Latest News and Comment from Education
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Paul Krugman: Reality and Evidence Are Not to Be Trusted! - Paul Krugman is the Nobel-Prize winning economist who was a columnist for The New York Times for many years. He here captures brilliantly the MAGA refusal ...1 hour ago
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TODAY'S TOP NEWS - YESTERDAY'S BEST BLOG POSTS AUGUST 25 2026 - *TODAY’S TOP NEWS - YESTERDAY’S BEST BLOG POSTS AUGUST 25, 2026REMEMBER IN NOVEMBER* *U.S. NEWS* - *Mass Visa Revocations Planned:* The U....7 hours ago
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Kid Gov. Katelyn Talley: ‘Conflicts and finding solutions are a big part of leadership’ - [image: Katelyn Talley]Valliant sixth grader Katelyn Talley is in the home stretch of her term as Oklahoma’s 2026 “kid governor” after campaigning on a p...9 hours ago
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McMahon Doesn't Understand Education - Linda McMahon goes on a Sunday morning show and... blah15 hours ago
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McMahon Doesn't Understand Education - McMahon's particular brand of passionless functionary was on display Sunday morning for a dozen minutes with Dana Bash. The interview kicked around a few t...15 hours ago
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This and That, August 24, 2026 - I meant to post this sooner - this event is tomorrow night, the 25th. I am hearing that Governor Bob Ferguson and State Superintendent Chris Reykdal ...16 hours ago
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Racial Slurs in Academic Spaces: Between Academic Freedom and Hostile Learning Environments - "[M]any readers understandably feel that [Huck Finn's] constant, even obsessive repetition of the slur reinforces the system of white supremacy that it pur...21 hours ago
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First Fish Chronicles: What We Need to Know About EdTech, Data, and Privacy - First Fish Chronicles: What We Need to Know About EdTech, Data, and Privacy *An FAQ about why EdTech companies need, want, and collect your child's data an...21 hours ago
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Spider-Man Lands a Punch: Fist to Cheese - The classic line from the Spider-Man show was, “Lookout! Here comes the Spider-Man.” And so, Spider-Man punched a white supremacist. Fist to cheese. For so...21 hours ago
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Arguments to Counter Pressure to Adopt AI in Schools - With permission from the author, Anne Lutz Fernandez, I am posting the document below with hopes that it will reach an even larger audience than it alrea...23 hours ago
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Data Centers, Public Schools, and Politics - One issue is uniting people from all across the political spectrum23 hours ago
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TODAY'S TOP NEWS - YESTERDAY'S BEST BLOG POSTS AUGUST 24 2026 - TODAY’S TOP NEWS - YESTERDAY’S BEST BLOG POSTS1 day ago
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"This week, the Trump administration will continue its transparent efforts to manipulate the election this year in its favor. There is no other way to interpret the events we are now living through" - *The Postal Service, pursuant to the executive order we’ve been discussing ever since Trump promulgated it earlier this year, is on board to try to ke...1 day ago
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The Meritocratic Consensus and Stratification in Higher Education - American colleges and universities are highly stratified by pre-college academic achievement, family background, and institutional resources. This study...1 day ago
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Not Vanquished - I was once engaged in a massive battle for the ages, pitting my powers against those of a five-year-old boy. It began when he declared that he was going...1 day ago
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MNPS and Not-So-Secret Secrets - Nashville education blogger TC Weber highlights what some say are significant challenges around student discipline in MNPS. It is one of the worst-kept sec...1 day ago
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No Compromise: End the War Now! - At this hour, solidarity begins with a clear demand: the United States and Israel must end their illegal war, and they must retreat.1 day ago
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This year's drop in NYC state test scores: sound and fury, signifying nothing - When the state test scores were released a couple of weeks ago, they showed sharp drops in proficiency for NYC students, particularly in reading. This...1 day ago
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Understanding Education: Corporal Punishment - 15 states have laws that allow corporal punishment in schools. Here’s where, and why, Katie Mills (NPR, 19 August 2026) Recommended Summary Physical punish...1 day ago
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Silicon Valley Executives Are Tech Fans but Not for Their Own Kids (David Streitfeld) - A reporter for The New York Times, Streitfeld often writes about technology. This article appeared August 18, 2016. Social media is bad for children. That ...2 days ago
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We Love Billionaires! - As a middle school teacher, I spent a fair amount of time talking with kids—mostly 8th graders, going into high school—about what you might call their life...2 days ago
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What can the Brits teach Democrats about the ultra-left? Not much. - Centrist Dems claim that socialists and progressives can’t win in November.3 days ago
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What Is the Far Left ? - What is the Far Left ? The growing visibility of Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) and victories by some DSA-backed candidates has triggered an upsu...3 days ago
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SPI Welcomes Salinas Students Back to Campus - California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond welcomes Salinas students back to campus and celebrates community schools.3 days ago
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Randi’s Weekly Report: ‘Shop Retailers Other Than Target This Back-to-School Season’ - In this week’s video, I talk about why we’re encouraging people to skip Target for back-to-school shopping, and lift up the latest news from our union—like...3 days ago
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Under the Lights, the Truth Is Harder to Hide - “The problem is that progress stopped making sense. More and more of us looked up one day and realized that the emperor had no clothes.” ― Anna Lowenhaupt ...3 days ago
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SQ 844: How is this better? - In plain terms, the new language gives the Legislature the authority to establish both the amount and methodology for distributing ad valorem reimbursement...5 days ago
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A Wake-up Call for the Country - As a nation we can do so much better for young children and families.5 days ago
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Everybody Should Be Somebody’s Baby: How Americans Fail Early Learners - For many pregnant women in America, prenatal care is not accessible or affordable. ~Hillary Rodham Clinton, It Takes a Village (p.75) Helping children be...6 days ago
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Data Centers are a Public Education Issue - The opposition to data centers is scrambling education politics6 days ago
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California’s Kid-Critical Ballot Propositions (2026) - Proposition 3 and Proposition 43: Votes that affect government’s ability to work for kids One of a series examining the… The post California’s Kid-Criti...6 days ago
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Fraught Trump Era Will Intensify Challenge for Teachers to Protect Students’ Rights and Serve Their Needs - It is the third week in August, when across the United States, the 2026-2027 school year will soon begin. Constitutional law professor Derek W. Black expla...1 week ago
