‘Voices in the Mirror’ Honors the Legacy of Pioneering Photographer Gordon Parks — from thisiscolossal.com by Gordon Parks and Kate Mothes
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On 07/22/2026,
in Bias | Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DE&I), history, photography, society, sociology, United States, youth,
by Daniel Christian
On 03/14/2026,
in Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, Bias | Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DE&I), bots, business side of he, change, changing business models, colleges, community colleges, cost of getting a degree, faculty/staff, funding / grants, future of higher education, game-changing environment, health, higher education, innovation, leadership, learning ecosystem, legislatures / government / legal, liberal arts, policy, reinvent, skills, society, staying relevant, strategy, student-related, surviving, teaching & learning, trends, United States, universities, vendors,
by Daniel Christian
2026 Survey of College and University Presidents — from insidehighered.com, Liaison, & Jenzabar
Download and explore exclusive insights from the 2026 Survey of College and University Presidents to see how these campus leaders are responding to financial volatility, political interference, rapid advances in AI, and where they believe the biggest risks and opportunities lie as they look toward 2030.
In this year’s survey, presidents share perspectives on:
- How presidents assess the second Trump administration’s impact on higher education
- Which emerging or evolving educational models they plan to add or expand in the coming years
- How effective they believe higher education has been in shaping national conversations arout AI
- The issues presidents expect will have the greatest impact on higher education by 2030
On 12/03/2025,
in Bias | Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DE&I), business, career development, corporate / business world, global / globalization, neurodivergent/special needs, skills, society, sociology, surviving, workplace, youth,
by Daniel Christian
Celebrating International Day of Persons with Disabilities — from joshbersin.com by Josh Bersin
Today I want to celebrate the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, an important day that recognizes the needs of millions of people. My perspective, as a professional entering my later years, is that many of us are likely to have disabilities over time, so the more we understand the diversity of disabilities the better for everyone.
First, let me point out that this is a massive population. The US Department of Labor and Census estimates that 11-13% of the working age population has some form of disability (more on what that means below), yet only 5-6% of workers. This points out that the employment ratio (percent of people with jobs) is far lower. People with disabilities are one-third as likely to have a job, which is quite a disparity and loss of economic potential.
Second, people with disabilities suffer a 15% lower average wage.
Josh linked to the item below:
Celebrating International Day of persons with disabilities
International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) is a UN day that is celebrated every year on 3 December.
The day is about promoting the rights and well-being of persons with disabilities at every level of society and development, and to raise awareness of the situation of persons with disabilities in all aspects of political, social, economic, and cultural life. WHO joins the UN in observing this day each year, reinforcing the importance of securing the rights of people with disabilities, so they can participate fully, equally and effectively in society with others, and face no barriers in all aspects of their lives.
At its headquarters in Geneva, WHO organizes an annual IDPD event to educate the public, raise awareness, advocate for political will and resources, and celebrate WHO’s achievements. In 2022, the WHO launched the Global Report on health equity for persons with disabilities. This report sets forth the approaches and actions that countries can take to address the health inequities that persons with disabilities experience.
From DSC:
I just want to add that one of our daughters has some special needs. So Josh’s posting caught my eye. He’s right to point out these things. You and I will likely have a period of disability in our lives. It’s not just relevant for “other people.” (And by the way…in the learning world, practicing Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is good for everyone!)
People with disabilities face enormous challenges that neurotypical people never have to deal with. They face unfair wage situations and a lack of opportunities. Our family has experienced — and continues to experience — this firsthand.
So thanks Josh for your posting here.
On 10/22/2025,
in Bias | Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DE&I), Daniel S. Christian, Emotion, health, learning, learning theories, metacognition / metacognitive skills, psychology, society,
by Daniel Christian
From DSC:
I love the graphic below of the Dunning-Kruger Effect:
— graphic via a teacher at one of our daughters’ schools
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The Dunning-Kruger effect is a cognitive bias where people with low ability in a task tend to overestimate their own competence, while high-ability individuals often underestimate theirs. This happens because those with low competence lack the metacognitive skills to recognize their own shortcomings, leading them to believe they are performing better than they are. Examples include a new driver who thinks they are better than average, or a novice who is confident in their ability to diagnose a medical issue based on a quick online search.
Examples in different fields
- Driving: Many drivers believe they are above average, a statistical impossibility.
