Well, that was a week, wasn't it. What a hellacious shitshow (sorry, Mom). But despite the the dumpster fire burning brighter than ever, we still have things to read, because while governments may rise and fall and grind to a halt and play stupid games with stupid insurrectionists, you know what still keeps on keepin' on? The post office and public schools.
Yes, there's tons to read about Betsy DeVos on her way out, and you've probably read all of it, but you might have missed this take from the politics editor at TeenVogue, the surprise source of solid political commentary these past four years. No punches pulled.
While other things have been happening, the FBI raided some members of the TN House GOP over a plot to pass Gov. Lee's voucher scheme in 2019. Andy Spears has the story.
Andy Smarick is a reformster, but he's also a classic conservative and as such brings some interesting ideas to the table. You'll disagree with parts of this, and it's not a short easy read, but it's a useful perspective on what has happened to the way we run school systems.
Jonathan Chait once again was given space to unleash his opinion about charter schools (without any accompanying caveat that his wife is a charterista). D. Julian Vasquez Heilig pointed out the many problems with Chait's piece, using the clever weapon of actual facts.
Back in November, when most of us were pre-occupied with a few other things, K12, Inc, the giant cyber-school company, went and gave itself a new name -- Stride, Inc. The rebranding came with some new acquisitions, but underneath it all, K12 is its same old self. K12 is a big fat for-profit cyber-edu-biz operation-- in fact, the biggest and fattest. They were founded by Goldman-Sachs banker and M
Well, she finally had enough. DeVos blamed Trumpian rhetoric for the riots, called it an "inflection point" for her, and became one more GOP Trump-fluffer to suddenly discover her shock and outrage for exactly the same kind of shit that he's been doing for four years. I mean, there's something deeply disingenuous about watching someone throw gasoline and matches around for four years and only get
Seattle's school board made a decision, just a few weeks ago, to re-open face-to-face school for pre-K, kindergarten, some special ed, and 1st grade students. It's a good example of the kinds of re-opening challenges that parents and teachers are facing, the kind of thing that is being pushed out as a "plan" by a major district. Parents received an e-mail inviting them to complete a "survey" and
You may have run across a shiny new group on line that is agitating for teachers to be back in the classroom-- Teachers4OpenSchools . The arguments are the usual ones, from the legitimate concern about mental health to the learning loss baloney. There's not much of anything new here, and not the kind of balance we find in a piece like this one . But I'm always curious about these little pop-up gou
So here's a jolly exchange from Twitter on Saturday. Get a different job. No one owes you anything. — Justin Hill (@HillForMissouri) January 3, 2021 That's Justin Hill , a Missouri GOP rep from the 108th district, showing his love and support for teachers in his state. He was a cop before running for office, so you'd think he'd know something about public service, but maybe not so much. He's had
You might have been excited yesterday if you saw a New York Times editorial board headline talking about " The Wreckage Betsy DeVos Leaves Behind " and thought that maybe, for a change, the greyest lady was going to stands up for public education. But then you read it. Sigh. There is much that they get right. They open by noting that the department has not just failed, but refused to lead, during
I'm not sure I've ever felt less enamored of our habit of celebrating the passing of an arbitrary line in the sand that we drew ourselves, but it's not the most terrible human activity, either, so carry on. Also cross your fingers and say a prayer for everyone going back to school tomorrow. In the meantime, here's some reading from the week. The Bloom's Deception Greg Ashman challenges some commo
Because some day you might be involved in a national-level effort to overthrow the results of an election, and you might have to file a legal document like this one... I really wanted to save this somewhere so that I could pull it out as an example some day, because this is just a special
Education Matters: Nothing the FLDOE does should be taken seriously. - https://jaxkidsmatter.blogspot.com/2021/01/nothing-fldoe-does-should-be-taken.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+blogspot/iYxgC+(Education+Matters)
Thousands of law school alumni and students push for disbarment of Sens. Hawley and Cruz https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2021/01/10/thousands-law-school-alumni-students-push-disbarment-sens-hawley-cruz/?tid=ss_tw
Community, the mayor step up to feed students over break | Sacramento State - https://www.csus.edu/news/articles/2021/1/8/Community,-the-mayor-step-up-to-feed-students-over-break.shtml
This Week’s Resources To Support Teachers Coping With School Closures | Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - https://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/?p=114694 on @Larryferlazzo
Following DeVos's Surprise Resignation, School Advocates Say She Leaves Behind A Controversial Legacy | Washington DC, DC Patch - https://patch.com/district-columbia/washingtondc/following-devos-s-surprise-resignation-school-advocates-say-she
Yesterday and the Attempted Trump Coup: Students AMA https://www.laprogressive.com/yesterday-attempted-coup/
One by One, the Domestic Terrorists Who Swarmed the Capitol Are Identified. But Most Will Not Be. | Diane Ravitch's blog - https://wp.me/p2odLa-t65 via @dianeravitch
