This post was originally published on Word In Black.
By: Aziah Siid
Whew. What a year.
There was no shortage of drama in American education this year. Word in Black covered book bans, restrictions on teaching Black history, SNAFUs on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid form, teacher burnout, and president-elect Donald Trump’s nomination of a former World Wrestling Federation executive to run the Department of Education. They all made headlines in 2024, and not in a good way.
But it wasn’t all bad education news this year. We also covered inspiring stories of bold leaders fighting for equitable education as well as book campaigns working to keep culturally relevant books in kids’ hands, and dedicated educators making sure their students get the best education possible in a new, post-pandemic landscape.
Before looking ahead to 2025, though, it’s worth looking back at some of the significant moments that affected Black students, their communities, and the schools they attend. Here are three education themes you may have missed.
Trump vs. the Department of Education
On the campaign trail, Trump had a simple solution for education reform: closing the Department of Education, a 157-year-old cabinet department that sets education policy for the nation. The problem, Trump says, is programs that accurately teach Black history as well as federal funds that bolster low-income schools and civil rights protections that harm white students. But dismantling the Ed Department would put Black students at a disadvantage, eliminate hard-won protections from inequality in education, and make things like paying for college more difficult for poor and minority high school seniors.
But student advocates, educators and community activists will not let it happen without a fight. Teachers’ unions, non-profit organizations, grassroots, and students themselves have rallied, issued legal challenges, spread the word about Trump’s plan, and organized with allies to push back.
Violation of Black Students’ Rights
Most Black parents understand that protecting the rights of their children matters, but it has always been challenging. But this year, that challenge headed to the courts in three high-profile cases that swept in race, cultural expression, and how Black children are perceived outside the classroom. And at least one of the three seems headed for the Supreme Court and its conservative supermajority.
In Texas, the family of high schooler Daryl George is suing the school district in Barbers Hill, a Houston suburb, for racial and gender discrimination. At issue: the school suspended George after he refused to cut his dreadlocks, allegedly a violation of the school dress code.
Another student, 15-year-old Eva Goodman, was traumatized after a Detroit judge called her out, put her in a jail outfit, and detained her after she fell asleep in his courtroom on a class field trip. The judge, who assumed Eva had deliberately disrespected him, his court, and the law, later learned that the child and her family had lost their home and had no permanent place for Eva to sleep. In Oak Park, Illinois, the family of Autumn Shelton, a local middle schooler, sued the suburban Chicago district after teachers sent her home with a dirty bag of cotton for an eighth-grade history lesson on slavery.
Shelton’s mother, Candance Ward, took the matter to court, suing District 97 for numerous acts of discrimination that embarrassed or traumatized Autumn.
Teaching Truth and Book Bans
Over the last year, right-wing conservatives and policymakers have focused their efforts on taking away books by LGBTQ+ and Black authors off shelves and frameworking curricula as a means to fit their agenda.
Through all the education jargon, professionals are dedicating conversations and resources to the integration of Black history into K-12. Scholars like Dr.Chris Emdin teach the masses why it’s crucial for Black educators and students and innovative ways to make learning truth fun and imaginative.