Warning: Beware of Norway!Will Ferrell was the star of a Super Bowl ad about Norway, complaining that Norway had more electric vehicles than the United States. It was funny, of course, especially when he gathered his friends and headed for Norway to complain, but ended up in Sweden. Sunniva Whittaker, rector of the University of Agder in Norway, says, “The Americans are coming, and Will Ferrell does not look happy.” She s
John Merrow: Bad Reporting about the Pandemic and School ReopeningsJohn Merrow is exasperated by the media narrative that it’s only the teachers’ unions that are blocking the reopening of schools. Of course, students should be in real school, but schools must be safe for adults and students alike. He writes that teachers should be vaccinated. And communities must prioritize what matters most in school, which is NOT testing. He writes: The giant lumbering beast k
New Hampshire: Voucher Bill Will Cost $100 Million per YearThe New Hampshire legislature is pushing forward with a voucher bill (HB 20) without regard to cost or research. The research is clear: students who leave public schools to use vouchers lose ground compared to their peers in public schools. Vouchers won’t close achievement gaps; they will widen them. The cost, according to a New Hampshire think tank, is likely to be $100 million . Reaching Higher
Sarah Karp: Karen Lewis, A Fearless Warrior for Children and TeachersBy now, you have read many tributes to Karen Lewis. She was an icon who fought the powerful. Teachers and parents trusted her because they knew she would never sell them out. This is a beautiful tribute to Karen by Sarah Karp , one of Chicago’s most experienced education journalists. It captures Karen’s brashness, her fearlessness, her passion. Some of her colorful quotes: Lewis’ message resonate
David Berliner on the Travesty of Public Funds for Religious SchoolsDavid Berliner, a distinguished scholar of American education, is writing a long essay about the dangers of public funding for religious schools. Currently numerous red states are considering proposal to expand vouchers and transfer more public funds to religious schools, typically without accountability. Their actions will overturn the historic tradition of separation of church and state. As the
The Terror of the Impeachment TrialI was glued to the television yesterday, watching the impeachment trial in the Senate. It’s supposed to be a done deal: the Republicans are so frightened by Trump and his base that only a handful will vote to convict. It seems he will not be held accountable for inciting a violent mob to invade the U.S. Capitol. The impeachment managers methodically described how Trump had prepared his base long
Jan Resseger: Republican Moderates Want to Reduce COVID Relief Bill by Cutting Out Help for ChildrenJan Resseger reminds us of the traditional Masai greeting, “How are the children?” The assumption is that if the children are well, the village or society is well. Many of our children are not well. Too many live in poverty and lack adequate nutrition, decent medical care, and a safe place to live. Sadly, as Jan explains, the Republican moderates who asked Biden to cut his COVID relief package fo
Why Does the Thomas B. Fordham Institute Control Education Policy in Ohio?Writing in ohiocapital.com, Jeanne Melvin and Denis Smith denounced the central role that the Thomas B. Fordham Institute plays in directing education policy in Ohio. TBF is the think tank of the Ohio Republican Party; that party has controlled the state in recent years. It is curious that TBF directs education policy in Ohio since TBF is based in Washington, D.C. Melvin is a parent activist, and
Peter Greene’s Favorite BlogsIn case you can’t find enough to read here, Peter Greene offers you a list of his favorite blogs. Some will be familiar to you, because they appear here too. But others will be new. People who devote their time to writing about the events and trends in education that the mainstream media usually neglect deserve readers. Reading them all is almost a full-time, unpaid job, and we are lucky to have
Nicholas Kristof: We Are a Nation of Child AbusersNicholas Kristof wrote an important article in the New York Times about our national indifference to the well being of our children. Kristof knows that nothing we do is more important than reducing the child poverty rate, which is scandalously high. We have hundreds of billionaires, but millions of children who live in extreme poverty. Instead of spending billions of dollars on standardized testi
