Author: Shehan Jeyarajah

By Shehan Jeyarajah, City Editor It’s 2 p.m., and defensive coordinator Phil Bennett is preparing for Wednesday practice in his office overlooking Baylor’s outdoor facility. From the second you walk into his office, Bennett oozes intensity and fire. As we begin speaking, he opens letters and answers questions with the same voracity he exhibits on the sideline at McLane Stadium. He knows the criticism his defense has gotten since he’s been at Baylor. He knows Baylor is perceived as an “offensive” school that can’t stop anyone. He knows head coach Art Briles is beloved while he at times is maligned.…

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Two weeks ago, a Houston parent found that her son’s history textbook referred to slaves as “workers” in a passage. This particular textbook, produced by McGraw-Hill Education, serves nearly a third of high schoolers taking this history course in Texas. After spreading the word through Facebook, she finally got the publisher to apologize. McGraw-Hill said it would reprint the book with the aforementioned passage changed to “forced migrants,” what it seems to claim is a preferable term. While this incident might have been portrayed as an accident, it is a symptom of a more sinister trend in education. We as…

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Kenneth and Shireen De Silva immigrated to Texas in 1982 as their home country of Sri Lanka moved toward what would become a two-decade civil war. Kenneth was the manager of a big company in his home country, but left it to start from the bottom once again in America. After working as a copier salesman, Kenneth earned enough money to acquire a building he turned into a school. Now, the school has expanded to four buildings and received commendation from the White House, Texas governor’s office and city of Austin. A couple decades later, their grandson was blessed with…

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