Yesterday’s Gems, Today’s InsightsA Roundup of the Web’s Finest Blog Posts!
7-30-25
7-30-25
New Republic: SCOTUS' Decision to Let Trump Abolish ED Dept is Shameful https://dianeravitch.net/2025/07/29/new-republic-scotus-decision-to-let-trump-abolish-ed-dept-is-shameful/ via @dianeravitch
### Key Points
- Trump aimed to eliminate the Department of Education, blaming it for imposing DEI ideology and other societal issues, despite its actual role being unrelated to curriculum decisions.
- The Supreme Court allowed Trump to proceed with dismantling the Department, ignoring constitutional and statutory protections established by Congress.
- Justice Sonia Sotomayor dissented, highlighting legal prohibitions against abolishing the Department and the harm to students and civil rights caused by the decision.
- The Court's decision contrasts with its refusal to allow Biden's student debt relief, reflecting judicial inconsistency and bias.
Jennifer Berkshire: A New Path, with Less Opportunity and Less Social Mobility https://dianeravitch.net/2025/07/29/jennifer-berkshire-a-new-path-with-less-opportunity-and-less-social-mobility/ via @dianeravitch
### Key Points
- Trump's budget bill deepens class divides, benefiting the wealthy while reducing opportunities for the poor.
- Caps on student loans limit access to graduate programs, favoring wealthy students.
- Cuts to Medicaid and higher education funding increase tuition and reduce faculty/programs at public colleges.
- Voucher programs redirect public funds upward, straining resources for public schools.
- Red states face severe funding losses due to federal cuts and voucher costs, worsening education disparities.
- Destabilization of public schools leads to larger class sizes, fewer extracurriculars, and reduced quality of education.
- Historical comparison to Kansas' tax cuts shows similar devastating impacts on education and social mobility.
- Bipartisan parent uprisings in Kansas reversed harmful policies, offering hope for resistance.
- Trump's education agenda, including abolishing the Department of Education, is unpopular with voters.
John Thompson: Oklahoma's Ryan Walters Protects Students from "Radical Leftist Ideology" https://dianeravitch.net/2025/07/29/john-thompson-oklahoma/ via @dianeravitch
### Key Points
- Oklahoma Superintendent Ryan Walters enforces MAGA-aligned education policies, hiring PragerU to test teachers' ideological alignment.
- Walters mandates teaching the Israel-Iran conflict with a pro-Israel perspective and labels Hamas as a terrorist group.
- Walters incorporates conspiracy theories about the 2020 election into Oklahoma's history standards.
- Walters links teachers' unions to terrorism and imposes strict ideological requirements for certification.
- Despite Oklahoma's low teacher salaries and shortages, Walters insists on ideological vetting for incoming educators.
A Purge Sweeps Away Veteran Columnists at Washington Post https://dianeravitch.net/2025/07/29/a-purge-sweeps-away-veteran-columnists-at-washington-post/ via @dianeravitch
### Key Points
- Jeff Bezos, owner of The Washington Post, shifted the paper’s editorial stance, halting presidential endorsements and causing significant staff turnover, including veteran columnists and reporters leaving for other outlets.
- The Post, once known for its journalistic excellence and defense of democratic values, has seen a decline in its defiant tone against threats to democracy, aligning more with Bezos’ vision of personal liberties and economic freedom.
- The departure of high-profile opinion columnists and editors reflects a major shift in the paper’s priorities under Bezos, with some staff being pushed out or reconsidering their roles.
- Critics argue that Bezos’ management style prioritizes profit over public interest, likening his approach to other billionaires who focus on self-enrichment rather than preserving democratic values.
Big Education Ape: WHEN THE OPPRESSED BECOMES THE OPPRESSOR: NETANYAHU, GAZA AND THE TRAGIC IRONY OF POWER https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2025/07/when-oppressed-becomes-oppressor.html
### Key Points
- Analysis of Netanyahu's leadership and Gaza's humanitarian crisis, with accusations of genocide.
