Seattle Schools and Closures
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The Seattle Times has an article today about school closures in SPS. When I
saw the headline I confess I was puzzled. Why are we revisiting this? But
the...
Next Day of Nationwide Action April 19
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I’m a senior 🇨🇦🇨🇦 aware of Hands OFF who’s shocked that many younger,
politcally engaged knew nothing of Apr5. Somehow it wasn’t reaching their
feeds...
The Real Learning that Happens Through Play
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Critics of play-based learning often express doubts about whether any
"meaningful" learning happens through play. Or rather, they don't count it
as lear...
Todd Lyons' Mass Deportations
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If Donald Trump’s mass deportations weren’t already dystopian enough, the
acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement says he wants to
make...
A College Professor Teaches High School Classes
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In 1960, a university professor volunteered to teach social studies at a
high school for a semester. It was a rare event then as it would be in
2025. Edwin...
On Tyranny: Lessons for Educators 10
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Reflections on the short yet deep book of Timothy Snyder. Believe in truth.
To abandon facts is to abandon freedom. If nothing is true, then no one can
cri...
On Tyranny: Lessons for Educators 10
-
Reflections on the short yet deep book of Timothy Snyder. Believe in truth.
To abandon facts is to abandon freedom. If nothing is true, then no one can
cri...
RIP VAN DEMOCRAT, THE UNWOKE AMERICAN'S TALE
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*RIP VAN DEMOCRAT*
*THE UNWOKE AMERICAN'S TALE *
*Inspired by "Rip Van Winkle," a classic American short story by Washington
Irving*
In the quiet embrac...
The Reason We Still Need Conferences
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I am just back from the Network for Public Education conference, held this
year in Columbus, Ohio. Columbus is an eight-hour drive from my house, and
we ar...
New York and The Fight For Truly Public Schools
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A few days ago, the New York State Education Department rebuked the Trump
administration’s efforts to pull federal funding. Namely, the federal
administr...
Venue Change: Sanders and AOC in Folsom California
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TPlease be advised that there is a venue change: *we will now be at the
Folsom Lake College Athletic Track in Folsom, CA.*
Here's everything you need to...
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...
NPE2025 Columbus Impressions
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By Thomas Ultican 4/8/2025 This weekend, it was a rainy sad environment
greeting the 2025 Network for Public Education (NPE) conference but inside
the Colu...
Risks of using AI in the classroom
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April 8, 2025 The annual conference of Network for Public Education, on
whose board I sit, was held last weekend in Columbus, Ohio. It was
terrific as usu...
¿Qué hace falta para que gane la resistencia?
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Una ola de resistencia se levanta. ¿Qué hará falta para que ganemos?
Dondequiera que miremos, una ola de resistencia se levanta. Mi corazón se
llena de ale...
Where Are You Going to Go? Home?
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“It is curious to observe how customs and ceremonies degenerate.” ― Maria
Edgeworth, Complete Novels of Maria Edgeworth We have lost the ability to
liste...
Should We Be Rooting FOR Catastrophe?
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More than 100 years ago H.G. Wells observed that “Human history becomes
more and more a race between education and catastrophe.” Wells was stacking
the dec...
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...
Trump actually already can serve a third term
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and even a fourth and a fifth ….
so could Clinton, Bush 43, and Obama.
There are no limits on how many terms a President can serve
Here are the relevan...
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...
March’s Parent Engagement Resources
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What does our research say about grades, attendance, test scores, & “on
track” metrics for @chipubschools.bsky.social students? How can parents use
this in...
Dismantling Public Education: No Laughing Matter!
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Don’t it always seem to go That you don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s
gone… ~Joni Mitchell Many educators and parents found it painful watching
Donald...
Standing with Federal Workers? Or backing Trump?
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The ABC group shows a dangerous side. “Leaving politics at the door”
apparently means not taking on Trump when he denies rights to workers.
Focusing on “Br...
Are we all on the same team?
