Not Instruction, But Connection
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Human history is full of life-changing, species-altering innovations.
Language, the wheel, the printing press, electricity, telephones, air
travel, trans...
The Rift in American Socialism
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The Rift in American Socialism: Today on TAP: Realists (Mamdani, AOC) seek
immersion in mass politics; fundamentalists oppose it.
NEPC: Celebrating and Remembering David Berliner
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Celebrating and Remembering David Berliner Education scholar, leader, wit,
gadfly, mentor, father, friend and NEPC Fellow David C. Berliner died
September ...
The Push To End Public Schools
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Despite the fact that the words "school choice" still get tossed around,
most of the noisiest figures in the school choice movement have no actual
interest...
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 ...
Whatever Happened to Coding in U.S. Schools?
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Coding should be a requirement in every public school…. We have a huge
deficit in the skills that we need today versus the skills that are
there. Tim Cook,...
Another LAUSD Incumbent Gets An Opponent
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Parent advocate J.P. Perron challenges LAUSD incumbent Kelly Gonez,
bringing years of special education activism to the ballot.
Read the article on *MEDI...
Public Education Shaped by 19th Century Dispute
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By Thomas Ultican 10/8/2025 Horace Mann, frequently referred to as the
“father of public education”, declared that public education should be
nonsectarian....
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 ...
Just Sent-Out Free Monthly Email Newsletter
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I’ve just mailed out the September issue of my very simple free monthly
email newsletter. It has over 3,000 subscribers, and you can subscribe
here. Of c...
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 State Rex Tillerson used a secondary email with an alias “Wayne Tracker.” He used it to communicate with Exxon board meters about sensitive matters like climate change. A year of emails has disappeared! “Exxon Mobil
Mercedes Schneider comments here o n the Senate GOP decision not to move forward with Hanna Skandera as Assistant Secretary of Education for Elementary and Secondary Education because of her Common Core love.
Politico reported this morning that Hanna Skandera, the Commissioner of Education in New Mexico, cannot be confirmed because of her advocacy for Common Core. Skandera is a protege of Jeb Bush. Although she has never been a
Peter Greene reports here on a sad tale of education policy in Florida, where stupidity grows faster than citrus fruit. As you may recall, Florida is one of the states with a third grader retention law, declaring that third graders cannot
Governor Scott Walker has been a champion of vouchers and charters. He has pushed hard to expand vouchers for religious schools. Some districts will not even lose students but will have to raise taxes to pay for voucher students. http://www.jsonline.com/story/news/education/2017/03/21/tensions-rise-vouchers-pick-up-traction-across-wisconsin/98177206/ “When Superintendent Sue Kaphingst moved to Ch
Nicholas Tampio is a professor of political science in New York, and a parent of children in public schools. He warns that the State Education Department has a campaign to stop opt out from testing, based on bullying and intimidation. He writes: “All across New York, superintendents and principals have sent versions of the following statements to parents whose children are in grades 3-8 and are s
The Republicans are set to expand the D.C. Voucher program, even though no evaluation has shown better test scores for D.C. voucher students and a high attrition rate. Students who get a voucher will check their constitutional rights at the door. The voucher schools may exclude students with disabilities and LGBT students. DeVos doesn’t care. Republicans have already started moving HR 1387, the S
John Merrow hears that the Department of Education in a state of confusion . “From one perspective, these are the worst of times for American public education. In his inaugural address, President Trump told the nation that we have an “education system flush with cash but which leaves our young and beautiful students deprived of all knowledge.” His proposed budget acts on his words, cutting federa
Charles Blow wrote an important article Day about the Trump campaign’s breath-taking lies. https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/03/23/opinion/birth-of-the-biggest-lie.html “A few things are clear after the congressional testimony of James Comey, the F.B.I. director, this week: “First, Donald Trump owes Barack Obama and the American people an apology for his vituperative lie that Obama committed a felo
