Trump Will Restore Prayer in the Schools https://dianeravitch.net/2025/09/11/trump-will-restore-prayer-in-the-schools/ via @dianeravitch
### Key Points
- Trump announced plans to restore prayer in public schools, appealing to Christian nationalists but raising constitutional concerns.
- Critics highlight the Supreme Court's 1962 ruling against state-sponsored prayer and question how inclusivity will be maintained.
- Diverse interpretations of religious texts, including differences between Protestant and Catholic Ten Commandments, complicate the issue.
- Concerns about legal conflicts and the potential for discrimination against minority religions are emphasized.
- Teachers and commenters discuss their experiences with religion in schools, noting the importance of neutrality and inclusiveness.
Glenn Kessler: Trump Is the Master of Bullshit https://dianeravitch.net/2025/09/11/glenn-kessler-trump-is-the-master-of-bullshit/ via @dianeravitch
### Key Points
- Glenn Kessler, former Washington Post fact-checker, started a Substack blog examining Trump's misinformation and its societal impact.
- Philosopher Harry Frankfurt distinguishes "bullshit" from lies, emphasizing that it disregards truth entirely. Kessler applies this concept to Trump's rhetoric.
- Trump's misinformation tactics create alternative realities, influencing public opinion and eroding trust in institutions like federal data.
- Examples of Trump's "bullshit" include exaggerated claims about ending wars, handling the economy, and firing officials based on false accusations.
- Kessler plans to document Trump's misinformation systematically to preserve historical accuracy amid revisionism.
Trump's Tariffs and Foreign Policy are a Disaster for U.S. https://dianeravitch.net/2025/09/11/trumps-tariffs-and-foreign-policy-are-a-disaster-for-u-s/ via @dianeravitch
### Key Points
- Trump's foreign policy has alienated key allies like India, Brazil, and South Africa, pushing them closer to adversaries such as Russia and China.
- His aggressive tariffs and ideological rhetoric have damaged U.S. relations with pivotal states, reversing decades of diplomatic progress.
- China is capitalizing on these strained relationships by strengthening ties with countries like Brazil, India, and South Africa through trade and aid initiatives.
- Trump's policies have caused economic harm domestically, particularly to American farmers, who are struggling under rising costs and reduced market access.
- The administration's approach favors authoritarian leaders over democratic allies, raising questions about strategic logic and long-term consequences.
Big Education Ape: AI SMACKDOWN: DYLAN’S “IT AIN’T ME BABE” GETS A TRUMPIAN MAKEOVER https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2025/09/ai-smackdown-dylans-it-aint-me-babe.html
The article also covers various topics, including AI-generated parodies of Bob Dylan’s song “It Ain’t Me Babe,” which humorously critique Trump’s public denials.
### Key Points
- Governor Kevin Stitt appointed familiar figures to new roles amidst administration changes.
- AI-generated parodies of Bob Dylan’s “It Ain’t Me Babe” creatively mock Trump’s denial tactics.
- Education privatization parallels national parks privatization, raising concerns about public resources.
- Advocacy for public education and resistance to privatization continues through various organizations.
- Diane Ravitch and other education experts highlight issues in public schooling and privatization.
Big Education Ape: THE AI SMACKDOWN: I CHALLENGED THE AI OVERLORDS ON TEACHER GRIPES ABOUT BOTS IN THE CLASSROOM, AND BOY, DID THEY DELIVER https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2025/09/the-ai-smackdown-i-challenged-ai.html
The article provides a detailed exploration of K-12 educators' concerns and criticisms regarding the integration of AI technologies in classrooms. It evaluates five AI models—Gemini, Grok, ChatGPT-4, ChatGPT-5, and Copilot—based on their responses to teacher concerns, highlighting issues such as academic integrity, critical thinking erosion, biases, privacy concerns, and equity gaps. The article concludes with recommendations and strategies for addressing these challenges while emphasizing the importance of preserving authentic learning and teacher-student relationships.
### Key Points
- Teachers express concerns about AI enabling academic dishonesty and hindering skill development, such as critical thinking and problem-solving.
- AI tools often perpetuate biases and inaccuracies, raising ethical concerns about their use in classrooms.
- Privacy and security issues arise from AI's collection of student data, with fears of breaches and misuse.
