Newsfeeds

Education

• Son Fulfills Dream That Racism Denied His Mother
  Friday, Terry Walls is graduating from the same university that rejected his mother because of the color of her skin. Mary Jean Price Walls hadn't spoken about her application to Missouri State University in six decades, until her son uncovered letters in university archives.
  
  
• Ivy League Janitor: 'I'm Still Wearing The Gown'
  Gac Filipaj graduated this week with honors from Columbia University. The 52-year-old Albanian refugee not only fled civil war to come to the U.S., but worked as a janitor at Columbia for nearly 20 years while taking English classes and earning his bachelor's degree. NPR's Michel Martin speaks with Filipaj about finally achieving his goal.
  
  
• The Politics Of Catholic Schools' Graduation Speakers
  The Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., is up in arms over Georgetown University's invitation to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to speak during commencement weekend. Church officials are upset about Sebelius' role in the creation of the contraception mandate in the federal health reform law. It's one of several controversies surrounding graduation speakers that have cropped up this spring.
  
  
• After Devastating Tornado, Joplin High Bounces Back
  One year after a tornado ripped through Joplin, Mo., life for the city's residents is beginning to return to normal. President Obama will deliver Joplin High School's commencement speech.
  
  
• Fla. Students Crash After State Raises Bar On Test
  The Florida Board of Education has voted to temporarily lower the passing grade for its state writing test after a dramatic drop in scores on this year's exam. The state had made the test more difficult and raised the passing grade in an attempt to upgrade standards. But education officials were stunned when preliminary results showed the passing rate for 4th graders this year had plummeted from 80 percent to less than 30 percent.
  
  

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