ICYMI: My Least Favorite Holiday Edition (3/17)
I have nothing against the Irish, who arguably helped save western civilization as we know it, and who suffered a lot abuse and mistreatment. But this holiday? I will spare you the rant.
Oh, and this nonsense about a leprechaun sneaking into the house and making a mess? Whoever came up with this idea is getting their own special corner of hell, and while I love elementary teachers a lot, I am pleading with them to please stop spreading this big fat PITA faux tradition to their students.
Plenty to read, though, so let's start into the list. I put this list together kind of on the fly every week, and if I have missed something worthwhile, that's on me. There is so much to read and so many writers who deserve attention, and if I missed something or someone this week, that's a measure of my inefficiency, not their worthiness.
Audrey Watters comes back to the world of ed tech for a quick recap of why she was just proven right when she dismissed Udacity as junk.
Americans Have Yet to Accept COVID’s Tragedy — And Are Taking It Out On Schools
Conor P. Williams and The 74 have been on the wrong side of plenty of education issues, but this piece about how schools have taken endless blame for a nation's flubbed pandemic response is absolutely worth the read.
Yet here on the other side of that disaster, we’re determined to assign blame for dips in U.S. students’ academic achievement, as if learning loss could have — should have — been avoided in a moment of widespread viral transmission and mass death. Say it plain: There was no educational and public health playbook that could have wholly averted the pandemic’s impacts on kids.
Kentucky Governor Ready to Campaign Against School Choice Measure if It Reaches Fall Ballot
Kentucky continues to stand up for public education. Report from the AP.
Idaho House committee kills private school tax credit
From Boise State Public Radio, some good news from Idaho, of all places.
Dissecting Republican Messaging, 101
Nancy Flanagan looks into some of the GOP machinery driving some messaging in Michigan (where Betsy DeVos still lives and does her thing).
"Science of" Movement Repeating Mistakes of Education Reform Cycles
Paul Thomas explains who we need to be doubtful when someone starts waving around the science banner in education.
Central Bucks to pay suspended teacher, attorneys $425k, remove references to report
In Central Bucks, PA, the new school board continues to deal with the messes made by the former MAGA majority, including finally getting some justice for a teacher who was punished for standing up for an LGBTQ student. Jo Ciavaglia reports.
Misleading “No Kid Hungry” Ad: School Meals Already Free
Seem those "No Kid Hungry" ads? The indispensable Mercedes Schneider has, and she did some digging. Why are they soliciting by talking about schools that already have free and reduced lunch programs? Who is behind this organization, and where does your contribution actually go? The answers are far less heartwarming than the commercials.
Culture Warriors—on Both Sides—Are Wrong About America’s History Classrooms
At Time, some researchers from the American Historical Association offer a new perspective on what's actually happening in history classrooms.
Library organizations react to Prattville library firings: ‘A travesty’
A library board in Alabama decided to hide a bunch of naughty books, and when the librarian filled a legitimate journalist open records request about the matter, they fired the librarian.
Professional Development Done With Us, Not To Us
Jose Luis Vilson has looked at many many hours of teacher PD, and he has some ideas about how to make the whole operation a little more useful.
Hackers are targeting a surprising group of people: young public school students
Reporting from Kavitha Cardoza at NPR about the hot new frontier in data hack-and-grab. How good is the cybersecurity at your school?
When Classical Learning Meets Public Education, the Dialogue Isn't Always Socratic
A bit over-sympathetic, but still an interesting look into the various threads in the Classical Learning world, courtesy of Vince Bielski at RealClear.
Rep. April Cromer and her allies dox librarians
And that's not all. Steve Nuzum reports from South Carolina on this Moms for Liberty MAGA menace.
President Biden Proposes Urgently Needed Federal Education Budget Increases for FY 2025
There's some good news for public education in the newly proposed budget. Jan Resseger has some details.
Can Early Academic Pressure Cause Learning Disabilities?
Nancy Bailey looks at what the experts have to say about the effects of making kindergarten the new first grade.
It Could Have Been Worse: An Update On Florida’s 2024 Session
Sue Kingery Woltanski sums up the latest legislative session in DeSantisland.
Florida teachers can discuss LGBTQ topics under 'Don't Say Gay' law, settlement says
But of course the big news in Florida is the settlement around one of the state's attacks on the First Amendment. NPR has a fine summary, but you might also like the one from Judd Legum.
A Wisconsin ruling on Catholic Charities raises the bar for religious tax exemptions
AP reports on a decision that makes it harder for Catholic Charities to claim exemptions. Basically, if they're doing secular stuff, they can't claim religious exemption. Does this have anything to do with education? I'm wondering, so I'm putting a pin in it here.
How Viktor Orbán Conquered the Heritage Foundation
These are the same folks who are pushing so hard to dismantle public education and establish voucherfied privatized education in its place. This piece by Casey Michel in The New Republic will not sooth your heart.
How Evangelicals Use Digital Surveillance to Target the Unconverted
Also from the New Republic, and not related to education, but holy cow! Several layers of creepy scary going on here.
I'm with you on the St. Patrick’s Day thing! I don't think most holidays belong in schools because they have ties to particular religions. But the way this is “celebrated” at schools is annoying. I hated the idea that my kids came home in Kindergarten with homework to build a leprechaun trap (great STEM activity, but do you realize you are assigning this to the parents?). Then they go to school, and the leprechaun eats their candy lure and gets away?? My kids were unhappy about this, plus it took me a lot of time to convince them that leprechauns are not real. Big waste of instructional time!
Speaking of harming kids, thanks for sharing Nancy Bailey’s article. Expecting reading and writing in kindergarten puts kids with disabilities at such a disadvantage. Neurodiverse kids often need extra time for reading and writing skills to develop, and all kids need to work on social skills at this age. In tutoring practice, I let kids decide what challenges they are ready for. The NT kids generally start to read around age 7. ND kids can often begin learning letter identification and letter sounds around the same time. There are so many reasons to wait.