Devin Nunes’ hometown paper mocks Trump’s ‘laughable’ plan to give him the Medal of Freedom — with a hilarious alternative | BY THE FRESNO BEE EDITORIAL BOARD

Trump wants to give Nunes a medal | The Fresno Bee

Trump to give Nunes the Medal of Freedom? Better idea: free nights at a Trump hotel
BY THE FRESNO BEE EDITORIAL BOARD

Buckminster Fuller for architecture. Georgia O’Keeffe and Norman Rockwell for art. Martha Graham for dance. Walt Disney and Samuel Goldwyn for cinema. Maya Angelou for literature. Bruce Springsteen for music. Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf for military service. John Wooden and Michael Jordan for sports.

This short list represents Americans who have been bestowed with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. It is the nation’s highest civilian honor. All aspects of American life are recognized — from arts and business to law and politics.

It is in that latter category that President Trump on Thursday identified someone he wants to give the medal to — Republican Rep. Devin Nunes of Tulare.

The president offered that high praise based on Nunes’ chairing the House Intelligence Committee as special counsel Robert Mueller investigates whether the Trump campaign colluded with the Russian government in the 2016 presidential election. Nunes has has been a staunch defender of the president.

Trump, in characteristic fashion, offered the idea in a phone interview with the “Fox and Friends” show on Fox News.

“If this turns out as everyone thinks it will, Devin Nunes should get the Medal of Honor,” Trump said, then clarifying he meant Medal of Freedom, since Medals of Honor go to military members only.

“What he’s gone through, and his bravery, he should get a very important medal.”

With due respect to the president and his affection for Nunes, giving the congressman the medal would be laughable. For one thing, prior winners have been honored for their life’s work. Nunes, while having served in the House since 2003, is still an active representative whose career is not yet over.

Besides, many would question whether Nunes’ accomplishments merit such a distinction. He has been roundly criticized for failing to advance any meaningful legislation for all his years in Congress. Among those making such criticism is his latest challenger, Andrew Janz, who is campaigning hard to unseat Nunes in the November election.

Nunes’ work on the Intelligence Committee has been highly controversial, damaging and embarrassing. Nunes turned the committee’s traditional protocol — country before politics — upside down with how he has handled the committee’s investigation into Russian meddling.

How ironic that the very medal Trump wants to give Nunes is called “Medal of Freedom.” Freedom from a real investigation?

The Medal of Freedom should not be politicized. The president obviously is grateful to the congressman. But the better way to show it would be to give Nunes a stay at a Trump hotel, complete with some free breakfasts.

Trump wants to give Nunes a medal | The Fresno Bee

Top Posts This Week 10/13/18

Top Posts This Week 10/13/18

• 

  The real story of New Orleans and its charter schools - The Washington Post
• 

  Facing the Trilemma of Classroom “Data Walls” | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice
• 

  CURMUDGUCATION: ICYMI: Post Show Edition (10/7)
• 

  Latinx LGBTQ Youth Report | Human Rights Campaign
• 

  Wick-Ed | Blue Cereal Education
• 

  A $1 billion Gates Foundation-backed education initiative failed to help students — here’s how the foundation's next $450 million project will look - Business Insider Nordic
• 

  Charter Schools: When 'School Choice' Means the Opposite - Bloomberg
• 

  Marshall Tuck’s Financial Support of Convicted Felon Ref Rodriguez
• 

  Marshall Tuck: The Republicans’ Trojan Horse
• 

  DeVos company implicated in new report on fishy communications between Trump Organization and Russian bank

Posts This Week 10/13/18

TODAY

Los Angeles teachers are a step closer to a potential strike after mediation with district ends - Los Angeles Times

by mike simpson / 1h

Los Angeles teachers are a step closer to a potential strike after mediation with district ends - Los Angeles Times Los Angeles teachers are a step closer to a potential strike after mediation with district ends The union representing Los Angeles teachers moved one step closer to a possible strike Friday after ending mediation sessions with the L.A. Unified School District. Union officials accuse

R U READING THESE PROGRESSIVE EDUCATION FELLOWS — A voice for peace, social justice, and the common good - Progressive.org

by mike simpson / 1h

The Progressive — A voice for peace, social justice, and the common good - Progressive.org R U READING THESE PROGRESSIVE EDUCATION FELLOWS Public School Shakedown—A project of The Progressive - Progressive.org - https://progressive.org/public-school-shakedown THE PROGRESSIVE EDUCATION FELLOWS Jeff Bryant Director of the Education Opportunity Network and associate fellow at Campaign for America’s

