You've likely seen the annual Best Colleges rankings from U.S. News and World Reports, but now there is a new ranking, specifically for African Americans. ESSENCE partnered with Money Magazine to unveil their inaugural list of the 50 Best Colleges for African Americans. In addition to typical data such as graduation rates, post-college earnings and college costs, the list … [Read more...]
Back To School Tips to Prepare Your Mind and Your Wallet!
Well, it’s that time of year again. The summer’s over. School is here. If your family is anything like mine, the kids are not looking forward to it. I mean, the summer has been one fun, friend-filled week after another. But now it’s time to go back to school. To help you make a successful transition from summer’s lazy days to school’s crazy classes, here are a few … [Read more...]
What Black Families Need to Know About Liberal Arts Colleges
Guest Author: Zahida Sherman Liberal arts colleges are hidden gems for Black students, though most Black families don’t know it. Only 3% of American students will apply to liberal arts colleges, and the figure is even lower for Black students. And yet, with all the anxiety about how to pay for a college education in an unstable fluctuating economy, liberal arts colleges … [Read more...]
4 Easy Ways Single Parents Can Raise Academic Achievers
By Renae Gylbert When I found myself raising my daughters alone in 2009, I refused to become the typical single parent sad story. Struggling, relying on welfare for years, being unemployed. And I knew the numbers were not in my favor. According to the Kids Count Organization, 67% of Black children were raised in single parent homes in 2013. Today, I am a happy single mom … [Read more...]
Public School Teacher Starts Campaign to Help Kids in Ferguson, MO
While kids across the nation have either started school, or will be starting school in the next week or two, students in Ferguson, MO have had their start of school delayed because of protests and excessive law enforcement presence in the area. The civil unrest is impacting their lives in ways many don't realize. Many students in the Ferguson area depend on free lunches at … [Read more...]
Principal Drags Students and Maintains a Job Within School System
Parents are outraged by the scenes within recently released surveillance videos that show a Connecticut elementary school principal, Carmen Perez-Dickson, dragging a child through the hall on three separate occasions. To add to their frustration, she wasn't fired. Nakeya Hargrove, the mother of the a young girl in one of the videos, didn't find out about the March 2012 … [Read more...]
NC High School First to Open On-Site Bank Branch
As part of an initiative to promote financial literacy, Woodforest National Bank has partnered with Hillside High School's Business and Finance Academy in Durham, NC to open a functioning bank branch at the school to be operated and run by students. Dubbed as Hillside's Student Bank Training Center, organizers stated that students, staff and their families will be able to … [Read more...]
Students Let Off at Wrong Stop Leave Parents Questioning
Both parents and students are troubled by the events that took place on a Broward County School bus in Florida on Monday. Minutes away from Forest Glen Middle School in Coral Springs, seven students were let off the bus in the wrong city. Original reports state that the female students, aged 10 to 13, were supposed to be let off in Coral Springs, but where dropped off 8 … [Read more...]
Hugging Haters! Maryland School Places Ban on Hugging
As a parent who loves to hand out hugs, smile, and giggle with the kids, I was very disappointed to read about the Maryland school ban on hugging. The ban disallows hugging of students in the St. Mary's County Public Elementary Schools and also bans birthday party invitations and homemade food. They claim that birthday invitations shouldn’t be handed out because … [Read more...]
VIDEO: 8-year-old Child Handcuffed for Throwing a Tantrum at School
Yesterday an 8-year-old Alton, Illinois special needs student was handcuffed by the police after throwing a tantrum while at school. The child ended up being placed into custody and was picked up from the police station by her uncle who is also her guardian. As reported by Kmov.com the child has a history of anxiety, and separation problems. According to her uncle, while she … [Read more...]
It’s Never too Late: 106-year-old Woman to Receive Diploma
A 106-year-old woman will be receiving her high school diploma. An example to all that as long as you have breath in your body there is still a chance to accomplish your goals. “Reba Williams said she completed high school in Ohio but was denied her diploma because she refused to read a final book assigned by a teacher. She’d read it once and didn’t want to read it … [Read more...]
VIDEO: Harlem Child Involved in Hit and Run
For many parents work schedules conflict with school schedules making it impossible for them to take their children to school themselves. Instead, in more ideal cases, the child or children walk to school with other children in the neighborhood or an older sibling. In many neighborhoods crossing guards work to help direct children and help them safely cross the street. While … [Read more...]
Homeschooling Family With 7 Kids Gets It Done and Done Well
A family with seven kids is defying the odds by not just homeschooling all their kids, but sending them to college at the age of 16. The Henderson family, a black family living in Colorado has done things their way for many years. Wayde and Janelle Henderson have seven children, and have homeschooled them all for the past 21 years. Making education a priority As … [Read more...]
School Fails to Cast Any Black Students to Star in Their Rendition of ‘The Wiz’
Would you be upset if a theatrical rendition of a historically black film or play was done only the leading characters weren’t black? It has happened at a New York High School whose production of The Wiz won’t include any of their black students in the leading or supporting roles. For those of you who aren't familiar with The Wiz, it was the black version of The Wonderful … [Read more...]
School Yoga Program Leads to Parents’ Lawsuit
In what some are calling a "breach of public trust," a San Diego-area school district is being sued for its student yoga programs claiming it is not in compliance with the California constitution’s right to religious freedom. On Wednesday, The National Center for Law and Policy filed suit on behalf of parents, Stephen and Jennifer Sedlock, whose children are students in the … [Read more...]