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Study: Educators say Iowa’s divisive concepts law complicates teaching
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Teachers and administrators in Iowa schools interviewed for a new study said that their state’s 2021 law banning instruction on “divisive” concepts of race and gender stifles efforts to promote just and inclusive schools and creates hostile work environments for educators engaged in this work. Participants also expressed concern that the law, […]
Paper: High school book club with prisoner on death row explores the complexities, joys of Black life
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — During the COVID-19 pandemic, when young people across the U.S. were struggling with the isolation, disruptions and frustrations imposed by shuttered schools, online learning and the dearth of social activities, the students in then-high school teacher Rachel McMillian’s social studies class participated in a unique book club — which she co-led with […]
How is this year’s chaotic Federal Student Aid application process affecting colleges, students?
Stacy Bennett is a professor of education policy, organization and leadership and a senior research associate with the Office of Community College Research and Leadership at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Bennett spoke with research editor Sharita Forrest about the ambitious redesign of the Federal Student Aid loan application and its chaotic deployment process this […]
How have the dynamics between Chicago teachers, public schools changed since 2019 strike?
Chicago public school teachers held an 11-day walkout in fall 2019 before agreeing to a new five-year contract that expires at the end of June. Will current contract discussions result in a summer of contentious negotiations? Robert Bruno is a professor of labor and employment relations at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the co-author […]
How are states altering higher education by redefining academic freedom?
Carol Symes, a professor of history at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, is vice president of the campus chapter of the American Association of University Professors. Symes spoke with News Bureau education editor Sharita Forrest about a trend of state legislation that is changing U.S. higher education by redefining academic freedom and tenure for faculty members. […]
Book: What scholars need to know to thrive in the competitive world of research, creative enterprise
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Before his service as director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and science advisor in 2019, meteorology professor Kelvin Droegemeier developed an online course designed to give researchers from all disciplines the skills needed to navigate the complex landscape of scholarly endeavor. Droegemeier thought that there was a lot of […]
Can genetic genealogy restore family narratives disrupted by the transatlantic slave trade?
Some political figures seek to remove references to slavery from the study of American history, adding to the vast knowledge gaps that stem from the transatlantic slave trade. To better understand these histories, scholars and individuals are turning to genetic genealogy to discover and retrace descendant-family lineages. In a recent paper published in the journal […]
Book: Children’s education included ‘mechanical literacy’ in the industrial age
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — As Great Britain began to industrialize at the end of the 18th century, teaching children to read and write expanded to also include lessons about the material world and how things worked. In her new book, “The Education of Things,” University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign information sciences professor Elizabeth Hoiem examines how children’s […]
Whether a racial minority or majority at their school, white teachers struggle with race relations
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — White workers’ emotions about race and reactions to racial differences in the workplace are triggered by identity threat-induced culture shock, researchers suggest in a new study. White teachers who worked at a school where the faculty was majority Black felt shocked, rejected, uncomfortable and anxious when racial discussions arose and their racial […]
Cultural capital is key to a sense of belonging for college students of color
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — College students’ sense of belonging is believed to have important and far-reaching implications, contributing to academic achievement and persistence at college as well as offering protective effects against anxiety and depression. While belongingness initiatives are becoming commonplace at college campuses as officials strive to bolster student enrollment and retention, there currently is […]
Collaborative learning experiences crucial in preparing engineering students for the workforce
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Huddled in groups, undergraduate students in Systems Engineering 101, a foundational course taught by University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign industrial and enterprise systems engineering professor Molly Hathaway Goldstein, deconstruct and reverse-engineer a product of their choice, such as a desktop gumball machine or a model of a Stirling engine. These experiential, hands-on group projects aim […]
How will a new Illinois law help with teaching the history of Native Americans in the state?
Illinois public schools will be required to teach students about Native American history in the state beginning with the 2024-25 school year. The legislation, which was signed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Aug. 4, requires that schools teach about the contributions of Native Americans in government, arts, humanities, sciences, and economic, cultural, social and political […]