Yesterday’s Gems, Today’s InsightsA Roundup of the Web’s Finest Blog Posts!
6-28-25
6-28-25
Dr. Jeremy Faust: RFK's Farcical, Frightening Vaccine Committee's First Meeting https://dianeravitch.net/2025/06/27/dr-jeremy-faust-rfks-farcical-vaccine-committees-first-meeting/ via @dianeravitch
### Key Points
- Dr. Faust criticizes RFK Jr.'s vaccine committee for promoting misinformation and dismissing CDC scientists' expertise.
- The committee approved flu shots and RSV immunizations but discouraged thimerosal-containing vaccines, escalating pseudoscience into policy.
- CDC's vetted scientific materials were removed, and unverified claims were presented during the meeting, undermining transparency and scientific integrity.
- Dr. Faust calls for accountability and urges Senator Bill Cassidy to address the attack on science.
Diane Francis: Why Won't Trump Try to Stop the War in Ukraine? https://dianeravitch.net/2025/06/27/diane-francis-why-wont-trump-try-to-stop-the-war-in-ukraine/ via @dianeravitch
### Key Points
- Trump claimed he could end the Ukraine war quickly but has failed to act, instead making statements that align with Russian interests.
- Russia continues its aggression, with significant military and economic losses, while Ukraine demonstrates resilience and technological superiority.
- Trump's actions, such as praising Putin and opposing sanctions or military aid, have drawn criticism for enabling Russia's aggression.
- Trump's analogy of the war as a fight between children was criticized for its inaccuracy and insensitivity, as Russia's actions are seen as those of a bully against a smaller nation.
- The article emphasizes the disconnect between Trump's policies and the American public's support for Ukraine.
Senate Parliamentarian Removes Vouchers from GOP "One Big Ugly Bill" https://dianeravitch.net/2025/06/27/senate-parliamentarian-removes-vouchers-from-gop-one-ugly-bill/ via @dianeravitch
### Key Points
- The Senate Parliamentarian, Elizabeth MacDonough, removed the private school voucher provision from Trump’s “One Big Ugly Bill” as it violates the Byrd Rule, which restricts unrelated fiscal issues in reconciliation bills.
- A Republican proposal for a $4 billion annual tax credit for private school donations, projected to cost over $26 billion by 2034, was also blocked for not meeting the Byrd Rule criteria.
- The blocked tax credit plan, based on the Educational Choice for Children Act, aimed to provide scholarships for families earning up to 300% of the area median income.
- Efforts to exempt religious colleges from expanded federal endowment taxes were also deemed non-compliant with the Byrd Rule.
- The rulings significantly disrupted GOP efforts to push through their fiscal package via reconciliation, requiring potential rework of the provisions.
Federal Judge Enjoins Trump's Order to Bust Government Employee Unions https://dianeravitch.net/2025/06/27/federal-judges-enjoins-trumps-order-to-bust-government-employee-unions/ via @dianeravitch
### Key Points
- A federal judge in California blocked Trump's executive order that sought to remove union rights for most federal workers, citing First Amendment concerns.
- The judge found evidence suggesting the order was retaliatory against unions opposing Trump's workforce policies.
- The ruling emphasized that claims of national security do not override constitutional protections like the First Amendment.
- Union leaders welcomed the decision, highlighting decades of collective bargaining rights without national security concerns.
Stephen Dyer: Vouchers in Ohio Are a Disaster! I Told You So! https://dianeravitch.net/2025/06/27/stephen-dyer-vouchers-in-ohio-are-a-disaster-i-told-you-so/ via @dianeravitch
### Key Points
- Stephen Dyer predicted 11 years ago that Ohio's voucher program would financially strain the state, which a recent court ruling has confirmed.
- Judge Jaiza Page declared Ohio's current voucher program unconstitutional, stating it undermines public education and violates the Ohio Constitution.
- The program's funding, now at $2.5 billion, has grown significantly from its modest beginnings, raising concerns about its justification under past rulings.
- State funds go directly to private religious schools, not to parents or students, contradicting the "school choice" narrative.
- The program has spent nearly $9 billion since 1997 without any audits, raising accountability concerns.
Big Education Ape: The Roberts Supreme Court and the Balkanization of America: Unraveling the American Dream? https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2025/06/the-roberts-supreme-court-and.html
### Key Points
- Parental engagement in summer learning can be fostered through nature play and resources from organizations like Smithsonian Education.