- Healthcare: Patients may overestimate their ability to self-diagnose serious conditions after a quick search and disregard expert medical advice.
- Workplace: Employees may overestimate their performance compared to their colleagues.
- Social Media: The Dunning-Kruger effect can be seen online, where individuals with a superficial understanding of a topic may argue confidently with experts.
On 10/21/2025,
in Bias | Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DE&I), business, communications, journalism, society, United States,
by Daniel Christian
From DSC:
One of my sisters is a Professor of Communication at a major university and she recently sent me the following article. I thought I’d pass it along to those of you who are also interested in this topic. My sister has written several books on media literacy and has created museum-based exhibits to address this topic.
How to find trustworthy news reporting in these times? — from ericdeggans.substack.com by Switching Codes w/Eric Deggans
I don’t have the perfect answer. But here’s a few ideas.
Here’s a few suggestions for how to navigate our new, challenging news media reality.
- Find individual journalists to trust…
- Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good…
- Be skeptical of those telling you what you want to hear…
- Learn what outlets are good at covering…
- …and more
The above article links to:
My take on why Americans don’t trust journalists anymore — from ericdeggans.substack.com by Switching Codes w/Eric Deggans
It’s more complicated than journalists failing in their mission. And reversing the numbers are key to preserving democracy.
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On a somewhat-related note, see:
On 08/04/2025,
in Bias | Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DE&I), ethics, Legal operations, legislatures / government / legal, morals/values, society, United States,
by Daniel Christian
Legal Watchdog Files Bar Complaints Against Justice Dept. Lawyers — from nytimes.com by Alan Feuer
The move represented a rare attempt to seek accountability for rank-and-file lawyers who have represented the Trump administration in court.
A legal watchdog group accused three Justice Department lawyers of professional misconduct on Thursday [7/31/25], saying they had made false statements to a federal judge in a high-profile case challenging the Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
The accusations by the group, the Legal Accountability Center, were formally filed with the grievance committees of bar associations in Washington and other cities where the lawyers lived or practiced. The move represented a rare attempt to seek professional sanctions against rank-and-file department lawyers who have appeared in court on behalf of the federal government.
“The rule of law is under direct assault right now, and its greatest threat comes when those within the legal system fail to do their duties and stand up against the attack,” said Michael Teter, the executive director of the group. “The message that needs to be heard by all attorneys representing the government is that even though the Trump administration isn’t interested in following the rules, we are watching.”
On 07/11/2025,
in Bias | Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DE&I), Daniel S. Christian, education, education reform, instructional design, K-12 related, learning ecosystem, neurodivergent/special needs, parents/guardians, participation, personalized/customized learning, student-related, teachers, traditional / tradition, United States, youth,
by Daniel Christian
Special Education Myth Busting — from gettingsmart.com by Karla Phillips-Krivicka
Key Points
- At least 85% of students with disabilities can learn and achieve on grade level.
- 14% of all U.S. students have a disability.
No belief is more damaging in education than the misperception that children with disabilities cannot really succeed and shouldn’t be challenged to reach the same high standards as all children.
Arne Duncan, former U.S. Secretary of Education
From DSC:
One of our kids — actually, who is no longer a kid anymore — was born with Mosaic Down Syndrome. Looking back on her K-12 years, first through fifth grade went very well — which my wife and I were very grateful for. (We didn’t know what each year would bring and whether she would be able to move on to the next grade.)
But sixth and seventh grades were very rough. At the end of seventh grade, we decided to homeschool our daughter. The system she was in — like so many school systems across the nation — was meant to address the 80% of students who are neither gifted nor have special needs. The quickly-moving trains leave at such and such a time and then stop at such and such a time. One better keep up. This traditional system is a one-size-fits-all approach, and it’s something we do for administrative purposes — it’s not for the benefit of the kids within K-12 schools.
After a few years of both homeschooling and Christian education, it turned out that our daughter was able to learn almost all of the subjects in high school. But she needed to learn ON HER TIMELINE…AT HER OWN PACE of learning.
We’re proud of her. She has had a couple of jobs already and is doing quite well overall. Her motivation has been very low at times, which made homeschooling very tough. But, overall, I would agree with Karla Phillips-Krivicka’s key point that at least 85% of students with disabilities can learn and achieve at grade level. That’s been true for our daughter who has some special needs.