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Parental Rights Bills Forgot Children Have Rights, Too - And if parental rights are fundamental, they should not stop being fundamental the moment other parents disagree with the parental rights movement leaders.1 week ago
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Read This If You Want to Learn to Read - I want you to experience how a skilled teacher makes certain that her first graders learn to read. Imagine that you’re sitting in the back of a classroom...1 week ago
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What’s the Pattern? - The Pattern. Is it the thing that holds our raises down? Yup. What precisely is it? Activists and advocates know it is a problem. That’s good. They are rig...1 week ago
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I Wrote Nearly 100 NY Times Posts On Teaching ELLs – Here Are Links To All Of Them - For several years, I regularly wrote posts for The NY Times Learning Network on teaching English Language Learners. You can see all of them at ALL MY NY ...1 week ago
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The end of a run. - I have decided to end my substack column after more than 25 years of blogging about schools, teaching, art and politics.1 week ago
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1096 is now 1008 - Retirees Rally (Again) on Healthcare - Who was there, UFT/Unity MIA - I posted about this event just as I was leaving to attend Thursday morning: NYC Retirees Press Release - Legislation Introduction with Council Member Chr...1 week ago
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Facebook Billionaires Walkout on Impoverished Students - By Thomas Ultican 8/11/2026 The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI) withdrew support for The Primary School (TPS) a private school in East Palo Alto that they...1 week ago
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How A.I. Learned that Some Cognitive Science Views of the Reading Process are Wrong and Federal and State SoR Laws are Existential - A Refutation of Mark Seidenberg’s Language at the Speed of Sight and Emily Hanford’s Sold a Story1 week ago
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Despite their rhetoric, Private Schools aren't dramatically boosting teacher salaries with their unconstitutional, taxpayer funded windfall - Teachers in Columbus Diocese reaping less than 5% of the $66.5 million increase in EdChoice tuition subsidies for Franklin County school districts between ...1 week ago
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Time to change our Nation’s Diaper - It’s time to change our nation’s diaper. Our national identity now reeks due to our inability to clean out the mess caused by the Orange Turd. Corruption i...2 weeks ago
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And Suddenly, There’s a Math Book (You Already Know) - Note: This is a reminder that, if you became a paid subscriber to this blog, you’ll get a signed copy of You Already Know from ... Read More The post An...2 weeks ago
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And Suddenly, There’s a Math Book (You Already Know) - Note: This is a reminder that, if you became a paid subscriber to this blog, you’ll get a signed copy of You Already Know from ... Read More The post An...2 weeks ago
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Controversy Over Bluebonnet Curriculum in Montezuma-Cortez Schools & a Texas Teacher Explains Concerns Over the Curriculum - The Montezuma-Cortez School Board has chosen to implement the controversial Texas-based Bluebonnet curriculum. The post Controversy Over Bluebonnet Curr...2 weeks ago
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Un pueblo organizado aún puede vencer a los multimillonarios - Si hablamos directamente con los votantes que han perdido la fe en ambos partidos polÃticos sobre las preocupaciones en sus vidas diarias, podemos comenzar...2 weeks ago
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But Daddy, He Reads Romance & Eats Puss - A definitive guide to the best T.V. boyfriends/husbands, plus what kind of romance novels each of them would read2 weeks ago
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DOE must revise draft class size proposal by providing a concrete plan showing how smaller classes will be provided to NYC students within the legal timeline - For immediate release: August 3, 2026 Contact: Leonie Haimson, leonie@classsizematters.org; 917-435-9329 Last week, Class Size Matters and the Education L...3 weeks ago
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NPE Conference Panels Focus on Keeping Schools under Community Control - https://networkforpubliceducation.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Demcracy-Conference-Promo-Landscape-6.mp4 The post NPE Conference Panels Focus on Keeping...3 weeks ago
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GLP-1 Meds for Kids? Some Info. - Like many consumers of television and social media, I have been bombarded with ads for GLP-1s (short for glucagon-like peptide-1). The ads are everywhere. ...3 weeks ago
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By One Dishonest Measure - A loaded question that education reformers like to ponder is: Exactly how many students in the boroughs of New York City are trapped in failing schools? In...5 weeks ago
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1776 - __________ “The fate of unborn millions will now depend, under God, on the courage and conduct of this army…. We have, therefore, resolved to conquer...1 month ago
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Comparison of Florida’s Major K-12 (Publicly Funded) Education Options - Still on the campaign trail. Last night, I was at a public forum where, when asked about “School...1 month ago
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Regarding Trump’s Utter Defeat and Surrender in the Middle East: Iran gets to charge fees, too! - Many analysts have explained how the recent MOU between Trump and Iran is a humiliating and deep failure for the current regimes of both the USA and Israel...2 months ago
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Illustrations: Why “Cost” Matters in School Finance Research - Figure 1 – left panel – compares nominal per pupil spending by U.S. Census Poverty rates for all school districts nationally. Per pupil spending is measure...2 months ago
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Conversation Among Friends: Deborah Meier & Alfie Kohn - Alifie Kohn jsut sent me this link to a talk we gave at a Coalition of Essential School conference in 2011.2 months ago
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May’s Parent Engagement Resources - San Diego Unified Created a System to ‘Empower’ Parents. It Unraveled is from The Voice of San Diego. Why Those Disengaged Parents in Your School Deserve a...2 months ago
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Donald Patton Resigns From Christina Board of Education - The word on the street is Donald Patton resigned from the Christina School District Board of Education less than two months before his term was set to expi...3 months ago
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500-Year-Old Slave Revolt of 1526 Redefines Freedom as US Turns 250 - In 1526 — long before the more renowned dates that anchor the nation’s story of 1619 and 1776 — enslaved Africans rose up and freed themselves on the land ...3 months ago
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Statement on the NYS Comptroller’s audit of NYC’s Privacy and Security of Student Data - Statement on the NYS Comptroller’s audit of NYC’s Privacy and Security of Student Data May 4, 2025 The audit from the State Comptroller’s office released t...3 months ago
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Reflections on America, the world, and life - I acknowledge that I rarely post here anymore. Folks should remember that I am approaching my 80th birthday in less than 9 weeks, I am still teaching ful...4 months ago
