TODAY'S TOP NEWS - YESTERDAY'S BEST BLOG POSTS
MARCH 19, 2026
Jennifer Berkshire: The Collapsing Dream of Ed-Tech in the Schools https://dianeravitch.net/2026/03/18/jennifer-berkshire-the-collapsing-dream-of-ed-tech-in-the-schools/ via @dianeravitch
Diane Ravitch's blog discusses ethics concerns during the Trump administration, highlighting conflicts of interest among Trump Cabinet members documented by ProPublica. The article reveals financial ties between officials and industries they regulate, including questionable transactions and ethics violations. It also covers Trump’s dismantling of ethics safeguards, such as rescinding Biden’s executive order on ethics pledges, firing inspectors general, and removing the head of the Office of Government Ethics.
- ProPublica exposed conflicts of interest among Trump Cabinet members, including suspicious stock transactions and ties to industries they oversee.
- Steve Feinberg, former Cerberus Capital Management CEO and current deputy secretary of defense, oversees a major missile defense project while maintaining financial ties to Cerberus.
- Trump rescinded Biden’s ethics pledge and fired inspectors general tasked with investigating fraud, corruption, and conflicts of interest.
- ProPublica released financial disclosure records of over 1,500 Trump appointees, revealing numerous links to industries they regulate.
Federal Judge Orders Reinstatement of 1,000 Employees of Voice of America https://dianeravitch.net/2026/03/18/federal-judge-orders-reinstatement-of-1000-employees-of-voice-of-america/ via @dianeravitch
- A federal judge ruled the shutdown of the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which oversees Voice of America (VOA), as unlawful and ordered the reinstatement of over 1,000 employees.
- The judge criticized the government and Kari Lake, who oversaw the agency's dismantling, for acting in bad faith and violating federal administrative law.
- The court ordered the resumption of international broadcasting, which had been largely abandoned under the Trump administration, except for limited broadcasts in specific languages.
- The case highlights the challenges of addressing unconstitutional actions by government officials and policies designed to undermine governance.
How To Teach About The Evil Acts Of Cesar Chavez? Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007 https://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/
- The blog provides updates on education resources, including SEL, ELL, and AI tools like Google’s NotebookLM.
- Weekly posts feature curated resources on educational policy, classroom instruction, and teaching strategies.
- Highlights include Project Zero’s updated website, Cesar Chavez Day resources, and a seven-week ELL writing unit.
- The author shares personal books and materials, offering research-based instructional strategies for various subjects, including Social Studies, English, Math, and Science.
- The blog includes Q&A-style responses, lesson plans, and strategies for classroom management and student engagement.
- Additional resources include a radio show, a New York Times Learning Network column, and videos.
glen brown: "French General Michel Yakovleff just compared joining Trump's Iran war to 'buying cheap tickets for the Titanic' after it already hit the iceberg" https://teacherpoetmusicianglenbrown.blogspot.com/2026/03/french-general-michel-yakovleff-just.html
- The article discusses the decline of morality and ethics in global politics, focusing on issues such as genocide, oppression, and the exploitation of the weak by powerful elites.
- It criticizes the global ruling class for their greed, manipulation, lack of accountability, and exploitation of resources and people for personal gain.
- The author highlights the destruction of democratic institutions and the rise of authoritarianism, linking these trends to global conflicts such as in Gaza, Iran, and Lebanon.
- The piece emphasizes the importance of resistance to oppressive power as a means of maintaining dignity, self-worth, and agency, even when such resistance appears futile.
- It condemns the media and political leaders for downplaying or excusing atrocities, and warns of the dangers of apathy and complicity in the face of growing authoritarianism.
- The article references historical and philosophical perspectives, including quotes from Ambrose Bierce, Albert Camus, and Eric Fromm, to contextualize the current state of global affairs.
Schools Matter: To Believe Felon-in-Chief Is to Admit Idiocy http://www.schoolsmatter.info/2026/03/to-believe-felon-in-chief-is-to-admit.html
Teacher Tom: "I'm Batman!" https://teachertomsblog.blogspot.com/2026/03/im-batman.html
### Key Points
- Actions define and shape character; consistent virtuous actions help individuals grow into desired traits.
- Children naturally embody roles like superheroes, reflecting their ability to explore and express character through action.
- The belief in fixed character is a myth; transformation starts with small, consistent actions, even if they feel unnatural at first.
- Adults often focus on molding children instead of addressing their own need for growth and change.
- Real societal change begins with individuals taking responsibility for their actions and embodying the virtues they wish to see.
AI Is Coming For Your Job (and Mine Too) But not without a fight... JENNIFER BERKSHIRE https://educationwars.substack.com/p/ai-is-coming-for-your-job-and-mine
### Key Points
- AI poses a significant threat to jobs, especially in female-dominated fields like teaching and writing.
- Proposed solutions include workforce-aligned education systems and public-private partnerships, but critics highlight their ineffectiveness.
- Populist approaches demanding accountability from tech companies resonate more with voters than technocratic fixes like data dashboards or modular education.
