2020 Medley #2 | Live Long and Prosper

2020 Medley #2 | Live Long and Prosper

2020 Medley #2

SHOULD YOUR TAX MONEY BE USED TO EXPEL KIDS WHO LIKE RAINBOWS?

Louisville Christian school expelled student over a rainbow cake, family says

Kentucky has no plan providing vouchers for students to attend religious schools. Why is that good? As of now, private schools in Kentucky that expel (or force out) a child because they like rainbows, like the one in this article, cannot receive any state funding.

Depending on what happens with the case currently before the Supreme Court, however, this could change.

Public money for public schools!

A Christian school in Louisville expelled a student last week after her family said school officials discovered the girl had celebrated her birthday with a rainbow-themed cake.

Kimberly Alford told The Courier Journal that until Jan. 6, her 15-year-old daughter had been a freshman at Whitefield Academy, a private school at CONTINUE READING: 

2020 Medley #2 | Live Long and Prosper

CURMUDGUCATION: A Teacher's Role In The Post-Truth Era

CURMUDGUCATION: A Teacher's Role In The Post-Truth Era

A Teacher's Role In The Post-Truth Era

This piece from Sean Illing at Vox-- “Flood the zone with shit”: How misinformation overwhelmed our democracy-- captures the issue as well as anything I've seen in the past few years. Here are a couple of key bits:

We live in a media ecosystem that overwhelms people with information. Some of that information is accurate, some of it is bogus, and much of it is intentionally misleading. The result is a polity that has increasingly given up on finding out the truth.

How is that affecting the times?

We’re in an age of manufactured nihilism.

The issue for many people isn’t exactly a denial of truth as such. It’s more a growing weariness over the process of finding the truth at all. And that weariness leads more and more people to abandon the idea that the truth is knowable.

Illing suggests that this is deliberate, a strategy aided by technology and perfected by folks like Vladamir Putin.

In October, I spoke to Peter Pomerantsev, a Soviet-born reality TV producer turned academic who wrote a book about Putin’s propaganda strategy. The goal, he told me, wasn’t to sell an ideology or a vision of the future; instead, it was to convince people that “the truth is unknowable” and that the only sensible choice is “to follow a strong leader.”

And there it is.

We're used to the idea of propaganda aimed at getting us to believe something in particular, that it is designed for linear goals-- we will get people to believe that a balanced breakfast is the most CONTINUE READING: CURMUDGUCATION: A Teacher's Role In The Post-Truth Era

Schools Matter: Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue

Schools Matter: Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue

Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue

“In the long run, charter schools are being strategically used to pave the way for vouchers. The voucher advocates, who are very powerful and funded by right-wing foundations and families, recognize that the word voucher has been successfully discredited by enlightened Americans who believe in the public sector. So they’ve resorted to two strategies. First, they no longer use the word “vouchers.” They’ve adopted the seemingly benign phrase “school choice,” but they are still voucher advocates.” — Jonathan Kozol

The end goal of school privatization projects like charter schools has always been vouchers. While both charters and vouchers prevent the public from being able to control the curriculum taught with public dollars, vouchers are far worse in that regard. Vouchers represent an attack on democratic institutions and they represent an attack on rationality in general. Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue, a case about to be heard in front of the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS), could open the flood gates to scare community tax dollars being squandered on dominionist curricula and schools that can openly discriminate.

Vouchers mean Jeanne Allen's dream of teaching children that Jesus rode dinosaurs will finally come true
image by Monty Propps https://b3ta.com/board/7293522

With a SCOTUS populated by arch-reactionaries like Kavanaugh and Gorsuch, it's highly likely that the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment will either be ignored or explained away in order to justify funding extremist religious organizations. You know Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue represents a major threat to public education when charter-voucher promoting organizations like the Center for Education Reform file an amicus brief in favor of the right-wing plaintiff. Reactionaries Jeanne Allen and Paul Clement also got a piece published in Time in favor of using public funds to teach religious extremism.

Robert D. Skeels * rdsathene

Robert D. Skeels is a social liberation writer, attorney, public education advocate, immigrant rights activist, and law professor. He lives, works, writes, and organizes in Los Angeles with his wife and cats. Robert holds a BA in Classical Civilization from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), a JD from Peoples College of Law (PCL), and passed the California Bar Exam on his first attempt. A US Navy Veteran, he is a proud member of Veterans for Peace. A student of Liberation Theology and Paulo Freire's work, Robert volunteers for community and 12 step groups. Robert's articles and essays appear in publications including Jacobin, Truthout, CounterPunch, Dissident Voice, Schools Matter, Daily Censored, Regeneración, K12NN, LA Progressive, and The Los Angeles Daily News. In 2013 Robert ran for the LAUSD School Board against a billionaire funded corporate reform candidate, finishing second in a field of five, with over 5,200 votes.