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Peace Treaty: Why Schools Don’t Change (Even When Everyone Knows They Should) - People love to say “schools resist change.” It sounds like a personality flaw—lazy, stubborn, old-fashioned. But schools aren’t hard to change because educ...5 months ago
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The Problem with "the Science of Reading" - The problem with “the science of reading” is that it’s not new.6 months ago
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Shutting Down The Site - Ten years ago, I ran for a seat on the LAUSD School Board of Education with the goal to *Change the LAUSD*. I am proud of the campaign we ran. We achieve...7 months ago
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Dear NJ Teachers and Their Families: You MUST Not Vote For Jack Ciattarelli - To all NJ public school staff and their families: *You must not vote for Jack Ciattarelli. He will do serious, lasting damage to you personally, and the ...9 months ago
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Blogoversary #19 — Time to Move on - Times have changed. I had a nice long run here, but let’s face it, it ended a while ago. So I’ve moved. I’m not writing much any more, but when I do it wil...11 months ago
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McGrath and Kaminsky: Key Names in the School Policy Debate - The landscape of American school policy is no longer shaped only behind closed doors. It’s debated in town halls, on social media, and through public prote...1 year ago
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"Didn't do *that*," part 1: new Schofield case developments reveal crucial 10th Circuit/Ledger lie - The record is clear. Jeremy Scott confessed at least 40 times in a 2017 hearing. He never recanted. The Ledger must retract its lie to force Judge Kevin Ab...1 year ago
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Achieve 3000 Answers Key (Updated 2023) - Are you on the hunt for the most recent Achieve 3000 answers for the year 2023? Your search is over! ... Read more1 year ago
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Il Papa è Morto - Francis brought a distinct pastoral outlook to his papacy. A simple man, he lived in a small apartment in the guesthouse. He sought to make the church acce...1 year ago
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Kemenangan Member Birutoto Main PG Soft Speed Winner - Kemenangan Member Birutoto Main PG Soft Speed Winner Birutoto – Situs Slot Gacor Terpercaya The post Kemenangan Member Birutoto Main PG Soft Speed Winner...1 year ago
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Mike Shulman the ARISE UFT Judenrat - I was surprised to learn that Mike Shulman has aligned himself with ARISE. I previously supported him, advocating that the Castle Doctrine could have bee...1 year ago
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Can Students Expect a Relevant Education to be Delivered by Irrelevant Educators? - As a veteran teacher of forty years in the classroom, let me be clear, teachers are not completely at fault for becoming irrelevant in their profession. It...1 year ago
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The US Department of Education Should not be Eliminated. Still, it must be reformed. - If you don’t have an attention span that lasts long enough to learn what I’m teaching in this post, start with the conclusion first. Then if you want to re...1 year ago
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Malcolm & John David Washington Talk NFL, Christopher Nolan & ‘The Piano Lesson’ - 'The Washington brothers built their careers apart—until an irresistible project drew them together. In The *Piano Lesson*, they tackle a father’s thorny...1 year ago
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AIN’T IT AWFUL - As the terrible feelings of dread and angst spread across the world the great majority of the American people feel powerless before the onslaught of those ...2 years ago
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Did Darryl Willie lie or interfere in the whistleblower investgation? Why not both? - Willie said below to Action News Jax [image: image.png] It's troubling for quite a few reasons. First he is saying the board knew about the complaint an...2 years ago
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Could This Be Gadfly’s End? Top 12 Articles From 2023 Read By Fewer Than Ever - After 9 years of pounding my head against the wall - well, it seems like the wall is winning.2 years ago
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Redesigning School Governance: Beyond Mayoral Control - From time to time the legislature passes a bill with a sunset provision, unless the law is reauthorized by a specific date the law reverts to the law it re...2 years ago
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POSTPONED: Florida’s Impact on Social Studies - POSTPONED: discussion with Florida and DC educators and advocates on the impact of Florida's new laws Continue reading2 years ago
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Vote NO on the UFT Contract. Here is Why: - The best reason to vote no on this contract is this: UFT Unity* lied* to us in 2018. They misrepresented that contract. It was predicated on deals we wer...3 years ago
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Testimony to the CPS Truancy Task Force - I prepared testimony for one of two public hearings held by the Chicago Public Schools Truancy Task Force, a body mandated by state legislation. The meetin...3 years ago
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Tennis Memories from a Time When Racism and Anti-Semitism Still Prevailed - I learned tennis at a public park in Brooklyn- Lincoln Terrace- where the teaching pro was a mailman named Phil Rubell. Almost all the kids who took lesson...3 years ago
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There Is A Teacher Shortage.Not. - THERE IS A TEACHER SHORTAGE. And just to be sure you understand, it’s not that teachers don’t want to teach. It’s not that there aren’t enough teachers cer...4 years ago
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Want to know the condition of a Philly school building? New map to help. - [image: Two students walk by a Philadelphia school building.] Aging infrastructure has been an issue for Philadelphia schools for years. A new interactive...4 years ago
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STREET LIFE - My mom told me, “You should treat all people equally, but don’t bring a “colored” into the house.” I believed … Continue reading →4 years ago
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Schools Matter: Reflecting on Green Dot’s Disastrous Locke Takeover - *“Green Dot came and made it into more of a jail.” — Chris* My history of opposing the Green Dot Charter School Corporation back when I was an activist i...4 years ago
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Book Banning Turns to Dick and Jane - Breaking News: Dateline February 4, 2022 - Parents in Dimwitty, Alabama have asked the Dimwitty Board of Education to ban the children's primer *Fun with...4 years ago
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Have You Heard Has a New Website - TweetHave You Heard has a new website. Visit us at www.haveyouheardpodcast.com to find our latest episodes and our entire archive. And be sure to check out...4 years ago
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Follow me at Substack - I've moved. Follow me at Substack I'm now posting regularly at Substack. You can subscribe for free to my new Edu/Pol blog at michaelklonsky.substack.com ...4 years ago
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I’ve moved. - I’m on Substack now. You can continue to receive periodic posts for free. Or you can read every post and comment for $5 a month, $60 a year. fredklonsky.su...4 years ago
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Milwaukee Bradley Foundation at Center of Attacks on U.S. Voting Rights - The Big Money Behind the Big Lie Donald Trump’s attacks on democracy are being promoted by rich and powerful conservative groups that are determined to win...5 years ago
