We scoffed at Felicity Huffman, Lori Loughlin, and the other rich parents who committed crimes (bribery! mail fraud! racketeering! conspiracy!) to get their kids into college. But maybe Operation Varsity Blues is just a small part of the real problem: that the college admissions process is rotten at its core.

Enough is enough, you say. It’s time to practice digital minimalism, once and for all. That’s why you’ve quit Facebook and Twitter — but not Instagram. (The photos are so alluring!) You’ve taken the bold step to leave your phone outside your bedroom. (But you’re sleepwalking in the middle of the night to check it.) And you’re no longer opening your email after 8 pm (except to read The Highlighter, of course). If this is you, good job: Tristan Harris, creator of the Time Well Spent movement, who is on a mission to “reverse human downgrading,” is very proud of you. Not only will you have more time to spend with your friends and family, but you’ll also have the language to stop technology from destroying free will and wrecking democracy.

You’ve read all the dismal statistics. As a country, we’re not well. Whether it’s heart disease or obesity or high blood pressure or depression or anxiety or cancer or dementia, we’re ill. And we’re not feeling any better, no matter how many pills we take. But don’t worry, this article is a hopeful one. Many doctors are skipping the traditional approach and prescribing nature instead, and so far, the data is looking good. Preliminary research suggests that going outside — looking at trees, listening to birds, and smelling flowers — activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which reduces stress, inflammation, and disease.

Ninth grader Jaelyn had straw-blond hair and turquoise eyes, believed in God, and was new to Santa Fe High School, located in a suburb of Houston. Long homeschooled, she had told her parents that God had “put it on her heart” to branch out and meet new people. Eleventh grader Sabika, who had black hair and mahogany eyes, believed in Allah, and also was new to Santa Fe. An exchange student from Pakistan, she had told her parents that she wanted be like Malala Yousafzai and have an impact on the world. This is the story of Jaelyn and Sabika’s friendship, the hope of young people, and the power of human connection across difference. You’ll cry at the end, no doubt, but please don’t let that deter you from reading this extraordinary article, so plainly and beautifully written.

There are two types of Americans — those who like to tidy up KonMari style, and those who prefer to adorn their living space with wall signs, spring candles, and pillows with tassels. No matter your leaning, you’ll love this week’s lead article, which explains how a hit TV show transformed a town in Texas — with mixed results (and major ramifications).

Sixty-five years after Brown v. Board of Education, our schools remain separate and unequal. Prof. Pedro Noguera recognizes that school desegregation is no longer a shared goal among educational leaders. Abandoning integration, however, would worsen socioeconomic and political divisions and would prevent efforts to build a prosperous, multiracial society. Most interesting to me is Prof. Noguera’s reliance on his life story in order to further his argument. He clearly benefited from integration. It’s captivating and poignant — but unfortunately, it seems a little generational now, a bit out of reach.

Highlighter favorite Ijeoma Oluo is back, this time sharing her painful experiences leading anti-racism workshops. Often, conversations on racial equity center white voices, white tears, and white fragility — thereby attacking the dignity of people of color. Ms. Oluo writes, “The white attendees decide for themselves what will be discussed, what they will hear, what they will learn. And it is their space. All spaces are.”

When Akhim Yuseff Cabey was little, growing up in the Bronx, all he wanted to do was ride the subway on his own. The subways were like space rockets, and riding to Queens to see his grandmother meant vanquishing aliens and saving the galaxy. But everything changed when Akhim turned 9 and vigilante Bernhard Goetz shot four Black boys on a subway car.