Five Great Questions For "Evidence-Based" Programs
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At EdWeek, Larry Ferlazzo ran a guest post by Rene Grimes that focused on
the "science of math" and the programs that are supposed to be based on it.
Bet...
Cognitive Resonance: Why is Claude for Teachers?
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Cognitive Resonance: Why is Claude for Teachers?
*Anthropic bumbles its way into education*
[image: Why?]
Everything about AI right now is weird.
I took...
SCHOOL FUNDING IS NO FUN — BUT IS IT FAIR?
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*SCHOOL FUNDING IS NO FUN — BUT IS IT FAIR?**How "Reform" Became a Polite
Word for Pulling the Rug Out From Under Public Education*
Welcome to the gre...
The REPULSICANS
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Admit it: The DUMBOCRATS is a fitting and appropriate moniker for one of
the two mainstream capitalist political parties in the US—one of the
greatest war-...
Celebrating our power this Labor Day
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Every Labor Day, I stop to reflect on the history of our union and what
lessons we can apply to continue to build a movement that meets the
aspirations of ...
That Feeling of Understanding
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Years ago, a friend involved in the business of "up cycling" wound up with
a collection of junk with which even he couldn't figure out what to do, so
he...
He Is Truly "Unhinged"
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Since yesterday, Donald J. Trump has been posting on social media at a
frantic pace, showing AI images of himself with President George Washington
on ...
Labor Day. Happy Birthday to Me.
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So—I just had a birthday. A big, round-number birthday. All my life, my
birthday has taken place in and around Labor Day weekend, and—fairly
often—happened...
To the Holiday Workers on Standby
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I was fortunate enough to have Labor Day off. It was for me a relaxing day.
I spent most of it quietly at home, doing nothing particularly taxing,
which I ...
Around The Web In ESL/EFL/ELL
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Ten years ago I began this regular feature where I share a few posts and
resources from around the Web related to ESL/EFL or to language in general
that ...
Educators Resist
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View this email in your browser
[image: Logo]
*TL;DR*
*What We’ve Done*
Understanding that voting in November in numbers that cannot be ignored is
...
Day 1 for the New Congress
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If Dems don't do this, they will have failed us entirely.
[image or embed]
— unpersoned.bsky.social (@unpersoned.bsky.social) September 5, 2026 at
5:5...
Why Does Teacher Pay Matter?
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A recent story on America’s growing teacher shortage indicates a real
problem – nearly half a million teaching positions unfilled or filled with
temporary ...
SPI Celebrates 1 Million CalKIDS Accounts
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California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond
celebrates 1 million CalKIDS accounts, highlights financial literacy in
Monterey County.
DOE presentation on their AI guidance
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The following slides were presented to the AI Moratorium Coalition steering
commitee on Sept. 1, 2026. The last slide has bullet points made up of
response...
The Light She Left Behind
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“Those we love don’t go away, they sit beside us every day.” — Liane
Moriarty, Big Little Lies Forgive us if we are a little sad here in
Tennessee. We lost...
The Great and Irreplaceable Dolly Parton
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If the state of the world has you down, here’s a reprieve, two interviews
with the great Dolly Parton. The first is my extended interview with her,
13 yea...
Who Wants a Raise?
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Everyone. And if you are a UFTer (and not a retiree), you are getting one.
But get this. A new paraprofessional is getting a raise of $803/year. Man,
do th...
SQ 844: How is this better?
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In plain terms, the new language gives the Legislature the authority to
establish both the amount and methodology for distributing ad valorem
reimbursement...
Time to change our Nation’s Diaper
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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...
May’s Parent Engagement Resources
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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...
Reflections on America, the world, and life
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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...
Il Papa è Morto
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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...
Whose Opinions Matter in Education World?
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It's hard to identify education heroes and sheroes. And perhaps even harder
to pinpoint just whose work is slanted, paid-for and dishonest.