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Milwaukee Bradley Foundation at Center of Attacks on U.S. Voting Rights - The Big Money Behind the Big Lie Donald Trump’s attacks on democracy are being promoted by rich and powerful conservative groups that are determined to win...5 years ago
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Aspiring Teachers Get New Help Paying For College - [image: colorful classroom pattern] *; Credit: shuoshu/Getty Images* Cory Turner | NPR New rules kick in today that will help aspiring teachers pay for c...5 years ago
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Major victory over a corporate charter school chain and their trade association - Original post at Robert’s page on Medium. On Tuesday, March 23, 2021, I got my second big win in court against a charter school corporation. It was also a ...5 years ago
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Tips Akses Situs Judi Qq Tanpa Perlu Takut Nawala - Kegiatan berjudi slot melalui situs judi qq online, sekarang sudah dilakukan oleh banyak penjudi Indonesia. Tentu, Kamu yang sedang membaca artikel ini a...5 years ago
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The Threat of Integration - I have lived in the same house in the Miracle Mile section of Los Angeles for over 30 years, where up until now I have had little or no interaction with th...5 years ago
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New Teacher Evaluation Report Released by the Network for Public Education - A new report on current teacher evaluation systems throughout the US was just released by the Network for Public Education. The report is titled, “Teachers...5 years ago
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www.job-applications.com - https://www.job-applications.com/bed-bath-and-beyond-job-application/5 years ago
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Teacher Creates National Database Tracking COVID-19 Outbreaks in Schools - Kansas educator Alisha Morris's online coronavirus news-tracker goes viral, now hosted on a new NEA website.5 years ago
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Correction for July 10th Post on School District Audit - On July 10, 2020 we published a post “School District Caught Manipulating Attendance Records to Get More Money” which incorrectly cited Valley Park School ...6 years ago
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We fight for a democracy worthy of us all! - The nation stands at a crossroads, said NEA President Lily Eskelsen GarcÃa in her final keynote address to the 2020 NEA Representative Assembly and it’s up...6 years ago
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Giving Private Schools Federal Emergency Funds Slated for Low-income Students Will Shortchange At-risk Kids - Low-income Seattle students began to pick up bagged lunches in March after their school closed. Karen Ducey/Getty Images Derek W. Black, University of Sout...6 years ago
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The Passing Of Chaz 1951-2020 Age 69 - I am the son of Chaz and like to inform you that he passed away this afternoon from the COVID virus. My father passed in peace beside his loved ones. We ar...6 years ago
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Let The Next Round Of Anti-Semitic Ads Begin - All four pro-public education candidates came in first in their LAUSD school board elections, but two will face run-offs in November.6 years ago
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The Fight For Our Children - *The number of suicides among people ages 10 to 24 nationally increased by 56 percent between 2007 and 2017, according to a new federal report showing the ...6 years ago
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Love Grow Your Own (but not without the actual growth part) - The Governor of Virginia, Ralph Northam, recently announced a grow-your-own type of program for teachers. According to this piece: On Monday, Governor Ral...6 years ago
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Another attempted cash grab by the corporate ed crowd in Washington State: House Bill 2788 - The League of Women Voters has opposed charter schools because they don’t have boards elected by the voters but instead the corporation running the schools...6 years ago
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Read to Self: Just a Kid and a Book. - Date: Monday, January 5, 2020 Place: My classroom Student: Mrs.Mims, could we start doing Read to Self again because I got this great book for Christmas an...6 years ago
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Reminiscences - I just finished dumping the rest of my lesson plans. I guess I held on to the calculus ones for so long because I spent so much time working on them an...6 years ago
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Just Asking for some Teachers I know. - Recently Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers stated, We must … recognize that part of supporting our kids in the classroom means supporting the educators who t...6 years ago
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Charging a terrified 10-year-old girl as a criminal is a very bad look for state attorney Dennis Ward - What the hell is going on? As a parent, I feel very comfortable using this exact wording to ask this … Continue reading →6 years ago
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Cara Menang Bermain Judi Bola Online - Bermain judi bola online tentu saja memiliki kesenangannya tersendiri baik itu mendapatkan keuntungan maupun ketika menantikan hasil skor pada sebuah perta...6 years ago
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Blaming Schools for Student Absences is Like Denouncing Doctors for Disease by Steven Singer - Originally posted at: https://gadflyonthewallblog.com/2019/08/25/blaming-schools-for-student-absences-is-like-denouncing-doctors-for-disease/?fbclid=IwAR1LV...6 years ago
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Jersey journalist roughed up at session sponsored by charter school groups - The sponsors of an event that doesn’t like journalists An independent New Jersey journalist was roughed up, his video camera was seized, and he was ejected...7 years ago
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K12 Inc. Data Breach Puts thousands of students at risk - It's hard to believe school districts are still contracting with this horrible company. K12 Inc. is the largest for-profit online alternative to actual pub...7 years ago
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A Critique of Standards-Based Grading - It first happened to me about ten years ago. I was beginning my third year of teaching in a new school in Washington, DC. Social studies teachers were si...7 years ago
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Reduced time for testing? Not so fast. - NYSED and Commish Elia continue to say that the NYS Assessments are of reasonable length, I completely disagree. Here is what NYSED states are average expe...7 years ago
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A Response to NorthJersey.com's Explosive "Cashing in on Charter Schools" Series - From NorthJersey.com's Cashing in on Charter Schools series Please note: THIS is what journalism looks like. For the better part of a *DECADE* I have wa...7 years ago
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This Week in Education Organizing - February 15, 2019 - Coalition for Education Justice to Release Report on CRE Eighty-five percent of public school students in New York City are Black, Latinx, or Asian and y...7 years ago
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The World According to Michelle Rhee - The men behind the curtain fashioning the brave new world of corporate run education in America! Michelle Rhee is the founder of StudentsFirst, The New T...7 years ago
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Libraries, books and overcoming the effect of poverty - *Published in the New York Times, September 20, 2018* *To the Editor:* *Re “Why libraries still matter.” [https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/08/opinion/sund...7 years ago
