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Daarel Burnette II, Senior Editor at the Chronicle of Higher Education. Photo credit: Michael Theis, The Chronicle

Daarel Burnette II

Senior Editor

What I do

As senior editor, I direct a team of reporters who cover a wide range of higher-ed issues, including finance, leadership, minority-serving and historically Black institutions, and race and identity.

My Background

Before joining The Chronicle in 2022, I served as an assistant managing editor and reporter at Education Week and bureau chief for Chalkbeat Tennessee, a start-up news organization based in Memphis. I have worked as an education reporter at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Minneapolis Star Tribune, and The Louisville Courier Journal. I also worked as a general-assignment reporter at the Chicago Tribune. I received my undergraduate degree in print journalism from Hampton University and a master’s degree in politics and journalism from Columbia University.

Connect

Email: daarel.burnette@chronicle.com
X: @Daarel

Highlights

Dressed in colorful graduation regalia of cap and gown, a line of black and brown-skinned men and women are seen looking toward the left. They beam with pride, many are smiling.
HBCUs at a Crossroads
November 22, 2024
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Newly Updated
Two DEI Bills Fail in Texas
June 27, 2025
WhiteEnrollmentBars
Admissions & Recruitment
Where Are the White Students?
October 10, 2024
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College Matters from The Chronicle
The Messy, Uncomfortable Debate Over Unwinding DEI
February 4, 2025
Photo illustration showing a white male college student walking off the edge of the image
College Matters from The Chronicle
Disappearing White Students
March 11, 2025

Recent Stories

A diverse group of raised hands above a university building
Race on Campus
Title VI, Title IX, and a Glut of Discrimination Lawsuits
By Daarel Burnette II May 14, 2024
Evolving federal and state bias policies have put heavy pressure on colleges amid roiling campus protests and anti-DEI efforts by lawmakers.
A diverse group of raised hands above a university building
Race on Campus
Lived Experiences of the Anti-DEI Movement
By Daarel Burnette II April 30, 2024
Black women and LGBTQ people have disproportionately experienced the backlash on campuses, according to a Chronicle compilation.
A diverse group of raised hands above a university building
Race on Campus
When Colleges See Students’ Dual Identities as a ‘Special Talent’
By Daarel Burnette II April 16, 2024
A social-work program at the University of Texas at El Paso organized itself to serve the unique needs of “borderlanders.”
A diverse group of raised hands above a university building
Race on Campus
A Wave of Hate Crimes Renews Interest in Asian American Studies
By Daarel Burnette II April 2, 2024
A new program at Amherst College is a small but monumental step toward better understanding race in America.
A diverse group of raised hands above a university building
Race on Campus
The Increasingly Amorphous Meaning of DEI
By Daarel Burnette II March 19, 2024
Conservatives’ efforts to redefine diversity, equity, and inclusion as radical and un-American have succeeded. At Texas colleges, chaos reigns.
A diverse group of raised hands above a university building
Race on Campus
Can AI Close Racial Disparities?
By Daarel Burnette II March 5, 2024
The technology could narrow or widen opportunity gaps within higher education, depending on how leaders react.
A diverse group of raised hands above a university building
Race on Campus
Some Observations About the Evolution of Anti-DEI Legislation
By Daarel Burnette II February 20, 2024
The newest bills would make it more difficult to repackage diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.
A diverse group of raised hands above a university building
Race on Campus
New FAFSA Has Left Latino Families ‘Frustrated and Scared’
By Daarel Burnette II February 6, 2024
For all the anxiety over the affirmative-action ruling and the dismantling of DEI, the new student-aid form might hurt students of color the most.
A diverse group of raised hands above a university building
Race on Campus
Three Ways You Can Help Us Track the Attack on DEI
By Daarel Burnette II January 23, 2024
This year’s legislative season is likely to overhaul the ways colleges confront discrimination. Participate in our coverage.
A diverse group of raised hands above a university building
Race on Campus
How DEI Administrators Came to Be Seen as Censorious Antisemites
By Daarel Burnette II January 9, 2024
The movement to dismantle diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts has accelerated tenfold. What happened?
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