Month: July 2024

This is not news: America does pretty badly when it goes up against other countries academically.

This is true even if we take it one state at a time—no single state, no matter how wealthy or small, matches the top scoring countries. And yet, the U.S. spends more per student than many other countries in the world.

In the image at the top, each state is mapped to a country that had similar scores on the Program for International Student Assessment, an international test of mathematical reasoning given to 15-year-olds. The top 15 countries are in purple. No, there isn’t any purple on this map.

Reporter Amanda Ripley wanted to figure out why U.S. education outcomes are so mediocre.

She started asking random people what they thought and she followed up on their ideas. The same theories came up over and over: People blamed poverty and diversity for the difference between U.S. students and students everywhere else. But when Ripley dug into the numbers, she discovered that, while those are factors, they don’t fully explain the difference.

No adult could give her a satisfactory answer, so she went to the experts: kids.

Kids spend more time in school than anyone. They’ve got strong opinions about school. They have opinions on what is working.

She talked to the only students who could have firsthand knowledge of the differences between schools in top-performing countries and those in the U.S.: American kids who were exchange students in those countries.

She surveyed hundreds of exchange students and found three major points that they all agreed on.

The students all said that in their host countries:

1. School is harder. There’s less homework but the material is more rigorous. People take education more seriously, from selecting the content to selecting the teachers.
2. Sports are just a hobby. In the U.S., sports are a huge distraction from the business of school, but that’s not the case in other countries.
3. Kids believe there’s something in it for them. The students in other countries deeply believe that what they are doing in school affects how interesting their lives were going to be. Even if they don’t like a class, they see their education as a stepping stone to their future.

To hear more from these amazing kids (and a great story about how an education reporter managed to take an international standardized test), check out the video from PopTech below:

This article originally appeared on 05.22.15

Six years ago, a high school student named Christopher Justice eloquently explained the multiple problems with flying the Confederate flag. A video clip of Justice’s truth bomb has made the viral rounds a few times since then, and here it is once again getting the attention it deserves.

Justice doesn’t just explain why the flag is seen as a symbol of racism. He also explains the history of when the flag originated and why flying a Confederate flag makes no sense for people who claim to be loyal Americans.

This high school student, Christopher Justice, does a great job at explaining the Confederate flag and its problems.pic.twitter.com/CcOXHCB8GQ

— ud835udc0bud835udc1aud835udc27ud835udc1cud835udc1e ud83cudff3ufe0fu200dud83cudf08 (@ud835udc0bud835udc1aud835udc27ud835udc1cud835udc1e ud83cudff3ufe0fu200dud83cudf08)
1628088843

But that clip, as great as it is, is a small part of the whole story. Knowing how the discussion came about and seeing the full debate in context is even more impressive.

In 2015, a student at Shawnee Mission East High School outside of Kansas City came up with the idea to have student journalists document students engaging in open discussions about various topics. In support of this idea, history teacher David Muhammad helped arrange a debate about the use of the Confederate flag in American society in his classroom.

According to the Shawnee Mission Post, Muhammad had prepared a basic outline and some basic guiding questions for the discussion, but mainly let the students debate freely. And the result was one of the most interesting debates about the Confederate flag you’ll ever see—one that both reflects the perspectives in American society at large and serves as an example of how to hold a respectful conversation on a controversial topic.

The full discussion is definitely worth a watch. Justice had quite a few Confederacy defenders to contend with, and he skillfully responded to each point with facts and logic. Other students also chimed in, and the discussion is wildly familiar to anyone who has engaged in debate on this topic. For his part, Mr. Muhammad did an excellent job of guiding the students through the debate.

“I had Chris in class, so I knew he was super intelligent and that he read a lot,” Muhammad told the Shawnee Mission Post in 2018. “But that really came out of left-field. He was never out there very much socially, so I didn’t expect for him to want to speak in front of a crowd like that.”

(In case you’re wondering, according to LinkedIn, Christopher Justice is now studying political science at Wichita State University after switching his major from sports management. David Muhammad is now Dean of Students at Pembroke Middle School and also serves as a Diversity Consultant.)

Thanks, SM East, for documenting and sharing such a great discussion.

This article originally appeared on 08.05.21

A quick-thinking 10-year-old boy escaped a woman trying to lure him by pretending that a local store clerk was his mother. ABC 6 reports that Sammy Green was walking home from school in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, on Friday, November 11, when a strange woman started following him.

The woman “started walking with him and asking him where his family was, asking where his dad was,” Sam Green, the boy’s father, told ABC6. The boy didn’t know the woman but she insisted that she knew his family.

She tried to lure him into going with her by promising she’d buy him “anything he wanted” at Wawa, a local convenience store that sells shakes, sandwiches and other treats.

“She was like, ‘I’m going to Wawa, are you going there? What are you getting from Wawa? Where’s your family at?'” Sammy told CBS.

