CATCH UP WITH CURMUDGUCATION + ICYMI: Counting Down To School Edition (8/8)

CURMUDGUCATION: ICYMI: Counting Down To School Edition (8/8)

Counting Down To School Edition

Yes, the clock has started at our house. I'll be heading off to be a trombone consultant for an old friend/student's band camp starting tomorrow, and my wife's summer days are numbered. Here it comes, lurching towards us like a misaligned tractor with a flat tire and three bales of hay stuck in the wheel well. In the meantime, here are some reads from the week.

Dyslexia Industry Scores California Court Victory

Well, that's one way to commandeer a district's reading program--use the courts. Thomas Ultican has the story of the California district where students will now get an extra helping of DIBELS, among other things.

Students Say Teach The Truth

From Learning for Justice. An award winning teacher asked actual human students about the "crt" panic. I missed this a month ago, but it's still worth your attention.

"Public education sucks" is a weak argument for school choice

Yes, Robert Pondiscio is a choice fan through and through. But he's not wrong when he picks apart one argument choicers use to make their case.

A $5 million fine for classroom discussions on race?

Well, yes. That's what Tennessee has proposed, and now a Mom for Liberty is taking the new law out for a spin. From Eesha Pendharker at Education Week.

Texas teachers say GOP's new social studies law will hinder and entire generation

The Texas Tribune talked to some actual teachers about how Texas's new anti-race stuff law will diminish a generation's understanding of the country's history.

Innovation Invites Hucksters

This New York Times piece isn't writing about education, except it kind of is. Beware technology soaked in snake oil.

Machine Learning Sucks At Covid

Cory Doctorow takes a look at some AI tools, and he hits hard. I'm going to give you the lead because it's kind of awesome:

The worst part of machine learning snake-oil isn’t that it’s useless or harmful — it’s that ML-based statistical conclusions have the veneer of mathematics, the empirical facewash that makes otherwise suspect conclusions seem neutral, factual and scientific.

If you don't trust A.I. yet, you're not wrong

Completing this trio of pieces, a pair of law professors in the New York Times explain why AI is not the special magical soup it's sold as. And what Europe is doing about it.

A very McCarthyism feel

As I've posted previously, Idaho has an education indoctrination task force, headed up by their ambitious Lt. Governor. Ed Week checks in to see how that's going (spoiler alert: very scarily).

Time for a four-day school week?

There's innovation, and then there's innovation. Nancy Flanagan offers some thoughts about reimagining education. 

What I Don't Want My School to be Like This Covid Year

Steven Singer contemplates the measures that need to be on the table for the coming fall.

CURMUDGUCATION: ICYMI: Counting Down To School Edition (8/8)

CATCH UP WITH CURMUDGUCATION

AND DON'T FORGET PETER GREENE ON FORBES CLICK HERE 

Can Universal Curriculum Help Our Schools? - https://www.forbes.com/sites/petergreene/2021/08/06/can-universal-curriculum-help-our-schools/?sh=358d63322b4c by @palan57 on @forbes

There’s New Data On Last Year’s Student Learning Loss. Let’s Not Draw The Wrong Conclusions. - https://www.forbes.com/sites/petergreene/2021/07/28/theres-new-data-on-last-years-student-learning-loss-lets-not-draw-the-wrong-conclusions/?sh=7afd752e5daf by @palan57 on @forbes

FL: Bullying By Mask

by Peter Greene / 18h

Florida (state motto: Death to public education!) has been leaping to capitalize on the current COVID disaster, as witnessed by this extremely on-point headline: Florida Will Pay for Parents to Move Kids Into New Schools if They Experience ‘COVID-19 Harassment’ That's a very apt way to characterize a voucher program--the state will pay you to pull your kid out of public schools. You may have been

Raging Against Reality, Crisis, and Education's Kobyashi Maru

by Peter Greene / 1d

So here comes yet more panicky news from NWEA , hollering that Learning Loss is consuming New Jersey. It is, in many ways, baloney. First, everyone keeps ignoring the loss of standardized test prep and practice that is a factor in test results, and second, the Learning Loss here is reported based on what NWEA imagines the scores on last years test would have been had students taken them. I'm a li

Should School Board Elections Be More Partisan

by Peter Greene / 3d

Aaron Churchill, the Ohio research director for the Fordham Institute, this morning wants to make the case for partisan school board elections . Lots of states have non- or bi-partisan school board elections. Ohio doesn't note a party affiliation. In Pennsylvania, candidates can cross file and run in both R and D primaries, and so are listed as both parties on the final ballot. Churchill notes th

