Education

July 21, 2023 0

Supreme Court: Harvard and UNC’s Use of Race in Admissions Process Is Unconstitutional

The Supreme Court ruled Friday, June 30th that Harvard’s and University of North Carolina’s use of race in the admissions process was unconstitutional, changing the impact of affirmative action in higher education. The 6-2 decision for Harvard and 6-3 decision for UNC ruled that both school’s admissions processes discriminate against Asian Americans and violate the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bans institutions that receive federal funds from discriminating “on the grounds of race, color or national origin.” The decisions […]

May 26, 2023 0

Tufts University’s Class of 2023 Graduation Ceremony: “Loudly! Step Up and Speak Up”

by Sampan Staff

Amina J. Mohammed, deputy secretary-general of the United Nations, delivered the commencement address to the Tufts University Class of 2023 and their guests on Tufts’ Medford/Somerville campus on May 21th. The university conferred 3,730 degrees. In her speech, Mohammed acknowledged the challenges faced by the current generation, but expressed hope for the future and encouraged the graduates to “step up and speak up – loudly.” Mohammed continued: “Question stereotypes. Don’t just blindly accept the received narratives. My entire career, indeed, […]

May 13, 2023 0

Greater Boston Chinese Golden Age Center Legal Workshop: Wills and Trusts

by guest

Have you ever been confused about how to properly distribute your estate to your family, or have you never thought about the distribution of property? Greater Boston Chinese Golden Age was honored to hold a legal workshop on “Wills and Trusts” on April 5th in Hong Lok House Activity Center, Boston’s Chinatown (25 Essex St., Boston, MA 02111). Senior lawyers were invited to help the elderly. The speakers were Peter Bellotti, Joe Markey and Julia Hogan from Bellotti Law Group. […]

April 21, 2023 0

Tuition Free Community College Plan Breaks down Barriers to Education and Dreams

by Sonia Cavazos

“Costs should not be a barrier to higher education.” tweeted Mayor Michelle Wu. “Boston’s Tuition-Free Community College (TFCC) Plan, including our new pilot partnership with @MassArt, will continue to help more residents afford, attend & complete college.” Hope is on the rise for those seeking free higher education in Boston. Mayor Michelle Wu announced the expansion of free tuition at six Massachusetts community colleges and the broadening of eligibility to include all Boston residents regardless of income, age, or immigration […]

April 8, 2023 0

Preparing for Nationals: Interview with Massachusetts Spelling Bee Champ Tanoshi Inomata and Coach Aaron Noll

by Christopher John Stephens

The 85th Annual Scripps National Spelling Bee will be held on May 28, 2023 in National Harbor, Maryland. Ten year old Tanoshi Inomata, from Allston’s Winship School, will be among the 278 spellers competitors. Tanoshi has the opportunity to be only the second Massachusetts resident in 80 years to bring home the trophy. Sampan had the pleasure of speaking separately with Tanoshi and Aaron Noll, Winship’s librarian and Spelling Bee coordinator. What follows are edited transcripts of our email conversations. […]

February 25, 2023 0

Massachusetts Makes GED and HiSET Free for All

by Sonia Cavazos

“It felt impossible! I had quit school and I really want to get my life back on track. I took HiSET prep classes with one of those online schools that advertise on the Orange line. It seemed easy, and cheap, but the charges for classes and taking the test were ridiculous. I wasn’t able to finish because I didn’t have the time or money. Not having my high school diploma has held me back from a lot for the past […]

February 25, 2023 0

The Missing School Children: Massive Learning Setbacks from the Pandemic

by Jeff Millman

The latest signs of the end of the pandemic are upon us. The Biden administration plans to let coronavirus public health emergency provisions expire in May, and individual states are ending various COVID mandates as well. New York is dropping hospital mask mandates and vaccine mandates for city workers, while California has decided against enacting vaccine mandates for schoolchildren and is ending its own state of emergency on February 28. For most Americans, COVID is no longer a top concern. […]

February 11, 2023 0

“We Are All Searching For Meaning”: A Conversation with Professor Alan Lightman

by Christopher John Stephens

“How do our complex human experiences arise from the atoms and molecules we are made of?” Professor Alan Lightman is an MIT theoretical physicist in search of purpose and answers to questions such as this. Lightman is one of the first at MIT to receive a joint appointment in both the sciences and the humanities, Lightman’s made significant contributions to both fields within scientific academia and creative literature. Themes from his 25 books, and contributions to The New Yorker, Harper’s, […]

November 22, 2022 0

Education During COVID: The Lost Generation

by Kristen Si

This October, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reported on the results of its annual analysis of educational achievement of students in every state in the nation. The NAEP performs this analysis based on the results of reading and math exams given to 4th and 8th grade students in public elementary schools across the country. Its findings this year show disastrous drops in student performance, with Massachusetts students dropping nearly 10 points in 8th grade reading achievement and 4 […]

October 21, 2022 0

College Closures After COVID: The New Reality

by Kristen Si

In May 2020, Pine Manor College in Newton, Massachusetts, announced that it would no longer be able to independently open its doors for me the next fall semester. Driven by a lack of enrollment and revenue during the COVID-19 pandemic, the small liberal arts college was forced to make a tough decision. Announcing a $50 million deal with Boston University, Pine Manor College chose to merge with the larger institution, saving its doors from closing once and for all. This […]

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