I am Retiring
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I have some news: I am retiring from the PBS NewsHour and Learning Matters.
[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other
conte...
CPE update and other miscellany | Deborah Meier on Education : CPE update and other miscellany Some up-dates. The situation at Central Park East is complicated. In a few weeks I shall try to sort it out for myself and share that with you. But in short, we have a new interim principal replacing the old one and he may be very helpful. I have my fingers crossed. But the process of choosing principal
The Church of Choice | Daniel Katz, Ph.D. : The Church of Choice There are many reasons why various advocates representing different constituencies support school choice policies. Some of them argue from a civil rights perspective, noting that parents with financial means are able to seek out school options for their children and propose that opening urban schools to parental choice gives those o
Latest DeVos Worry: Ignoring Anti-Discrimination Laws Protecting LGBTQ Students | Alternet : Latest DeVos Worry: Ignoring Anti-Discrimination Laws Protecting LGBTQ Students U.S. Secretary Betsy DeVos had another rough day in Congress this week when Senators grilled her on the details of her budget which slashes over $9 billion from the education department and diverts $1.4 billion to privately op
The LAUSD Turns A Blind Eye as Charters Cherry-Pick Their Students : The LAUSD Turns A Blind Eye as Charters Cherry-Pick Their Students As I have reported previously, Granada Hills Charter High School (GHCHS) has items on the enrollment page of their website that appear to violate the law and clearly violate their charter. During the past six months, I have been unable to get anyone at the school
Memo lays out Trump administration’s approach to handling transgender students’ civil rights complaints - The Washington Post : Memo lays out Trump administration’s approach to handling transgender students’ civil rights complaints The Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights has directed its lawyers to consider transgender students’ discrimination complaints on a case-by-case basis, accord
Commission on Civil Rights to probe Trump administration's handling of civil rights - POLITICO : Commission on Civil Rights to probe Trump administration's handling of civil rights An independent watchdog group on Friday approved an investigation of civil rights enforcement in the Trump administration, saying it has "grave concerns" about signals coming from federal agencies — calling out comment
Betsy DeVos meets with anti-LGBTQ groups after pretending to care about equality - Shareblue : Betsy DeVos meets with anti-LGBTQ groups after pretending to care about equality Education Secretary Betsy DeVos met with radical anti-LGBTQ groups and a millionaire right-wing conspiracy theorist who has spent his career attacking teacher rights. Betsy DeVos is one of Donald Trump’s most dangerous, des
NYC Public School Parents: Take 5 minutes to help stop the expansion of privatization of education in NY State! : Take 5 minutes to help stop the expansion of privatization of education in NY State! Only a few days are left in the NY legislative term, and the NY State Senate leadership and now Gov. Cuomo are pushing a deal to exchange the extension of Mayoral control in NYC for more charter schoo
Wildin Acosta: From solitary confinement to graduation : This time my tears are of joy: Felicitaciones Wildin Acosta A year ago I had tears in my eyes to learn of one of our students, Wildin Acosta, was taken by ICE agents to be deported. He was in the country living with his family in North Carolina awaiting word on his request for asylum, fleeing the violence of his home country. The teachers a
Torlakson Visits Mexico to Promote Collaboration - Year 2017 (CA Dept of Education) : Torlakson Visits Mexico to Promote Collaboration SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson met today with the top-ranking education official in Mexico to promote closer ties and friendship between California and Mexico, expand teacher exchange programs, and help serve California student
America Spent Centuries Mistreating Native American Children. Trump Is Making It Worse. | HuffPost : America Spent Centuries Mistreating Native American Children. Trump Is Making It Worse. A new look at the president’s budget reveals devastating cuts to education. JIM WATSON VIA GETTY IMAGES Native American dancers perform for U.S. President Barack Obama during the Cannon Ball Flag Day Celebratio
