Yesterday’s Gems, Today’s Insights
Mercedes Schneider Reviews A Powerful New Book https://dianeravitch.net/2025/09/08/mercedes-schneider-reviews-an-important-new-book/ via @dianeravitch
### Key Points
- Kristen Buras' book examines the history and closure of George Washington Carver High School in New Orleans, emphasizing the systemic neglect faced by Black communities.
- The book sheds light on the dedication of Carver High School's teachers, who went above and beyond for their students despite chronic underfunding.
- Post-Katrina, the refusal to grant the community a charter to reopen Carver High School is highlighted as a significant injustice.
- Schneider reflects on her own upbringing in Louisiana, uncovering the deep-seated racism and segregation that shaped local education systems.
- The book critiques the "white savior" mentality and calls for honoring the histories of Black schools as told by their communities.
- The closure of Black institutions in New Orleans is tied to broader efforts to gentrify the city and suppress its Black middle class.
Sacramento: How Could a Charter School Misuse $180 Million in Two Years? https://dianeravitch.net/2025/09/08/sacramento-how-could-a-charter-school-misuse-180-million-in-two-years/ via @dianeravitch
### Key Points
- Highlands Community Charter misused $180 million in K-12 funds and must repay it.
- The school had low graduation rates and hired unqualified teachers, impacting academic performance.
- Extravagant spending included trips, gifts, and leasing a ballpark, revealing financial mismanagement.
- Legislative efforts are underway to improve charter school oversight and accountability.
- The school exploited rules allowing adult charter schools to receive K-12 funding.
The Courts Are Striking Down Trump's Illegal Orders; What Will the Supreme Court Do? https://dianeravitch.net/2025/09/08/the-courts-are-striking-down-trumps-illegal-orders-what-will-supreme-court-do/ via @dianeravitch
### Key Points:
- Federal courts have struck down multiple Trump policies, including tariffs, deportations, and misuse of federal troops.
- Concerns about Supreme Court reversals or Trump defying orders are addressed, noting that most rulings have been enforced.
- Blue states have successfully used lawsuits to reclaim withheld funds, benefiting public health infrastructure.
- The judiciary has improved its ability to ensure government compliance with court orders, despite delays or misdirection.
- Resourceful civil rights lawyers continue to find new ways to challenge Trump’s policies, even adapting to unfavorable SCOTUS rulings.
- Lower court victories are gradually chipping away at the administration’s authoritarian tendencies.
Fascism Alert! SCOTUS Allows Trump's "Roving Patrols" of ICE https://dianeravitch.net/2025/09/08/scotus-allows-trumps-roving-patrols-of-ice/ via @dianeravitch
### Key Points
- The Supreme Court upheld ICE "roving patrols" in Southern California, allowing agents to stop individuals based on ethnicity despite lower courts deeming it unconstitutional.
- Lower courts ruled these practices violated the Fourth Amendment, as they lacked "reasonable suspicion" and were largely based on ethnicity or location.
- Critics accuse the Supreme Court's majority of inconsistency in their "originalist" interpretation of the Constitution, claiming political bias.
Big Education Ape: THE BOY WHO CRIED CHARTER SCHOOL SCANDAL: A MODERN FABLE OF WOLVES, BILLIONAIRES, AND THE DEVOURING OF PUBLIC EDUCATION https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2025/09/the-boy-who-cried-charter-school.html
BIG EDUCATION APE explores the ongoing issues surrounding charter schools and voucher programs in California. The article uses a modern fable to highlight the privatization of public education, driven by billionaire-backed initiatives, and the systemic fraud and mismanagement within the charter school system. It emphasizes the growing financial scandals, lack of oversight, and the impact on public education, calling for grassroots resistance and legislative reforms.
### Key Points
- California's charter school system faces widespread fraud, mismanagement, and scandals, with billions of public funds misused.
- Billionaire-backed organizations like the California Charter Schools Association (CCSA) aggressively push for charter expansion, influencing elections and blocking reforms.
- Activists like Sharon Higgins and organizations such as the Network for Public Education (NPE) fight against privatization and expose charter school failures.
- The A3 Education scandal exemplifies systemic issues, with executives siphoning millions through fraudulent student enrollments.
- Reports call for stricter oversight, mandatory audits, and fraud risk assessments to prevent further exploitation of public funds.
Big Education Ape: UPDATE YESTERDAY'S AI EDUCATION NEWS: Genius Insights or Digital Spitballs? https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2025/09/update-yesterdays-ai-education-news.html
### Key Points
- Climate models have accurately predicted global warming effects, showcasing evidence in atmospheric and oceanic changes.
- Criticism of Stephen Miller's political actions and influence, including his portrayal as a "black-hearted bureaucrat."
- Parodies and critiques of political systems, including oligarchy and constitutional manipulation.
- Discussions on Donald Trump’s controversial legacy and impact on history and governance.
- Education-focused posts addressing public school privatization, funding cuts, and the fight for equitable education.