Schools Matter: Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue

EDUCATION’S LEECHES | The Merrow Report

EDUCATION’S LEECHES | The Merrow Report

EDUCATION’S LEECHES

George Washington woke up on December 14, 1799, with a very sore throat.  When it worsened, the doctors were summoned.  Naturally, Washington, who had left office just two years earlier, received the very best care from the most knowledgeable and competent doctors, those at the top of the medical profession.**

Their expert diagnosis: Washington’s four ‘humors’ or bodily fluids, were out of balance.  This analysis was based on a 1500-year-old Greek theory and accepted as scientific fact: The human body is regulated by four fluids: blood, phlegm, bile, and black bile.    “The group of fourth- and third-century BC physicians known as the Hippocratics who formulated (and more importantly wrote about) their theories, were the first organized group to consider that illness had natural—not supernatural—causes.”

Illness, they believed, resulted when the four humors were out of balance, as they must have been in Washington’s case.

The doctors set about rebalancing Washington’s system. To do this, they followed a scientifically approved medical procedure:  They drained 80 ounces of his blood, close to 40 percent of his body’s total!  

Whether they did this by opening one or more of his veins or by attaching leeches to his body is unclear.  Both procedures were normal.

Unfortunately, the treatment did not work; in fact, it might have killed him, or at least hastened his demise, because our first President died later that same day.

Did bloodletting kill George Washington?  “Many doctors, in fact, believed that bloodletting or the removal of a portion of an ill person’s blood could improve their condition. CONTINUE READING: EDUCATION’S LEECHES | The Merrow Report

Supreme Court Case May Open Door to Vouchers Nationwide

Supreme Court Case May Open Door to Vouchers Nationwide

Supreme Court Case May Open Door to Vouchers Nationwide

Betsy DeVos’ unwavering support of private school vouchers long precedes her tenure as U.S. Education Secretary.  Despite being supported by the resources and influence of the federal government, however, DeVos’ efforts to expand vouchers legislatively have been stymied by lack of support in Congress (even when the GOP held majorities in both houses) and stubborn public opposition. American voters have rejected programs that transfer scarce taxpayer dollars away from public schools to pay for private school tuition.

For champions of school privatization, there is too much at stake, too much money invested in the school privatization agenda to wave the white flag. Which is why the push to expand vouchers is also being waged in the courts.

“Taxpayers and voters have made it overwhelmingly clear that they do not want vouchers, rejecting them time and time again,” said NEA President Lily Eskselsen García. “Betsy DeVos and her allies are using the Supreme Court to push their political agenda that seeks to dismantle our neighborhood public schools.”

Through a series of legal actions, the Institute for Justice (IJ) – whose funders have included the Koch Brothers and the DeVos Family Foundation – have targeted provisions in state constitutions that forbid public money being used for religious purposes, including private religious schools.

This week, the U.S. Supreme Court will be hearing arguments on whether these provisions violate the U.S. Constitution. A decision in IJ’s favor in Espinoza v Montana Department of Revenue could undermine constitutional provisions in 37 CONTINUE READING: Supreme Court Case May Open Door to Vouchers Nationwide

#HowWeHeal National Day of Racial Healing 2020 | Schott Foundation for Public Education

National Day of Racial Healing 2020 | Schott Foundation for Public Education

National Day of Racial Healing 2020

January 21, 2020 is the W.K. Kellogg Foundation's fourth annual National Day of Racial Healing – rooted in experiences for truth telling and trust building that lead to racial healing for a more just and equitable future.

Conceived in 2016 through a collaborative effort of more than 550 leaders, the National Day of Racial Healing is a time to reinforce and honor our common humanity while celebrating the district differences that make our communities vibrant; acknowledge the deep racial divisions that exist in America and must be overcome and healed; and commit to engaging people from all racial and ethnic groups in genuine efforts to increase understanding, communication, caring and respect for one another.

Observances are taking place throughout the country, as well as a national livestream today:

Follow and contribute to the conversation today on Twitter with #HowWeHeal.