“She said she probably knew me and was going to Wawa and that he was supposed to go with her and he could get anything he wanted,” Sam Green said.

In an attempt to flee the suspicious woman, Sammy walked into Dani Bee Funky, an unconventional gift shop, where he went straight to 17-year-old Hannah who was working the register. “He was like, ‘Pretend like you’re my mom,'” Hannah told CBS, “and I was just like, ‘all right go to the back.’ He didn’t want to leave my side.”

Security footage shows that Hannah then calmly walked up to the store’s front door and locked it, preventing the woman from coming inside. After she was locked out, the woman walked away. “I was still shaking when I was in here,” Sammy said.

The security camera footage is hard for Sammy’s dad to watch. “When we were watching that video, I cried every time I saw it,” said Green.

u201cthat are so scary i glad he was able to get help nnA 10-year-old boy in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, escaped a woman who was following him.nnThe boy asked a cashier to pretend to be his mother nhttps://t.co/2WYLX9nQvNu201d

— Hu1ea1nh Lien ud83cudff3ufe0fu200dud83cudf08 (@Hu1ea1nh Lien ud83cudff3ufe0fu200dud83cudf08)
1668604197

The shop’s owner has nothing but praise for Hannah’s calm way of handling the dangerous situation. “I am very proud of her. Hannah is a 17-year-old young lady. She did everything correctly,” Small said.

This story is a great reminder for parents to talk to their kids about what to do if they are approached by a suspicious person. The first thing they should know is that it’s OK to say “No!” as loudly as possible to a suspicious person. They should then scream, “Help! This is not my mom or my dad!” to alert the adults around them and then run. If they are grabbed by the person they should bite, punch and kick as hard as they can until they can get free.

Sammy’s dad is proud that his son remembered what he told him to do when confronted by a suspicious stranger. “Think of every scenario and make sure that children know and also practice it,” he reminded parents. “Practice your situations and scenarios just like fire drills.”

For the time being, Sammy is going to have a family friend walk him to and from school. The Pottstown Police have spoken with the woman and she is now getting help for mental health issues.

This article originally appeared on 11.17.22

We’ve covered a lot of fake cases of “Simpsons predicted it” over the years, mostly recent with Diddy’s “current situation” and the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse. But this one takes the cake (mmm… cake) for the weirdest — and possibly worst! — example yet.

In the season four episode “New Kid on the Block,” written by Conan O’Brien and directed by Wes Archer, Bart falls for his new neighbor, Laura (voiced by Sara Gilbert). While they’re sitting outside her house, Laura informs Bart that she’s going to tell him his fortune. She grabs his hand and tells him that he’ll be rich and own a mansion, a tennis court, and, as she spits in his palm, “there’s the swimming pool.” A love-struck Bart vows to never wash his hand again, gum and band-aids be damned.

According to The Daily Mail, some Simpsons fans are claiming this scene predicted the “Hawk Tuah Girl” (real name Hailey Welch), who went viral for her NSFW advice on how to drive a man crazy in bed and is now selling merchandise and singing with Zach Bryan. “Did the Simpsons predict Hawk Tuah? Season 4, Episode 8, ‘New Kid on the Block.’ Bart falls in love after she spits on that thang… or Bart’s hand anyway,” one user wrote on Twitter, while another added, “I can’t believe the Simpsons predicted the Hawk Tuah Girl.”

Here’s the thing: they both involve spit, but that’s where the similarities end. “That thang” is not involved with the Simpsons scene, thank god (you have to watch the movie for that). Just once, I would like to see The Simpsons go viral for an accurate prediction… well, maybe not.

There’s a good chance that, if you clicked on this post, you gobbled up the third season of The Bear already when it dropped last week. This means that you almost certainly enjoyed the score from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross and the wealth of cameos. Perhaps you even began ‘shipping Luca and Sydney, but it’s also worth noting that the show gave us a definitive answer regarding a character who we’ve only seen in nightmarish bits and pieces until now.

That would be Joel McHale’s “NYC Chef,” as he was credited along with the character’s actual name: Chef David Fields.

Behold how awful he was to Carmy in the first season while telling him (under fever-dream-esque lighting during flashbacks) that he was “bullsh*t” and “talentless.” He also tossed in a “you should be dead” for bad measure:

Fields did appear very briefly in the second season finale, too, when he was shown for a split second at The Bear’s “friends and family” night despite being neither friend nor fam. In the first two seasons, we also didn’t see him interact with anybody other than Carmy, so it was only natural that Fields would be the subject of fan theories that he wasn’t real. Redditors, especially, wondered if Fields (who they at times referred to as “Chef Winger” as a riff on McHale’s Community character) was imaginary or perhaps an “insecurity avatar” or a manifestation of “Carmen’s inner demons holding him back.” Other Redditors wondered if Fields was real but perhaps Carmy’s memory of him was altered or whether where was an actual reason why Fields was a total jerk.

