May Day With Class
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This May Day—when, traditionally, labor and immigrant activists have
honored the struggles of workers’ fight for a better life—was already going
to b...
The Push Against Screens in Schools Heats Up
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We Have to Get AI and Screens Out of Schools and Out of Kids' Hands by Jill
Filipovic
Not just to save their brains from the zombies of Big Tech, but ...
Rev. Andrew Guljas, C.S.C.
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REV. ANDREW R. GULJAS, C.S.C. July 21, 1938 – April 20, 2026, Notre Dame,
Ind. – Rev. Andrew Roland Guljas, C.S.C., 87, died on April 20, 2026, at
Holy C...
The Secret Behind School Boards Buying Technologies
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Too often, neither research findings nor evaluation data including test
scores guide most major policy decisions. Political and practical reasons
do. Consi...
All Learning Starts With a Sensory Experience
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A single flax seed is a tiny golden fleck, so small that a single one is
hardly noticeable to the human eye, so insubstantial that its fragrance is
unde...
Dante Alighieri, May I Introduce Donald J. Trump?
-
Although the Italian poet Dante Alighieri completed “The Divine Comedy ”
more than 800 years ago, the story of the journey through Hell and
Purgatory into ...
Read and Learn from the Past
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I just finished reading “The Boys in the Light” by Nina Willner. This is a
wonderful World War II story of survival, faith, and brotherhood. I highly
recom...
I Write the Songs
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As a music educator, I was always interested in having my students create
music, a goal that gets a lot of lip service in the profession (including
being o...
2026 California School Recognition Program
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California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond
celebrates award-winning schools during the 2026 California School
Recognition Program.
John Oliver on Chatbots
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Just in case you missed this one.
Oliver plays this one as close to straight as I've ever seen him do, I
suspect because he seems seriously and deeply an...
April’s Parent Engagement Resources
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‘Easy, Positive, and Judgment Free.’ How Families Can Support Their
Children is one of my Ed Week posts. Virtual Parent-Teacher Conferences
That Build Fami...
Problems with the DOE’s AI Guidance
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April 25, 2026 This one-page summary is also posted as a pdf here. The DOE
deadline for feedback is May 8, 2026 via their survey at
on.nyc.gov/AiFeedbackN...
Rosenberg Fund for Children
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I went to visit my mom. April 6 – April 11. We went to a lot of doctor’s
appointments. That was hard. But we had a lot of time to chat. She was
happy I vis...
No Need Rushing for AI in Education
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By Thomas Ultican 4/20/2026 School districts throughout America are being
pushed to spend huge dollars to implement artificial intelligence (AI).
This Sili...
I Want You to March With Me This May Day
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I invite you to march with me this May Day, then organize to win elections
and protect our right to vote. Together, we can prove the power of
organized peo...
Stop the Charter School Cash Grab
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NPE celebrates Women's History month by highlighting the accomplishments of
10 inspiring women from Jane Addams to Ida B. Wells to Christa McAuliffe.
The...
Reflections on America, the world, and life
-
I acknowledge that I rarely post here anymore. Folks should remember that I
am approaching my 80th birthday in less than 9 weeks, I am still teaching
ful...
Margie Lopez-Waite Out As CEO Of ASPIRA
-
In a letter sent to parents, students, and staff members, the board of Las
Americas ASPIRA Academy announced that effective yesterday, 3/23/2026,
Margie Lo...
Shutting Down The Site
-
Ten years ago, I ran for a seat on the LAUSD School Board of Education with
the goal to *Change the LAUSD*.
I am proud of the campaign we ran. We achieve...
A colleague looks back at 2025
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Forwarded this email? Subscribe here for more I get knocked down But I get
up again BETSY WOLF DEC 31READ IN APP I’ve been quiet for most of 2025.
Much of ...
The Company You Keep
-
Even though the filing period for the 2026 elections isn't until April,
let's all pay close attention. The candidates lining up to run will tell
you more a...
This Is What Democracy Looks Like
-
The polls for Prop 50, CA’s ballot initiative that counters MAGA’s illegal
gerry-mandering in Texas, opened Tuesday, November 4, 2025,…
The post This Is ...
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...
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...
Mike Shulman the ARISE UFT Judenrat
-
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?
-
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...
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:
-
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
-
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
-
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
...
I’ve moved.
-
I’m on Substack now. You can continue to receive periodic posts for free.
Or you can read every post and comment for $5 a month, $60 a year.
fredklonsky.su...
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
-
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 GarcÃa
in her final keynote address to the 2020 NEA Representative Assembly and
it’s up...
The Passing Of Chaz 1951-2020 Age 69
-
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
-
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
-
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...
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
-
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.
