ICYMI: August, Somehow Edition (8/6)
It has been a rough few weeks. We at the Institute recommend that you hug your loved ones and make the best use of your time you can. If that includes doing some reading, I have a few pieces for you.State takeovers of ‘failing’ schools are increasing, but with little evidence they help students
Steven Yoder at Hechinger pulls up some of the data that shows what we already know-- school takeovers are a waste of everyone's time and money.
When One School District Falls: HISD is a Preview for All Schools
Nancy Bailey with a good quick explainer of the takeover of Houston schools, and why they are bad news nationally.
"Learning? What Learning? We're in the middle of testing." "I was misinformed."
What's the worst PD in the world? Jeff Waid makes his case for the worst PD being the ones all about data.
I Put an LGBTQ+ Book on My Classroom Reading List. Then Someone Filed a Police Report
At EdWeek, Sarah Bonner tells a nightmarish tale of how 20-year teacher was driven, quickly and brutally, out of the classroom.
Superintendent claims the spoils of the Bucks County culture wars
On the other hand, if you are a superintendent willing to go along with a repressive, anti-reading, anti-public ed board like the one in Bucks County PA, you might get to cash in big time. From the Philadelphia Inquirer, so beware the paywall.
Nate Levenson: Advising Louisiana Classrooms from His Wealth of Nonexperience.
The indispensable Mercedes Schneider with the gazillionth iteration of the same old story--a state is going to hand huge power over education to some guy who has no actual qualifications at all.
Why 'school choice' was doomed when it became a cover for segregation
LZ Granderson takes us to Arizona for an interesting angle, looking at how the use of "choice" as cover for certain political interests has screwed the families that could use some actual school choice.
More teachers are quitting their jobs. Educators of color often are more likely to leave
Marc Levy (AP) takes a look at how Pennsylvania schools are failing to hold on to teachers of color, and while there's nothing super new here, it's nice to see AP noticing.
Florida Attempting to Revive the “Happy Slave” Myth as Real History
Steven Singer offers some actual history regarding enslaved folks in this country.
When Did We Take the Wrong Road to Education Reform and Where Has It Taken Us?
Jan Resseger takes a dive into reformy history and its many wrong turns.
Mark Robinson has always been bad news, but now that he wants to be North Carolina's governor, he's trying to present a kinder, gentler face. Justin Parmenter wants to remind you why you shouldn't be fooled.
How Oklahoma Became Ground Zero in the War Over Church-State Separation
Samuel Perry for Time. What's going on in Oklahoma education doesn't have much to do with choice, and Secretary Dudebro is right in the middle of it.
Walters claims TPS takes money from China; school board president says no
Speaking of which, here's his latest crazypants baloney in his quest to take over Tulsa schools.
Educating for “College and Career Readiness”? Are We Sure About That? (pt. II)
Keith Benson does a pretty cool dive into the question of what college and career readiness has meant for the past few decades.
The Right-Wing Think Tank That the Charter School Industry Relies On
At The Progressive, NPW director Carol Burris breaks down CREDO, that outfit that is often presented as a Stanford smarty pants department but, on examination, looks a lot more like a right-wing research fabricator for the privatization industry.
I Had a Dream about the First Day of School…
No, not the scary one, where you can't find your classroom and your students are out of control. Nancy Flanagan has a much better dream about that first day.
Danger Children's Books That Could Be Lurking in Your Home
McSweeney's. I'll give you a taste, but click through to the whole list:
Where the Wild Things Are
Don’t be fooled by shiny medals. This is a horrifying story of lawlessness and open borders. It teaches that it’s okay to cause chaos and become the kingpin of some antifa group of thugs and then get off scot-free with a warm dinner waiting. Not in this lifetime, Max.
Please don’t assume everyone knows the acronyms 😟
Hugs to you and yours, Peter.