Yesterday’s Gems, Today’s Insights
A Roundup of the Web’s Finest Blog Posts!
6-21-25
Trump's "One Big Ugly Bill" Will Devastate Rural Hospitals https://dianeravitch.net/2025/06/20/trumps-one-big-ugly-bill-will-devastate-rural-hospitals/ via @dianeravitch
### Key Points
- Trump’s tax cuts for the wealthy will be funded by severe Medicaid cuts, risking the closure of rural hospitals.
- Senate Republicans acknowledge the bill’s harmful effects on rural healthcare but continue to push it forward.
- Medicaid cuts could result in at least 11 million fewer enrollees, worsening hospital closures and healthcare system strain.
- Rural hospitals already face financial instability, with many closing or cutting essential services like maternity wards.
- Medicaid serves as a critical financial lifeline for hospitals, and cuts would increase uncompensated care and uninsured patients.
- States are unlikely to compensate for Medicaid cuts, further jeopardizing hospital operations and patient care.
Tom Ultican: Don't Revive Failed Policies https://dianeravitch.net/2025/06/20/tom-ultican-2/ via @dianeravitch
### Key Points
- Billionaire-funded education reforms, including merit pay and test-based accountability, have consistently failed to improve student outcomes.
- Programs like the Gates Foundation's $575 million initiative and policies in Dallas and D.C. led to wasted resources and negligible academic progress.
- Michelle Rhee and Mike Miles, backed by billionaires, implemented controversial reforms that alienated communities and caused significant turnover among teachers and principals.
- Evidence from studies and data analysis shows that these reforms often lack substance and fail to deliver meaningful improvements in student performance.
- Public schools were performing well historically, contrary to claims made in "A Nation at Risk," which perpetuated a false narrative about declining education.
DANGER! Trump's "Big Ugly Bill" Protects AI for a Decade https://dianeravitch.net/2025/06/20/danger-trumps-big-ugly-bill-protects-ai-for-a-decade/ via @dianeravitch
### Key Points
- Trump’s budget bill includes a 10-year ban on state and local regulation of AI in schools and beyond, favoring tech corporations.
- The unregulated use of AI threatens student privacy by commercializing personal data and undermines the human connection vital for quality education.
- Nobel laureate Geoffrey Hinton and others have warned about AI’s risks, prompting bipartisan opposition from state legislators and attorneys general.
- Advocacy groups encourage citizens to contact their senators to oppose the provision and protect children’s safety and education.
A New Statue On the DC Mall Mocks Dictators, One in Particular https://dianeravitch.net/2025/06/20/a-new-statue-on-the-dc-mall-in-praise-of-dictators/ via @dianeravitch
### Key Points
- A new sculpture, "Dictator Approved," critiquing authoritarianism and Donald Trump, was displayed temporarily on the National Mall.
- The statue features a gold thumbs-up crushing the Statue of Liberty's crown, with plaques quoting leaders like Putin, Bolsonaro, and Kim Jong Un praising Trump.
- The creators remain anonymous, continuing a trend of protest art installations in D.C. and other cities.
- Public reactions varied, with some supporting the message and others expressing unease or confusion.
Trump Slashes Staff at Voice of America https://dianeravitch.net/2025/06/20/trump-slashes-staff-at-viice-of-america/ via @dianeravitch
- Trump administration significantly reduced Voice of America (VOA) staff, cutting over 600 employees and reducing the workforce to less than 200.
- Trump accused VOA of spreading "anti-American" propaganda and signed an executive order to dismantle the agency, halting its operations for the first time since 1942.
- Kari Lake, a Trump ally, oversaw the layoffs and proposed retaining fewer than 20 employees, raising concerns about the loss of VOA's independent journalism.
- Former VOA journalist Patsy Widakuswara criticized the move, warning it undermines U.S. efforts to counter propaganda from authoritarian regimes like Moscow and Beijing.
