New Year, New Issues

With the new year swiftly under way, it is time to start looking toward the educational issues that will set the conversation for 2016. While many new issues will soon take the center-stage of educational conversations, NPR's Claudio Sanchez recently published his Top 6 Education Stories To Watch In 2016.

6 Education Stories To Watch In 2016

While there are some familiar carry-overs from 2015 (mainly Common Core and the newly implemented Every Student Succeeds Act), one crucial story to track in 2016 is the Supreme Court's upcoming decision in the Fisher vs. University of Texas case--in which the challenger, Abigail Fisher, is contesting affirmative action policies in institutions of higher education.

While I do not to espouse direct political opinions, I will share that I recently discussed this SCOTUS case with a group of my high school students and was amazed (and impressed) at the range of developed and diverse opinions I heard. With that antecdote in mind, I wanted to share another NPR story in which high school students from across the country share their opinions on Affirmative Action.

What Is Fair? High School Students Talk About Affirmative Action

Questions to Consider:

• Who holds the greatest interest in upholding or repealing affirmative action policies?

• Are affirmative action policies the most feasible option to ensure enrollment of minority students at college/university campuses?

• What other social factors (if any) can be addressed in order to ensure diverse college campuses in the United States?