The Conversation

We interviewed 30 Black public school teachers in Philadelphia to understand why so many are leaving the profession

Written by Lynnette Mawhinney, Professor of Urban Education and Senior Associate Dean for Strategic Academic Initiatives, Rutgers University - Newark

Philadelphia had 1,250 fewer Black teachers in 2022 than in 2000.10'000 Hours/DigitalVision Collection via Getty Images

Tracey, a high school teacher in the Philadelphia School District, remembers the hurtful comments she heard from parents when she started her career over a decade ago as a young Black teacher in what was then a predominantly white...

US role in Syria is unclear in wake of Assad’s fall from power

Written by Jordan Tama, Provost Associate Professor, American University School of International Service

U.S. forces patrol oil fields near Syria's northeastern border near Turkey on Sept. 3, 2024. Delil Souleiman/AFP via Getty Images

As a new government is set to form in Syria following a sudden coup earlier this week, the United States’ response to the political upheaval appears uncertain.

Rebel groups unexpectedly overthrew Syria’s...

What the US Supreme Court will consider when it rules on gender-affirming care for trans children

Written by Mark Satta, Associate Professor of Philosophy and Law, Wayne State University

Transgender rights supporters and opponents rally outside the U.S. Supreme Court on Dec. 4, 2024, as the Skrmetti case is being argued. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

A case recently argued in the U.S. Supreme Court will likely determine for the foreseeable future how difficult it will be for trans people to win constitutional challenges to laws that...

What’s next for Albertsons after calling off its $25B grocery merger with Kroger: More lawsuits

Written by Christine P. Bartholomew, Professor of Law, University at Buffalo

Albertsons is now suing the competitor that had tried to acquire it.AP Photo/Jenny Kane

Albertsons announced on Dec. 11, 2024, that it had called off an attempted merger with Kroger and would sue Kroger for breach of contract. The US$25 billion deal, first announced in 2022, would have combined Cincinnati-based Kroger, already the largest...

Assad’s fall in Syria will further weaken Hezbollah and curtails Tehran’s ‘Iranization’ of region

Written by Mireille Rebeiz, Chair of Middle East Studies and Associate Professor of Francophone and Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies, Dickinson College

The fall of President Bashar Assad will not only affect the 24 million Syrians who lived – and largely suffered – under his brutal rule. Over the border in Lebanon, the impact will be felt, too.

The collapse of Assad’s government provides another blow to its Lebanese ally, Hezbollah, which was already reeling from an Israel...

Blood tests are currently one-size-fits-all − machine learning can pinpoint what’s truly ‘normal’ for each patient

Written by Brody H. Foy, Assistant Professor of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington

Blood tests are essential tools in medicine.Bloomberg Creative/Bloomberg Creative Photos via Getty Images

If you’ve ever had a doctor order a blood test for you, chances are that they ran a complete blood count, or CBC. One of the most common blood tests in the world, CBC tests are run billions of times each year to diagnose conditions and...

High rises made out of wood? What matters in whether ‘mass timber’ buildings are sustainable

Written by Brent Sohngen, Professor of Environmental and Resource Economics, The Ohio State University

A material that’s been around since people built shelters – wood – is increasingly being proposed for low- and mid-rise buildings.

Companies behind these “mass timber” projects say that wood is a lower-carbon alternative to steel or concrete and brings other benefits, such as faster construction time and lower cost...

Trump wants to use the Alien Enemies Act to deport immigrants – but the 18th-century law has been invoked only during times of war

Written by Daniel Tichenor, Professor of Political Science, University of Oregon

Migrants crossing from Mexico into Jacumba Hot Springs, Calif., are detained by U.S. Border Patrol officers on June 4, 2024. Katie McTiernan/Anadolu via Getty Images

President-elect Donald Trump often said during the 2024 presidential campaign that he plans to launch the nation’s largest-ever mass deportation operation in his second term.

Tru...

Why being forced to precisely follow a curriculum harms teachers and students

Written by Cara Elizabeth Furman, Associate Professor of Literacy Education, Hunter College

Educators speak of being forced to follow scripts.SolStock/E+ via Getty Images

In teaching, “fidelity” refers to closely following specific procedures for how to teach a lesson or respond to student behavior. For example, following a curriculum to fidelity might mean a teacher is required to read from a script, use a certain tone or...

US secretary of education helps set national priorities in a system primarily funded and guided by local governments

Written by Dustin Hornbeck, Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, University of Memphis

President Jimmy Carter gets a round of applause in 1979 after signing legislation establishing a Department of Education.AP Photo/Charles Tasnadi

The Department of Education has been a source of political controversy since its creation in 1980 during Jimmy Carter’s presidency. President Ronald Reagan, who was first elected that year, called...