Education May Spell Doom for Oklahoma’s Republican ‘Subprime’ Gubernatorial Candidate - Progressive.org

by mike simpson / 1h

Education May Spell Doom for Oklahoma’s Republican ‘Subprime’ Gubernatorial Candidate - Progressive.org Education May Spell Doom for Oklahoma’s Republican ‘Subprime’ Gubernatorial Candidate Oklahoma educators have had enough of outsiders imposing their untested opinions on classrooms. Much has been made in this election season of the success educators have had in winning down-ballot primaries and

CURMUDGUCATION: How Teachers Avoid the Common Core

by mike simpson / 2h

CURMUDGUCATION: How Teachers Avoid the Common Core How Teachers Avoid the Common Core Here's an important thing to understand about the Common Core Standards--nobody is in charge of them. Many standards have official gatekeepers. For instance, the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Colorado is the official civilian source for the answer to "What time is it?" through the national at

Quit Saying Special Ed. Costs Too Much! 8 Cost-Cutting Signs to Watch Out For

by mike simpson / 2h

Quit Saying Special Ed. Costs Too Much! 8 Cost-Cutting Signs to Watch Out For Quit Saying Special Ed. Costs Too Much! 8 Cost-Cutting Signs to Watch Out For In 1975, President Gerald Ford signed Public Law 94-142. The law guaranteed every child a free appropriate public education. This positively impacted millions of children across the country. The law was later reauthorized and renamed the Indiv

YESTERDAY

Latinx LGBTQ Youth Report | Human Rights Campaign

by mike simpson / 22h

Latinx LGBTQ Youth Report | Human Rights Campaign Latinx LGBTQ Youth Report In 2017, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation partnered with researchers at the University of Connecticut to conduct a groundbreaking survey of over 12,000 LGBTQ youth and capture their experiences in their families, schools, social circles and communities. More than 2,900 LGBTQ Latinx youth responded to the survey. This

NAACP Legal Defense Fund Asks Florida DoE to End Biased Hair Policies

by mike simpson / 1d

NAACP Legal Defense Fund Asks Florida DoE to End Biased Hair Policies Education, Not Discrimination: NAACP Legal Defense Fund Asks Florida Schools to End Biased Hair Policies As children returned to school this fall, new teachers and classmates weren’t the only things that greeted some students. More than one story surfaced of children being turned away , or sent home from school, because of cult

We’ve known since the 1940s that kids don’t do well in school when they’re hungry

by mike simpson / 1d

We’ve known since the 1940s that kids don’t do well in school when they’re hungry We’ve known since the 1940s that kids don’t do well in school when they’re hungry National School Lunch week is here (October 15-19), a time for shining the spotlight on this essential program that feeds hungry children. For just a moment, let’s take a step back in time to see what President Harry Truman and the Uni

CURMUDGUCATION: John White Remains Confused

by mike simpson / 1d

CURMUDGUCATION: John White Remains Confused John White Remains Confused Last week the Policy Innovators in Education (PIE) network held its annual meeting, this time in New Orleans. It's a jolly gathering of all our reform friends, and this year it featured a speech from Louisiana school chief John White, the test of which was run by Fordham's Flypaper blog . I'll warn you-- this starts out just

OCT 11

Save The Date: BLM At School National Week of Action, 2019, Feb 4th-8th – Black Lives Matter At School

by mike simpson / 1d

Save The Date: BLM At School National Week of Action, 2019, Feb 4th-8th – Black Lives Matter At School Save The Date: BLM At School National Week of Action, 2019, Feb 4th-8th Mark your calendar! The Black Lives Matter at School action this school-year will be held from February 4-8th, 2019. Black Lives Matter At School is a national committee educators organizing for racial justice in education.

Charter Schools: When 'School Choice' Means the Opposite - Bloomberg

by mike simpson / 1d

Charter Schools: When 'School Choice' Means the Opposite - Bloomberg When ‘School Choice’ Means the Opposite The U.S. charter-school movement was meant to stimulate innovation. Instead, it’s enforcing uniformity. When Albert Shanker, the legendary teachers’ union leader, promoted the idea of charter schools 30 years ago, he was hoping to create flexibility from the constraints of education bureau