For last year's National Day of Racial Healing, Schott's Senior Vice President of Programs and Advocacy Edgar Villanueva wrote "How Philanthropy Can Get Serious About Racial Healing":

Today, as a member of the Lumbee Tribe and a foundation official, I plan to join with people across the United States to observe the third annual National Day of Racial Healing. Started by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, this national day is designed to bring Americans together to demonstrate solidarity and work toward healing our racial divides. But what does it take to truly heal?

When historians and sociologists document the legacy of imperialism and slavery, we sometimes question whether travesties that occurred centuries earlier still influence the world today. As the saying goes, "Time heals all wounds." And yet, how can time actually heal absent concrete and specific plans to permit victims of suffering to voice their pain, receive an acknowledgment of their suffering, or restitution?

Read the full essay here >

Book excerpt: Nashville’s Amy Frogge used ‘grassroots resistance’ to counter corporate school reform - The Washington Post

Book excerpt: Nashville’s Amy Frogge used ‘grassroots resistance’ to counter corporate school reform - The Washington Post

Book excerpt: Nashville’s Amy Frogge used ‘grassroots resistance’ to counter corporate school reform
From Diane Ravitch’s new boook, ‘Slaying Goliath’

Diane Ravitch’s new book, “Slaying Goliath: The Passionate Resistance to Privatization and the Fight to Save America’s Public Schools,” introduces readers to advocates who she says have successfully fought off the people she calls “Disrupters, ” those who were trying to privatize America’s public education system.

The day before Knopf published it, the book was already in the top five books on Amazon in the categories of government social policy, charter schools and education administration books.

Here is an excerpt from “Slaying Goliath” about one public education advocate who fought back: Amy Frogge of Nashville.

Amy Frogge is a lawyer and a parent of children who attended Gower Elementary School in Nashville, Tennessee. In 2010, the city suffered a devastating flood, and people came together from across the city and even from out of state to help rebuild the damaged neighborhoods. Frogge was impressed by the energy that is generated when people coalesce behind a common goal. Aware that the Parent Teacher Organization at Gower Elementary was moribund, she and another parent decided to rebuild it. Over a year, they enhanced parent engagement, developed new community partnerships, and helped to bring about major improvements in the school’s performance, atmosphere, and culture.

Determined to “give back to her community,” Frogge decided to run for the Metro Nashville school board in 2012. With the help of many volunteers, she rang doorbells across her district. She raised $25,000. Her opponent was endorsed by Nashville mayor Karl Dean, the Chamber of Commerce, the local teachers’ union, and the Gates-funded group called Stand for Children. Her opponent spent $125,000, five times what Frogge spent. But Frogge won by a two-to-one landslide. When she ran, she was unaware of the national debates about privatization. She just wanted to do her part as a citizen. She quickly learned about the efforts by national charter chains to gain a foothold in Nashville and decided that this was not good for the local public schools.

When Amy Frogge was elected, the Metro Nashville school board was in the midst of a battle with the state over whether to CONTINUE READING: Book excerpt: Nashville’s Amy Frogge used ‘grassroots resistance’ to counter corporate school reform - The Washington Post

DID YOU MISS DIANE RAVITCH'S BLOG TODAY? | A site to discuss better education for all

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

DID YOU MISS DIANE RAVITCH'S BLOG TODAY?

A site to discuss better education for all

Arthur Camins’ Beautiful Review of SLAYING GOLIATH: “A Chronicle of Hope”

by dianeravitch / 9min

Arthur Camins wrote a beautiful review of SLAYING GOLIATH at The Daily Kos. In light of Camins’ experience as an educator and his passion for justice, I am most grateful for his close and sympathetic reading of this book. Until recently, he was Director of the Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education at Stevens Institute of Technology. He writes, in this excerpt: Ravitch’s first

California: Defunct For-Profit “College” Sues Former Students for Repayment of Debt

by dianeravitch / 1h

The Los Angeles Times published this story of a for-profit film school that made bold promises to students, folded, then sued its former students for not paying their debts. Only two months into pursuing his dream to be a sound engineer, David Gross knew he’d made a mistake. The single father in 2013 signed up at a for-profit college in Burbank that convinced him it was his path to a Hollywood jo

Valerie Strauss: A Q & A with Me about SLAYING GOLIATH

by dianeravitch / 2h

Valerie Strauss, veteran education writer at the Washington Post, interviewed me about my new book SLAYING GOLIATH. Her questions get to the heart of the book. I hope you will read the exchange.

