Dep’t of Education Stops Investigating For-Profit Colleges

Here’s what you’ll find on today’s show:

— Within the Department of Education, there exists a dedicated team whose job is to investigate abuse by institutions of higher education. Their focus is on for-profit schools such as DeVry and Corinthian Colleges. The team is tasked with determining whether for-profit institutions misled students about job prospects or tricked them into predatory loans. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is effectively dismantling the investigative team tasked with monitoring these abuses, according to a new report by The New York Times.

— According to a new report out this week by the National Center for Education Statistics, 94% of teachers in high-poverty school districts pay for classroom supplies out of pocket. And on average, they spend nearly $500 a year. About seven percent of teachers spend more than $1000 a year. For teachers in financially deprived areas, the amounts they spend on their students are even higher.

— A death sentence case involving a woman in Sudan has brought international condemnation from human rights groups, as well as on social media through the campaign called #JusticeforNoura. 19-year-old Noura Hussein was sentenced to death last week for killing her husband after he allegedly attempted to rape her. Hussein was in a forced marriage, arranged by her father, and she claims she acted in self-defense. It has also been reported that Hussein’s husband had allegedly raped Hussein the previous day as some of his relatives restrained her.

— “Jewel’s Catch One,” a new documentary from C. Fitz, explores the legacy of America’s oldest black-owned disco club, as well as the life of businesswoman and activist Jewel Thais-Williams. For four decades, Jewel provided safe spaces in Los Angeles for the black, L.G.B.T.Q., and AIDS-impacted communities. The club closed in 2015. The film was recently acquired by Ava DuVernay’s grassroots distribution company, ARRAY.