Michael Bloomberg Switches to Democratic Party Ahead of Possible 2020 Presidential Campaign

by mike simpson / 2d

Michael Bloomberg Switches to Democratic Party Ahead of Possible 2020 Presidential Campaign The Democrat turned Republican turned Independent re-registers as a Democrat with 2020 on his mind. Former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg announced in an Instagram post on Wednesday morning that he was changing his party affiliation for the third time this century. “Today, I have re-registered as a

Marshall Tuck’s Financial Support of Convicted Felon Ref Rodriguez

by mike simpson / 2d

Marshall Tuck’s Financial Support of Convicted Felon Ref Rodriguez Marshall Tuck’s Financial Support of Convicted Felon Ref Rodriguez Rodriguez’s misdeeds…made a mockery of the laws governing elections. ” – LA Times Editorial Board By the time the last vote was counted in the 2015 LAUSD School Board election, it was the most expensive school board race in the history of the country. The impending

Stunning New Book Contextualizes Tragedy of 2013 School Closures in Chicago’s Hyper-Segregated History | janresseger

by mike simpson / 2d

Stunning New Book Contextualizes Tragedy of 2013 School Closures in Chicago’s Hyper-Segregated History | janresseger Stunning New Book Contextualizes Tragedy of 2013 School Closures in Chicago’s Hyper-Segregated History Eve Ewing’s new book, Ghosts in the Schoolyard: Racism and School Closings on Chicago’s South Side , explores the blindness, deafness, and heartlessness of technocratic, “portfoli

New Jersey: Charter School Situation Under Review, Pro-Charter Folks Wary | deutsch29

by mike simpson / 2d

New Jersey: Charter School Situation Under Review, Pro-Charter Folks Wary | deutsch29 New Jersey: Charter School Situation Under Review, Pro-Charter Folks Wary New Jersey education commissioner, Lamont Repollet , is in the process of reviewing the state of New Jersey’s education system. In the meantime, noticeably fewer charter schools are being approved or expanded. Repollet is trying to assure

OCT 10

Lack Of Charter School Accountability Was Baked Into the System From the Start | The Range: The Tucson Weekly's Daily Dispatch

by mike simpson / 2d

Lack Of Charter School Accountability Was Baked Into the System From the Start | The Range: The Tucson Weekly's Daily Dispatch Lack Of Charter School Accountability Was Baked Into the System From the Start Note [of exasperation]: I'm beginning to think the Star has a policy: "Never write the words, 'According to an article by Craig Harris in the Republic . . .'" Harris has written a groundbreakin

Democratic Senators Call For Investigation Into Virtual Charter Schools | HuffPost

by mike simpson / 2d

Democratic Senators Call For Investigation Into Virtual Charter Schools | HuffPost Democratic Senators Call For Investigation Into Virtual Charter Schools Senators say they have questions about student performance and fiscal transparency in the online school systems. Two Democratic senators asked Wednesday for the Government Accountability Office to launch an investigation into the practices and

Tell your legislators to reject online pre-school and support real universal pre-school instead.

by mike simpson / 2d

Tell your legislators to reject online pre-school and support real universal pre-school instead. Tell your legislators to reject online pre-school and support real universal pre-school instead. Click Here To Tell your legislators to reject online pre-school and support real universal pre-school instead. The profiteers have come up with one more scam to grab public tax dollars--online pre-schools.

Fifty Years Ago, 35,000 Chicago Students Walked Out Of Their Classrooms In Protest. They Changed CPS Forever. | PopularResistance.Org

by mike simpson / 2d

Fifty Years Ago, 35,000 Chicago Students Walked Out Of Their Classrooms In Protest. They Changed CPS Forever. | PopularResistance.Org FIFTY YEARS AGO, 35,000 CHICAGO STUDENTS WALKED OUT OF THEIR CLASSROOMS IN PROTEST. THEY CHANGED CPS FOREVER. Among Their Demands: Black And Latino Teachers And Administrators, Ethnic Studies Classes And Clubs, And Bilingual Education It’s 1968 and 18-year-old Pemo

An Analysis of the Performance and Financial Practices of For-Profit, Virtual Charter Schools

by mike simpson / 2d

Profit Before Kids - Center for American Progress Profit Before Kids An Analysis of the Performance and Financial Practices of For-Profit, Virtual Charter Schools Introduction and summary California Virtual Academies (CAVA) oversees nine virtual charter schools across the state of California. Virtual charter schools are public schools that provide online instruction. Students complete assignments