CURMUDGUCATION: ICYMI: Well Aren't We Off To A Grand Start Edition (1/10) Well Aren't We Off To A Grand Start Edition Well, that was a week, wasn't it. What a hellacious shitshow (sorry, Mom). But despite the the dumpster fire burning brighter than ever, we still have things to read, because while governments may rise and fall and grind to a halt and play stupid games with stupid insurrectionists
Big Education Ape THE TOP BANANA TODAY'S EDUCATION HEADLINES Sunday’s Must-Read Articles & Must-Watch Videos On School Reopenings | Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - https://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/?p=114704 on @Larryferlazzo I Desegregated the University of Georgia. History Is Still in the Making. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/09/opinion/sunday/university-of-georgia-desegregation.ht
How Teachers Across the U.S. Explained the 'Traumatic' Capitol Riots to Their Young Students Big Education Ape: What I Told My Students About Yesterday’s Attempted Trump Coup | gadflyonthewallblog - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2021/01/what-i-told-my-students-about.html On Wednesday, violent pro- Donald Trump rioters descended on the U.S. Capitol building while lawmakers were working to c
An open letter to Betsy DeVos on resignation: You’re too late Ms. Devos actively participated in building a political movement and agenda that promotes and feeds on race baiting, hate speech and racism Dear Ms. Devos, Your resignation is much too late. There is no redemption, absent serious penance, for those who have stood by while Donald Trump wreaked what can only be described as havoc on thi
Population Health, Human Capital Bonds, and Black America The following document was prepared as a briefing paper for a group working in the population health arena. The intention was to revisit the breadth of my research with a specific focus placed on what it means for Black America. A similar document could have been written for the Indigenous peoples of Turtle Island. This material is curren
Chicago teachers balk at reopening plan, face pay loss if they don’t return CHICAGO — Chicago Public Schools will reopen for some students Monday for the first time since last spring amid an escalating clash between city officials, who are threatening to withhold pay from teachers who do not show up, and the powerful Chicago Teachers Union, which contends that schools are not properly outfitted
Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007 Big Education Ape: THIS WEEK IN EDUCATION Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... The latest news and resources in education since 2007 - The Best Resources For Helping Students – & Us – Develop Good Habits by Larry Ferlazzo / 2h Homegrounds / Pixabay I’ve shared a number of resources over the years o
EdAction in Congress January 10, 2021 NEA calls for immediate removal of President Trump Senators Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Mitch McConnell (R-KY), leaders of their respective caucuses, normally don’t agree on much. But
DCPS is either deceptive or incompetent about COVID numbers and either is unacceptable. There have been 7236 cases of pediatric COVID in Duval; of that, only 519 have made DCPS's dashboard. (see the links below). Absolutely nothing DCPS says can be taken seriously. Either their deception or incompetence is unacceptable. Now I want to be fair the COVID Dashboard didn't even exist until August, so
White Supremacy Is Everywhere--Even in UFT Like everyone I know, I'm totally freaked out by what happened in DC last week. I guess no one should be surprised, as it was telegraphed by the President, a whole bunch of House and Senate members, and Trump media outlets and devotees around the country. What was really shocking was the response, or lack thereof, of the police and/ or military. (Worse,
Betsy DeVos’ Resignation Letter Below is the full text of now-former US ed sec Betsy DeVos’ resignation letter . The Secretary of Education Washington, DC 20202 January 7, 2021 President Donald J. Trump The White House Washington, DC 20500 Dear Mr. President: For more than thirty years, I have fought on behalf of America’s students to expand the options they have to pursue a world-class educatio
The “Little Soldiers” of Chinese Education The second day of school, Rainey came home with a story. Four times he found egg in his mouth. He hadn’t placed it there himself; instead, his most hated food made its way past his teeth by the hand of the fearsome Teacher Chen. ‘ She put it there,’ Rainey told me, mouth wide, finger pointing inside. Then what happened,? I asked. “I cried and spit it ou
Surge Since New Years Nationally there was a dip in new cases after Thanksgiving ( New York State did not experience that dip ; we have special leadership). But after Christmas the numbers have roared back. We are currently seeing a surge that is steeper than the spring (once the unreported cases are factored in.) 7 Day moving averages, for the US, NY, NJ, CT, MA: CONTINUE READING: Surge Since N
Teachable Moments – The Insurrection on the Capitol: How can we “teach” students to be warriors of Democracy? Last week I researched my blog topic, the role of the Congress in counting the electoral votes, a pro forma process; I reread the Constitution and the Electoral Count Act of 1887 and posted the blog. “Will Republican Senators and House Member ‘Objections’ Prevent the Election of Biden/Ha
Big Education Ape TOP POSTS THIS WEEK 1/9/21 ‘Slaying Goliath’: Diane Ravitch argues in new book that public education advocates have beat back efforts to privatize schools - The Washington Post The real story of New Orleans and its charter schools - The Washington Post COVID and Schools: The Data and Science Then and Now | Cloaking Inequity THE TOP BANANA: TODAY'S EDUCATION HEADLINES #REDFORED #
Big Education Ape THE TOP BANANA TODAY'S EDUCATION HEADLINES COVID-19 relief package doesn’t go far enough - Education Votes - https://educationvotes.nea.org/2021/01/08/covid-19-relief-package-doesnt-go-