- U.S. financial and military support for Israel under scrutiny.
- Rights groups in Israel accuse their government of genocide in Gaza.
- International community's limited response to Gaza's crisis.
- The story of Richard Lakin highlights the potential for peace through empathy and education.
- Urgent call for global accountability and dialogue to address the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Big Education Ape: The Oligarchy Eats!: Welcome to Geoffrey and Elaine’s: Where the Elite Meet to Eat… People! https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2025/07/the-oligarchy-eats-welcome-to-geoffrey.html
### Key Points
- A fictional restaurant run by cannibalistic oligarchs serves human staff as gourmet dishes for the ultra-wealthy.
- Benny, a busboy, escapes and exposes the truth, leading to public outrage and online activism via 'Wiki-Anon.'
- Efforts by media moguls, corrupt officials, and even the president suppress investigations, allowing the restaurant to continue operating.
Cartoons on Gadgets https://larrycuban.wordpress.com/2025/07/29/cartoons-on-gadgets/ via @CubanLarry
- The author shares a fondness for gadgets, noting how they can bring efficiency, humor, or simple enjoyment, but also highlights the tendency to discard them over time.
- A collection of cartoons related to gadget enthusiasts is presented, aimed at entertaining and resonating with fellow gadget-lovers.
- The blog touches on themes of technology use, addiction, and dependency, as well as broader topics like education reform, classroom practices, and policy-to-practice transitions.
- Larry Cuban's blog serves as a platform for discussing educational insights, including teaching dilemmas, technology integration, and school reforms.
I Went Down to the Crossroads... https://open.substack.com/pub/arthurgoldstein/p/i-went-down-to-the-crossroads?r=kja7f&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
### Key Points
- The article uses the metaphor of crossroads, referencing Robert Johnson's legendary story, to describe the current critical moment for the United Federation of Teachers (UFT).
- Unity Caucus, a long-dominant faction in the UFT, is criticized for undemocratic practices and prioritizing self-interest over members' needs.
- Retiree Advocate (RA) won the Retired Teacher Chapter (RTC) election but failed to fully capitalize on the victory due to internal missteps and a lack of inclusivity.
- Marianne Pizzitola and NYC Retirees played a significant role in the election win by opposing Unity's Medicare Advantage plans and mobilizing retirees.
- The author reflects on lessons from past campaigns, emphasizing the importance of listening to members, uniting across political divides, and focusing on shared goals like protecting healthcare and improving working conditions.
- The author criticizes standardized testing, Common Core, and other policies that harm education, advocating for a union that prioritizes members' and students' needs over politics.
- ABC, the author’s group, aims to amplify member voices, build unity, and challenge Unity Caucus's dominance in future elections by focusing on retiree needs and member-driven priorities.
Teacher Tom: Preparing Children for the Real World Through Play https://teachertomsblog.blogspot.com/2025/07/preparing-children-for-real-world.html
### Key Points
- Play-based learning encourages collaboration and mirrors real-world problem-solving.
- Traditional schooling focuses too much on competition and individual knowledge, which doesn't align with real-world demands.
- Children thrive in self-directed, collaborative environments, bringing their unique abilities together to learn and grow.
- Teacher Tom offers a summer camp for educators and caregivers to learn about play-based education.
Hey Students! Step Up: Learn to Lead with Purpose and Confidence – Cloaking Inequity https://cloakinginequity.com/2025/07/29/hey-students-step-up-learn-to-lead-with-purpose-and-confidence/
### Key Points
- Western Michigan University (WMU) offers two interactive leadership courses for undergraduates in Fall 2025: EDLD 2000 and EDLD 3020, designed to foster ethical and inclusive leadership.
- EDLD 2000 focuses on leadership theories, personal strengths assessment, and communication skills, combining in-person and online formats. It fulfills WMU's Essential Studies Level I requirement.
- EDLD 3020 emphasizes global advocacy, equity, and inclusion through service-learning projects and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. It satisfies WMU's Essential Studies Level III requirement.
