Did The Class of '92 Destroy America
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The Atlantic has published yet another tale of woe about The Terrible State
Of Education, and in it staff writer Idrees Kahloon has played all the
hits, ye...
"A Strong, Demanding Love"
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*"I'm not talking about emotional bosh when I talk about love: I'm talking
about a strong, demanding love."* ~MLK
*"The beginning of love is the will to ...
Youth screen use can cause problems
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The presence of cellphones can have a negative impact on family
relationships and youth mental health, according to two new studies from
the University ...
Beyond Resilience Katrina at 20
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By Thomas Ultican 10/14/2025 The book “William Franz Public School” is a
well documented work that shines a light on the deep racism in New Orleans
and esp...
LMS Account Setup & Site Overview Webinars
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This new learning management system will be used as the primary venue for
delivering training content to satisfy your annual mandatory training hours
for P...
“Progressive” Schools
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I’m old enough to remember Ronald Reagan hosting General Electric Theater,
on Sunday nights, when he would look sincerely into the camera and say
“General ...
REVOLUTION(s) at the GOODMAN
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REVOLUTION(s), opening tonight after a week of previews at the venerable
Goodman Theatre, has just been EXTENDED through November 16!!Get your
tickets now!...
Is Patriotism About Blind Loyalty or Core Values?
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Does this flag still represent me? Or am I a stranger in my own country?
Read more about my thoughts about the flag, Trump, and mourning Charlie
Kirk at ...
The Genius of Our Students
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Yesterday, the MacArthur Foundation named 22 people to their hallowed
fellowship program, often referred to as the “Genius Grant.” The foundation
awards ...
The Genius of Our Students
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Yesterday, the MacArthur Foundation named 22 people to their hallowed
fellowship program, often referred to as the “Genius Grant.” The foundation
awards ...
Don’t Follow Advice from Billionaires
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This is by Julian Vasquez Lustig. —————- When billionaires step onto a
stage, release a book, or tweet some glossy piece of wisdom, the world pays
attentio...
Don’t Blame Trump. It’s on Reagan (and us)
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I will start with the fun stuff, some grist for dinner and cocktail party
conversations about the cost of going to college these days. Then I will
try to ...
September’s Parent Engagement Resources
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Today’s teens struggle with big feelings — and their parents struggle to
have hard conversations with them. A psychologist explains how to help your
kids c...
It's official. I'm taking Crazy Pills.
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Ten years after Ohio had to return $63 million of a $71 million federal
charter school grant to the first Trump Administration, Ohio gets another
$105 mill...
James Kirylo: America’s Peculiar Love Affair
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James D. Kirylo has been a friend of mine for many years and has been a
guest contributor to my blog in the past. Among other books, Kirylo is the
author ...
The Moral Famine: A Poem By Jesse Hagopian
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People are starving in Palestine. "The Moral Famine" confronts Israel’s
starvation siege on Gaza and the world’s complicity in denying it.
Here I go again, making an ask
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We are a majority minority school where we emphasize positive aspects, but
also recognize that we need to address the whole child. Too many of our
young ...
Aguanta, todo va a estar bien
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Los próximos meses nos pondrán a prueba como nunca antes. Como personas que
creemos en la democracia, lo que significa que creemos unos en otros, nos
verem...
Blogoversary #19 — Time to Move on
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Times have changed. I had a nice long run here, but let’s face it, it ended
a while ago. So I’ve moved. I’m not writing much any more, but when I do it
wil...
Is there really a decline in pleasure reading?
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The mainstream media has been full of the bad news: new study shows that
reading for pleasure has declined! Fewer people are reading for fun: From
2003 to ...
Last call for ARC readers: Addicted to Glove
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"Major League" meets "Ted Lasso" with a hint of "Three Men and a Baby" in
this age gap, surprise pregnancy romcom set in the Pacific Northwest.
Il Papa è Morto
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Francis brought a distinct pastoral outlook to his papacy. A simple man, he
lived in a small apartment in the guesthouse. He sought to make the church
acce...
Trump plays Putin’s Playbook
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Recently Aleksander Dugin was interviewed on CNN, last week, and he stated
that he believes Trump is closer ideologically to President Putin than to
Washin...