- Resistance to AI's impact includes calls for moratoriums in schools and blocking data centers, emphasizing the belief in alternative solutions.
- A bipartisan group in Pennsylvania is advocating for SB 1090, an AI safety bill aimed at regulating AI use through transparency and safeguards.
- The bill mandates clear disclosure when users interact with AI to prevent confusion about whether they are communicating with a human or a bot.
- AI operators must implement protocols to prevent content related to self-harm, violence, or suicidal ideation, and provide crisis hotline information when necessary.
- If the user is a minor, the AI must notify them that they are interacting with a non-human and prompt them to take breaks every three hours.
- The bill prohibits AI from generating sexually explicit content or providing minors with instructions on explicit conduct, and requires a warning label for content unsuitable for minors.
- Violations of the law can result in fines of up to $10,000 per instance, enforceable by the Attorney General.
- The article argues that while the bill is a step in the right direction, it may not be stringent enough, but it is a positive move to hold tech companies accountable.
Punishing Children: Why the Attack on Plyler v. Doe Is an Attack on America’s Core Values The effort to overturn Plyler v. Doe is a choice to condemn innocent children to a lifetime of illiteracy, ignorance, and diminished life chances. BRUCE LESLEY https://brucelesley.substack.com/p/punishing-children-why-the-attack
### Key Points
- In 1977, Tyler ISD in Texas attempted to charge undocumented children $1,000 in tuition, barring many from attending school, which led to the landmark Plyler v. Doe case.
- The 1982 Supreme Court decision in Plyler v. Doe ruled that denying undocumented children access to public education violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.
- The Plyler decision has allowed generations of undocumented children to access education, benefiting individuals, communities, and the nation.
- Recent legislative efforts in six states, backed by organizations like the Heritage Foundation, seek to overturn Plyler by creating test cases for the current conservative-leaning Supreme Court.
- Education is not a typical government benefit but a foundational American value essential for democracy and individual achievement, as affirmed by past Supreme Court cases like Brown v. Board of Education.
- Denying education to children based on their parents’ immigration status creates class distinctions and violates the Equal Protection Clause by punishing children for their parents' actions.
- Overturning Plyler would lead to the creation of a permanent underclass of uneducated individuals, as seen in other countries with educational exclusion policies.
- Undocumented immigrants contribute significantly to tax revenues, which outweigh the costs of educating their children.
- The Fourteenth Amendment protects all persons, not just citizens, and its original intent supports the Plyler decision.
- Overturning Plyler would contradict core American values, such as the belief in education as a tool for equality and democracy, and would impose unjust hardship on innocent children.
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Good News and "School Board Goals Proposal" https://saveseattleschools.blogspot.com/2026/03/good-news-and-school-board-goals.html?spref=tw
- The Seattle Schools Community Forum discusses issues related to Seattle Public Schools, including debates, opinions, and news, aiming for high-quality education for all students.
- The blog encourages readers to explore multiple outlets for diverse perspectives on Seattle Schools but refrains from regularly linking to other sources.
The False Promise of Education "Miracles" and Misunderstanding Standardized Test Scores "It’s not apparent what 'science' Hanford has in mind;...what’s clear about this so-called 'science' is that much of it is contrived evidence ... PAUL THOMAS https://paulthomas701128.substack.com/p/the-false-promise-of-education-miracles?triedRedirect=true
- The article critiques the concept of education "miracles," arguing they are often based on misleading or overstated claims and fail to produce lasting improvements.
- Education "miracles" like the Texas, Florida, Chicago, Harlem, and Mississippi cases have been promoted by media and politicians but later debunked by scholars for relying heavily on flawed standardized test data.
- Standardized test scores, particularly NAEP scores, are frequently misinterpreted or manipulated to validate pre-existing beliefs, rather than offering an accurate measure of student achievement.
- The Mississippi "miracle," which gained attention for its 2019 NAEP grade 4 reading scores, is criticized for misrepresenting data and ignoring broader issues like poverty and systemic inequality.
- The article emphasizes the need to critically evaluate "miracle" claims, avoid reliance on oversimplified metrics, and focus on addressing systemic issues in education.
Shanker Blog: From the Simple View of Reading to an Integrated View of Foundational Skills | National Education Policy Center https://nepc.colorado.edu/blog/simple-view-reading
- The Simple View of Reading (SVR) model suggests reading comprehension results from decoding (word recognition) and language comprehension, but separating these components in instruction may hinder students' development.
- Dr. Maryanne Wolf argues for an integrated approach to foundational reading skills where decoding, word meaning, syntax, and morphology are taught as interconnected elements in a coherent instructional sequence.
- The "Reading Wars" debate between Structured Literacy and Whole Language approaches misses the point; integrating the strengths of both approaches benefits students most.
- Neuroscience research highlights that reading involves interconnected processes like decoding, comprehension, and meaning-making, which should be taught systematically and explicitly.
- Fluency is not just about speed but about the automatic integration of multiple reading processes to focus on meaning rather than effort.