Well, Season 3’s finale episode confirmed that Fields exists (outside of Carmy’s mind) because when Carmy gestured towards him at Ever’s farewell dinner, Luca and Sydney glanced over at McHale’s character and acknowledged that he existed. With that question resolved, the audience can rest assured that Carmy was truly following Fields out of the party to confront him over how “you gave me ulcers and panic attacks and nightmares.” Fields, however, remained convinced that he “gave you confidence, leadership, and ability” and helped Carmy be “an excellent chef.”

The episode also actually pulled a Mad Men moment with an “I think about you too much” followed by an “I don’t think about you.” That was strange, yes, but also, McHale did reveal the inspiration for his character (as noted by Collider in a visit with Seth Meyers) to be real-life Chef Thomas Keller. McHale added, “I don’t think he is as awful as I was, but he does whisper at his employees.”

Interestingly enough, Keller also appears in The Bear‘s third season finale, “Forever,” as himself and a seemingly helpful mentor who helped Carmy learn how to handle a “family dinner” chicken. That episode, like the rest of The Bear, can be streamed on Hulu.

Logic has long been a huge anime guy, and now he’s teamed up with one of the industry’s biggest US-based titans — anime-focused streaming service Crunchyroll — and one of his favorite shows, Cowboy Bebop. As for what they’re doing: It’s a new streetwear collection partnership inspired by the classic show.

The following 11 Crunchyroll exclusives are included in the collection: See You Space Cowboy T-shirt, Sympathy for the Devil T-shirt, Logic and Radical Ed Smiley T-shirt, The Crew T-shirt, Logic and the Crew-neck Sweatshirt, Logic and the Crew Sweatshirt, Cowboy Bebop 1998 Hoodie, Varsity Jacket, Beanie, Corduroy Hat, Skate Deck, and Poster. The collection is available to pre-order now on the Crunchroll online store.

Logic offered a statement, saying, “Anime was there for me when I was growing up in a drug and violence-ridden childhood and household. I discovered anime through Cowboy Bebop, and would later go on to befriend the voice of Spike Spiegel, Steve Blum, and collaborate with him on various albums, which is a dream come true. Without Cowboy Bebop, there is no Logic. I just hope that collabing with Cowboy Bebop and Crunchyroll will allow me to introduce a lot more of my fans who might not be hip to Cowboy Bebop, and vice versa, and hope that a bunch of people out there who love Cowboy Bebop will realize I’m making fun anime nerd albums.”

Usher won a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2024 BET Awards on Sunday, but his speech was so heavily edited that viewers watching at home weren’t able to make out what the “Confessions Part II” singer was saying. BET has since apologized for what a spokesperson called an “audio malfunction.”

“Celebrating global icon Usher on our stage with a star-studded tribute and having him accept his award with a heartfelt speech was an honor,” the spokesperson told The Hollywood Reporter. “Due to an audio malfunction during the live telecast, portions of his speech were inadvertently muted. We extend our sincere apologies to Usher as we couldn’t be more grateful for his participation in culture’s biggest night. Fans can catch his full uninterrupted speech across BET platforms and tonight’s encore on BET.”

As for the contents of his roughly 13-minute speech, Usher talked a lot about forgiveness.

“We’ve got to be willing to forgive. We’ve got to be willing to be open,” he said. “I’m telling you, you’re standing before a man who had to forgive a man who never showed up ever. And look what I made with it. Look what I was able to ‘usher’ in. But that’s what’s real. That’s what makes us human. That’s what makes us women and men.” Let’s see if he forgives BET.

You can watch the full (uncensored) speech below.

Shaquille O’Neal apparently isn’t big on taking an actual offseason, as the Hall of Famer turned TNT analyst spends his summers moonlighting on the music circuit as DJ Diesel. Since his Finals duties on NBATV ended, Shaq has been hitting the road to put on shows, from Cleveland Guardians games to Vegas to Nashville, where he joined Murda Beatz for a set over the weekend.

Shaq also is one of the most online NBA Hall of Famers, as his music career has pushed him to keep up with what’s relevant and trending in both the music world and social media in general. As such, when the opportunity presented itself to meet up with the viral sensation of the moment — Hailey Welch, aka the “Hawk Tuah” girl — he said the same thing that happens when any brand asks him to do a commercial: Yes.

It was a big weekend for Welch in Nashville, as DJ Diesel wasn’t the only musician she interacted with, as she also got up on stage with Zach Bryan at his tour stop in the Tennessee capital, as she capitalizes on her moment in the spotlight after going viral for her part in one of those “interview drunk people on the street” videos.

