This intern at Teach For America Baltimore will have you believing in education as a force for change like never before.

In an impassioned speech, recent Baltimore, Md. high school graduate Elijah Miles identifies unpleasant realities when it comes to education, but his message is tempered with hope and a sincere belief in a better future through teaching. Miles’ moving words were captured in a video posted by Teach For America, who write:

A summer intern at Teach For America Baltimore, Elijah Miles delivered this inspiring speech to a group of incoming teachers at institute. Wise well beyond his years, we think Elijah’s words are a great reminder about why we do the work that we do.Elijah will begin college at Morgan State in the fall.

Best of luck on your own upcoming higher education experiences, Elijah!

I think I recognize you… I do. Before becoming a Mom, I used to live in your world of black and white, with everything in order, in its place. I had a plan, a schedule, a list of finished projects to check off, checklist and all. How wonderful for you that your life is so structured, so dependable and predictable that you cling to that line dividing right and wrong, black and white, and that you feel compelled to comment when you think someone is coloring outside the lines.This time, though, in your hurry to keep things neat and orderly, you didn’t see the whole picture. I guess you didn’t see the accessible permit hanging from my car mirror, giving me permission to park close to the entrance. You didn’t see the wheelchair lift permanently installed into the back of my SUV, and…

Somewhere in West Tennessee, not far from Graceland, nine women — or “The 9 Nanas,” as they prefer to be called — gather in the darkness of night. At 4am they begin their daily routine — a ritual that no one, not even their husbands, knew about for 30 years. They have one mission and one mission only: to create happiness. And it all begins with baked goods.

“One of us starts sifting the flour and another washing the eggs,” explained Nana Mary Ellen, the appointed spokesperson for their secret society. “And someone else makes sure the pans are all ready. We switch off, depending on what we feel like doing that day.

“But you make sure to say Nana Pearl is in charge, because she’s the oldest!” she added with a wink and a smile.

Over the next three hours, The 9 Nanas (who…

Surrounded by his family, a two-year-old boy named Damian Sutton was taken off life support at Children’s Hospital in Detroit on Tuesday morning, reported television station WJBK.

Police say the boy suffered a vicious beating at the hands of his mother’s boyfriend, Ronald Anthony Dimambro, 26, who was reportedly babysitting the boy on August 21 at a home in Washington Twp., Mich.

According to a call Dimambro made to 911, which can be heard here, he suggested that the boy might have asthma. But CBS Radio says Dimambro, eventually turned himself in, admitting that he shook Damian roughly and threw him.

Had he lived, Damian would have had severe brain damage, doctors said. He had undergone emergency brain surgery earlier in the week on the right side of his skull to relieve some of the pressure directed toward his brain.

Timothy Sutton, Damian’s…

If Obama’s long-term plan to transform higher education in America ultimately passes Congress, it may fundamentally change the relationship between universities and the federal government. But in the short-term, he’s using a method that should be familiar to observers of his administration: he’s attempting to educate the market — and allow it to make its own decisions. The President’s ultimate plan, for which he’s suggested a tentative 2018 date, would tie student loans to university outcomes. Students who wanted to attend schools with good educational outcomes and a high return on investment would be able to get more government loans and grants, and would pay lower interest rates. On the other hand, students who wished to attend schools with poor educational outcomes and a lower return on investment could do so, but would have to pay more of their own costs. Effectively, Obama’s long-term plan…