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
-
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)
-
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
-
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
-
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?
-
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
-
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...
Big news! Steven Singer has received the Ken Goodman In Defense of Good Teaching Award!
Big news! Steven Singer has received the Ken Goodman In Defense of Good Teaching Award! Steve will go to Tucson in April for the celebration. Bravo Steve!Denny Taylor - CEO & Founder at Garn Press
Check Out Steven Singers's Gadfly on the Wall Blog -
This award was established to honor professional educators who have stood up to laws, policies, and practices in an extraordinary way and have set an example of well-grounded, humanistic, holistic education.
It is unseasonably warm here, even as some parts of the country deal with a fresh helping of winter. Either way, we've got things to read. Remember-- if the piece strikes you as an important one, go to the original location for the post or article and share it through your social media. It's all about the amplification.
Putting a Price Tag on Public Schools Wendy Lecker doesn't write enough, so this piece from the Stamford Advocate is a welcome look at the legacy and future of Eli Broad's do-it-yourself superintendent school.
3D TV Tells You Everything You Need To Know About This Decade's Tech This Wired piece isn't about education, except that it is. Tag line: "You don't need special glasses to see what it looks like when smart people run out of ideas." Tech that's all about what you want to make, while steadfastly ignoring what the users actually want.
Bernie Sanders: End High Stakes Testing This was the week that Sanders plugged that one hole in his education platform And USA Today let him write an op-ed to do it. Hoboken NJ Charter Schools Nobody is better than Jersey Jazzman for breaking down actual facts and data and rendering it all intelligible. This look at Hoboken tells us a lot about much of the charter universe.
Top Reads of 2019 I can resist a good reading list, and Nancy Flanagan has an excellent one.
John White Resigns And the indispensable Mercedes Schneider is here to tell him goodbye, and good riddance.
Mike Feinberg's New Home Feinberg was booted from KIPP over allegations of harassment and abuse, but that didn't end his career in the ed reform biz. Matt Barnum at Chalkbeat has the story. Bugs In Teachers Ears? What We Should Be Doing Instead. Yes, Nancy Flanagan again. When EdWeek trotted out bug-in-ear coaching again, lots of shade was thrown, but Flanagan is smart enough to take it a step further and ask what the answer to ear-bugging should be.
Homeowners Fed Up Up in Wisconsin, Up North News reports that taxpayers are getting tired of paying for two school systems, only one of which has any accountability.
The Rural Conundrum Coincidentally, Jennifer Berkshire was just in rural Wisconsin, where even the red parts are still voting to raise their own taxes for schools. What's going on?
A month ago, the Granite State's Joint Legislative Fiscal Committee said, "No, thanks" to an offer of $46 million from the feds to be used in doubling the number of New Hampshire charter schools from 28 to 55. The money was to come from the federal Charter School Program, a grant program that has come under fire due to a recent pair of studies showing massive waste and fraud by recipients of CSP m
It just sucks. You spend the time and effort (and maybe money) to create a lesson that you hope will be engaging and provide your students an exciting, maybe even fun, break from routine. And it bombs. More than once. Not only do your students not appreciate it, but they bitch about it. Sure, these are students who generally bitch and moan about everything (that's partly why you went an extra mile
As I've mentioned before, we have the poor fortune to live in a golden age of bad writing instruction. There are a variety of reasons for this, ranging from the rise of high-stakes testing to some less-than-wonderful traditions to the widespread discomfort with writing instruction of many classroom teachers. The last is probably the worst issue facing writing instruction. It's a curious thing; you
Back in October, Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos and her department were fined $100,000 for contempt of court regarding their non-compliance with a court order to stop collecting loans from students bilked by a chain of fraudulent for-profit colleges. Turns out that price tag could get a little steeper. In October, the department said that, oopsies, they had continued to collect from about 16,0
If you don't spend a lot of time around farms and farmers, you might have missed this story, which just made its way into legit journalistic coverage via the Star Tribune of Minnesota-- there is an exploding market for forty-year-old tractors . Adam Belz reports on auction bidding wars over old tractors. Is it because of tractor nostalgia? Nope-- and if you think about your car or music system or
North Carolin's 2020 Annual Charter Schools Report has caused some consternation among members of the state's Charter Schools Advisory Board (CSAB). They've seen the first draft and requested a rewrite, because, well, members of the public might become confused by the information that suggests Bad Things about North Carolina's charter industry. This is not the first time the issue has come up. Bac
Marking the new year always strikes me as a bit odd-- we draw an arbitrary line in the chronological sand, then get all excited about examining it. Humans are fun. In the meantime, this week's list is loaded with some exceptionally good readings. Remember to share the ons that speak to you. Amplifying voices i