Just when you thought we were done with discussing, debating, and dissecting grit, the New York Times publishes an article about those “character strengths” that affluent children seem to have more of. Thomas Edsall writes about the subject here. While there are substantial numbers of low-income children who have strength of character, the measures used continue to show that income and whatever i
The National Coucil for Teacher Quality issued a report calling for higher admission standards for entrants into teaching, specifically, higher SAT and ACT scores. This report was reviewed on behalf of the National Education Policy Center. It is interesting and strange that so many people think that scores on the SAT or ACT have remarkable predictive powers. The cardinal rule of psychometric is t
Betsy DeVos just reversed an Obama administration rule that limited the fees that student debt collectors can charge, and one of the beneficiaries has a direct connection to her. As we are learning, making money is a sign of virtue in DeVos’s world, and the more money, the more virtue. Americans who default on some of their federal student loans are likely to pay more after Education Secretary Be
The Los Angeles Times published an article exposing the bloated expenses and income of the CEO of the Celerity Charter chain. No shame or embarrassment. The charter chain defended the CEO’s salary and perks. http://www.latimes.com/local/education/la-me-edu-celerity-response-20170321-story.html
In Oklahoma, the public schools are under-funded, and teachers are buying their own supplies in many schools. Last fall, a number of teachers ran for legislative seats. Needless to say, none of them was lavishly funded. But their opponents had the backing of Betsy DeVos’ American Federation for Children. How AFC can be “for” children when they oppose funding their schools and paying their teacher
Bob Schaeffer of FairTest reports on testing news from across the nation. Responding to escalating grassroots pressure against standardized exam overkill, many state legislatures and education boards are advancing plans reduce testing overuse and misuse. Close monitoring by constituents is necessary to ensure that high-sounding proposals are actually implemented. National Tell Your State to Consu
Dana Goldstein, one of the best education writers, now reports for the New York Times. In this article , she describes the rush to expand vouchers for religious schools in Iowa. You don’t have to look far to find funding by Betsy DeVos and the Koch brothers. “Despite Republican control of the governor’s mansion and both houses of the State Legislature, proposals to significantly expand school cho
Here is a recap of the debate between Julian Vasquez Heilig and Christopher Stewart of the Walton-funded “Education Post.” The proposition debated was “Charters and Vouchers are the answer.”
Texas legislators became suspicious when the letters began pouring advocating for vouchers. Some investigation revealed that they were fraudulent. “Several members of the House have received hundreds of fraudulent letters addressed from constituents asking them to vote for education savings accounts. “State Rep. Drew Springer, R-Muenster, was suspicious when his office fielded 520 letters between
The first Earth Day occurred in 1970, and it raised awareness of the importance of protecting the environment. Now, more than ever, we must all stand together to support the environment, to defend science, to denounce fake theories, and to protect the earth. The Trump administration thinks that climate change is a hoax. Trump’s budget makes deep cuts in the budget of the Environmental Protection
I have often criticized economist Raj Chetty for his study claiming that teachers in elementary school who “produce” test score gains affect the lifetime earnings of their students. This study, which he conducted with two other economists, supported Arne Duncan’s obsession with measuring teacher effectiveness by test scores of their student, a practice that was repeatedly debunked by scholarly or
Teachers organizations from across the state of California have formed an alliance to fight for genuine School reform. CALIFORNIA: 8 Teacher Union Locals Unite Against the Trump/DeVos Agenda, Fight for Public Schools through Collective Bargaining, Community Power United around common struggles and a shared vision, The California Alliance for Community Schools is a groundbreaking coalition of educ
Audrey Amrein-Beardsley has devoted a large portion of her professional life to criticizing the work of William Sanders, creator of the value-added model for measuring teacher effectiveness. She reports in this post that he passed away at his Tennessee home at the age of 74. Sanders’ model was tried out first in Tennessee in the late 1980s and then widely disseminated to other states. Many teache
On Wednesday night, there will be a debate about school choice at the Notre Dame Law School. South Bend, Indiana. Robin Potter, a lawyer,will support the importance of public schools. John Schoenig of Notre Dame will defend school choice. Wednesday night March 22 at 5:30 pm. If you can attend, contact Robin