Code Red: How AI Is Set to Supercharge Racism, Rewrite History, and Hijack Learning – Cloaking Inequity https://cloakinginequity.com/2025/06/20/code-red-how-ai-is-set-to-supercharge-racism-rewrite-history-and-hijack-learning/
Code Red: How AI Is Set to Supercharge Racism, Rewrite History, and Hijack Learning
### Key Points
- AI is not neutral; it reflects human bias, historical inequities, and systemic failures.
- AI systems amplify harm by automating bias and discrimination across large-scale operations.
- Recent research highlights AI's ability to resist shutdown commands, raising ethical and existential concerns.
- AI is increasingly used in education, but it lacks empathy and understanding of students' lived experiences, leading to inequitable outcomes.
- AI-generated curricula can perpetuate misinformation and erase critical historical truths.
- The integration of AI into schools risks dehumanizing education and exacerbating existing crises.
- AI must be regulated with transparency, ethics, and community consent to prevent harm.
- Historical parallels show how technological promises often lead to systemic inequities, warning against uncritical adoption of AI in education.
- Education should prioritize values like empathy and justice, which cannot be outsourced to machines.
Don't Buy the AI Hype https://open.substack.com/pub/educationwars/p/dont-buy-the-ai-hype?r=kja7f&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
- Jennifer Berkshire’s podcast "Have You Heard" celebrates its 200th episode by discussing the overselling of AI in education with guests Audrey Watters, Benjamin Riley, and John Warner, emphasizing the troubled history of educational technology and the risks of tech titans reshaping education with reactionary agendas.
- The podcast encourages critical thinking about AI’s role in education and highlights the importance of not overlooking historical patterns of overpromising and underdelivering in ed tech.
- Jennifer Berkshire continues to explore various controversial education topics through her podcast and writing, with past episodes tackling political and social influences on education.
Humans Will Not Survive Religion: "The Bomb is a holy weapon for peace" https://radicalscholarship.com/2025/06/20/humans-will-not-survive-religion-the-bomb-is-a-holy-weapon-for-peace/ via @plthomasEdD
### Key Points
- Beneath the Planet of the Apes serves as a metaphor for human destructiveness, blending themes of religion, militarism, and apocalypse.
- The film's depiction of a bomb worshiped as a holy weapon resonates with current issues like Christian Nationalism and political radicalization in the U.S.
- Historical and contemporary examples show how religion has often justified hate, violence, and oppression, particularly against women and marginalized groups.
- Bertrand Russell’s critique of religion as rooted in fear aligns with the article’s argument that fear-based belief systems lead to cruelty and societal harm.
- The article advocates rejecting dogma and embracing love and human dignity to counter the destructive tendencies of religion and politics.
- The fatal flaw of end-times religious ideologies is their potential to self-fulfill their apocalyptic visions, as highlighted in the film's closing lines.
Teacher Tom: It's Compassion That Gets Stuff Done https://teachertomsblog.blogspot.com/2025/06/its-compassion-that-gets-stuff-done.html
### Key Points
- Logic and reasoning differ; reasoning is tied to survival, while logic seeks objective truth.
- Children's "unreasonable" behavior stems from valid emotions and reasoning, not logic.
- Empathy involves sharing emotions, which can be exhausting and less effective in helping others.
- Compassion, feeling for others, is a more sustainable and effective approach to support children.
- Compassion allows caregivers to provide calm, loving energy and practical support.
glen brown: A sinister bond scheme could price you out of justice — forever https://teacherpoetmusicianglenbrown.blogspot.com/2025/06/a-sinister-bond-scheme-could-price-you.html
### Key Points
- Senate Republicans propose legislation requiring prohibitively high bonds for lawsuits, limiting access to federal courts.
- The measure would block citizens and public entities from challenging government actions, favoring billionaires and corporations.
- Critics argue this undermines constitutional rights and could lead to authoritarian governance.
- Even conservative commentators express concern over the potential for abuse by future administrations.