- Dr. Wolf's "Elbow Room" metaphor emphasizes the need for balanced and adaptable instruction that supports both foundational skills and comprehension as interdependent processes.
- Teachers must adapt instructional pacing to meet individual student needs, considering their developmental trajectories, language backgrounds, and prior knowledge.
- Effective reading instruction fosters the integration of sound, structure, and meaning to create fluent, thoughtful readers.
U. S. President called out by UN STU https://bloom2.substack.com/p/u-s-president-called-out-by-un
### Key Points
- The United Nations has criticized former U.S. President Donald Trump and other U.S. political leaders for using racist hate speech that allegedly led to human rights violations, particularly against migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers.
- The UN’s Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) urged the U.S. to adhere to international conventions on combating racism and discrimination, expressing concern over the use of derogatory language and harmful stereotypes.
- The article calls for U.S. citizens to reject leaders who support racism and anti-democratic behavior, encouraging them to vote for candidates who uphold basic human rights.
- A comment highlights the lack of accountability by Donald Trump for his actions and remarks, labeling him as irresponsible and morally reprehensible.
Choosing Democracy: Illegal and Immoral. Sanders https://choosingdemocracy.blogspot.com/2026/03/illegal-and-immoral-sanders.html
### Key Points
- Bernie Sanders criticizes the Trump administration for its authoritarian tendencies, including alleged disregard for the Constitution and democracy.
- Efforts to combat authoritarianism include attempts to cut funding for ICE and support grassroots activism against perceived overreach.
- Sanders highlights the growing wealth inequality in the U.S., with the top 1% owning more wealth than the bottom 93%, and advocates for a wealth tax on billionaires.
- Concerns are raised about the unregulated development of AI and robotics, including their potential to eliminate jobs, harm privacy, and pose existential risks. Sanders plans to propose a moratorium on new data centers.
- Sanders condemns Trump’s war in Iran as unconstitutional and a violation of international law, calling for accountability and an end to military support for Israel.
- The progressive movement is gaining ground, with successes in elections and growing public demand for systemic change, including Medicare for All, affordable housing, higher wages, and action on climate change.
Highest performing Ohio Charter Schools still have 30% Ds and Fs on State Report Card Public School Districts have 30% As. Federal grant funding for so-called "high-performing" Charter Schools still go to schools whose state report card grades are D or F https://10thperiod.substack.com/p/highest-performing-ohio-charter-schools
- Ohio’s highest-performing charter schools still have 30% of their state report card grades as Ds or Fs, while 30% of public school districts have grades of A.
- Federal grants for "high-performing" charter schools are often awarded to schools with poor overall performance, as many charters meet only 1 or 2 of 7 graded metrics.
- Only 12 of 59 qualifying charter schools were graded on college, career, and military readiness, with most receiving failing scores, while 72% of public school districts scored 3 stars or higher in this area.
- Less than 15% of graded charter schools received an overall A or B grade, compared to 48% of public school districts.
- Charter schools receive significantly more state funding per pupil despite their lower performance compared to public school districts.
TRUMP IN THE NEWS TODAY
Today, March 19, 2026, President Trump’s agenda is dominated by a "delicate balancing act" between managing a burgeoning military conflict in the Middle East and addressing the resulting economic pressure at home, particularly regarding energy and housing costs.
Energy & The Economy
Jones Act Waiver: In a significant move to lower surging fuel prices, the White House issued a 60-day waiver of the Jones Act yesterday.
This allows foreign-flagged ships to transport oil and gas between U.S. ports, a measure intended to ease supply chain disruptions caused by the ongoing conflict with Iran. Strategic Petroleum Reserve: To further combat rising costs at the pump, the administration is moving forward with the release of 172 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.
New Housing Rules: Today, federal banking regulators are expected to propose new capital rules for mortgage lending.
This follows two executive orders signed earlier this week aimed at reducing regulatory barriers for community banks and streamlining affordable home construction.
Foreign Policy & Conflict
War with Iran (Operation Epic Fury): The U.S. military continues its objectives in what reports are calling a "war of choice."
Tensions reached a new high following U.S.-led strikes on Iran’s Kharg Island. While the administration claims it is "liberating" the region, the conflict has caused a massive chokepoint in the Strait of Hormuz, where oil transit has been severely restricted. NATO Friction: Trump has publicly expressed frustration with NATO allies and countries like Japan and Australia after they rejected his calls to provide "minesweepers" and naval support to secure the Strait of Hormuz.
He suggested the U.S. might rethink its relationship with the alliance, stating he doesn't need Congress to make that decision. China Trip Postponed: The White House announced that the President’s scheduled trip to Beijing has been delayed by at least five to six weeks so he can focus on the situation in Iran.
Domestic & Legal Developments
Executive Power Challenges: The Supreme Court recently ruled that the administration's use of executive power to impose certain global tariffs was illegal, though the President remains defiant in using tariffs as a primary economic tool.
Infrastructure: The Interior Department is moving forward with a controversial $40 million plan to raise California’s Shasta Dam, a project being met with significant resistance from environmental groups and the state of California.