Mike Shulman the ARISE UFT Judenrat
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I was surprised to learn that Mike Shulman has aligned himself with ARISE.
I previously supported him, advocating that the Castle Doctrine could have
bee...
How Do We Fight Trump?
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Dear Friends, I don’t know when and why it hit me. But I suddenly realized
how serious Trump is about changing the country into something that
horrifies. I...
Site Index - Updated December 31, 2024
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BLOGGER’S NOTE: If you are new to this blog, and interested in the topic of
immigration, I recommend you go right to the massive new post: “How
Immigrat...
AIN’T IT AWFUL
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As the terrible feelings of dread and angst spread across the world the
great majority of the American people feel powerless before the onslaught
of those ...
Vote NO on the UFT Contract. Here is Why:
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The best reason to vote no on this contract is this: UFT Unity* lied* to us
in 2018. They misrepresented that contract. It was predicated on deals we
wer...
Testimony to the CPS Truancy Task Force
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I prepared testimony for one of two public hearings held by the Chicago
Public Schools Truancy Task Force, a body mandated by state legislation.
The meetin...
There Is A Teacher Shortage.Not.
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THERE IS A TEACHER SHORTAGE. And just to be sure you understand, it’s not
that teachers don’t want to teach. It’s not that there aren’t enough
teachers cer...
Book Banning Turns to Dick and Jane
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Breaking News: Dateline February 4, 2022 - Parents in Dimwitty, Alabama
have asked the Dimwitty Board of Education to ban the children's primer *Fun
with...
Have You Heard Has a New Website
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TweetHave You Heard has a new website. Visit us at
www.haveyouheardpodcast.com to find our latest episodes and our entire
archive. And be sure to check out...
Follow me at Substack
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I've moved. Follow me at Substack
I'm now posting regularly at Substack. You can subscribe for free to my new
Edu/Pol blog at michaelklonsky.substack.com
...
Aspiring Teachers Get New Help Paying For College
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[image: colorful classroom pattern]
*; Credit: shuoshu/Getty Images*
Cory Turner | NPR
New rules kick in today that will help aspiring teachers pay for c...
Tips Akses Situs Judi Qq Tanpa Perlu Takut Nawala
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Kegiatan berjudi slot melalui situs judi qq online, sekarang sudah
dilakukan oleh banyak penjudi Indonesia. Tentu, Kamu yang sedang membaca
artikel ini a...
The Threat of Integration
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I have lived in the same house in the Miracle Mile section of Los Angeles
for over 30 years, where up until now I have had little or no interaction
with th...
We fight for a democracy worthy of us all!
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The nation stands at a crossroads, said NEA President Lily Eskelsen GarcÃa
in her final keynote address to the 2020 NEA Representative Assembly and
it’s up...
The Passing Of Chaz 1951-2020 Age 69
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I am the son of Chaz and like to inform you that he passed away this
afternoon from the COVID virus. My father passed in peace beside his loved
ones. We ar...
The Fight For Our Children
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*The number of suicides among people ages 10 to 24 nationally increased by
56 percent between 2007 and 2017, according to a new federal report showing
the ...
Read to Self: Just a Kid and a Book.
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Date: Monday, January 5, 2020 Place: My classroom Student: Mrs.Mims, could
we start doing Read to Self again because I got this great book for
Christmas an...
Reminiscences
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I just finished dumping the rest of my lesson plans. I guess I held on to
the calculus ones for so long because I spent so much time working on them
an...
Just Asking for some Teachers I know.
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Recently Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers stated, We must … recognize that
part of supporting our kids in the classroom means supporting the educators
who t...
Cara Menang Bermain Judi Bola Online
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Bermain judi bola online tentu saja memiliki kesenangannya tersendiri baik
itu mendapatkan keuntungan maupun ketika menantikan hasil skor pada sebuah
perta...
A Critique of Standards-Based Grading
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It first happened to me about ten years ago. I was beginning my third year
of teaching in a new school in Washington, DC. Social studies teachers were
si...
My First and Last Visit to Hudson Yards
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Figuring I did not need to invite any more darkness and vulgarity into my
head than that provided on a daily basis from Trump’s White House, and
after read...
Reduced time for testing? Not so fast.