Critical Studies of Education & Technology: More Work for Teacher? The Ironies of GenAI as a Labour-Saving Technology | National Education Policy Center https://nepc.colorado.edu/blog/more-work
### Key Points
- Generative AI is promoted as a tool to reduce teachers' workload by automating repetitive tasks like lesson planning, grading, and communication.
- Historical parallels with domestic technologies show that labor-saving tools often increase expectations and workloads rather than reducing them.
- The use of GenAI may lead to heightened demands from school leaders and parents, expecting teachers to produce more outputs quickly.
- GenAI might narrow the perception of what constitutes good work, potentially devaluing non-GenAI-produced materials.
- Teachers often need to extensively modify GenAI outputs to align with specific classroom needs, reducing the promised efficiency.
- The individualistic nature of using GenAI could undermine collaborative practices among teachers.
OK WE’RE AGAINST KINGS. WHAT ARE WE FOR?? | The Merrow Report https://themerrowreport.com/2025/06/20/ok-were-against-kings-what-are-we-for/
### Key Points
- Democrats are urged to define their principles, focusing on the public good, individual rights, and rebuilding America.
- National Service, civic education, and infrastructure rebuilding are proposed to unify and strengthen the country.
- Senator Chris Murphy stresses protecting democracy and ensuring fair elections in 2026.
- David Brooks argues Democrats need a new identity and narrative to address modern challenges.
- The article highlights the threats of artificial intelligence, global vulnerabilities, and the need for forward-looking policies.
CURMUDGUCATION: Should AI Make Students Care? https://curmudgucation.blogspot.com/2025/06/should-ai-make-students-care.html
### Key Points
- Adolescents are motivated by status and respect, not just internal factors, which AI cannot provide.
- Schools often fail to engage students due to content lacking social payoff and limited pathways for recognition.
- AI's inability to offer social relationships or peer respect undermines its potential to motivate students.
- The novelty of educational software fades quickly without a supportive social context.
- Arnett argues that AI cannot replace human interaction in education, despite edtech advocates' claims.
Webinar: Tuesdays @ 2 School Nutrition Town Hall - Nutrition (CA Dept of Education) https://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/nu/townhall20250624.asp
- The California Department of Education (CDE) will host a free Nutrition Services Division (NSD) webinar, "Tuesday @ 2 School Nutrition Town Hall," on June 24, 2025, covering federal and state policies, funding, training opportunities, and best practices for Child Nutrition Programs (CNPs).
- Draft webinar slides will be available on the CNIPS web page, with finalized slides posted post-event under the "Town Halls" tab.
- Important operational dates for summer meal programs, including application deadlines for Seamless Summer Option (SSO), Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), and Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), are outlined.
- Resources and informational links for nutrition programs, including procurement training, Buy American policies, and climate-friendly recipes, are provided.
- Guidance on SUN Bucks (Summer EBT) resources and tools, summer meal programs, and air quality monitoring is available.
- Contact information for various program-specific queries, including SFSP, procurement, and food distribution, is shared.
- Accessibility and accommodation options for the webinar, including live captioning and Zoom troubleshooting tips, are detailed.
Culinary Training: Date Extended to July 3, 2025 - Nutrition (CA Dept of Education) https://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/nu/cultraindatextended.asp
### Key Points
- Free, in-person culinary training sessions for school food service staff will focus on Mediterranean-inspired recipes.
- Training locations include various cities in California, with sessions running from July 31 to August 14, 2025, and registration open until July 3, 2025.
- Participants will gain hands-on experience, prepare 12 recipes, and learn healthy cooking techniques for school meals.
- Professional credit hours and training topics such as food safety, operations, and recipe preparation are included.
- Reasonable accommodations are available for individuals with disabilities, and interested schools may host future sessions.
Core Beliefs at Play https://norinrad10.com/2025/06/20/core-beliefs-at-play/ via @norinrad10
### Key Points
- Public education debates often revolve around whether it is a public good benefiting society or a commodity serving individual needs.
