at school, I was getting developmental assessments at school,' Ms. Town said. 'My whole idea of what was possible for myself as a disabled kid who saw no one else like me in my community happened because I was included at school.'