- Equity gaps are exacerbated as wealthier districts benefit from better AI tools, leaving underprivileged students behind.
- AI's overuse can reduce social interaction, isolate students, and diminish teacher roles, impacting emotional and motivational development.
- Teachers report feeling unprepared due to lack of training and support for integrating AI into their teaching methods.
- AI's potential for workload reduction is offset by the additional effort required to verify its outputs and adapt its tools effectively.
- Concerns about AI's environmental impact, cost sustainability, and vendor lock-in complicate its implementation.
- Strategies recommended include clearer AI usage policies, professional development, equity-focused access, and process-based grading.
- AI literacy lessons and controlled scaffolding can help mitigate risks while fostering critical thinking and ethical use.
- Teachers emphasize the need for systemic policies to address AI challenges, ensuring it enhances rather than undermines education.
Big Education Ape: THE NATION’S REPORT CARD: A TALE OF DEEP DOO-DOO, BILLIONAIRES, AND THE BIG LIE https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2025/09/the-nations-report-card-tale-of-deep.html
The article critiques the decline in America's education system, as highlighted by the Nation's Report Card. It attributes falling scores in science, math, and reading to systemic issues like poverty, privatization, and income inequality, rather than blaming teachers or students. The piece argues that privatization has worsened educational disparities, benefiting wealthy families while underfunding public schools in poorer areas. It calls for reinvestment in public education and addressing poverty to reverse the trend.
### Key Points
- The Nation's Report Card shows significant declines in student performance, with science, math, and reading scores dropping since 2019.
- Poverty and income inequality are major drivers of poor educational outcomes, yet often overlooked in discussions about reform.
- Privatization efforts, including charter schools and vouchers, have deepened inequalities and led to resegregation in education.
- Billionaires and corporate interests push privatization for profit, ignoring its negative impact on public schools and disadvantaged students.
- Addressing poverty and fully funding public schools, especially in low-income areas, are essential steps to improve education.
Public School Finance Is Fragile at Federal and State Levels https://janresseger.wordpress.com/2025/09/11/public-school-finance-is-fragile-at-federal-and-state-levels/ via @janresseger
Public School Finance Is Fragile at Federal and State Levels
### Key Points
- The federal budget for public education faces delays and disagreements, with funding uncertainties for FY 2026 threatening school programs.
- The House appropriations proposal includes significant cuts to Title I funding, elimination of several education programs, and reductions in special education funding.
- The Senate Appropriations Committee proposed a budget maintaining funding levels for key education programs, rejecting many of the Trump administration's proposed cuts.
- Federal funding delays and cancellations of multi-year grants are causing disruptions for school districts and education programs nationwide, including GEAR UP and TRIO grants.
- State-level school funding instability is exacerbated by delayed budgets, constitutional violations of funding systems, and debates over private school choice and outdated formulas.
- Fiscal instability in public school funding threatens equitable access to education and the capacity to serve all students effectively.
When We Start Eating Our Own: Why We Must Stand United – Cloaking Inequity https://cloakinginequity.com/2025/09/11/when-educators-start-eating-their-own/
- The article discusses the divide-and-conquer strategy, a historical tactic used to fragment coalitions and weaken collective power, as seen in Julius Caesar's Gallic Wars.
- Modern examples include political tactics such as tariffs dividing UAW and Canada’s Unifor, and Trump-era strategies pitting unions against each other. These tactics exploit fragmentation to achieve political and organizational goals.
- Higher education leadership conflicts, such as disagreements between Ivy League and Southern university leaders, reflect similar divide-and-conquer dynamics, weakening institutions in the face of coordinated political attacks.
- Examples from Hungary under Viktor Orbán demonstrate how authoritarian governments use division to undermine institutions, such as forcing Central European University to relocate due to sustained attacks.
- Across sectors—nonprofits, corporations, philanthropy, and civic organizations—fragmentation among leaders amplifies vulnerability to political interference, funding threats, and loss of public trust.
- Solidarity among leaders and communities is essential to counteract divide-and-conquer strategies, requiring humility, courage, and collaboration to protect autonomy, ethical integrity, and democratic values.
- The article calls for leaders across various sectors to unite, resist isolation, and act collectively to defend their missions and societal values against coordinated political pressures.