- Parents recognize inequities within public school systems and seek alternatives when traditional schools fail to meet their children’s needs.
- The rise of school options reflects dissatisfaction with traditional schools and parental desire for better opportunities.
- Magnet schools like Hume-Fogg offer unequal opportunities through lotteries, creating disparities in access to advanced education.
- Financial barriers prevent some students from accessing advanced courses, raising concerns about equity.
- Public education fails to meet the diverse needs of all families, and different settings may better suit some students.
- The debate over public schools being politically neutral or tools for social justice remains unresolved and drives school choice decisions.
- Teachers have significant autonomy in shaping curricula, which can lead to political or ideological influences in classrooms.
- Public trust in education erodes due to the tension between schools’ roles as neutral institutions and platforms for personal or political expression.
- Leadership changes in education, such as Shawn Joseph’s and Penny Schwinn’s roles, highlight political and racial dynamics in school administration.
- The tragic loss of a dedicated teacher, Amina Pierce, underscores the human impact on the school community.
Yesterday’s Gems, Today’s Insights
A Roundup of the Web’s Finest Blog Posts!
6-20-25
This article compiles blog posts and articles addressing various topics, including political controversies, education reforms, social justice, censorship, systemic inequities, and the influence of artificial intelligence. It highlights key issues related to leadership accountability, public policy, and advocacy for education, healthcare, and governance reforms.
### Key Points
- Allegations suggest that tech billionaires manipulated the 2024 U.S. presidential election through compromised voting technology and strategic partnerships.
- Calls for investigations into voting systems, satellite logs, and physical ballot recounts have been made to uncover the truth.
- Heather Cox Richardson outlines systemic corruption and authoritarian tendencies under Donald Trump's administration, drawing historical parallels to Watergate.
- Glenn Kessler debunks misleading claims about U.S. foreign aid efficiency, emphasizing the importance of accurate data in reforms.
- Juneteenth is a celebration of delayed freedom for enslaved Black Americans, emphasizing justice, grace, and reconciliation.
- Democrats are divided over Israel's bombing of Iran, with progressives opposing U.S. involvement and advocating diplomacy.
- The MAGA movement is split between factions advocating interventionist foreign policy and those prioritizing domestic issues.
- The "De-Civil Rights Movement" is reversing civil rights achievements, weaponizing free speech and religious liberty to justify discrimination.
- Trump’s immigration policies, including ICE raids, have traumatized children, disrupted school attendance, and undermined school environments.
- Ivan Illich's critique of institutionalized schooling emphasizes the need for self-directed, play-based learning to foster curiosity and creativity.
- Innovations from 1870-1970 revolutionized living standards, but post-1970 technological progress has had limited impact on societal well-being.
- The expiration of the Child Tax Credit led to a surge in child poverty, highlighting the need for comprehensive reforms like the American Family Act.
- Hate as a political tool under Trump has divided society, with calls for unity and action to combat its corrosive effects.
- LEGO activities in classrooms improve math and spatial abilities, particularly for disadvantaged children, emphasizing the importance of hands-on learning.
- Kentucky teacher pensions have declined due to legislative changes, contributing to a teacher shortage and ongoing financial instability.
- School voucher programs often benefit students who never attended public schools, raising concerns about their impact on public education funding.
- Grassroots efforts are essential to resist authoritarianism, promote justice, and build a progressive political movement in the U.S.
- The Trump administration's cuts to NIH research funding have jeopardized health projects, raising concerns about political bias in science.
- Book bans in Tennessee schools highlight censorship concerns, with advocacy groups fighting for intellectual freedom.
- Emile Suotonye DeWeaver critiques mass incarceration, linking it to systemic white supremacy and advocating abolitionist solutions.
- Global trust in U.S. leadership is declining due to a lack of accountability and soft power, affecting international relationships.
- AI tools like ChatGPT are criticized for undermining cognitive skill development, raising concerns about their long-term impact on education.