NEA and AFT are wrong on vaccinations

by Peter Greene / 4d

Fred Klonsky has said this today , but I'm going to say it, too. The national teachers unions (and a few other unions as well) are wrong on vaccinations. Randi Weingarten has said it should be locally negotiated: "In order for everyone to feel safe and welcome in their workplaces, vaccinations must be negotiated between employers and workers, not coerced," Weingarten said in a statement. The NEA

Fear and Silence in the Classroom

by Peter Greene / 6d

It comes down to administrators. States have moved from passing vaguely-worded laws about That Race Stuff and on to the penalty phase. I don't know know exactly how well the anti-CRT crowd understands what they're doing, but it doesn't really matter. At this point, it is all about scaring administrators. Tennessee has emerged as a big player in the Stifle Teachers Olympics, and they've come up wi

ICYMI: August Already Edition (8/1)

by Peter Greene / 7d

Well, that was quick. But here we are, counting down to a new school year. In the meantime, here's some new reading from the week. Will fewer Black students come back to school this fall? Adam Laats in the Washington Post

CURMUDGUCATION - http://curmudgucation.blogspot.com/

THE TOP BANANA: TODAY'S EDUCATION HEADLINES Saturday, August 7, 2021 #REDFORED #tbats #edchat #K12 #learning #edtech #engchat #literacy #edreform #TEACHtheTRUTH #CRT

 Big Education Ape

THE TOP BANANA
TODAY'S EDUCATION HEADLINES

The Top Banana: Today's Education Headlines | Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/The-Top-Banana-Todays-Education-Headlines-730208504396249

60 (Last Time) – radical eyes for equity - https://wp.me/p2GmBR-a2U via @plthomasEdD

SO MUCH NOISE, SO LITTLE TIME…OR SUBSTANCE – Dad Gone Wild - https://wp.me/p4d08y-2Pq via @norinrad10

CURMUDGUCATION: Raging Against Reality, Crisis, and Education's Kobyashi Maru - http://curmudgucation.blogspot.com/2021/08/raging-against-reality-crisis-and.html

Curmudgucation: The Importance of School Administrators | National Education Policy Center - https://nepc.colorado.edu/node/11006 on @NEPCtweet

NYC Public School Parents: Parents, did your children's personal data get breached? Can you help us find out more about what happened? - https://nycpublicschoolparents.blogspot.com/2021/08/parents-did-your-childrens-personal.html

Seattle Schools Community Forum: American History - What Will We Tell the Kids? - https://saveseattleschools.blogspot.com/2021/08/american-history-what-will-we-tell-kids.html

What I Don’t Want My School to be Like this Covid Year | gadflyonthewallblog - https://wp.me/p4QD1W-3A9 via @StevenSinger3

There’s One Choice Concerning the Delta Variant: Protect Students! - https://nancyebailey.com/2021/08/07/theres-one-choice-concerning-the-delta-variant-protect-students/ on @NancyEBailey1

Arkansas Judge Overturns Mask Ban; Florida Offers Vouchers to Students Who Don’t Want to wear Masks | Diane Ravitch's blog - https://wp.me/p2odLa-uzY via @dianeravitch

Denver: All Teachers and Staff Must Be Vaccinated | Diane Ravitch's blog - https://wp.me/p2odLa-uyq via @dianeravitch

NYC Public School Parents: My comments last night on the sham C4E process and proposed "plan", and what Lindsey Oates of DOE said in response - https://nycpublicschoolparents.blogspot.com/2021/08/my-comments-last-night-on-sham-c4e.html

Time for a Four-Day School Week? | Teacher in a strange land - https://wp.me/p1Wvaa-e7 via @nancyflanagan

Evidence mounts that delta variant is dangerous for kids | TheHill - https://thehill.com/node/566686

The announcement Wednesday comes as the more contagious delta variant is driving a spike in new coronavirus cases. https://www.wbez.org/stories/school-masking/0a64f26f-8a88-46b7-b8b6-5c52e62ae16c

The Pandemic Exodus: Kindergarten Enrollment Drops - The New York Times - https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/07/us/covid-kindergarten-enrollment.html?referringSource=articleShare on @nytimes

South Dakota schools set to change social studies standards - https://www.argusleader.com/story/news/education/2021/08/07/south-dakota-schools-change-social-studies-department-education-black-history-native-americans/5467444001/ via @argusleader

Teaching in Prison | Bill Ayers - https://wp.me/p3AjC-U6 on @wordpressdotcom

ACSE Agenda August 18, 2021 - Administration & Support (CA Dept of Education) - https://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/se/as/acseag0821.asp

Nutrition - Learning Support (CA Dept of Education) - https://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/nu/

glen brown: 76 Years Ago - https://teacherpoetmusicianglenbrown.blogspot.com/2021/08/76-years-ago.html