Schools Matter: Kirk’s Death Provides New Opportunities for Fascist Agenda http://www.schoolsmatter.info/2025/09/kirks-death-provides-new-opportunities.html
- Trump's response to Kirk's murder is criticized as fueling hate, violence, and division, aligning with authoritarian tendencies.
- The blog highlights systemic issues in education, including poverty's impact on learning, excessive testing, and corporate influence.
- Concerns are raised about OpenAI and Microsoft pushing AI-related agendas, including unresolved ethical issues.
- A broad range of topics on education reform, teacher struggles, and public school challenges are discussed, including critiques of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and standardized testing.
Teacher Tom: One Liberation at a Time https://teachertomsblog.blogspot.com/2025/09/one-liberation-at-time.html
### Key Points
- Education often requires unlearning old ideas to accept new ones, challenging the traditional foundation-building approach.
- Self-directed learning allows children to explore perspectives freely, resisting adult-imposed limitations.
- Children's innate ability to embrace new ideas stems from their lack of adherence to "foundational" knowledge.
- Play-based environments encourage curiosity and continuous learning, making education light and sweet.
- Teacher Tom offers free resources for educators and invites support for his work promoting play-based learning.
CURMUDGUCATION: Why Pluralism In The Classroom Matters https://curmudgucation.blogspot.com/2025/09/why-pluralism-in-classroom-matters.html
### Key Points
- The idea of sorting students into schools based on shared values and ideologies is dangerous and undermines pluralism.
- Historical examples, such as the Founding Fathers and Abraham Lincoln, demonstrate the importance of coexisting with opposing views.
- Current political trends promote silencing dissent through various means, including gerrymandering, erasure, and threats, which contribute to political violence.
- Schools should teach students to coexist with those they disagree with, as silencing opponents is not a viable solution.
- The anti-DEI movement exemplifies efforts to suppress opposing voices, making schools a critical space for promoting pluralism and collaboration.
glen brown: Who Was Charlie Kirk? https://teacherpoetmusicianglenbrown.blogspot.com/2025/09/who-was-charlie-kirk.html
- Charlie Kirk, a prominent conservative activist and founder of Turning Point USA, was fatally shot during a speaking engagement, sparking condemnation and discussions on political violence in the U.S.
- Kirk was a central figure in the conservative youth movement, known for skipping higher education to protest perceived liberal bias in universities.
- Turning Point USA, founded by Kirk, grew into a major conservative organization with significant financial backing, hosting events and promoting conservative values on college campuses.
- The organization became controversial for initiatives like the Professor Watchlist, which critics argue suppresses academic freedom, and for its involvement in partisan politics.
- Kirk was a vocal supporter of Donald Trump, amplifying his messages, including unfounded claims of voter fraud, and mobilizing conservative youth for political campaigns.
- Critics accused Kirk and Turning Point of spreading misinformation, fostering polarization, and inflaming tensions, particularly on college campuses.
Nancy Bailey's Education Website: Privatization Parallels for National Parks and Public Schools | National Education Policy Center https://nepc.colorado.edu/blog/privatization-parallels
### Key Points
- The article explores the parallels between the privatization of public schools and national parks, highlighting how both are being handed over to private enterprises due to poor management and leadership.
- Privatization in public schools often involves unqualified leadership and the promotion of school vouchers, which redirect funds to private schools and non-essential expenses. Similarly, national parks face leadership issues and environmental risks due to privatization efforts.
- Overcrowding is a shared problem for both public schools and national parks, with parks managing admissions and schools needing better facilities and funding to address the issue.
- Staffing shortages in schools and parks threaten their functionality, with critical roles left unfilled, impacting education quality and park management.
- Rising costs and poor accommodations in national parks make them inaccessible for many, while defunding public schools leads to oversized classes and reduced support for students.
- The article emphasizes the importance of preserving public schools and national parks as shared resources for future generations, advocating for better management and protection against privatization.
On the Value of Cold, Hard Data Or, bursting the bubble of test happy edu-policymakers https://theeducationreport.substack.com/p/on-the-value-of-cold-hard-data
### Key Points
- Policymakers often rely on standardized test data to justify education policies, but rarely address systemic issues like poverty, healthcare access, and hunger.
