Stanford University's Faculty Senate decided last week to create a committee to evaluate reinstating the Reserve Officers' Training Corps program on campus, according to a March 4 press release from the University. Stanford ended its various ROTC programs in the 1970s over concerns about the academic standards of courses taught by military instructors and a provision that students could be drafted upon withdrawal from the program, according to the release. There was also opposition to the program from students and faculty who opposed the Vietnam War. Stanford currently maintains cross-enrollment agreements with three nearby universities that allow Stanford students to receive military training at other institutions. The committee was formed in light of the expected repeal of the Pentagon's "don't ask, don't tell" policy within the next few years, according to the release.
Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced during a speech in Alabama on Monday that the Department of Education will conduct reviews of public schools in an effort to strengthen "civil rights enforcement efforts," the Associated Press reported. The department's Office of Civil Rights will launch more in-depth compliance reviews to assess current procedures and the effect of district-level measures on students of different races and genders, the AP reported. The department will investigate several areas, including English language classes for immigrants and equality of access to college preparatory classes, according to the AP. The Department is expected to conduct reviews at six colleges and in 32 school districts, The New York Times reported.
Kansas City may be forced to close nearly half of its public schools as its school system faces bankruptcy, the Associated Press reported Sunday. The city could close 29 out of 61 schools in response to an expected $50-million budget deficit, the AP reported. The city was awarded $2 billion in a milestone desegregation case in 1985 to integrate its schools, improve test scores and renovate facilities, the AP reported. While the school district spent the money on facilities including an Olympic-sized swimming pool, as a way to fight the rising trend of students attending schools in suburban districts, students' performance on standardized tests did not improve, the AP reported. The school board will make its decision on March 10.