Today is Publication Day for SLAYING GOLIATH!

21by dianeravitch / 3h

Today is “pub day,” as they say in the trade. I started writing SLAYING GOLIATH in February 2018 as I watched and read news reports about the teachers’ strike in West Virginia. I watched in awe as every school in the state was closed by every superintendent so that teachers were technically not breaking the law that prevents them from striking. I watched in amazement as teachers and support staff

The Future of Public Education Hinges on This Supreme Court Case

100+by dianeravitch / 4h

Tomorrow, the United States Supreme Court will hear arguments in a crucial case called Espinoza v. Montana. The goal of the Espinoza plaintiffs is to strike down state laws that prohibit public funding for religious schools. This is a case 

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

It's Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... A VERY BUSY DAY | The latest news and resources in education since 2007

Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007

It's Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... A VERY BUSY DAY | The latest news and resources in education since 2007

‘Make It Clear to Long-Term English-Learners That Their Voices Matter’

by Larry Ferlazzo / 12h

is the headline of my latest Education Week Teacher column. In it, ix educators share advice on how to support Long-Term English-Language Learners, including emphasizing vocabulary development and academic language. Here are some excerpts:

Ed Tech Digest

by Larry Ferlazzo / 12h

Eight years ago, in another somewhat futile attempt to reduce the backlog of resources I want to share, I began this occasional “” post where I share three or four links I think are particularly useful and related to…ed tech, including some Web 2.0 apps. You might also be interested in THE BEST ED TECH RESOURCES OF 2019 – PART TWO , as well as checking out all my edtech resources . Here are this

January’s “Best” Lists – There Are Now 2,128 Of Them!

by Larry Ferlazzo / 12h

Here’s my regular round-up of new “The Best…” lists I posted this month (you can see all 2,128 of them categorized here ): THE BEST RESOURCES TO HELP EDUCATORS TEACH ELL NEWCOMERS THE BEST TOOLS THAT SHOW “PARALLEL TEXT” – SAME SENTENCES TRANSLATED INTO DIFFERENT LANGUAGES SIDE-BY-SIDE THE BEST VIDEOS FOR TEACHING ABOUT IRAN-U.S. TENSIONS THE BEST RESOURCES TO LEARN ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF TEACHE

January’s Most Popular Posts From This Blog

by Larry Ferlazzo / 12h

As regular readers know, at the end of each week I share the five most popular posts from the previous seven days. I thought people might find it interesting to see a list of the ten most popular posts from the previous thirty days. You might also be interested in IT’S THE TWELFTH ANNIVERSARY OF THIS BLOG – HERE ARE THE FORTY ALL-TIME MOST POPULAR POSTS. Not to mention THE MOST POPULAR POSTS FROM

A Look Back: The Best Piece Of Classroom Management Advice I Ever Read

by Larry Ferlazzo / 12h

TeroVesalainen / Pixabay I thought that new – and veteran – readers might find it interesting if I began sharing my best posts from over the years. You can see the entire collection here . My first year in teaching was spent with a self-contained class of retained seventh-graders. Right above the whiteboard in our classroom I wrote this question on a poster: “Is what you’re doing, or is what you’

Four New Videos Explaining The Impeachment Trial

by Larry Ferlazzo / 14h

QuinceMedia / Pixabay I’m adding these new videos to THE BEST TEACHING & LEARNING RESOURCES ABOUT IMPEACHMENT :

Just Sent-Out Free Monthly Email Newsletter

by Larry Ferlazzo / 15h

geralt / Pixabay I’ve just mailed out the February issue of my very simple free monthly email newsletter . It has over 3,000 subscribers, and you can subscribe here . Of course, you can also join the eighteen thousand others who subscribe to this blog daily. Here Are 8 Ways You Can Subscribe For Free…

My Favorite Posts That Appeared In January

by Larry Ferlazzo / 19h

I regularly highlight my picks for the most useful posts for each month — not including “The Best…” lists. I also use some of them in a more extensive monthly newsletter I send-out. You can see older Best Posts of the Month at Websites Of The Month (more recent lists can be found here ). You can also see my all-time favorites here . I’ve also been doing “A Look Back” series reviewing old favorite

Most Popular Posts Of The Week

by Larry Ferlazzo / 21h

I’m making a change in the content of the regular feature. In addition to sharing the top five posts that have received the most “hits” in the preceding seven days (though they may have originally been published on an earlier date), I will also include the top five posts that have actually appeared in the past week. 

Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007