Tag: bias

Subtle bias against students may be present in online classes

Loknath Das

A new study by education researchers suggests that the kind of subtle racial discrimination known as implicit bias found in brick and mortar classrooms may be present in online college classes. Researchers from Stanford, the University of California – Irvine and Vanderbilt University began by creating fictitious online student identities. They chose names that suggested racial and ethnic identity, such as Todd, Emily, Tyrone, Tanisha, Mei, Tao, Priyanka, and Samir. They then posted comments using those personas in class forums for Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC). “The names that had been assigned a…

Read More

Charter Schools and Media Bias

subhadip

It’s been 25 years since Minnesota adopted the nation’s first charter school law in 1991. In that time, charter schooling has become one of the most influential and enduring education reforms in recent memory. Today, nearly three million students attend more than 6,800 charter schools nationwide. This extraordinary growth has provoked strong emotions among both charter supporters and detractors. Thus it’s no surprise that those on both sides of the debate have decried media coverage as slanted and biased. In February, Education Post’s Caroline Bermudez complained in a column, “There’s…

Read More

Syrian rebels launch new battle, accuse U.N. envoy of bias

subhadip

Syrian rebel groups launched a new offensive against government forces on Monday and some accused the United Nations of bias, imperilling peace talks already threatened by fighting. The opposition’s coordinator at the Geneva talks said it was unacceptable for negotiations to go on if the government and its allies pushed on with sieges and bombing civilian areas, echoing recent criticism of government offensives elsewhere. Both sides have accused one another of breaking a Feb. 27 partial truce deal, which does not include Islamic State or al Qaeda’s Nusra Front and…

Read More