During last night’s BET Awards ceremony, Donald Glover — who was there to present the award for Album Of The Year — took a bit of a digression during his time onstage to call out the show for never nominating him. Indeed, it’s one of the first times the network has even acknowledged Glover’s existence, and the fact he was also allowed to plug his quirky new film Bando Stone And The New World is probably a testament to the concessions BET’s programmers had to make to soothe his bruised ego over the years of neglect.

“This isn’t personal, but I just feel like I should have more BET awards,” Glover said. “I’m serious. It’s the Black Entertainment Television Awards. How much more entertaining do I have to do? Because it’s just the math of the fact. It doesn’t really make sense. I have more Grammys than Will Smith, which makes no sense, but I have the same amount of BET awards as Sam Smith.” Smith and Glover both have one BET Award each; Glover won Best Music Video in 2019 for “This is America”, while Smith won the 2015 award for Best New Artist. I don’t know if you noticed, but Sam Smith… also isn’t Black.

Glover joked that he’d be willing to remake BET Saturday afternoon mainstay Baby Boy if it would get him more recognition from the network. “I’ll have Jonathan Majors put me in a headlock, shave my head, I’ll do it,” he said, referring to a scene in which Ving Rhames puts Tyrese Gibson in a headlock during a heated domestic dispute in the film.

Social media users on Twitter noted that Glover has kind of a point — he should not have the same number of BET Awards nominations as Sam Smith, regardless of whether he and Will Smith have the same amount of Grammys — and drew parallels to another recent addition to the BET canon, Tyler The Creator. The Hawthorne, California native also went unacknowledged by the network until 2021, when he was honored with a (the admittedly vaguely titled) Rock The Bells Cultural Influence Award. During an interview about the award, he, too, acknowledged that he felt he “wasn’t accepted by that audience,” but that he held a deep reverence for the network growing up.

“I was so hype to perform at the BET Awards,” Tyler admitted. “I just never felt like my style of music would ever have been, not even appreciated, but allowed on there. And because of that, I would mock it. It was like a defense mechanism because I felt like I wasn’t accepted by that audience. But when they asked me this year, man, I was enthralled. I was so happy.” At first glance, it does appear that artists like Glover and Tyler contrast starkly from the usual BET fare. When they were both in the target demographic for BET’s old video countdown show, 106 & Park, they likely didn’t see themselves reflected in the usual rotation of artists like Soulja Boy, 50 Cent, or Hurricane Chris.

But over the years, they’ve each garnered mainstream acclaim for their creative works, which have always celebrated their Blackness and drawn extensively from deep cultural roots — even if they didn’t reflect the stereotypical looks and concerns promoted by not just BET, but mainstream depictions of Blackness in media in general.

Glover’s groundbreaking work in music and television includes the funk-soul revival album Awaken, My Love! and his paradigm-shifting dramedy Atlanta, which often addressed ongoing current events and made references to Black lifestyle deep cuts like the “haunted” Lake Rainier in his native Georgia. Meanwhile, Tyler’s multihyphenate takeover of hip-hop, fashion, and animation with albums like Igor, shows like The Jellies!, and his history-making collaboration with Pharrell Williams and Louis Vuitton, centered Blackness and posited a broader spectrum of possibilities for it. You can’t tell me you couldn’t see Carlton Banks decked out in Tyler’s preppy Louis pieces. There are all kinds of alternative expressions of Blackness, and neither artist allowed the fact they didn’t see those expressions on TV stop them from expressing themselves in full.

While it’s clear that BET’s definition of notable Black art is expanding — a net good for a network whose narrow typecasting of Black art has been criticized in the past — neither Glover nor Tyler should ever have fretted. They’ve been two of the most important Black artists of their generation all along. From the beginning, both artists have presented a dazzling, wide-ranging perspective of what Black art can be. Beyond BET, we would all benefit from recognizing those talents — and the talents of others who go against the grain — and letting Black art be more than what we’ve already seen.

Khalid has impressed recently with the singles “Adore U” and “Please Don’t Fall In Love With Me.” Now, we know the fate of those songs: They’ll be included on Sincere, the new album (Khalid’s third) that was announced today, July 1. The project is set for release on August 2.

In a statement, Khalid says of the album, “Sincere is a combination of my life experiences, it takes inspiration from conversations that I have had with my fans, supporters, and the people that love me. When I listen back to this project, I hear a sound that’s so unique and represents me at my best. This album is me at 26, continuing to evolve with the knowledge that I have garnered throughout the years.”

A press release says the project “showcases Khalid’s evolution as an artist and person and explores the all-too-relatable feelings of growing up.”

Meanwhile, almost exactly a year ago now, Khalid found himself in a car accident, which forced Ed Sheeran to open for himself on his Mathematics Tour. It was reported at the time that Khalid “had pulled over after his car started to overheat, got into the passenger seat, then was hit by a passing car.”

Sincere is out 8/2 via Right Hand Music Group/RCA Records. Find more information here.