Choosing Democracy: The Olympic Refugee Team - http://choosingdemocracy.blogspot.com/2021/08/the-olympic-refugee-team.html

1619 History Lessons Never Taught https://www.laprogressive.com/1619-history-lessons-never-taught/

State Of CA Sets-Up Website For Parents & Teachers To Make Safety Complaints, Then Ignores ALL of Them | Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - https://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/?p=119718 on @Larryferlazzo

Is a Vaccination Mandate the Only Way to End the Nightmare? https://www.laprogressive.com/vaccination-mandate/

DeSantis clamps down on student mask rules as Florida breaks another Covid record https://www.politico.com/states/florida/story/2021/08/06/desantis-clamps-down-on-student-mask-rules-as-florida-breaks-another-covid-record-1389664

Biden extends freeze on student loans as progressives push to cancel them https://www.politico.com/news/2021/08/06/student-loan-payment-freeze-extended-502720

How QAnon convinced a Parkland shooting survivor's dad that the tragedy was a hoax https://www.salon.com/2021/08/07/qanon-conspiracies-psychology/

Bans on mask mandates by GOP governors are being successfully challenged in court https://www.salon.com/2021/08/06/bans-on-mask-mandates-by-gop-governors-are-being-successfully-challenged-in-court/

Education secretary warns DeSantis, Abbott on masks: 'Don't be the reason why schools are interrupted' - https://news.yahoo.com/education-secretary-warns-de-santis-abbott-on-masks-dont-be-the-reason-why-schools-are-interrupted-224307858.html on @YahooNews

Jobs report: Education sector rebound dominated July report, with caveats - https://finance.yahoo.com/news/jobs-report-education-rebound-191544685.html on @Yahoo

AFT Leader Leaning in Favor Of Vaccine Mandate for Educators | News of the Week | thechiefleader.com - https://thechiefleader.com/news/news_of_the_week/aft-leader-leaning-in-favor-of-vaccine-mandate-for-educators/article_583dcafc-f6f0-11eb-8935-9fe02d4eef8d.html on @thechiefleader

'We are preparing to be fully in schools all across the country:' AFT president - https://finance.yahoo.com/news/we-are-preparing-to-be-fully-in-schools-all-across-the-country-aft-president-201414310.html on @Yahoo

Students ask court to block Indiana University’s vaccine requirement https://www.scotusblog.com/2021/08/students-ask-court-to-block-indiana-universitys-vaccine-requirement/

“I expect the worst”: A Texas parent worries about sending her children back to school in person https://www.texastribune.org/2021/08/07/texas-school-starting-covid-audio/

Behind The Lens episode 138: ‘ It’s something we don’t have a specific copy of’ https://thelensnola.org/2021/08/06/behind-the-lens-episode-138-its-something-we-dont-have-a-specific-copy-of/

Gary B. Nash, UCLA historian who shaped American history curriculum, dies at 88 http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/lanowblog/~3/y4X-XEhojU8/gary-nash-ucla-historian

For What It’s Worth, Here’s A Little Classroom Management Advice From Me | Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - https://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/?p=119713 on @Larryferlazzo

4 Things To Start Doing Now To Get Kids Ready For School This Fall | HuffPost Life - https://www.huffpost.com/entry/prepare-kids-for-school-2021_l_610d7cc4e4b06253fa4efbf4 on @huffpostparents

Ed Notes Online: History of the UFT, Part 2 - The 80s and 90s -TODAY, WBAI (99.5 FM), 1PM - Norm and Bruce Join Daniel - https://ednotesonline.blogspot.com/2021/08/history-of-uft-part-2-80s-and-90s-today.html

Arkansas judge blocks state from enforcing mask mandate ban - https://apnews.com/article/health-arkansas-coronavirus-pandemic-d79a14a84f0c7ba3bd6d8b3cf4039404#new_tab on @ap

Should schools use temporary new money to hire new staff?  https://www.chalkbeat.org/2021/8/6/22612719/stimulus-money-schools-staff-funding-cliff via @Chalkbeat

Murphy unveils N.J. school mask mandate as some parents protest. He says mask opponents are ‘lying.’ - nj.com - https://www.nj.com/education/2021/08/murphy-unveils-nj-school-mask-mandate-as-some-parents-protest-he-says-mask-opponents-are-lying.html#new_tab on @njdotcom

Houston ISD to consider mask mandate next week, superintendent says - https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/education/article/Houston-ISD-to-consider-mask-mandate-next-week-16368272.php#new_tab on @houstonchron

CPS, Chicago Teachers Union trade barbs in dueling letters as talks for fall reopening sputter 3 weeks before the start of school http://a.msn.com/01/en-us/AAN1iFq?ocid=st

