How Should Racial Slurs in Literature Be Handled in the Classroom?
Students in U.S. high schools can get free digital access to The New York Times until Sept. 1, 2021.Have you ever been assigned to read a book that included racial slurs? How was that material introduced to you by your teacher? Were students given instructions for how to handle the racial slur when reading aloud?…
Who Do You Think Should Be Person of the Year for 2020?
Students in U.S. high schools can get free digital access to The New York Times until Sept. 1, 2021.What person or group of people do you think best represents 2020?Do you agree with Time magazine’s selection of President-elect Joseph R. Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris as its persons of the year? Would you have…
Should the United States Decriminalize the Possession of Drugs?
Students in U.S. high schools can get free digital access to The New York Times until Sept. 1, 2021.Attitudes around drugs have changed considerably over the past few decades. Voters’ approval of drug-related initiatives in several states in the Nov. 3 election made that clear:New Jersey, South Dakota, Montana and Arizona joined 11 other states…
Should Teachers Be Allowed to Wear Political Symbols?
Students in U.S. high schools can get free digital access to The New York Times until Sept. 1, 2021.Many school districts have policies prohibiting employees from expressing political speech while carrying out their professional duties. For example, in such districts teachers can have a “Trump 2020” yard sign in front of their home, but they…
Should Schools Provide Free Pads and Tampons?
Students in U.S. high schools can get free digital access to The New York Times until Sept. 1, 2021.Have you ever felt stressed, anxious or ashamed about your period — or do you know someone who has? Has the cost of pads or tampons ever been a challenge for you or someone you know?Do these…
How Should We Remember the Problematic Actions of the Nation’s Founders?
Students in U.S. high schools can get free digital access to The New York Times until Sept. 1, 2021.Have you seen the musical “Hamilton” or listened to the music? Are you or your friends fans? What is your view of Alexander Hamilton and the other founding fathers, based on what you know about them?New research…
Should Museums Return Looted Artifacts to Their Countries of Origin?
Students in U.S. high schools can get free digital access to The New York Times until Sept. 2021.Think about the last time you went to an art or history museum. Which pieces stood out to you? Did you read the plaques next to them? Did those tell you where the artifacts were from and how…
Should Students Be Required to Take the SAT and ACT to Apply to College?
Or, are standardized test scores, like the SAT and ACT, unfair and inaccurate?In “Why Is the SAT Falling Out of Favor?,” Shawn Hubler asks, “Are the tests that were first deployed to diversify the Ivy League beyond rich prep schoolers a worthwhile yardstick, or are they, as one U.C. regent put it, ‘a proxy for…
Should National Service Be Required for All Young Americans?
David Brooks writes about this topic in the Op-Ed “We Need National Service. Now.”:There is now a vast army of young people ready and yearning to serve their country. There are college graduates emerging into a workplace that has few jobs for them. There are more high school graduates who suddenly can’t afford college. There…
Should Students Be Monitored When Taking Online Tests?
In “Keeping Online Testing Honest? Or an Orwellian Overreach?,” Shawn Hubler writes about universities trying to ensure academic integrity in online testing:In an April survey by Educause, a nonprofit organization focused on technology and education, 77 percent of 312 institutions polled said they were administering, or planning to administer, take-home tests online with some sort…
