School for Teen Mothers, “Jewel of Detroit,” Closes

How many stories do we have of education that works right? How many stories do we have of young women being empowered? How many stories do we have of pregnant and parenting students being given childcare, support and a chance at completing their education and going to college? How many stories do we have of [...]

After 25 Years of Paradox, A Changed Oprah Says Goodbye

When Beyonce launched into her latest faux girl-power anthem “Run the World (Girls)” to honor Oprah Winfrey on Monday afternoon, the moment crystallized what both the talk show and its hostess have been to television: 25 years of paradox. On the one hand, no one’s been a bigger proponent of real “girl power” than Oprah [...]

Is “Gay” a Dirty Word in the Classroom?

Picture this: Johnny, 13, lives in Tennessee. Sally, 13, lives in California. Both are in the 8th grade and both are questioning their sexuality. When Sally asks her teacher or counselor about being a lesbian, a new policy proposed by California lawmakers would allow for a healthy dialogue. But when Johnny tries to talk about [...]

A How-To on Youth Activism

If you want to read about some truly inspiring young feminists, pick up Hey, Shorty! A Guide to Combating Sexual Harassment and Violence in Schools and on the Streets, a collaboratively written book by Joanne Smith, Mandy Van Deven and Meghan Huppuch of Girls for Gender Equity (GGE). GGE is a Brooklyn-based “coalition-building and youth [...]

Yes, Comment! Skins, Google Art, and High School Feminists

For us Ms. editors, by far the most rewarding part of the Ms. Blog has been reading the comments. Since we’re used to sending out a magazine into the void every three months and waiting with bated breath for letters to the editor, it’s been revelatory to hear back directly–instantly!–from Ms. readers. To be sure, [...]

How To Be a High School Feminist

On our way to high school recently, I asked my friend, “Do you consider yourself a feminist?” After a slight hesitation, she responded, “Well, I support women’s rights and all, but I’m no bra burner.” Besides the fact that the bra-burning story is apocryphal, I was surprised by her answer. Is that what feminism meant [...]

Men Are From Mars, Women From the University of Venus

Launched in February of this year, University of Venus is an international blog for, about and by Gen X women academics. Seeing themselves as agents of change within an academy that only partially welcomes them, these women band together virtually to share experiences, provide support and build community.  I had the opportunity to talk with [...]

Is Single-Sex Education the New Separate-But-Equal?

Just when you thought we were over that whole separate-but-equal hullabaloo, Louisiana throws us another curve ball. One school district’s program to teach boys and girls in segregated classes has sparked an unprecedented constitutional battle. The culture war was set in motion last year when Vermilion Parish School District launched a new program to teach [...]

Working Teachers Don’t Need a Superman

Waiting for Superman, the latest education documentary offering the fix for failing schools, hyped by MTV, Oprah and Time magazine, will be released to select theaters today. Director Davis Guggenheim wants Waiting to do for education what his previous documentary An Inconvenient Truth, did for global warming: to “spread responsibility among ‘all the adults’ for [...]

Why Aren’t Girls in School?

In most countries, barriers of all kinds still stand between girls and school, blocking young women from the most basic form of social advancement.

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