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Copied from Quora; I didn’t write any of this… As an American I ask my
fellow Americans, why can’t you realize at the end of the day we are all on
the same...
Who is the new CEO of Teach For America?
-
From 1990 until 2013, the CEO of TFA was the founder, Wendy Kopp. Under her
leadership the program grew from a small organization that struggled to
make pa...
Site Index - Updated December 31, 2024
-
When I was teaching,
I got tired of hearing how bad American educators were.
*My Promise *
WHEN I STARTED BLOGGING IN 2011, I said I planned to speak ...
Defining Productivity, Cost, and Efficiency
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Recycled material here… The central problem with US public schools is often
characterized as an efficiency problem. We spend a lot and don’t get much
for i...
Number 18 — A barely-hanging-on Blogoversary
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Blogoversary #18 SEPTEMBER 14, 2006 I started this blog while I was still
teaching, in 2006. I had just begun my 31st year as an educator. Just like
in pre...
Student "Growth" Measures Are STILL Biased
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This caught my attention:
New Jersey school districts may soon be evaluated differently, *with a
greater emphasis on student growth* as compared to stud...
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
-
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
-
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 García
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.
-
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
-
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.
-
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?
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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?
-
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
-
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
-
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. . . .
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
*“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...
Eight Things I Love About Elizabeth Warren’s Education Plan – And One I Don’t My daughter had bad news for me yesterday at dinner. She turned to me with all the seriousness her 10-year-old self could muster and said, “Daddy, I know you love Bernie but I’m voting for Elizabeth.” “Elizabeth Warren?” I said choking back a laugh. Her pronouncement had come out of nowhere. We had just been discussing
Democratic Candidates Should Distance Themselves From Teach for America Democratic Candidates Should Distance Themselves From Teach for America Like most who support public education and the teaching profession, I routinely pore over media reports to learn what the Democratic candidates will bring to the table for PreK-12 education, and higher education. Here are the frontrunners’ plans. Yesterda
Join us at GFE 2019! The Schott team is at the annual Grantmakers for Education national conference this week in New Orleans — we hope to see you there. We're happy to host a learning session and a funder reception on Wednesday, October 23, and Schott Vice President Edgar Villanueva will close out GFE in a plenary session on Thursday morning. Join us! Learning Session: Increasing Philanthropic S
Miserable Bankruptcy of Charter School Cheerleaders | Dissident Voice Miserable Bankruptcy of Charter School Cheerleaders Charter school promoters embraced irrationalism long ago. Their reckless antisocial agenda requires them to do so because what they are promoting has no legitimate basis; it is not consistent with modern requirements. “Leaders” in the charter school sector have long spoken and
Breaking the Cycle of Reforming Again and Again (Thomas Hatch) In a recent article in International Education News , Professor Tom Hatch, Teachers College, Columbia, offered a reasonable and do-able way for policymakers, parents, and voters to outflank the seemingly inevitable cycle of school reform that researchers, policy analysts, and historians of education have documented for decades. Hatch
An Attempt to Resegregate Little Rock, of All Places A battle over local control in a city that was the face of integration shows the extent of the new segregation problem in the U.S. LITTLE ROCK, Ark.—When Diane Zook, the chair of Arkansas’ State Board of Education, banged her gavel to bring the afternoon meeting into order on October 10, every seat in the cramped boardroom was filled. Nearly e
Sen. Elizabeth Warren to join Chicago teachers on picket line The presidential candidate will visit a West Side school Tuesday. Democratic presidential candidate and U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) is set to join the city’s striking teachers on the picket line Tuesday. The senator will bring her campaign to Chicago in a visit to Oscar DePriest Elementary School at 139 S. Parkside Ave. in Au