- Coverage of social justice movements, including Black Lives Matter and school safety concerns.
- Highlighting the importance of solar energy in combating climate change and reducing carbon footprints.
- A roundup of blog posts providing insights on various societal and political topics.
Big Education Ape: A WHIRLWIND WEEK IN EDUCATION: WHAT THE AI ORACLES SAY ABOUT AUGUST 31–SEPTEMBER 5, 2025 https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2025/09/a-whirlwind-week-in-education-what-ai.html
From Idaho to Texas to Florida: The Harm of Sweeping ‘Parental Rights’ Laws Texas’s SB 12 proves what child advocates have long warned: sweeping parental control laws deny kids even the most basic protections. https://brucelesley.substack.com/p/from-idaho-to-texas-to-florida-the
The COLA is CRAPOLA And other observations https://arthurgoldstein.substack.com/p/the-cola-is-crapola
The COLA is CRAPOLA And other observations Arthur Goldstein
### Key Points
- The COLA (cost of living adjustment) applies only to the first $18,000 of income and offers minimal benefits, such as $216 annually, highlighting its inadequacy for retirees.
- Unity leadership's repetitive resolutions for improving COLA have yielded little progress, raising concerns about their effectiveness.
- Unity has been criticized for lack of transparency in health plan contracts, with members unable to view agreements before voting.
- Activists and retirees have opposed Unity’s support for Medicare Advantage plans, emphasizing the need for protecting traditional Medicare.
- Unity's actions reveal a pattern of prioritizing control over healthcare decisions, despite promises to safeguard members' interests.
- The cost of living in NYC far exceeds the benefits provided by COLA, underscoring the disparity between leadership decisions and member needs.
School choice systems: Ranked Application Systems work best - Education Research Report https://educationresearchreport.blogspot.com/
- A study examines three school choice application systems: a common application, a decentralized system with costly separate applications, and a ranked-choice system using a matching algorithm.
- The common application increases access but may lead to worse matches due to heightened competition, while decentralized systems encourage selective applications due to application costs.
- Ranked-choice systems reduce application costs and improve preference-based matching, minimizing mismatches.
- Analysis of Boston's charter school sector shows that adopting a common application did not significantly improve access for disadvantaged groups or outperform alternatives.
- Counterfactual simulations suggest ranked-choice systems consistently outperform common applications under various conditions.
Education Research Report: College Loans and Human Capital Investment https://educationresearchreport.blogspot.com/2025/09/college-loans-and-human-capital.html
Education Research Report: International Students, Immigration Policies and Implications for Innovation https://educationresearchreport.blogspot.com/2025/09/international-students-immigration.html
CURMUDGUCATION: Privatizing Taxpayer Dollars https://curmudgucation.blogspot.com/2025/09/privatizing-taxpayer-dollars.html
- Charter and voucher schools are criticized for converting public taxpayer dollars into private wealth and assets, often through real estate dealings.
- Renaissance Charter School in Leon County faced issues like low enrollment, poor academic performance, and contract violations, ultimately leading to its closure.
- The transition from charter to private schools, such as Tallahassee Preparatory Academy, raises concerns about reduced oversight and accountability, especially with universal voucher programs.
- Taxpayer-funded property and assets do not revert to public school districts when charters close, leading to public resources being locked in private hands.
- Examples from other states, like Pennsylvania, show how taxpayer money intended for education is often redirected to build real estate empires for charter organizations.
Teacher Tom: The Sky is Not Falling https://teachertomsblog.blogspot.com/2025/09/the-sky-is-not-falling.html
### Key Points
- Media often oversimplifies educational research, using clickbait headlines that promote fear-mongering.
- A study associating gaming with lower academic motivation does not prove causation, contrary to media claims.
- Fear-driven reactions to such headlines result in excessive restrictions on children, potentially harming their well-being.
- The author advocates for critical thinking and deeper analysis of research to combat exaggerated narratives.
Which Joy Inspires You? – Cloaking Inequity https://cloakinginequity.com/2025/09/08/which-joy-inspires-you/
### Key Points
- Joy sustains movements for justice, acting as a powerful source of endurance, creativity, and community-building.
- Ruha Benjamin introduces the concept of "viral justice," where joy spreads like a virus, igniting transformation across communities and generations.
- Eddie S. Glaude Jr. describes joy as aspirational, urging educators and activists to cultivate joy even in imperfect conditions.
- Tera W. Hunter connects joy to freedom, emphasizing its role in autonomy and self-determination, especially for marginalized communities.
- Khalil Gibran Muhammad highlights joy as resilience, finding happiness despite pain and hardship, transforming suffering into courage and hope.
- Lorgia GarcÃa Peña frames joy as communal power, rooted in solidarity and collective resistance, particularly through collaboration and shared achievements.