As School Starts Again, Here's How To Keep Kids Safe From COVID https://www.npr.org/2021/08/07/1025747712/as-school-starts-again-heres-how-to-keep-kids-safe-from-covid

Education Department Announces 'Final Extension' Of Student Loan Payment Freeze https://www.npr.org/2021/08/06/1025556501/education-department-announces-final-extension-of-student-loan-payment-freeze

Destroyed Brooklyn elementary school mural celebrating diversity will be recreated https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/education/ny-destroyed-brooklyn-mural-recreated-20210806-tr55252q7fcutijbm6p4jli2wy-story.html#ed=rss_www.nydailynews.com/arcio/rss/category/new-york/education/

The Pandemic Exodus: Kindergarten Enrollment Drops https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/07/us/covid-kindergarten-enrollment.html

Biden Administration Extends Student Loan Repayment Pause https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/06/us/politics/biden-student-loan-repayment-extension.html

In Florida, Delta variant fuels concerns for children's health http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheRawStory/~3/GMcC3QkHWxU/

'Insane': MSNBC anchor shreds Texas Republicans for denying parents the right to know of infections in schools http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheRawStory/~3/E-NYlFBhiLw/

Ron DeSantis's Florida approves private school vouchers if parents feel they're being 'bullied' by mask rules http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheRawStory/~3/lS2q2uL2sZA/

Greg Abbott blasted as ‘Governor Mengele’ for back-to-school policies http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheRawStory/~3/0p3UPwT0K5Y/

Sacramento Report: All Eyes on Schools as Vaccine Mandates Tighten https://www.voiceofsandiego.org/topics/government/sacramento-report-all-eyes-on-schools-as-vaccine-mandates-tighten/

Black Suspension Capital Part II: How to Stop Unequal Punishment https://sacobserver.com/2021/08/black-suspension-capital-part-ii-how-to-stop-unequal-punishment/

Meet the "scholar-activists" fighting Big Ag https://www.salon.com/2021/08/07/meet-the-scholar-activists-fighting-big-ag/

Big Education Ape: TOP POSTS THIS WEEK Saturday, August 7, 2021 #REDFORED #tbats #edchat #K12 #learning #edtech #engchat #literacy #edreform #TEACHtheTRUTH #CRT - https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2021/08/top-posts-this-week-saturday-august-7.html

Big Education Ape: KEEP UP/ CATCH UP WITH DIANE RAVITCH'S BLOG A site to discuss better education for all #REDFORED #tbats #edchat #K12 #learning #edleadership #edtech #engchat #literacy #edreform - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2021/08/keep-up-catch-up-with-diane-ravitchs.html

Big Education Ape: THIS WEEK IN EDUCATION Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... The latest news and resources in education since 2007 - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2021/08/this-week-in-education-larry-ferlazzos.html

Big Education Ape: THIS WEEK Education Research Report - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2021/08/this-week-education-research-report.html

Big Education Ape: THIS WEEK WITH NEWBLACKMAN (IN EXILE) #BLM #BLACKLIVESMATTER - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2021/08/this-week-with-newblackman-in-exile-blm.html

Big Education Ape: SSPI TONY THURMOND: STUFF THIS WEEK FROM THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2021/08/sspi-tony-thurmond-stuff-this-week-from.html

Big Education Ape: TEACHER TOM THIS WEEK IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2021/08/teacher-tom-this-week-in-early.html

Big Education Ape: THIS WEEK'S WILDNESS Dad Gone Wild Nobody reads it, everybody quotes it - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2021/08/this-weeks-wildness-dad-gone-wild.html

Big Education Ape: Network for Public Education Blog Post of the Day This Week #REDFORED #tbats #edchat #K12 #learning #edleadership #edtech #engchat #literacy #edreform - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2021/08/network-for-public-education-blog-post.html

Big Education Ape: THIS WEEK NEWS FROM DR. MIGUEL CARDONA AND THE US DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2021/08/this-week-news-from-dr-miguel-cardona.html

Big Education Ape: THE TOP BANANA: TODAY'S EDUCATION HEADLINES Friday, August 6, 2021 #REDFORED #tbats #edchat #K12 #learning #edtech #engchat #literacy #edreform #TEACHtheTRUTH #CRT - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2021/08/the-top-banana-todays-education_6.html

Big Education Ape: TOP POSTS THIS WEEK Saturday, July 31, 2021 #REDFORED #tbats #edchat #K12 #learning #edtech #engchat #literacy #edreform #TEACHtheTRUTH #CRT - https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2021/07/top-posts-this-week-saturday-july-31.html

 

Big Education Ape