AFT PRESIDENT WEINGARTEN PRAISES EDUCATION PLAN OF SENATOR ELIZABETH WARREN AFT President Randi Weingarten: “Sen. Elizabeth Warren's plan for our nation's public schools would be a game changer for our public schools and the 90 percent of America’s students who attend them. Like so many of the other candidates’ education plans we have praised, this one is bold and thorough and lays out tangible
A Letter to Chicago’s Teachers On the Perils of Pay for Success Finance & Wrap Around Services I am writing this letter to the teachers of Chicago as you continue your strike. I realize you probably won’t have time to read this until after your contract is resolved, but I felt it was important to put my thoughts down now while they are fresh in my mind. I know you care deeply for your students,
Even when they aren’t fired for being pregnant or gay, teachers face strict moral demands Pregnant teachers in classrooms are routine these days. But the law didn’t always protect expectant women in any workplace. As part of her stump speech, Sen. Elizabeth Warren tells a story about being fired from her job as a speech pathologist for special needs children once she became pregnant back in 1971
Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007 It's Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... A VERY BUSY DAY | The latest news and resources in education since 2007 TODAY Daylight Saving Time Ends On Nov. 3rd – Here Are Related Teaching & Learning Resources by Larry Ferlazzo / 4h Free-Photos / Pixabay Yup, it’s that time again. You might be interest
Teaching in Hostile Times There is a long-time joke at my university that has far more than a grain of truth in it—the campus and the university environment captured in a metaphor, the bubble. Referring to the bubble elicits smiles and even laughter, until the bubble bursts . Over three M-W-F morning courses this fall , I teach 40 students—39 are first-year students, and 39 are white. Most, as i
Can An Ethically Challenged School Board Member Pass Judgement On Others? Can An Ethically Challenged School Board Member Pass Judgement On Others? “ District and Personal Integrity. To maintain our integrity, we are committed to making decisions in the best interests of the District. We will avoid conflicts of interest and the appearance of impropriety. ” - LAUSD Employee Code of Ethics Included
The Classroom Connectivity Gap Is Closed. How Did That Happen? EducationSuperHighway has only been around since 2012, but this morning they issued a report with a simple message: the classroom connectivity gap has been closed. That’s not entirely a surprise; last year’s annual report from the non-profit reported that 98% of US schools had high-speed internet access. This year the number is squea
Kentucky: Don’t Be Fooled! Charters and Vouchers Harm Children Rev. Sharon Felton, coordinator of Pastors for Kentucky Children, warns parents and other members of the public not to be fooled by the rhetoric. Charters, vouchers, and tax credits are not good for children, and they drain resources from the public schools that educate most children. She writes: Educating our children is the most im
Vouchers And Federally-Supported Discrimination School voucher programs are becoming one of the major fronts in a federal battle to safeguard discrimination by religious organizations. Some flaps created by private religious schools seem minor, like the pastor at a Catholic school who banned Harry Potter books because he believes the books contain “actual curses and spells.” But earlier this yea
Schools with the biggest shortfalls in matching funds for facility upgrades. Here is the list from our report , Sp e nding by NYC on Charter School Facilities : Diverted Resources, Inequities and Anomalies, of the 175 NYC public schools co-located with charter schools with the biggest shortfalls in funds for facility enhancements, totaling $22 million, which were supposed to be provided accordin
Teachers Quitting In DC Valerie Jablow points out that there is an enormous problem with DC public and charter teachers being so harassed that they quit: around 70% of them quit by their 5th year of employment. (She adds that this is probably not a bug, but a feature of the DC teacher evaluation program.) I am reprinting her entire column, but you should subscribe to it yourself. ===============
Sun-Times' phony support for CPS sports teams Sun-Times says, Simeon needs the teachers strike to end sooner than the rest of the Public League We have to wonder, if the strike continues through the coming week, how many students this school year will score just a little lower on standardized tests, hurting their chances of getting into a top college or winning a scholarship. -- Sun-Times editor
Chicago’s Teachers Are Making History. Again. Rank-and-file workers are finally taking back their unions, and strikes are spreading across the country as a result. T he beginning of a resurgence of strength among America’s unions