- The Roberts Supreme Court's rulings, including overturning Roe v. Wade and limiting national injunctions, have led to legal and social fragmentation across states.
- The Court's emphasis on state rights has weakened national protections for issues like voting rights, abortion, and affirmative action, creating a patchwork of laws.
- State supreme courts are increasingly influenced by political and financial interests, undermining judicial impartiality.
- The Roberts Court's pro-corporate rulings prioritize business interests over consumer and worker protections.
- The article calls for reforms such as judicial term limits, campaign finance reform, and stronger federal protections to restore national unity.
Big Education Ape: TIME TO REFORM THE SUPREME COURT BECAUSE RATIONING JUSTICE SUCKS! + Summary of "Trump v. CASA, Inc." https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2025/06/time-to-reform-supreme-court-because.html
### Key Points
- The Supreme Court restricted universal injunctions, limiting their scope to plaintiffs directly involved in cases.
- President Trump's Executive Order No. 14160 challenges the 14th Amendment by attempting to redefine birthright citizenship.
- The Court avoided ruling on the constitutionality of the Executive Order, focusing instead on procedural matters.
- Dissenting justices argued that the decision undermines the judiciary's ability to universally protect constitutional rights.
- The ruling highlights broader concerns about the judiciary's role and calls for potential reforms, such as expanding the Supreme Court.
Denied by Design: How Bureaucracy is Hurting Kids and How to Fix It https://open.substack.com/pub/brucelesley/p/denied-by-design-how-bureaucracy?r=kja7f&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
### Key Points
- Carmen’s story illustrates how poorly implemented automated systems can lead to eligible children losing access to essential services like Medicaid.
- Many states use technology in ways that exclude eligible children rather than support them, creating unnecessary administrative burdens.
- Express Lane Enrollment (ELE) is a proven system that simplifies enrollment by using data from other programs to auto-enroll children in Medicaid or CHIP.
- The bipartisan effort behind ELE aimed to reduce red tape and ensure continuous coverage for children, supported by legislation like CHIPRA and the ACA.
- H.R. 1 threatens to reverse progress by increasing administrative burdens, such as pre-certification for tax credits and stricter documentation requirements.
- Administrative burdens, categorized as learning, compliance, and psychological costs, disproportionately harm children and families, leading to missed benefits and services.
- The concept of “sludge” highlights deliberate bureaucratic frictions that hinder access to public benefits, with children being the most affected.
- Technology, if designed with intent, can either support families or create barriers; current systems often amplify administrative burdens rather than reduce them.
- Policymakers should focus on child-centered systems, such as integrating disability verifications and auto-enrollment across programs to reduce redundancy.
- Recommendations include making ELE a permanent feature, ensuring continuous coverage for children, and investing in user-friendly digital platforms.
- H.R. 1’s push for surveillance and stricter compliance undermines the purpose of programs like ELE, shifting the burden onto families.
- The double standard in regulatory approaches favors businesses while imposing stricter regulations on low-income families.
- A child-centered digital future requires technology designed to serve families with dignity, respect, and care.
Updated: Senate Parliamentarian Rejects School Vouchers in Big Beautiful Bill as Violation of Byrd Rule https://janresseger.wordpress.com/2025/06/27/federal-voucher-program-hidden-in-one-big-beautiful-bill-would-lure-investors-with-lucrative-tax-shelter/ via @janresseger
### Key Points
- The Senate Parliamentarian ruled that the tuition-tax-credit school voucher program in the One Big Beautiful tax and reconciliation bill violates the Byrd Rule, requiring a 60-vote filibuster-proof majority to pass.
- The Educational Choice for Children Act (ECCA) embedded in the bill is primarily a financial benefit for wealthy taxpayers, offering dollar-for-dollar tax credits and serving as a lucrative tax shelter for investors.
- Wealthy individuals could avoid capital gains taxes by donating appreciated stock to Scholarship Granting Organizations (SGOs) under the ECCA, creating significant tax avoidance opportunities.
- The ECCA would create a large federal tax-credit scholarship program across all states, with a price tag of $5 billion in its first year, but it disproportionately benefits wealthy families and fails to prioritize poor children.
- The proposed program lacks adequate civil rights protections for students and does not ensure equitable access to scholarships for low-income or marginalized groups.
