Juan Gonzalez is a veteran journalist who wrote a regular column for the “New York Daily News” for many years. He retired from the “News” but frequently appears on “Democracy Now” as co-host with Amy Goodman. Gonzalez is renowned as an investigative reporter and champion of justice. He wrote this post for the blog. New Brunswick, New Jersey Community Fights to Save a Public School From Corporate
This would not normally be news, but in the a Trump era, when science is disregarded, it is amazing. The Oklahoma Legislature approved state science standards that include evolution and climate change! The e-word — “evolution” — is unabashedly used: for example, a high school standard for biology expects students to be able to “[c]ommunicate scientific information that common ancestry and biologi
This is the incredible but true story of the improbable rise and precipitate collapse of the Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow (ECOT), which sucked nearly $1 billion out of public schools in Ohio over nearly 20 years. It was written by James Pogue and published by Mother Jones in 2018. Read this article in full. Pogue describes ECOT’s founder William Lager as a “washed-up lobbbyisr” with big dream
The Boston Globe reports on the questions that public officials are trying to resolve in Massachusetts: State and city school officials haven’t made a firm commitment yet as to when Massachusetts public schools might reopen for a number of good reasons. Before they can welcome a million students back to their classrooms, administrators must resolve a seemingly endless series of hard questions. Ho
Trump has repeatedly tweeted that MSNBC talk show host Joe Scarborough murdered a young woman in his Florida office when he was a member of Congress. Scarborough used to be a Republican, but has become an outspoken critic of Trump. Amber Phillips wrote in the Washington Post : This is a conspiracy theory that normally would not make it into this newsletter, were it not for President Trump allegin
The NYCLU just won a civil rights case in East Ramapo, New York, where all school board elections were at-large, guaranteeing that every member of the school board was elected by the tightly organized Orthodox Jewish community, whose children do not attend the public schools. EAST RAMAPO – A federal court today ruled that the East Ramapo Central School District’s at-large method for school board
A few days ago, I had a Zoom meeting with educators at Rutgers University, where I was invited to talk about education and social justice. Of course we talked about the pandemic and what happens next. But the theme of the day was equity. I hope you enjoy it.
More than 200 advocates of public education endorsed this open letter to Joe Biden, which was published on Valerie Strauss’s blog “The Answer Sheet” at the Washington Post. They call on presumptive Democratic nominee Biden to reject the stale and failed policies of the past 20 years. Their letter (our letter, since I signed it) begins with this preamble and then offers a list of specific proposal
Democratic Congressional leaders wrote a stern letter to Betsy DeVos, rebuking her for turning coronavirus relief funds into cash for vouchers. They are acting in the belief that Congress decides how money is to be spent and defines who should receive federal funding. Betsy DeVos really doesn’t care what Congressional leaders say or do. She considers herself superior to Congress because she is a
G.F. Brandenburg cites Jared Yates Sexton’s “American Rule: How a Nation Conquered the a World But Failed Its People.” I am not sure what part of the essay is Sexton and what part is Brandenburg. It almost doesn’t matter
'2020 looked mighty bright for Nduduzo Makhathini . In January, jazz fans and critics alike jammed themselves into the Zรผrcher Gallery at the NYC Winter Jazzfest to get a glimpse of the rising star pianist. The buzz was real for the first South African artist ever to be signed to Blue Note Records. By the time his debut album, Modes of Communication: Letters from the Underworlds, came out on Apri
'On February 23, 2020, Ahmaud Arbery was jogging in his suburban neighborhood when two White men, a father and son, decided Arbery might be the culprit of a suspected robbery. They got in their truck, chased him, and ultimately shot him. News reports have referred to the incident as a “shooting,” a “murder,” and a “killing.” But lawyer and commentator Elie Mystal says it’s clear that it should be
'Since the pandemic began, the volume of obituaries and paid death notices in our newspapers have become a powerful reminder of the loss we’re all experiencing right now. I n the absence of traditional mourning rituals like funerals, the obituary pages are becoming a communal space for us to grieve together in this moment. For more on what obituaries mean during this pandemic, The Takeaway spoke
'Director Michael Jacobs discusses the Quibi docu-series Blackballed , which tells the story of Donald Sterling’s expulsion from the Los Angeles Clippers.'
'Sociologist Erin Hatton explores the nature of coerced labor in America - as prisons, welfare programs and universities push workers outside the protection of traditional legal employment, employers wield increasing power to exploit and punish subjects with little protection and less bargaining power. Hatton is author of Coerced: Work Under Threat of Punishment from University of California Pres
'From Lionel Hampton to Milt Jackson , to Bobby Hutcherson and beyond, every Jazz generation has had its swinging heroes on the vibraphone. Since around the turn of the century, we've had a leading light in Stefon Harris . Harris may in fact be the preeminent voice of his instrument, but he says that's not that important. "The vibraphone, in my opinion, is just a bunch of metal and wood. Instrume
'Dave Zirin, host of Edge of Sports talks to CNN medical expert and NYU professor Dr. Celine Gounder about Covid-19, the push to reopen sports, how that undertaking could work, and how the nation’s leadership is dealing with