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NYSED and Commish Elia continue to say that the NYS Assessments are of
reasonable length, I completely disagree.
Here is what NYSED states are average expe...
The World According to Michelle Rhee
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The men behind the curtain fashioning the brave new world of corporate run
education in America! Michelle Rhee is the founder of StudentsFirst, The
New T...
Whose Opinions Matter in Education World?
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It's hard to identify education heroes and sheroes. And perhaps even harder
to pinpoint just whose work is slanted, paid-for and dishonest.
Blockchain: Life on the Ledger
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Originally posted on Wrench in the Gears:
I created this video as a follow up to the one I prepared last year on
Social Impact Bonds. It is time to examine...
New Local Businesses in Sacramento
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Starting a new local business in Sacramento is a monumental task, but can
be accomplished with footwork, perseverance and knowledge. One must learn
the loc...
Lesson Plan: Rhyme and Rhythm in Poetry
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I’ve started a recent unit on poetry with my class. I’m not a poet, and I’m
not a poetry fan (I don’t hate it, but I’m a prose gal), so this makes it
harde...
The Apotheosis of Betsy DeVos
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Betsy Devos has drawn few headlines in recent months, and that is a good
thing for the Secretary of Education. Her tenure began with Vice President
Mike P...
Education Is a Civic Question
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In their final post to end Bridging Differences' decade-long run, Deborah
Meier and Harry Boyte urge readers to put the energy, talents, wisdom, and
hard w...
Site News: New Home for Education News & Commentary
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Quick! Get over there! The daily education news roundup and education
commentaries that you're probably looking for are now being published over
at The Gra...
Should We Be Grateful?
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In an odd turn of events, and with little explanation, Michigan Governor
Rick Snyder has decided to return the state’s School Reform Office back to
the Dep...
An Open Letter to NC Lawmakers
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An Open Letter to NC State Lawmakers and NC State Superintendent Mark
Johnson: I am a NC native, voter, and public school teacher. I am
addressing you all ...
The Secret to Fixing Schools (My Next Bestseller)
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The Secret to Fixing Schools (My next bestseller) Prologue I just finished
watching a fascinating documentary on Netflix entitled, “The Secret”. The
film p...
Farewell, Sleep
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Today is the official last day of my spring break. I've done a scientific
survey: My natural bedtime is 2 AM, and my natural wake up time is 9:41
AM. Tom...
REPORT: States With the Best and Worst Schools
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States With the Best (and Worst)Schools
By *Evan Comen, Michael B. Sauter, Samuel Stebbins and Thomas C. Frohlich*
January 20, 2017- http://247wallst.com
...
Test Refusal = People Power
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In recent months, social media has been ablaze with talk of regular folk
taking action to resist the Trump agenda. Protests are a daily occurrence,
and ev...
Random Musings and Observations. . . .
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I’ve been gone a while from the blogging scene. Some of my more regular
readers no doubt noticed but did not hassle me about it. Thank you for
that. Sinc...
AB 934: A LEGISLATIVE FIX FOR VERGARA?
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By Michael Stratford | in the Politco Morning Education Report | via email
05/24/2016 10:00 AM EDT :: Two national education groups are backing a
Califor...
MY NEW BLOG
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My new blog will consist of fictitious headlines, meant to be a blend of
humor and satire. I apologize ahead of time if any other satirical site has
simila...
Thank you
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Dear Readers,
Thank you for visiting *The Perimeter Primate*. This blog is being retired
for the time being. Although I no longer post here, I do still s...
I am Retiring
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I have some news: I am retiring from the PBS NewsHour and Learning Matters.
[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other
conte...
New Beginnings: Kickstarter and EdWeek Teacher
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Greetings to InterACT readers one and all! If you’ve been following posts
here recently you might recall that I’m moving my blogging activity to
other loca...
Adelaide L. Sanford Charter School
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*“With Adelaide L. Sanford Charter School closing, Newark families must
move on.”* The Star-Ledger (NJ), 6/25/2013
NEWARK — Bobby and Troy Shanks saw the...
Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos repeats the hackneyed and erroneous claims that American public schools are failing.