- Critics argue that the voucher program diverts public funds to private schools, undermining public education, and that it has been consistently rejected by voters in past referendums.
Recommended: Teacher Education: Time to listen to the experts again (UK) https://radicalscholarship.com/2025/06/27/recommended-teacher-education-time-to-listen-to-the-experts-again-uk/ via @plthomasEdD
### Key Points
- Teacher education and autonomy have historically been undervalued, partly due to the profession being predominantly female.
- Accountability reforms since the 1980s have undermined teacher autonomy, imposing conditions that hinder teaching success.
- The rise of "science of" education reform has further eroded teacher autonomy, particularly through scripted curricula.
- Recommendations include revisiting expert-driven approaches to teacher education, as highlighted in a U.K. report.
- Additional resources, such as NEPC reviews and NCTE resolutions, explore the importance of teacher autonomy and critique deficit-based educational policies.
Schools Matter: Erin Burnett at CNN asks Zohran Mamdani what it means to be a Democratic Socialist http://www.schoolsmatter.info/2025/06/erin-burnett-at-cnn-asks-zohran-mamdani.html
### Key Points
- The blog emphasizes that student learning is influenced more by classmates than teachers, referencing James Coleman’s 1972 statement.
- Discussions include Democratic Socialism, with Zohran Mamdani featured in an interview about its meaning and implications.
- The blog critiques corporate and political interference in education, such as corporate-driven testing and school voucher schemes.
- Poverty is highlighted as a critical factor affecting education, over teacher quality.
- Topics such as book banning, ICE detention cases, and public protests are explored, reflecting broader socio-political issues impacting schools.
- Reviews and essays analyze educational reforms, testing policies, and the privatization of public education.
Teacher Tom: When Will We Wake Up? https://teachertomsblog.blogspot.com/2025/06/when-will-we-wake-up.html
### Key Points
- Karl Groos' theory suggests that play is essential for survival skills, and humans, with the longest juvenile period, require extended play for development.
- The social bonding hypothesis highlights the importance of play in learning to interact and "play well with others."
- Play fighting and games of chase remain vital as evolutionary instincts, helping children develop emotional and social awareness.
- Adults often misunderstand or interrupt play, but it teaches children boundaries, empathy, and negotiation skills.
- Modern schools limit play, focusing instead on obedience and structured activities, depriving children of crucial developmental experiences.
- Play is necessary for physical and social development, yet today's children face a lack of time, space, and permission to play freely.
glen brown: "The Quietly Powerful Senate Parliamentarian" https://teacherpoetmusicianglenbrown.blogspot.com/2025/06/the-quietly-powerful-senate.html
### Key Points
- Elizabeth MacDonough, the Senate parliamentarian, enforces the Byrd Rule to ensure legislative compliance, rejecting extreme policy proposals.
- Her decisions have blocked harmful measures targeting healthcare, environmental protections, consumer safety, and federal judicial powers.
- The rejected proposals reveal the radical and destructive nature of MAGA Republicans' legislative agenda.
- MacDonough’s actions exemplify intellectual consistency, fearlessness, and respect for rules, countering autocratic tendencies.
Come On People Now, Smile on your Brother https://teacherinastrangeland.blog/2025/06/27/come-on-people-now-smile-on-your-brother/ via @nancyflanagan
- The author, a Democrat, expresses frustration with the lack of unity among Democrats despite the urgent need to oppose the Trump administration's actions.
- The author highlights the diverse demographics in their county, emphasizing the struggles of working-class individuals and the need for policies like Medicaid expansion and minimum wage increases.
- The author criticizes internal divisions within the Democratic Party, including disagreements over leadership figures and ideological differences, which hinder collective progress.
- The piece discusses challenges faced by local Democratic organizations, including members' dissatisfaction with national party decisions and internal conflicts over progressive versus moderate candidates.
- The author calls for Democrats to prioritize unity over ideological purity, stressing the importance of collaboration to address national challenges.
President Ryan Forced out at Virginia: Is Resigning the Right Thing to Do? – Cloaking Inequity https://cloakinginequity.com/2025/06/26/is-resigning-the-right-thing-to-do/
### Key Points
- President James Ryan of UVA resigned after federal pressure, highlighting political attacks on equity-minded leadership.