Curmudgucation: Should AI Make Students Care? | National Education Policy Center https://nepc.colorado.edu/blog/curmudgucation-should-ai-make-students-care
### Key Points
- AI can personalize learning but cannot make students care, as motivation is rooted in social connections and respect.
- Adolescents are evolutionarily wired to seek status and respect, which influences their engagement in school and learning.
- Schools often fail to provide social payoffs, leading to disengagement, as they offer limited paths for earning status and respect.
- AI lacks the ability to provide meaningful social relationships or confer status and respect, which limits its effectiveness in education.
- Greene critiques inflated claims about AI's success in education and emphasizes the importance of human relationships for student motivation.
THE BOY WHO CRIED CHARTER SCHOOL SCANDAL A FABLE FOR OUR TIMES https://ru4people.substack.com/p/the-boy-who-cried-charter-school
### Key Points
- California, once a leader in public education, now faces widespread charter school scandals fueled by billionaire-backed privatization agendas.
- A3 Education defrauded taxpayers of $400 million through phantom student schemes, funding offshore accounts and luxury purchases.
- Ref Rodriguez, a former L.A. School Board president, was implicated in campaign finance violations, exposing the influence of pro-charter forces.
- Reports reveal systemic misuse of funds, inflated attendance figures, and conflicts of interest among charter operators.
- Oversight mechanisms are reactive and underfunded, failing to prevent fraud or enforce accountability effectively.
- Charter enrollment has risen sharply, while public school enrollment and funding have declined, exacerbating resource gaps.
- Legislative reform has been slow despite repeated scandals, with proposals for fraud-specific audits and stricter oversight still pending.
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Seattle School Board Race, District 7 - Rava v LaVallee. https://saveseattleschools.blogspot.com/2025/09/seattle-school-board-race-district-7.html?spref=tw
### Key Points
- Jen LaVallee, running for District 7, emphasizes transparency in school closures, community engagement, and budget clarity. She advocates for accessible meetings, community outreach, and better communication from the district.
- LaVallee supports a transparent Facilities Master Plan and a reevaluation of the district's budgeting process, criticizing enrollment manipulation and lack of clarity.
- On safety, LaVallee suggests involving communities in decisions about police presence in schools and prioritizing relationship-building between schools and law enforcement.
- She critiques the SOFG governance model for its narrow focus on student success and advocates for two Board meetings per month.
- Melissa Westbrook explains why she did not interview Carol Rava, citing Rava's unusual demands for pre-approved questions and control over the narrative, which Westbrook found inappropriate.
- Comments from readers highlight challenges in engaging diverse communities and question Rava's approach to media interactions.
Yesterday’s Gems, Today’s Insights
The article provides a detailed overview of various societal, political, and educational issues, highlighting the challenges posed by legislation, AI integration in education, climate change, and authoritarian tendencies. It emphasizes advocacy efforts, systemic reforms, and the importance of equity and transparency across multiple sectors.
### Key Points
- Texas's SB 12 prohibits schools from providing medical, psychiatric, and psychological treatment without parental consent, even for basic first aid.
- The law creates barriers for abused children, as it gives abusive parents veto power over medical attention or counseling, further endangering vulnerable kids.
- Sweeping “parental rights” laws enable harmful outcomes, including denying critical medical interventions or empowering abusive parents.
- Proposed solutions include repealing SB 12, shifting to opt-out consent models, protecting confidential adolescent care, and adopting a “best interests of the child” standard.
- Federal education funding controversies included the Trump administration releasing funds after lawsuits and proposed budget cuts affecting vulnerable students.
- Digital infrastructure issues persist, with over 40% of schools lacking internet access, despite AI's increasing role in classrooms.
- Climate models have accurately predicted global warming effects, showcasing evidence in atmospheric and oceanic changes.
- Criticism of Stephen Miller’s political actions and influence, including his portrayal as a "black-hearted bureaucrat."
- Education-focused posts address public school privatization, funding cuts, teacher struggles, and the fight for equitable education.
- AI integration in classrooms is growing, emphasizing teacher training and adaptation to technology.
- GOP leaders criticize crime in Blue states but overlook higher homicide rates in Red states, advocating for collaborative efforts to reduce violence nationwide.
- Advocacy for contacting elected representatives to address issues like healthcare, education cuts, and civil rights concerns during the current administration.
- Florida's Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) are highlighted as mechanisms prone to abuse of taxpayer funds.
- Social justice movements, including Black Lives Matter and school safety concerns, receive coverage.
- Trump’s authoritarian tendencies and misuse of federal authority are critiqued, with concerns about his dictatorial ambitions.
- Writing as an act of resistance against oppression is emphasized, quoting figures like Ambrose Bierce and Albert Camus.
- Advocacy for the bipartisan "Epstein Files Transparency Act" urges readers to take action and contact Congress.
- Censorship efforts in libraries reflect broader conservative politics influencing public institutions.
- AI tools like Gemini, Grok, Copilot, and ChatGPT-4 provided differing insights on education news, showcasing their strengths and limitations.