Love of Learning More Predictive of Success Than Grades - The Atlantic : Why Grades Are Not Paramount to Achievement The intrinsic love of learning supplants the drive for high marks in the long run. At the beginning of this school year, my colleagues and I decided to avoid giving the sophomores in our English classes any grades for six weeks. Research shows that providing students with a number
Massachusetts Teachers Take A Stand Against “Personalized Learning” – Wrench in the Gears : Massachusetts Teachers Take A Stand Against “Personalized Learning” During the annual meeting in May, representatives of the Massachusetts Teachers Association overwhelming approved three New Business Items opposing the roll out of so-called “personalized” learning programs in the Commonwealth via the MAPL
IEPs are a Public School Thing: Let’s Not Forget That! : IEPs are a Public School Thing: Let’s Not Forget That! The Governor of Florida and other education reformers seem to have forgotten where Individual Educational Plans (IEPs) started. In this post, I’d like to remind them. The other night I watched the movie Danny Collins. It’s a loosely based true story about a burned out rock star who lear
NYC: Mother Banned by Success Academy Because She Said “Damn” in Presence of Students | Diane Ravitch's blog : NYC: Mother Banned by Success Academy Because She Said “Damn” in Presence of Students Eva Moskowitz’s Harlem Success Academy Charter chain won the Broad award for its high test scores a few days ago. The next day, news broke that the mother of a child in fourth grade in a Success Academy
Trump Will Allow ‘Dreamers’ to Stay in U.S., Reversing Campaign Promise - The New York Times : Trump Will Allow ‘Dreamers’ to Stay in U.S., Reversing Campaign Promise Leer en español WASHINGTON — President Trump has officially reversed his campaign pledge to deport the so-called Dreamers, undocumented immigrants who came to the United States as small children. The Department of Homeland Security
Betsy DeVos Doesn’t Get It: Catering to the Desires of Individuals Won’t Serve the Common Good | janresseger : Betsy DeVos Doesn’t Get It: Catering to the Desires of Individuals Won’t Serve the Common Good Betsy DeVos is a libertarian. One cannot drill this concept often enough. DeVos believes in the freedom of individuals to make the choices that benefit themselves and their children. It is the
Personalized Learning: What The News Isn’t Telling You – Save Maine Schools : Personalized Learning: What The News Isn’t Telling You Recently, a spate of articles have appeared in major news sources shining a light on personalized (competency-based) learning. While it’s nice to see these topics being talked about in the mainstream press, they aren’t (shocker) telling you what you really need to k
Managing Crowds: ClassDojo (Part 1) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice : Managing Crowds: ClassDojo (Part 1) There you stand trying to get the attention of your thirty-four students. Each one is so different from the others that it would take hours to list their physical, mental, emotional, and cultural differences. Yet, your job is to impart to this group a very specific body
Charter Isomorphism, or the Charter Sector Trying to Un-sector Itself | deutsch29 : Charter Isomorphism, or the Charter Sector Trying to Un-sector Itself On June 12, 2017, the Center for Education Reform (CER) announced that it published a “new book” (which I would call a report) entitled, “Charting A New Course: The Case for Freedom, Flexibility, and Opportunity Through Charter Schools” . Accord
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Even Trumpsters can see holes in Rahm's school plans : Even Trumpsters can see holes in Rahm's school plans It's getting hard to tell who's worse on school issues these days, Donald Trump or Rahm Emanuel . Trump's appointment of Betsy DeVos as ed secretary and his pumping $20B into so-called "choice" programs while making draconian cuts to public ed, certainly keeps
An Open Letter to NC Lawmakers | The Patiently Impatient Teacher : 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 today in regards to several key education policy issues contained with the Senate and House budget drafts that you are currently negotiating to a
Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 6/15/17 Featured Post Gov. Scott to sign controversial education bill today in Orlando - Orlando Sentinel The Kevin Johnson Pie Saga Rolls On, At Taxpayer Expense by mike simpson / 2h The Kevin