RAND study shows 'restorative practices' have positive effect on Pittsburgh Public Schools | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

by mike simpson / 3d

RAND study shows 'restorative practices' have positive effect on Pittsburgh Public Schools | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette RAND study shows 'restorative practices' have positive effect on Pittsburgh Public Schools “Restorative practices” have been touted among experts and advocates as a key tool to reduce school suspensions and expulsions — and particularly racial disparities among them. It’s a strateg

How School Choice in Michigan Accelerates Student Mobility, Stresses Educators, and Undermines Education | janresseger

by mike simpson / 3d

How School Choice in Michigan Accelerates Student Mobility, Stresses Educators, and Undermines Education | janresseger How School Choice in Michigan Accelerates Student Mobility, Stresses Educators, and Undermines Education Yesterday this blog examined how two school choice policies in Michigan—the rapid expansion of charter school choice and cross-district open enrollment that allows students to

OCT 09

DeVos Ally, New Leader of For-Profit K12 Inc. Promises to Clean Up Its Shoddy Record | Diane Ravitch's blog

by mike simpson / 3d

DeVos Ally, New Leader of For-Profit K12 Inc. Promises to Clean Up Its Shoddy Record | Diane Ravitch's blog DeVos Ally, New Leader of For-Profit K12 Inc. Promises to Clean Up Its Shoddy Record Over the years, it has become obvious that virtual charter schools are a sham. ECOT in Ohio was a spectacular failure, which made millions for its for-profit owner (“the ECOT man”) but cost taxpayers over a

Maker Movements Should NOT Endanger School Libraries, Librarians, and Reading

by mike simpson / 4d

Maker Movements Should NOT Endanger School Libraries, Librarians, and Reading Maker Movements Should NOT Endanger School Libraries, Librarians, and Reading To call yourself a librarian, you need to have that training and to be certified. If you replace a certified librarian with someone who’s just an expert in technology, you’re losing half of the role that school libraries are supposed to be ser

How Can School Choice Destroy the Public Schools in Your Community? | janresseger

by mike simpson / 4d

How Can School Choice Destroy the Public Schools in Your Community? | janresseger How Can School Choice Destroy the Public Schools in Your Community? In his column last week for the Education Opportunity Network, Jeff Bryant examines a scary question: Can school choice create the conditions that entirely shut down a community’s public school system? Bryant reports on Michigan where school choice

American Academy of Pediatrics Suggests “Prescriptions for Play” for Children Ages Two Years and Younger | deutsch29

by mike simpson / 4d

American Academy of Pediatrics Suggests “Prescriptions for Play” for Children Ages Two Years and Younger | deutsch29 American Academy of Pediatrics Suggests “Prescriptions for Play” for Children Ages Two Years and Younger In August 2018, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) published a paper that includes a “prescription for play” for children ages 2 years and younger. For those who are unsur

OCT 08

DeVos company implicated in new report on fishy communications between Trump Organization and Russian bank

by mike simpson / 5d

DeVos company implicated in new report on fishy communications between Trump Organization and Russian bank DeVos company implicated in new report on fishy communications between Trump Organization and Russian bank Cybersecurity experts found evidence of suspicious communications between a Trump Organization computer and a Russian bank in the summer of 2016 — and they also noticed a link to Betsy

A $1 billion Gates Foundation-backed education initiative failed to help students — here’s how the foundation's next $450 million project will look - Business Insider Nordic

by mike simpson / 5d

A $1 billion Gates Foundation-backed education initiative failed to help students — here’s how the foundation's next $450 million project will look - Business Insider Nordic A $1 billion Gates Foundation-backed education initiative failed to help students — here’s how the foundation's next $450 million project will look The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation spent more than $200 million on a teach

Marshall Tuck: The Republicans’ Trojan Horse

by mike simpson / 5d

Marshall Tuck: The Republicans’ Trojan Horse Marshall Tuck: The Republicans’ Trojan Horse In last week’s column , I wrote that “the future of public education and the heart and soul of progressive California” were at stake in the Superintendent of Public Instruction race. What makes this race so important is that it represents an attempt by moneyed interests and forces on the right to play in Dem

Many schools in the US can teach whatever they want. It turns out that they teach lies - Muchas escuelas de EEUU pueden enseñar lo que quieran. Resulta que enseñan mentiras

by mike simpson / 5d

Muchas escuelas de EEUU pueden enseñar lo que quieran. Resulta que enseñan mentiras Many schools in the US can teach whatever they want. It turns out that they teach lies The schools with programs of bonuses to the parents, for which the secretary of Education Betsy DeVos advocates, teach creationism, racism and sexism . PORTLAND, Oregon (USA). - It was the last hours of the morning in an artisti