- The courses aim to equip students with transferable skills in communication, teamwork, and leadership while addressing real-world challenges.
- The instructor brings 18 years of leadership experience in higher education, advocating for equity and mentoring students to discover their leadership potential.
- These courses are open only to enrolled WMU students and are recommended for students across all majors who value collaboration, ethical leadership, and social impact.
A “Moment of Reckoning” or Just More Empty Hysteria? https://teacherinastrangeland.blog/2025/07/29/a-moment-of-reckoning-or-just-more-empty-hysteria/ via @nancyflanagan
### Key Points
- The author critiques the state of public education journalism, highlighting sensationalized headlines and misleading narratives about Michigan schools, particularly regarding comparisons to Mississippi's education system.
- The article challenges the effectiveness of policies like the Third Grade Flunk law and criticizes the focus on test scores as a measure of school success, arguing for broader factors like tailored instruction, quality personnel, and holistic support for students.
- Bridge Magazine, once supportive of public education, now appears to adopt a politicized stance, which the author finds disappointing given its previous advocacy for Michigan teachers.
- Senator Dayna Polehanki provides counterarguments to the claims about Michigan's education system, emphasizing misleading interpretations of NAEP test data and critiquing the "Mississippi Miracle."
- The author advocates for meaningful improvements in education, such as universal preschool, smaller classes, stable housing, and healthcare for children, rather than relying on test score competitions.
glen brown: Bribes, Bias, and South Park: Trump’s Authoritarian Agenda Hits Primetime https://teacherpoetmusicianglenbrown.blogspot.com/2025/07/bribes-bias-and-south-park-trumps.html
### Key Points
- CBS and Paramount allegedly capitulated to Trump’s demands by paying $16 million, censoring their newsroom, and installing monitors to eliminate perceived “leftwing bias.”
- Trump’s use of the FCC under Brendan Carr to enforce media compliance is likened to historical authoritarian tactics.
- The article highlights factual truths often dismissed as “liberal bias,” such as climate change, universal healthcare, and economic inequality.
- The dangers of self-censorship in media are underscored as a threat to democracy, with Trump openly leveraging federal powers to silence critics.
- Calls to action include supporting independent journalism, voting against authoritarian candidates, and actively defending democratic principles.
Code Acts in Education: Learning Brains | National Education Policy Center https://nepc.colorado.edu/blog/learning-brains
- A recent MIT study using neurotechnologies claims generative AI like ChatGPT may cause "cognitive debt," sparking debates about its impact on learning processes and the brain.
- Neurotechnologies, such as EEG devices and brain imaging tools, are increasingly used in educational neuroscience to study neural correlates of learning and inform pedagogical practices.
- Neurotechnologies enable real-time brain data recording, decoding brain activation patterns, and tracking physiological markers like attention and emotional processes, offering insights into classroom engagement and learning.
- Educational neuroscience conceptualizes the "learning brain" in various ways, including plasticity, synchronicity, attention, and neurocomputational modeling, leading to diverse pedagogical and policy interventions.
- The "diminished learning brain," affected by technology-induced cognitive diminishment, has emerged as a new focus in neuroscience studies, raising concerns about regulatory and remedial interventions.
- Neurogovernance involves interventions based on brain knowledge, such as cognitive enhancement or brain-training platforms, with implications for political and economic agendas like the "brain economy."
Education Research Report https://educationresearchreport.blogspot.com/
Education Research Report: Why university startups don’t perform as well as corporate startups https://educationresearchreport.blogspot.com/2025/07/why-university-startups-dont-perform-as.html
Education Research Report: Only 10% of early childhood teachers have enough time to get their work done https://educationresearchreport.blogspot.com/2025/07/only-10-of-early-childhood-teachers.html
Education Research Report: 97.5% of women in STEM graduate programs report at least a moderate level of impostor experiences https://educationresearchreport.blogspot.com/2025/07/975-of-women-in-stem-graduate-programs.html
Education Research Report: 97.5% of women in STEM graduate programs report at least a moderate level of impostor experiences https://educationresearchreport.blogspot.com/2025/07/975-of-women-in-stem-graduate-programs.html
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Seattle Times' Coverage of Seattle School Board Races, Part One... https://saveseattleschools.blogspot.com/2025/07/seattle-times-coverage-of-seattle.html?spref=tw
### Key Points
- The Seattle Times covers the primary election for school board seats, noting challenges like budget issues and finding a new superintendent.