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TSJ's 17th Annual Curriculum Fair - *TSJ's 17th Annual Curriculum Fair* *** REGISTER HERE *** *From Puerto Rico to Chicago:* *Reclaiming and Reimagining Our Communities* Saturday, November 1...7 years ago
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Whose Opinions Matter in Education World? - It's hard to identify education heroes and sheroes. And perhaps even harder to pinpoint just whose work is slanted, paid-for and dishonest.7 years ago
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Book Review: The History of Institutional Racism in U.S. Public Schools (2018, Garn Press) by Susan DuFresne - I recently had the privilege of reading Dufresne’s powerful illustrated history of educational and institutional racism in the United States. Dufresne blen...8 years ago
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Corruption on Top of Corruption: How Rahm’s Response to Sexual Abuse of Students Reveals His Core Function - Rahm Emanuel’s response to the Chicago Tribune investigation that found CPS failed to protect hundreds of students from sexual abuse is cowardly. It is co...8 years ago
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New Local Businesses in Sacramento - Starting a new local business in Sacramento is a monumental task, but can be accomplished with footwork, perseverance and knowledge. One must learn the loc...8 years ago
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Lesson Plan: Rhyme and Rhythm in Poetry - I’ve started a recent unit on poetry with my class. I’m not a poet, and I’m not a poetry fan (I don’t hate it, but I’m a prose gal), so this makes it harde...8 years ago
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The Apotheosis of Betsy DeVos - Betsy Devos has drawn few headlines in recent months, and that is a good thing for the Secretary of Education. Her tenure began with Vice President Mike P...8 years ago
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A Teacher’s Tale in the Midst of the Terror in our Schools - Students’ active-shooter plan for teacher in wheelchair: ‘We will carry you’ Reprinted from Allison Slater Tate Feb. 21, 2018 at 4:58 PM Like teachers all ...8 years ago
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Social Emotional Data. The new Cash Cow in the Corporate Assessment Industry - Recently I was asked to allow my son to participate in a survey at school. The "opt in" survey form specifically stated, "the questions on the survey rela...8 years ago
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Education Is a Civic Question - In their final post to end Bridging Differences' decade-long run, Deborah Meier and Harry Boyte urge readers to put the energy, talents, wisdom, and hard w...8 years ago
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Site News: New Home for Education News & Commentary - Quick! Get over there! The daily education news roundup and education commentaries that you're probably looking for are now being published over at The Gra...9 years ago
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Should We Be Grateful? - In an odd turn of events, and with little explanation, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder has decided to return the state’s School Reform Office back to the Dep...9 years ago
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Parents Deserve to Know Who Is Being Appointed to State Board of Ed - I spent a rather surreal day at NJ Senate's Judiciary Committee meeting yesterday. This Committee, headed by Democrat Nick Scaturi, is responsible for a...9 years ago
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An Open Letter to NC Lawmakers - An Open Letter to NC State Lawmakers and NC State Superintendent Mark Johnson: I am a NC native, voter, and public school teacher. I am addressing you all ...9 years ago
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The Secret to Fixing Schools (My Next Bestseller) - The Secret to Fixing Schools (My next bestseller) Prologue I just finished watching a fascinating documentary on Netflix entitled, “The Secret”. The film p...9 years ago
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CPS Targets Special Education Teacher Sarah Chambers - Here are the remarks from an action we did today at River Point Plaza, a new development that used over $30 million in TIF funds. CPS claims we are broke...9 years ago
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Farewell, Sleep - Today is the official last day of my spring break. I've done a scientific survey: My natural bedtime is 2 AM, and my natural wake up time is 9:41 AM. Tom...9 years ago
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March is nearly over and I didn't do anything for WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH - I was inspired when I saw this meme I guess it can be called of WOMEN IN STEM and "IT'S OKAY TO BE SMART" And I began thinking about how the only subjec...9 years ago
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REPORT: States With the Best and Worst Schools - States With the Best (and Worst)Schools By *Evan Comen, Michael B. Sauter, Samuel Stebbins and Thomas C. Frohlich* January 20, 2017- http://247wallst.com ...9 years ago
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Test Refusal = People Power - In recent months, social media has been ablaze with talk of regular folk taking action to resist the Trump agenda. Protests are a daily occurrence, and ev...9 years ago
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Attitude Determines Altitude* (*conditions apply)… and the Importance of Humane District Themes - It has been a tumultuous few years in the South Brunswick community, specifically the South Brunswick School District. All you have to do is google the dis...9 years ago
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Prison Gerrymandering: Incarceration Weakens Vulnerable Voting Communities - One person equals one vote: seems simple enough. Unfortunately, that hasn’t worked out for many Americans throughout history, specifically women and peop...10 years ago
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Thursday, January 23, 2025
MEMES THAT MADE ME LAUGH TODAY 1-23
Wednesday, January 22, 2025
LEONARD PELTIER: FREE AT LAST - THANK YOU PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN
A Political Prisoner in Plain Sight
Leonard Peltier’s story is one that reads like a bad screenplay: a Native American activist caught in the crosshairs of a politically charged trial, convicted for the 1975 murders of two FBI agents during a violent standoff on South Dakota’s Pine Ridge Reservation. The trial? Let’s just say it wasn’t exactly a masterclass in due process. Coerced testimony? Check. Withheld evidence? Check. A courtroom atmosphere that could have doubled as an FBI reunion party? Triple check.
For decades, activists, tribal leaders, and human rights organizations have pointed out the glaring flaws in Peltier’s conviction. It’s not every day you see *Amnesty International* and *Desmond Tutu* on the same page as *Willie Nelson* and *the Dalai Lama*. But when it came to Leonard Peltier, the consensus was clear: this man was railroaded by a justice system that seemed to have misplaced its blindfold and scales.
Biden’s Big Move
President Biden’s decision to commute Peltier’s life sentence wasn’t just an act of mercy; it was a long-overdue acknowledgment of a system that had failed spectacularly. After years of petitions, protests, and polite-yet-firm letters from everyone under the sun (including several members of Congress), Biden finally took action. The result? Peltier’s life sentence has been commuted to house arrest, allowing him to spend his remaining years outside the cold confines of a prison cell.
Of course, not everyone is thrilled about this decision. The FBI Agents Association has already issued statements expressing their disappointment, which is about as surprising as finding out water is wet. But for Indigenous communities and human rights advocates, this moment is nothing short of monumental. It’s proof that even the most entrenched injustices can be chipped away with persistence, advocacy, and a little help from a president willing to stick his neck out.