Staggering amounts of outside money raised in SPI race :: K-12 Daily

by mike simpson / 5d

Staggering amounts of outside money raised in SPI race :: K-12 Daily :: The Essential Resource for Superintendents and the Cabinet Staggering amounts of outside money raised in SPI race (Calif.) Charter school supporters backing Marshall Tuck for state superintendent of public instruction have raised nearly $10 million since the beginning of July for independent spending during the closing weeks

The Fundamental Right to Education Education Law Prof Blog

by mike simpson / 5d

Education Law Prof Blog The Fundamental Right to Education In my last article, The Constitutional Compromise to Guarantee Education , I examined the period immediately leading up to and following the Fourteenth Amendment and found that the ratification of the 14th Amendment and southern state's education clauses in the constitutions were inextricably intertwined. Quite simply, rewriting their con

Facing the Trilemma of Classroom “Data Walls” | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

by mike simpson / 5d

Facing the Trilemma of Classroom “Data Walls” | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice Facing the Trilemma of Classroom “Data Walls” Over the past few years I have visited many classrooms. In elementary schools, I have seen pasted on a wall or cork board, “data walls” that look like these: Usually, students have numbers or aliases assigned to mask their identity. Of course, most stud

OCT 07

CURMUDGUCATION: ICYMI: Post Show Edition (10/7)

by mike simpson / 5d

CURMUDGUCATION: ICYMI: Post Show Edition (10/7) Final performance and set strike last night, so I'm operating on too-little sleep. But that doesn't mean I didn't find you some worthwhile reads for your Sunday afternoon. Tackling Bro Culture Is Hard The Kavanaugh spectacle has opened up sopme discussion of dealing with bro culture in high schools. Here's a NYT take on the subject. School Hopping B

Jerry Brown’s mixed legacy: Is California’s departing governor a Resistance hero or a hypocrite? | Salon.com

by mike simpson / 5d

Jerry Brown’s mixed legacy: Is California’s departing governor a Resistance hero or a hypocrite? | Salon.com Jerry Brown’s mixed legacy: Is California’s departing governor a Resistance hero or a hypocrite? National media celebrates Brown’s accomplishments, but for California progressives the picture’s more complicated I f anything should be obvious in the wake of the 2016 election it’s that both

Wick-Ed | Blue Cereal Education

by mike simpson / 6d

Wick-Ed | Blue Cereal Education Wick-Ed Think of something you love. Not a person – a topic. A hobby. A personal passion. Now pretend that it’s very important to you to share this passion with others. In fact, you’re getting PAID to spread this interest and your expertise. This is exhilarating and terrifying, because on the one hand you’re being given the opportunity to make a career out of somet

The Right Wing, Anti-Gay Crusade Behind Marshall Tuck’s Campaign to Take Over California Schools - LA Progressive

by mike simpson / 6d

The Right Wing, Anti-Gay Crusade Behind Marshall Tuck’s Campaign to Take Over California Schools - LA Progressive The Right Wing, Anti-Gay Crusade Behind Marshall Tuck’s Campaign to Take Over California Schools The privatizers’ ideal candidate for California State Superintendent, Marshall Tuck, recently suffered a serious blow to his credibility when he announced he was returning a contribution f

Yong Zhao: Problems with Evidence-based Education: Side Effects in Education Education in the Age of Globalization

by mike simpson / 6d

Education in the Age of Globalization » Blog Archive » Problems with Evidence-based Education: Side Effects in Education Problems with Evidence-based Education: Side Effects in Education The following is the Introduction of my book What Works Can Hurt: Side Effects in Education published by Teachers College Press in June 2018. Introduction “Ibuprofen may cause a severe allergic reaction,” you are

CURMUDGUCATION: DeVos Secret Vist To View Koch Program

by mike simpson / 6d

CURMUDGUCATION: DeVos Secret Vist To View Koch Program DeVos Secret Vist To View Koch Program Betsy DeVos visited Wichita last Monday, but it was a very quiet visit. Her online schedule shows Monday an unscheduled day, and neither the Department of Education nor the group she visited issued any news release. It was a local source-- Suzanne Perez Tobias at the Wichita Eagle -- that picked up the s

OCT 06

Top Posts This Week 10/6/18

by mike simpson / 6d

Top Posts This Week 10/6/18 Class Size Really Really Matters: Police Investigate After Video Of Students Engaged In Sex In New Britain High Classroom Circulates On Social Media - Hartford Courant CURMUDGUCATION: The