- Candidates emphasize transparency, especially in budgeting and decision-making, and advocate for inclusive community engagement.
- Eric Feeny criticizes the hands-off approach of previous boards, while Clark aims to address district finances with an ad hoc committee.
- Mizrahi and Rivera propose better neighborhood school services and holistic approaches to student safety, particularly for special education.
- Menchaca and Song call for expanded mentoring/tutoring initiatives and budget transparency to align spending with priorities.
- Suggestions include auditing the district’s budget and increasing revenue through enrollment strategies, though concerns arise about unnecessary hires.
- The importance of school board oversight of the superintendent’s work is stressed, with calls for thorough budget reviews and accountability.
- Nepotism within the Seattle Public Schools administration is highlighted, raising concerns about personnel decisions based on personal connections.
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Seattle Times' Coverage of Seattle School Board Races, Part Two... https://saveseattleschools.blogspot.com/2025/07/seattle-times-coverage-of-seattle_29.html?spref=tw
### Key Points
- Budget deficits remain a major concern for most candidates, with proposals to reinstate committees and audits to improve transparency and accountability.
- Eric Feeny suggests addressing organizational deficiencies through academic rigor, community responsiveness, and district support for school-level improvements.
- Candidates stress the importance of listening to families, rebuilding trust, and ensuring the district follows through on commitments.
- Laura Marie Rivera advocates for personalized education over scaled approaches, emphasizing relationships and individual student needs.
- Mizrahi and Clark propose consistency in curriculum, rigor, and expectations across schools to ensure equitable access to strong academics.
- Bill Campbell pledges to reinstate public meetings, engage with stakeholders, and establish a citizens budget review committee.
- Vivian Song highlights the need to stabilize enrollment, regain public trust, and prioritize marginalized students.
- Janis White calls for addressing toxic organizational culture, improving transparency, and focusing on enrollment challenges.
- Candidates discuss the importance of adopting best practices in literacy curriculum and supporting advanced learning opportunities equitably.
- Allycea Weil emphasizes balancing rigor with relevancy and pooling resources for enrichment opportunities.
- Julissa Sanchez highlights safety concerns, belonging, and leveraging initiatives to address budget gaps.
- Carol Rava and Jen LaVallee outline priorities such as academic excellence, safety, and addressing enrollment disparities, with LaVallee questioning the accuracy of reported budget deficits.
- Rava suggests setting academic performance goals, aligning resources, and considering attendance in grades to improve outcomes.
Our critique of DOE’s latest submitted class size “plan” — which is no plan at all | Class Size Matters | A clearinghouse for information on class size & the proven benefits of smaller classes https://classsizematters.org/our-critique-of-does-latest-submitted-class-size-plan-which-is-no-plan-at-all/
### Key Points
- The DOE's class size plan for 2025-2026 lacks specific data on achieving mandated benchmarks and fails to address overcrowding.
- Public comment processes were flawed, with minimal outreach to stakeholders and inadequate communication about hearings.
- The DOE refuses to equalize enrollments between schools or build additional space to meet class size requirements.
- The DOE prioritizes competition between schools over compliance with class size laws, seeking exemptions instead of solutions.
- NYC faces challenges from slowed family migration and a building boom that overlooks school infrastructure needs.
- The article includes additional critiques, charts, and recommendations for revising the DOE's plan.
2025–26 FFVP Grant Recipient Announcement - Nutrition 2025–26 Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) grant. The California Department of Education (CDE) received 719 total FFVP applications. https://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/nu/ffvpgrantannouncement.asp
### Key Points
- The CDE awarded 2025–26 FFVP grants to 495 elementary schools based on free and reduced-price meal eligibility (88.14% or higher).