A Symbol of Resilience
Leonard Peltier isn’t just a man; he’s a symbol — and not the kind you see on bumper stickers next to “Coexist” and “Save the Whales.” For Native American communities, his case represents decades of systemic oppression, broken treaties, and a justice system that often seems more interested in maintaining power than pursuing truth. His release is being celebrated not just as an individual victory but as a broader moment of hope for Indigenous rights and sovereignty.
Peltier himself has spent his 40-plus years behind bars reflecting on his role as both an activist and a prisoner. In his writings, he has expressed sorrow for those who have passed during his incarceration and gratitude for the countless supporters who have kept his story alive. He has also been candid about his frustrations — from repeated denials of clemency to health issues exacerbated by subpar medical care in prison. At 80 years old, with declining health and an abdominal aortic aneurysm that sounds as terrifying as it is hard to pronounce, Peltier’s release couldn’t have come at a better time.
The Bigger Picture
Peltier’s release isn’t happening in a vacuum. It comes at a time when America is finally starting to reckon with its treatment of Indigenous peoples. Just last year, President Biden issued a formal apology for the federal government’s role in Indian boarding schools — institutions that were less about education and more about cultural erasure on an industrial scale. These schools inflicted untold trauma on generations of Native children, and Biden’s apology, while significant, is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to addressing historical injustices.
The *Big Education Ape Blog* — ever the thorn in the side of complacency — has been quick to connect the dots between Peltier’s case and broader systemic issues. From the abuse suffered in boarding schools to the ongoing struggles for tribal sovereignty, the blog has made it clear that Peltier’s story is part of a much larger narrative. And while his release is cause for celebration, it’s also a reminder that there’s still plenty of work to be done.
A Legacy of Advocacy
The fight for Leonard Peltier’s freedom has spanned decades and involved an eclectic mix of supporters. From grassroots activists to Hollywood celebrities (yes, we’re looking at you, Robert Redford), the coalition advocating for his release has been as diverse as it is determined. Organizations like *Amnesty International* have highlighted his case as a glaring example of political imprisonment, while publications like *Popular Resistance* have chronicled his struggles in excruciating detail.
Even education-focused blogs like *Big Education Ape* have taken up the cause, using their platforms to draw attention to Peltier’s plight and its implications for justice in America. Their coverage has ranged from biting critiques of systemic racism to heartfelt calls for clemency, proving that sometimes even an "ape" can be an eloquent advocate for change.
What Comes Next?
So what does life look like for Leonard Peltier now? Indefinite house arrest may not be anyone’s idea of paradise, but compared to the walls of a maximum-security prison, it’s practically Club Med. For Peltier, it’s an opportunity to reconnect with his family, reflect on his journey, and continue advocating for Indigenous rights from the comfort of home (and hopefully with access to better healthcare).
For the rest of us, his release serves as both a victory and a challenge. It’s a victory because it shows that persistence can pay off, even when the odds seem insurmountable. But it’s also a challenge because Leonard Peltier’s story isn’t unique. There are countless others who remain trapped in systems designed to marginalize and oppress. If we’re serious about justice, we can’t stop at celebrating one man’s freedom; we have to keep pushing for systemic change.
The Last Laugh
As we close this chapter in Leonard Peltier’s saga, one can’t help but marvel at the irony: it took 48 years, countless protests, and a presidential intervention to correct what many saw as an obvious miscarriage of justice from day one. It’s almost enough to make you laugh — if you don’t cry first.
But laugh we shall, because sometimes humor is the only way to process the absurdity of it all. Leonard Peltier is finally free (well, free-ish), and that’s no small thing. So here’s to him — and here’s to everyone who fought tirelessly for this moment. May his story inspire us all to keep fighting for justice, one witty blog post at a time.
Departing Biden commutes Leonard Peltier sentence https://nondoc.com/2025/01/22/departing-biden-commutes-leonard-peltier-sentence/ via @nondocmedia
‘It’s finally over’: President Biden Grants Leonard Peltier Clemency https://ndncollective.org/president-biden-grants-leonard-peltier-clemency/
Big Education Ape: PRESIDENT BIDEN APOLOGIZES FOR FEDERAL GOVERNMENT'S ROLE IN BRUTAL INDIAN BOARDING SCHOOLS: FREE LEONARD PELTIER https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2024/10/president-biden-apologizes-for-federal.html
Big Education Ape: Please Share this! Free Leonard Peltier: Obama Urged to Grant Clemency to Native American Activist Jailed for 40 Years | Democracy Now! https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2016/12/please-share-this-free-leonard-peltier.html
Big Education Ape: Peltier: ‘My Forty Years In Prison’ | PopularResistance.Org https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2016/02/peltier-my-forty-years-in-prison.html
Big Education Ape: Modern School: Does America Torture Americans? Yes... https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2011/07/modern-school-does-america-torture.html?spref=tw
TRUMP 2.0 EXECUTIVE ORDERS THAT SING, DANCE, STIR THE CULTURE WAR POT, AND SHAKESPEARE
TRUMP 2.0
EXECUTIVE ORDERS THAT SING, DANCE, STIR THE CULTURE WAR POT, AND SHAKESPEARE
Ladies and gentlemen, hold on to your MAGA hats and prepare for a whirlwind tour of Trump 2.0. The executive orders are back, and this time, they’re bigger, bolder, and more controversial than ever. If you thought the first term was a reality TV show, buckle up—this sequel is a mashup of *The Apprentice*, *Survivor*, and *Game of Thrones*, with a sprinkle of *Shark Tank* just for fun. Let’s dive into the greatest hits of Trump’s latest executive order playlist, where culture wars meet policy chaos, and the Constitution gets a serious workout.
Birthright Citizenship: The Constitution vs. The Apprentice
In a move so bold it could’ve been a season finale twist on *The Apprentice*, Trump has decided to tackle birthright citizenship. His executive order declares that babies born to undocumented immigrants (or certain temporary residents) on U.S. soil are no longer citizens. Yes, you read that right—he’s taking on the 14th Amendment like it’s a poorly negotiated trade deal.
Legal scholars are already sharpening their pencils (and their wit), pointing out that this little thing called the Constitution might have something to say about it. But Trump seems undeterred. His message? “You’re born here? Big deal. Not a citizen. Next!”