She says the Obama ideas (testing, charters, and accountability) have failed, so she wants to impose her own ideas, which sound no diffferent from the failed ideas of the status quo.
American schools could use some support, not another four years of carping and disruption.
I explained in my book “Reign of Error” that the “Failing Schools” narrative is a hoax.
As of 2013, test scores on the federal tests called NAEP were the highest in 40 years of testing. For whites, blacks, Hispanics, and Asians.
The graduation rate was the highest in history, for all groups.
The dropout rate was the lowest ever recorded.
Scores on NAEP went flat from 2013-2015, possibly because of Common Core or because the test-and-punish approach had gone about as far as it could go. The flatline showed the failure of the NCLB-RTTT policies, not the schools.
We have the greatest economy in the world and the most productive workforce. Our public schools built our economy. Stop bashing our public schools, our teachers, and our students!
Please tweet @betsydevos and urge her to read “Reign of Error” or send her a copy.
Kevin Carey is the director of education research at the New America Foundation in D.C., a think tank funded by tech magnates. He writes in the New York Times that researchers are reacting with surprise at the “dismal results” from vouchers. I am not sure why this is news, because vouchers have been tried out since 1990 in Milwaukee and elsewhere and have been subject to numerous evaluations, alm
A bill was filed in the Tennessee legislature to establish vouchers for students in Shelby County. It would divert $18 million from the district, which is already one of the most fiscally disadvantaged districts in the nation. The voucher program would deepen the fiscal distress of the district. With the amount of the vouchers, students would not be accepted at first-rate private schools but at l
The Education Law Center lists the most fiscally distressed districts in the nation. You will note that one of them is Shelby County, Tennessee, where the Gates Foundation and Stand for Children expended a great deal of effort to introduce charters and district consolidation as a mini-bandaid to the district’s financial problems. The Gates Foundation paid to bring in the Boston Consulting Group t
A public school activist in Massachusetts sent this letter from Robert Amsterdam, an attorney retained by the Government of Turkey to investigate the large charter chain run by Fetullah Gulen. Gulen is an Islamic cleric who lives in seclusion in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. He has some vague connection with some 170 or so charter schools that are paid for with public funds but staffed an
Betsy DeVos gave a speech to the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), explaining that the programs created by George W. Bush and Barack Obama had failed, and she would replace them with her own ideas . She did not point out that her own ideas have failed too. Just look at the mess she has made of Michigan, where the state’s rankings on the federal test (NAEP) have plummeted, and where
According to the media (which the president assures us is lying, corrupt, dishonest, and “the enemy of the American people”), Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos objected to the president’s decision to remove federal protection for transgender students. She expressed concern for the harm that might occur to the students, but was overruled by the president and Attorney General Jeff Sessions. https:
Mercedes Schneider reviews a new report from the Education Research Alliance in New Orleans. The bottom line: When Louisiana eliminated tenure, teacher turnover increased. https://deutsch29.wordpress.com/2017/02/22/louisiana-research-when-tenure-ends-teachers-leave/ This shouldn’t be surprising. Removing job security encourages attrition. Other research has shown that instability and teacher chur
Veteran education journalist Lindsay Wagner writes that anyone who wants to know what Betsy DeVos will do to schools need look no further than North Carolina. It has already happened there. North Carolina was taken over by the Tea Party in 2010 and has gone on a rampage to privatize education and defund public schools. The legislature wiped out its very successful investment in teacher preparatio
Mike Klonsky reviews Betsy DeVos’ long and fruitful relationship with pro-privatization politicians in Florida. She served on Jeb Bush’s board. She has contributed to pro-school choice candidates. Florida is ideal, from her point of view, because of the free hand given to for-profit charter operators. Of course, it would be Florida that provides the model for the nation: Florida’s charter schools
Ms. DeVos: The state of Michigan, as you know, plans to close 38 schools, most of them in Detroit. Please watch this powerful documentary about school closings in Detroit, how they disproportionately affect black children, how they disproportionately affect children with special needs. Detroit is littered with closed schools. Don’t you realize that closing schools destroys communities and disrupt
Professor Helen Ladd is one of the nation’s most distinguished economists of education; she holds a chair at Duke University. In this article , she reviews the federal program No Child Left Behind. The first conclusion one could draw was