- The grant funding is divided into two allocations, with the first covering July 1–September 30, 2025.
- Future FFVP grant applications for 2026–27 are encouraged, with details available on the CDE website.
- The program supports providing free fresh fruit or vegetable snacks to students during the school day.
- Questions about the FFVP grant can be directed to the CDE FFVP Team via email or phone.
Choosing Democracy: Education Funds Released https://choosingdemocracy.blogspot.com/2025/07/education-funds-released.html
### Key Points
- The Trump administration reversed its illegal withholding of education funds due to collective activism, including lobbying efforts by AFT members and leaders.
- The TEACH conference energized educators, focusing on artificial intelligence, reading instruction, and making learning engaging and relevant, while addressing attacks on critical thinking and pluralism in schools.
- AFT members continue to fight against education cuts and advocate for affordability, opportunity, and dignity for all Americans.
- The blog emphasizes the importance of organizing to defend democracy and resisting authoritarianism, quoting Thomas Paine to inspire perseverance.
- The blog provides links and resources on education, democracy, and activism, showcasing ongoing efforts and historical archives.
Ghislaine Maxwell Is Not a Victim. She Is a Sexual Predator. | deutsch29: Mercedes Schneider's Blog https://deutsch29.wordpress.com/2025/07/29/ghislaine-maxwell-is-not-a-victim-she-is-a-sexual-predator/
### Key Points
- Ghislaine Maxwell was sentenced to 20 years for conspiring with Jeffrey Epstein to sexually exploit minors.
- Maxwell groomed victims by befriending them, normalizing abuse, and facilitating sexual acts with Epstein.
- She and Epstein targeted vulnerable girls, often from financially difficult circumstances, and created a network of victims.
- Maxwell’s trial resulted in guilty verdicts for multiple charges, including conspiracy to entice minors and sex trafficking.
- Survivors shared harrowing testimonies, exposing Maxwell’s calculated manipulation and direct involvement in abuse.
Yesterday’s Gems, Today’s InsightsA Roundup of the Web’s Finest Blog Posts!
7-29-25
7-29-25
The article is a collection of discussions on diverse topics, including public education policies, social justice, political controversies, and cultural issues. It highlights challenges in education reform, privatization, equity-driven leadership, AI integration, and systemic inequities, while also delving into broader societal concerns such as immigration enforcement, Christian Nationalism, and ranked-choice voting.
### Key Points
- The DOE’s class size plan for 2025-2026 lacks concrete strategies and accountability.
- IDEA Public Schools in El Paso lost half of its students before graduation despite receiving significant funding, raising concerns about its stability compared to public schools.
- New Hampshire’s relaxed child labor laws and homeschooling regulations raise concerns about child welfare and oversight.
- Oklahoma Superintendent Ryan Walters faced criticism for displaying explicit images during a board meeting, highlighting accountability issues for public officials.
- Arizona’s universal school voucher program primarily benefits wealthy families, creating a $206 million funding shortfall while public schools remain underfunded.
- Christian Nationalism influences education policies, with figures like David Barton promoting revisionist history and religious-centric narratives.
- AI literacy for preschoolers sparks debate over its impact on childhood development, privacy, and corporate interests.
- Play-based learning empowers children’s autonomy and curiosity, challenging traditional educational norms.
- Claims of a U.S. literacy crisis are disputed, with critiques of policies like the "Mississippi Reading Miracle."
- Equity-driven leaders face backlash for challenging traditional hiring practices, emphasizing the need for transparent and participatory processes.
- The University of Chicago’s cuts to liberal arts programs reflect ideological shifts prioritizing profitability over intellectual integrity.
- Immigrant students in Los Angeles demonstrate resilience amidst anti-immigrant policies and ICE threats during graduation ceremonies.
- Grassroots movements like "50501" protests drive political and cultural change, addressing systemic inequities and authoritarianism.
- AI integration in classrooms raises concerns about its impact on critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