Energy Emergency: Drill, Baby, Drill (and Cancel Those Windmills)
If there’s one thing Trump loves more than a golden escalator, it’s oil. Declaring a “national energy emergency,” he’s ordered expedited drilling in Alaska and beyond. Forget Biden’s coastal protections—Trump’s executive order rescinds them faster than you can say “polar bear habitat.”
And those offshore wind turbines? Trump paused leasing federal waters for wind projects, citing his long-standing feud with the spinning giants. “They’re ugly, they kill birds, and they make me seasick,” he probably didn’t say but definitely thought.
Oh, and the Paris Climate Agreement? Once again, Trump has ghosted it like a bad Tinder date. “We’re out,” he declared, proving that when it comes to climate commitments, he’s the Houdini of global diplomacy.
DEI: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion? Not on My Watch!
In his crusade against “woke” culture, Trump has set his sights on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. His executive order eliminates policies that promote these values across federal agencies. He even went so far as to revoke Lyndon B. Johnson’s Equal Employment Opportunity order from 1965—because apparently, 58 years of progress was just too much.
Trump also directed the FAA to ditch DEI hiring practices in favor of good old-fashioned “merit-based hiring.” Translation: “If you’re woke, you’re broke.”
And just in case that wasn’t enough, he ordered agencies to investigate large corporations and universities with hefty endowments. Nothing says “small government” like micromanaging billion-dollar institutions from the Oval Office.
Transgender Policies: Back to Binary Basics
Trump’s executive orders have also taken aim at transgender Americans. He declared that official documents must recognize only two sexes—male and female—because apparently, biology is now a matter of presidential decree.
He also rescinded Biden-era provisions that allowed transgender individuals to serve in the military. While he didn’t immediately reinstate his first-term ban, he left the door wide open for a sequel. It’s like he’s teasing us with a cliffhanger: “Will he or won’t he? Tune in next season!”
Jan. 6 Pardons: Forgive and Forget?
In one of his most eyebrow-raising moves yet, Trump pardoned the majority of Jan. 6 defendants and commuted the sentences of 14 others. Among the lucky recipients were leaders of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, proving once again that loyalty pays—especially if it involves storming the Capitol.
Trump referred to these individuals as “hostages” in need of rescue, which is certainly one way to describe people convicted of crimes against democracy. He even pardoned Ross Ulbricht, creator of the infamous Silk Road marketplace, because why not throw in a wildcard?
Health Orders: WHO’s Out and Big Pharma Wins
Remember when Trump pulled the U.S. out of the World Health Organization (WHO) during his first term? Well, he’s doing it again—for good measure. Citing the WHO’s “mishandling” of the COVID-19 pandemic and its alleged political biases, Trump’s executive order makes it clear: America is breaking up with global health diplomacy.
As for prescription drug costs? Biden’s 2022 order to lower them has been tossed out like last season’s fashion trends. Big Pharma is back in business, baby!
TikTok Ban: Suspended but Not Forgotten
In a surprising twist, Trump has suspended his beloved TikTok ban—for 75 days. Why 75 days? No one knows. Maybe it’s a grace period for him to perfect his renegade dance moves or launch his own TikTok rival app called *TrumpTok*. Whatever the reason, Gen Z can breathe easy… for now.
The Name Game: Denali Becomes Mount McKinley Again
If renaming mountains were an Olympic sport, Trump would take gold. In an executive order that feels oddly personal, he renamed Denali back to Mount McKinley and rechristened the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America. Because nothing says “Make America Great Again” like slapping new labels on old landmarks.
Federal Workers: Back to the Office or Bust
Federal employees hoping for continued remote work privileges are in for a rude awakening. Trump has ordered all government workers back to their cubicles full-time and implemented a hiring freeze across federal agencies (except for the military and immigration enforcement).
But wait—there’s more! He also reinstated his infamous Schedule F executive order, making it easier to fire civil servants deemed disloyal to his administration. It’s like *The Apprentice*, but with less drama and more bureaucracy.
A Department for Efficiency (and Irony)
In perhaps the most ironic move of all, Trump established the Department of Government Efficiency via executive order. Because nothing screams “efficient” like creating an entirely new department to oversee efficiency. It’s like hiring a personal trainer who spends all their time eating donuts instead of lifting weights.
Final Thoughts: A Symphony of Chaos
Trump 2.0’s executive orders are many things—bold, divisive, legally questionable—but above all, they’re entertaining in a way only Trump can deliver. Whether you agree with his policies or not, you have to admit: The man knows how to keep us talking.
So grab your popcorn and settle in for what promises to be a wild ride through the next four years of executive orders, culture wars, and bureaucratic mayhem. Love him or hate him, Trump is back—and he’s singing to his choir louder than ever before.
If William Shakespeare had attended the Trump Inauguration he might have said:
Now is the winter of our discontent,
Made glorious summer by this son of Queens;
And all the clouds that lour’d upon our house
In the deep bosom of executive orders buried.**
Now are our brows bound with MAGA hats;
Our bruised arms hung up for monuments of walls;
Our stern alarums changed to Twitter storms,
Our dreadful marches to rallies and chants.
Grim-visaged truth hath smooth’d her wrinkled front;
And now, instead of mounting facts and reason
To fright the souls of fearful adversaries,
He capers nimbly in a golden tower
To the lascivious pleasing of a base.
But I, who am not shaped for woke agendas,
Nor made to court an amorous progressive press;
I, who am rudely stamped, and want the virtue
To strut before a liberal ambling crowd;
I, who am curtail’d of this fair proportion,
Cheated of decorum by dissembling polls,
Deformed, unfinish’d, sent before my time
Into this breathing world, scarce half made up,
And that so lamely and unfashionable
That fact-checkers bark at me as I tweet by them;
Why, I, in this weak piping time of peace,
Have no delight to pass away the time,
Unless to sign my shadow in the press
And descant on mine own executive orders:
And therefore, since I cannot prove a uniter,
To entertain these fair well-spoken days,
I am determined to prove a disruptor
And hate the idle pleasures of these elites.
Orders have I laid, proclamations dangerous,
By drunken prophecies of fake news and fraud,
To set my predecessor and the woke
In deadly hate the one against the other:
And if the courts be as true and just
As I am subtle, false and treacherous,
This day should birthright citizenship be mew’d up,
About a clause, which says that ‘soil’
Of America’s heirs the citizen shall be.
