Photo: Patrick Wall

When Rasheed Adewole’s friends from other high schools used to complain about their heaps of homework, he would feel a flood of shame.

Adewole, who is Nigerian American, was on the losing end of a stark divide in New Jersey. Black, Hispanic, or low-income students are far less likely than their white and Asian peers to take the most rigorous high school courses, including Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate, which often serve as springboards to college.

Photo: Kayana Szymczak 

This week, Harvard University released a 134-page report on the university’s historical ties to slavery, along with a promise of a $100 million fund to address inequities.

Among the report's major findings: At least 41 prominent people associated with Harvard enslaved people, including four past presidents.  

Photo: Molly Minta

A proposed overhaul of Mississippi’s state financial aid programs is complicated, unlikely to address existing issues, and could create new challenges for low-income students, says a report from the Urban Institute. 

Instead of the proposed Mississippi One Grant, the report says policymakers should consolidate the state's college aid programs into two simple grants: one program to provide low-income students with need-based aid and another that makes awards based on a students’ grades or test scores.