- Resignations in protest, such as the Fulbright Board and DOJ attorneys, reflect resistance to politicized directives.
- Leaders like Dr. Claudine Gay and others are targeted for promoting DEI, facing forced exits or hostile environments.
- Resignation can symbolize integrity, but it may also serve as a tool for quiet suppression of bold leaders.
- Being fired can shift accountability to institutions, showcasing resistance to oppressive systems.
- The article urges leaders to persist in their mission for justice, even outside traditional roles, and to challenge inequitable systems.
The Silenced Warning: What Briseis Can Teach Us About Betrayal – Cloaking Inequity https://cloakinginequity.com/2025/06/27/the-silenced-warning-what-briseis-can-teach-us-about-betrayal/
### Key Points
- Briseis, a character from the Iliad, symbolizes individuals who witness betrayal but cannot voice it effectively due to lack of power.
- Subtle warnings are often communicated through body language and informal interactions, which are frequently overlooked.
- Recognizing these non-verbal cues is crucial for preventing future betrayals, as missing them is a result of not being trained to interpret subtle truths.
June’s Parent Engagement Resources | Engaging Parents In School… https://engagingparentsinschool.edublogs.org/2025/06/27/junes-parent-engagement-resources-2/
### Key Points
- The article introduces various resources and strategies for engaging parents in schools, particularly focusing on immigrant families and bilingual children.
- It highlights creative ways to involve children in STEM activities over the summer to foster curiosity and problem-solving skills.
- Family engagement is emphasized as a long-term strategy for supporting COVID recovery in education.
- The content references books and tools for teachers, including "The ESL/ELL Teacher's Survival Guide" and "Helping Students Motivate Themselves."
- The article also provides links to additional resources, such as family playbooks in English and Spanish, and tips for understanding student progress in school.
Education Research Report: Bias in AI text detection tools impacts academic publishing fairness https://educationresearchreport.blogspot.com/2025/06/bias-in-ai-text-detection-tools-impacts.html
### Key Points
- A study in PeerJ Computer Science highlights significant accuracy-bias trade-offs in AI text detection tools, affecting non-native English speakers and certain academic disciplines in scholarly publishing.
- Popular AI detection tools (e.g., GPTZero, ZeroGPT, DetectGPT) show inconsistent accuracy in distinguishing human-written from AI-generated academic abstracts.
- AI-assisted writing, where human text is enhanced by language models, poses unique challenges for detection systems.
- The most accurate detection tool in the study demonstrated the strongest bias against specific groups of authors and academic fields.
- Non-native English speakers are disproportionately impacted, with their work more often misclassified as AI-generated.
- The research calls for ethical, responsible, and transparent use of large language models (LLMs) in academic publishing to ensure fairness.
Eyes Cast Backwards https://norinrad10.com/2025/06/27/eyes-cast-backwards/ via @norinrad10 ary
### Key Points
- The author shares personal experiences traveling with his son to explore college baseball opportunities, using the time to bond and discuss life and generational differences.
- The generational gap is highlighted through a discussion of how music consumption has shifted from traditional radio to streaming platforms like Spotify.
- The author reflects on how older generations often criticize modern technology and behaviors, forgetting the flaws of their own youth.
- Emphasis is placed on preparing children for the future world they will create, which includes embracing technology like AI and modern communication methods.
- The Supreme Court ruling allowing parents to opt out of certain school materials based on religious beliefs is discussed, with the author advocating for open dialogue and informed perspectives.
- The Tennessee State Board of Education is considering changes to rules for managing disruptive students, allowing transfers to restrictive environments before completing behavioral assessments, with mixed reactions from advocates.
- The Tennessee Department of Education’s decision not to track the previous enrollment of students in its voucher program raises concerns about transparency and equity in public funding.
- The author critiques the potential constitutional issues of state-funded private schools and the broader implications of voucher programs.
- A local middle school’s band program was saved through community fundraising after funding was reallocated to other arts programs, highlighting inequities in school arts funding.
- The author calls for honest conversations and a focus on student needs over ideology in education systems.
Agenda for the California State Board of Education (SBE) meeting on July 9, 2025- State Board of Education (CA Dept of Education) https://www.cde.ca.gov/be/ag/ag/yr25/agenda202507.asp
### Key Points
- The California State Board of Education (SBE) meeting will be held on July 9, 2025, at the California Department of Education building in Sacramento, CA. The meeting includes both closed and public sessions.