- The NAEP (National Assessment of Education Progress) data consistently shows that data-driven decision-making alone does not solve educational challenges or drive significant change.
- Analysis of NAEP scores indicates that aggressive reform initiatives (e.g., charters, vouchers, teacher evaluations) do not necessarily lead to improved outcomes, as results remain steady regardless of approach.
- Fundamental issues such as ensuring children have access to food, housing, and healthcare are often overlooked despite their critical impact on education.
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Parents, I Don't Know How You Do It https://saveseattleschools.blogspot.com/2025/09/parents-i-dont-know-how-you-do-it.html?spref=tw
### Key Points
- Parents face modern threats, including internet dangers and existential risks, making parenting more challenging than in previous generations.
- A tragic case involving a student who interacted with ChatGPT-4o highlights the risks of AI chatbots for children, prompting an FTC inquiry into AI monitoring practices.
- School violence, including shootings, has escalated, with guns often coming from homes. The societal desensitization to such events is concerning.
- Lunch hour issues in high schools reveal the need for fostering human connections and addressing logistical challenges in the district.
- The emotional impact of 9/11 and societal division contribute to parental anxiety about the future.
- Nepotism in Seattle Public Schools appears to be a norm, with personnel benefiting from personal connections for promotions and job transitions.
Choosing Democracy: Driving Off a Cliff ? The U.S.Economy https://choosingdemocracy.blogspot.com/2025/09/driving-off-cliff-useconomy.html
- The U.S. auto industry, once dominant, has faced challenges since the 1950s, particularly from Japanese manufacturers producing smaller, fuel-efficient cars.
- By 1967, the U.S. transitioned from a net auto exporter to a net auto importer, reflecting the decline in its global dominance.
- Currently, the global auto market produces over 75 million cars annually, with China as the largest producer, accounting for one-third of the total, while the U.S. produces only about 11%.
- The article highlights the historical and economic significance of the U.S. auto industry and its symbolic role in American manufacturing power.
This article compiles various blog posts and discussions on societal, political, and educational topics, highlighting issues such as privatization in education, AI integration, systemic inequalities, political controversies, and advocacy for equity and transparency.
### Key Points
- Diane Ravitch condemns political violence, critiques the GOP and Supreme Court for blocking gun control measures, and highlights the normalization of active shooter drills in schools.
- Greg Olear draws parallels between the rise of Hitler and Trump, warning against authoritarianism and the erosion of democratic norms.
- Susan B. Glasser critiques Trump's governance style, highlighting his repeated legal defeats due to unconstitutional actions.
- Public schools are emphasized as vital for democracy and equality, with critiques of privatization efforts undermining their role.
- AI integration in classrooms raises concerns about academic dishonesty, biases, privacy, equity gaps, and the erosion of teacher-student relationships.
- The Nation's Report Card reveals declines in student performance due to systemic issues like poverty and privatization.
- Charlie Kirk’s shooting underscores the twin crises of political violence and gun violence in communities, urging cultural and legislative changes.
- Julian Vasquez Heilig reflects on his leadership journey, emphasizing advocacy, equity, and civil rights in education.
- Self-directed learning is highlighted as essential for fostering creativity and critical thinking in democratic education.
- Trump’s attempts to undermine U.S. election integrity through voter suppression and manipulation are critiqued.
- Tarbiyah School closure in Delaware is linked to financial improprieties and federal investigations.
- Seattle School Board race candidates emphasize transparency, budget management, and Special Education improvements.
- Concerns about media silence on pedophilia cases and broader educational issues are raised.
- Incremental changes in teaching practices in high schools and universities, including technology use, are discussed.
- False UN vote reporting highlights the importance of rigorous verification in journalism.
- Advocacy for moral resistance against authoritarianism and abuses of power is emphasized.
- Critiques of Unity Caucus highlight transparency issues and Medicare Advantage plan controversies.
- Denver school board elections are influenced by billionaire-backed campaigns promoting privatization.
- Trump’s misuse of military resources and ideological-driven immigration enforcement is criticized.
- AI technologies are critiqued for ethical, environmental, and societal impacts.
- Advocacy for equitable education, systemic changes, and community engagement remains a priority amidst privatization efforts.
