It was beautiful but blustery here yesterday, the gentler end of that front that wrought such havoc out west. My county has been on the receiving end of killer tornados, and it's an awful thing, that mixture of destruction and death and the reminder that we are tiny creatures on the surface of a giant globe that we can't actually control. Maybe that's one reason we spend so much time fighting about other stuff.
At any rate, here's some reading for the week, beginning with a bang and ending with Britney.
The Supreme Court's new religious liberty case could destroy public education
Slate looks at the case currently working its way through SCOTUS, and how it will probably mean very bad news for public education
To reduce inequality in our education system, reduce class sizes
This week Friend of the Institute Leonie Haimson went off on a press conference in NYC. Here's the written out version of her argument form The Nation. It is the one reform that we know works, and yet somehow, it's the one education "leaders" never seem to want to implement.
What should parents be worried about? The books their children don't read.
Anne Lutz Fernandez points out that if you are worried about indoctrination and brainwashing of your children, maybe think about how little they actually read, and the time they spend on their devices.
DeVos family among top DeSantis re-election PAC supporters
Because of course they are.
In Texas, a battle over what books can be taught and what books can be read
Michael Powell at the New York Times with a deep dive into the sides of the Texas-based move to control curriculum and gag teachers.
Bloomberg's charter push: big money and bigger political peril
Matt Barnum at Chalkbeat takes a look at Bloomberg's plan to throw money at charters.
The problem(s) with Bloomberg's $750 million investment in charter schools
At the Washington Post, Carol Burris and Diane Ravitch lay into Bloomberg's big money attempt to take charge of education.
When your job interferes with your work
John Warner at Inside Higher Ed talking about college teaching, but every other teacher who ever said "I love teaching the kids, but the rest of this job is killing me" will recognize exactly what he's talking about.
The GOP has revived its obsession with parents' rights
Jennifer Berkshire at The New Republic with a stroll down memory lane to the 90s, when the GOP thought it had a winning political issue with parents' rights. (Spoiler alert: it looks great until voters see the fine print).
"We are here" Debates over teaching history exclude Native people
From the LA School Report (and yes, in partnership with The 74) a look at some Indigenous parents pointing out that the "how to teach history" debates are leaving someone out.
What's one more deadly school shooting when the real danger to kids is a book?
From the Miami Herald, a pretty blunt assessment from Leonard Pitts, Jr.
Tennessee's kids should be taught the truth about our history
Betsy Phillips in Nashville Scene has some thoughts about the work of the group she calls "Moms for Lying to Kids"
"A dog whistle and a lie" Black parents on the critical race theory debate
From the parenting column at the Washington Post, a missing perspective in the great crt panic
Empty pedagogy, behaviorism, and the rejection of equity
There's a lot to read here, and a lot to take in (framed by Doug Lemov and his teach like a champion shtick, but it's a great article for pinpointing just what feels so very wrong with technique-focused educationeers like Lemov
Nancy Bailey with a simple solution--use home rooms in school. It's true. We had them on and off for years at my school, used because they made a great "base camp" for students, and repeatedly discontinued because they weren't instructional time. She's got a point here.
New Hampshire is trying to protect itself from subversive doctrine
Charles Pierce at Esquire rips into New Hampshire's descent into suppression of certain Naughty Things
Why we need to address scam culture
Tressie McMillan Cottom is the bomb (if you don't follow her on the twitter, you should fix that). This NYT piece about scam culture is not directly about education, but you'll certainly recognize features.
Texas substitute teacher who brought karaoke machine to class asked to leave
The story we need. A sub who screwed up, but not horrifically. An administration that reacted with restraint (and a bit of wit). And the video is included.
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