- Closed sessions will address existing and anticipated litigation cases, including several lawsuits involving the State of California and local school districts.
- Public comment is encouraged and can be made online, by phone, or in person. Specific instructions and time limits are provided for each method of participation.
- The agenda includes updates on the accountability system, student assessments, and instructional material adoptions for English Language Arts/English Language Development (ELA/ELD).
- Items related to charter schools include funding determinations, reconsideration requests, and assignment of charter school numbers.
- Special education-related waivers include requests for extended school year adjustments, nonpublic school certifications, resource teacher caseload increases, and interpreter qualifications. Most waivers are recommended for approval with conditions.
- The meeting will discuss school construction bond waivers and surplus property sales for specific districts.
- Public health measures, such as limited capacity and mask availability, will be in place during the in-person meeting.
- The meeting will also address the approval of templates for the 2024–2025 School Accountability Report Card and other administrative actions.
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Uh Oh, Bellevue https://saveseattleschools.blogspot.com/2025/06/uh-oh-bellevue.html?spref=tw
### Key Points
- Bellevue School District is under state financial oversight due to a $15 million annual funding shortfall caused by levy caps.
- The district must collaborate with state agencies and use measures like asset liquidation to stabilize finances over three years.
- Legislative changes, such as House Bill 2049, provide limited relief, primarily benefiting property-rich districts like Bellevue.
- Broader issues in Seattle Public Schools include nepotism, school closures, and concerns over transparency in decision-making.
Seattle Schools Community Forum: What to Make of This Story? https://saveseattleschools.blogspot.com/2025/06/what-to-make-of-this-story.html?spref=tw
### Key Points
- MLK Labor, a coalition of unions, invested in The Stranger and its parent company, raising questions about whether the newspaper will remain independent or become a political tool.
- Noisy Creek, The Stranger's parent company, claims a firewall exists between business and editorial operations, though some remain skeptical of potential influence.
- Concerns are raised about Joe Mizrahi, a union leader and political candidate, being interviewed by The Stranger without disclosure of MLK Labor's ownership stake.
- Broader issues within Seattle Public Schools are discussed, including nepotism among personnel and debates over school closures, with criticisms of the district's lack of transparency and planning.
Yesterday’s Gems, Today’s InsightsA Roundup of the Web’s Finest Blog Posts!6-27-25
The article is a collection of various educational, political, and societal topics, including updates on public education, political movements, school funding, and technological integration in classrooms. It highlights progressive victories, challenges to democracy, and the importance of community advocacy.
### Key Points
- Bill Moyers, a renowned journalist and former advisor to President Lyndon B. Johnson, passed away at 91, leaving a legacy of ethical journalism and intellectual curiosity.
- The New York Times exposed how Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) spread misinformation about Social Security fraud, raising privacy concerns and operational challenges.
- Dr. Leana Wen criticized Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s leadership of the Department of Health and Human Services for fueling vaccine skepticism and advised consulting reliable sources for vaccine information.
- An Ohio judge ruled that the EdChoice school voucher program is unconstitutional, as it diverts public funds to private schools, harming public education and increasing segregation.
- Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist, won the NYC Democratic mayoral primary, signaling a shift toward progressive policies like rent freezes, universal healthcare, and taxing the wealthy.
- The "One Big Beautiful Bill" includes a federal voucher program offering lucrative tax shelters to wealthy donors, prioritizing privatization over public education.
- The traditional education system is critiqued for its rigidity, with a focus on self-directed and play-based learning as more effective methods.
- The article discusses the failures of moderate education reform efforts, particularly charter schools and school vouchers, as voter support shifts toward public education.
- A six-year-old Honduran boy in ICE detention missed leukemia treatment, highlighting the human cost of immigration policies.
- Mattel's partnership with OpenAI to develop AI-powered toys raises concerns about ethics, surveillance, and child safety.
- NYC's Department of Education is criticized for delays in implementing a 2022 law mandating smaller class sizes by 2028.
- Resignation as an act of conscience is explored, with leaders stepping down due to systemic pressures and political interference.
- Community advocacy successfully opposed Florida's GOP proposal to cut AP and IB program funding, showcasing collective action's power.
- The article emphasizes the importance of grassroots organizing and bold ideas for systemic change in public services and education.
