Yesterday’s Gems, Today’s InsightsA Roundup of the Web’s Finest Blog Posts!
6-30-25
6-30-25
CURMUDGUCATION: ICYMI: Call Your Senator Edition (6/29) https://curmudgucation.blogspot.com/2025/06/icymi-call-your-senator-edition-629.html
### Key Points
- Senate GOP pushes controversial legislation under questionable timing, urging citizens to contact their senators.
- Supreme Court decisions and federal voucher programs spark debates on school choice and funding.
- AI's impact on education, skepticism about its utility, and concerns over its development are explored.
- North Carolina's voucher program leads to increased private school tuition, raising equity concerns.
- Public schools remain the top choice for families in Florida despite aggressive privatization efforts.
- Recent court decisions challenge voucher programs, reflecting ongoing policy debates.
- Advocacy for public education funding and resistance to privatization are emphasized.
Congress Is Choosing Tax Breaks for the Wealthy Over the Health Care of Our Children https://open.substack.com/pub/brucelesley/p/congress-is-choosing-tax-breaks-for?r=kja7f&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
Congress is considering legislation that could cut over $1 trillion from Medicaid, CHIP, and ACA, affecting 17 million people, including children. These cuts threaten essential services for children, particularly those with disabilities and in foster care, by imposing bureaucratic barriers and reducing coverage. The bill prioritizes tax breaks for the wealthy over children's health, potentially increasing uninsured rates and hospital costs. Despite claims of efficiency, Medicaid and CHIP are cost-effective programs crucial for children's health and development.
### Key Points
- Congress is considering cuts to Medicaid and CHIP, affecting 17 million people, including children.
- The proposed cuts will create bureaucratic hurdles, risking loss of coverage for eligible children.
- Medicaid and CHIP are efficient, low-cost programs vital for children's health.
- The aging population, not children's coverage, is driving Medicaid spending increases.
- Cutting children's health programs is a false economy, risking future productivity and equity.
- The legislation could lead to increased uninsured rates and hospital costs.
- The bill prioritizes tax breaks for the wealthy over children's health and well-being.
Big Education Ape: THE NEW ICE AGE: AMERICAN'S FROSTY IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT ERA https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2025/06/the-new-ice-age.html
### Key Points
- John Adams viewed July 2, 1776, as the pivotal date for American independence because the Continental Congress officially voted for independence on this day.
- July 4 is celebrated instead because it marks the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, primarily authored by Thomas Jefferson.
- The signing of the Declaration did not occur on July 4; most delegates signed it on August 2, 1776, as revealed by historical records.
- Copies of the Declaration, known as the "Dunlap broadside," were printed on July 4 and distributed, contributing to the association of this date with Independence Day.
- Both Adams and Thomas Jefferson died on July 4, 1826, the 50th anniversary of the Declaration’s adoption, adding historical significance to the date.
The Trump Administration is Ending Special Education! - Nancy Bailey's Education Website https://nancyebailey.com/2025/06/29/the-trump-administration-is-ending-special-education/
### Key Points
- The Trump administration’s changes to IDEA reduce federal oversight and consolidate programs, threatening special education services.
- States gain flexibility in fund allocation, risking misuse and neglect of children with disabilities.
- Concerns include potential diversion of funds to unrelated areas like defense, exclusion of students with disabilities, and reduced accountability.
- The changes undermine inclusion goals and could force parents to rely on underfunded or inadequate options like charters or vouchers.
- Parents are encouraged to advocate, connect with others, and demand commitments from policymakers to protect special education.
Unity to Paras--Go Screw Yourselves https://open.substack.com/pub/arthurgoldstein/p/unity-to-paras-go-screw-yourselves?r=kja7f&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
### Key Points
- Unity Caucus disregards election results, prioritizing loyalty over democratic votes.
- Elected members like Migda Rodriquez and Amy Arundell were targeted for opposing Unity, despite their effectiveness.
- Unity engages in personal attacks and unprofessional behavior to humiliate dissenters.
- Service to members is neglected; only loyalty to leadership matters.
- Unity uses superficial benefits to placate members but resists meaningful reforms like retiree health care protections.
- The article calls for opposition groups to unify against Unity’s dominance.
1959: “Yet students enter college badly lacking in these fundamental skills”
The article reflects on a 1959 critique by J. Donald Adams in the New York Times, lamenting the lack of basic skills (reading, grammar, arithmetic) among college students. Adams blames educational theorists, bureaucrats, and especially English teachers and teacher educators for this decline. He criticizes schools for focusing on unteachable skills like social adjustment instead of fundamental academic skills. This historical critique resonates with ongoing debates about educational priorities and reform.
### Key Points
- In 1959, J. Donald Adams criticized the lack of fundamental skills among U.S. college students, blaming teachers and educational theorists.
- Adams argued schools focused on unteachable skills like social adjustment rather than core academic skills such as grammar, spelling, and arithmetic.
- The critique highlights a recurring theme in education: the perceived decline in teaching essential skills over time.
Yesterday’s Gems, Today’s InsightsA Roundup of the Web’s Finest Blog Posts!6-29-25
The article aggregates multiple topics, including education, politics, societal issues, and recent legal developments. Key themes include the Trump administration's policies, Supreme Court rulings, public education challenges, and the rise of generative AI. The discussions highlight concerns about equity, democracy, constitutional rights, and systemic reforms.
### Key Points
- James Ryan, UVA president, resigned due to pressure from the Trump administration over DEI support.
- DEI is reinterpreted by the Trump administration as discriminatory against white men, leading to federal grant cuts for universities.
- Legal experts criticize the administration's use of Justice Department power to influence university leadership.
- The Supreme Court ruled against universal injunctions, limiting judicial relief to plaintiffs involved in lawsuits.
- President Trump's Executive Order No. 14160 seeks to end birthright citizenship for children of undocumented or temporary residents, sparking legal challenges.
- Dissenting justices argue the decision undermines the judiciary's ability to enforce constitutional protections universally.
- The Supreme Court's rulings under Chief Justice John Roberts are leading to a fragmented legal landscape in the U.S., emphasizing state rights over national uniformity.
- The "Balkanization" trend is creating a patchwork of laws on issues like abortion, voting rights, and same-sex marriage, depending on the state.
- ICE’s flawed practices have led to the wrongful detention and deportation of American citizens, with over 600 cases between 2015 and 2020.
- The EdChoice voucher program in Ohio was ruled unconstitutional and raises concerns about racial disparities and segregation in education.
- Despite claims of a "school choice boom," most Florida families still choose public schools.
- Generative AI tools are powerful but fundamentally unreliable, prone to biases, inaccuracies, and cyberattacks.
- The Roberts Supreme Court prioritizes state rights and corporate interests over national protections for civil rights and consumer protections.
- Grassroots organizing and systemic reforms are emphasized as solutions to address public education challenges and societal inequities.