Dive, thoughts, down to my soul: here
Alaska drills.
Now is the age of culture wars declared,
With genders fixed and DEI dismantled;
Where monuments rise to classical columns,
And windmills pause at the stroke of a pen.
Pardons flow like wine at a feast,
And the hostages of January 6th walk free.
The Paris Climate burns in the flames of my ire,
While gas and coal rise from the ashes of treaties.
TikTok dances on a temporary stay,
And the WHO withdraws to the sound of my scorn.
But I, who am unfit for compromise,
Will stride this stage with a villain’s glee.
For I am the winter of their discontent,
And glorious summer shall never return.
Monday, January 20, 2025
FROM LOBSTER TAILS TO TALL TALES: MY SUMMER OF CIVIL RIGHTS, RACISTS AND COCA-COLA
FROM LOBSTER TAILS TO TALL TALES
MY SUMMER OF CIVIL RIGHTS, RACISTS AND COCA-COLA
Ah, Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2025. A day to remember a great man, reflect on his legacy, and, in my case, reminisce about a summer in 1974 that felt like a cross between a history lesson, a comedy of errors, and a Southern-fried soap opera. Strap in, folks, because this is the story of how I accidentally stumbled into the orbit of civil rights legends, a future president, and one of the most obnoxious racists this side of a bad country song—all while working at a Red Lobster in Marietta, Georgia.
Now, let me set the stage. It was late May 1974, and I had just started my new job as a manager at Red Lobster. The South was already hot enough to cook shrimp on the sidewalk, and I was working 10-to-12-hour days like someone trying to pay off a debt to the mob. I didn’t have a day off for nearly a month, and when I finally got one, I decided to explore the Civil War history of Atlanta. Because nothing screams "relaxation" like trudging through battlefields in the Georgia heat.
Enter my new lady friend—a Marietta native with an encyclopedic knowledge of local history and a fondness for dragging me around town like a reluctant contestant on a historical scavenger hunt. She took me to Kennesaw Mountain Battlefield, where I learned that "strategic high ground" is just code for "sweaty uphill hike." Then it was off to Stone Mountain to see the giant carvings of Confederate generals, which looked like Mount Rushmore’s grumpy cousins. We also visited Ebenezer Baptist Church, where Martin Luther King Jr. had preached, and wrapped up our tour at Atlanta Underground, which is basically a mall with delusions of grandeur.
Oh, and somewhere along the way, we passed the Georgia Governor’s Mansion. Who did we see waving from the lawn like he was hosting a barbecue? None other than Jimmy Carter himself—then the governor of Georgia and future peanut farmer-in-chief. He was so friendly that I half-expected him to invite us in for sweet tea and pecan pie.
But the real fireworks that summer came courtesy of two men who couldn’t have been more different if they’d been characters in a buddy cop movie: Hosea Williams and J.B. Stoner. One was a civil rights hero; the other was… well, let’s just say he probably thought "civil rights" was a typo.
First, there was Hosea Williams. I didn’t know it at the time, but he was one of Martin Luther King Jr.’s closest allies and had been with him on the day he was assassinated. My encounter with Hosea happened when I was sent from my Marietta restaurant to the Atlanta Red Lobster, which was being picketed by union organizers. As a manager, I was faced with the unenviable choice of crossing the picket line or getting fired. Let me tell you, nothing prepares you for this kind of moral dilemma—certainly not the Red Lobster employee handbook.
The man leading the protest? Hosea Williams himself. Now, imagine my surprise when this legendary activist—this lion of the civil rights movement—looked at me, laughed, and said, "Don’t worry, son. No harm will come to you if you’ve got to keep your job." Then he handed me a cold Coca-Cola like we were old friends at a backyard cookout. We stood there chatting and laughing, and for a brief moment, I forgot that I was sweating bullets in polyester slacks. It wasn’t until years later that I realized just how big a deal Hosea Williams was. At the time, I just thought he was the nicest guy I’d ever met who also happened to scare the corporate bigwigs at Red Lobster.
And then there was J.B. Stoner. If Hosea Williams was the angel on one shoulder, J.B. Stoner was the devil on the other—the kind of guy who made you want to shower after being in his presence. Stoner was a card-carrying member of the KKK and had allegedly bombed churches in Birmingham. He even ran for lieutenant governor of Georgia alongside Lester Maddox, whose idea of progressive politics probably involved segregated salt shakers.
My first encounter with J.B. Stoner happened when he came into the Marietta Red Lobster and demanded that his server—Gloria, a Black woman—be replaced with someone white. Now, I’m not saying I’m a saint or anything, but there are few things more satisfying than watching a racist storm out of your restaurant because you refused to cater to their nonsense. The next time Stoner came in, he tried the same stunt. This time, he grudgingly allowed Gloria to serve him after delivering a monologue about his hatred for Black people that would’ve made even his fellow racists say, "Dude, tone it down."
But oh, it gets better. On his third visit, we assigned another Black female server to his table just to see if he’d implode like an overcooked soufflé. He grumbled but ate his meal. By his fourth visit, we were out of Black servers on shift, so we recruited one of our Black cooks from the kitchen to wait on him. That seemed to be the final straw for ol’ J.B., who never darkened our doors again. I like to think he went home that night muttering about how even his beloved cheddar biscuits had turned against him.
So here we are in 2025, and every MLK Jr. Day, I think back to that wild summer of ’74—my six degrees of separation from Martin Luther King Jr., courtesy of Hosea Williams and J.B. Stoner. It’s funny how life works sometimes. One minute you’re sweating through your manager uniform at Red Lobster; the next minute you’re sharing a Coke with a civil rights icon or outsmarting a card-carrying bigot with nothing but good manners and a roster of amazing Black employees.
And if there’s one thing I learned from that summer—besides the fact that wearing polyester in Georgia is basically self-torture—it’s this: heroes come in all shapes and sizes. Sometimes they’re leading protests or preaching from pulpits. Sometimes they’re waving from governor’s mansions or serving cheddar biscuits with a smile. And sometimes they’re just regular folks trying to do the right thing in a world that doesn’t always make it easy.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I think it’s time for some sweet tea and pecan pie. Jimmy Carter would approve.









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