Detroit students sue state, claiming constitutional right to literacy being violated

DETROIT (WXYZ) – Is the opportunity to learn to read a constitutional right in the United States of America?  A federal lawsuit filed today by students in Detroit says it is.

The first of its kind suit accuses the state of violating the constitutional rights of students by underfunding education.

The class action suit was filed by five kids who went to some of the lowest performing public and charter schools in Detroit.

One of them is a senior at Osborn High School named Jamarria Hall. He says he was thinking about how he could make a difference in his schools when an attorney out of California with the Opportunity Under Law Project asked if he would like to be part of this lawsuit.

“I just hope it leads to change,” said Hall.

He says he sees great inequity in the resources for students in wealthier school districts and inner city districts.

He says he can’t even seem to get a teacher in every class. He is sick of being sent to the gym to play basketball during Spanish class because he has no Spanish teacher.

“I feel like I am getting cheated,” said Hall.

Read more here: http://www.wxyz.com/news/region/detroit/detroit-public-school-students-sue-state-say-constitutional-right-to-literacy-is-being-violated

College study examines how winning athletic programs can increase academics revenue

On Sept. 30, 2015, the U.S. Federal Court of Appeals overruled a lower court’s decision that colleges and universities could pay student athletes up to $5,000 in deferred compensation, which would be held in a trust until the athletes leave college. This decision was a win for the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA), which claims that the amateur nature of college sports should keep it exempt from antitrust laws, or laws put in place to ensure fair and free competition in an open marketplace.

Despite the ongoing debate about whether college athletes should be paid, little research has been done to examine the connection between college athletics programs and the money they make for their academic institutions. Many of these programs bring in millions of dollars annually as highlighted in a December 2015 study in Management Science. “How Much Is a Win Worth? An Application to Intercollegiate Athletics” looks at how each game win during the Division 1 men’s football and basketball seasons translates into dollars for a given sports program. Doug J. Chung, an assistant professor at the Harvard Business School, surveyed data from 117 schools between 2003 and 2013. Chung separated these Division 1 programs into more and less established athletic programs. Power Five Conference teams made up the more established category, while lesser known programs were schools that have a shorter record of athletic success and do not participate in the prestigious conferences, such as the Big 10 and Big 12 conferences.

This study’s findings include:

• Some top schools make up to $200 million from their football and basketball programs annually.
• Wins equal cash for many collegiate football teams. In fact, a single win during the football season could mean as much as a $3 million increase for some top schools. Less established football teams saw a monetary increase as a result of invitations to postseason bowls.
• In general, among the 117 schools surveyed, football programs were far more lucrative than basketball programs. However, basketball programs also brought in significant revenues for schools ranging from $44 million to $123 million annually.
• College sports is a multi-billion dollar industry with several schools reporting revenue around $100 million annually and some top schools bringing in $200 million annually.

Chung mentions in his study that one area for further research is to examine how the revenue for each team and school breaks down in terms of sales categories, such as tickets and team merchandise. Chung, who is an avid college sports fan himself, says he hopes his work will inform the debate on whether and how college athletes are compensated by the schools they represent.

See more sources and resources here: 

http://journalistsresource.org/studies/society/education/college-sports-how-winning-impacts-revenue

 …until next time, keep reading, sharing, discussing, learning.