ICYMI: So Long, April Edition (4/30)
Well, that was a month. God bless all the teachers out there in the midst of testing season,
I'll remind everyone that part of the purpose of this weekly collection of pieces is amplification. It is harder than ever to break through the media fog, whether we're talking about legacy media, online media, or social media. You can help by sharing anything that you think others should read. Tweet. Post. Do whatever it is that people do on Instagram. You can help make writers some noise in the world.
These States Have the Most 'Underqualified' Teachers Stepping in to Fill Open Positions
Now that states have been pushing laws to let any warm body into a classroom, we can start to see the effects. From Edsurge, here's an article complete with an interactive map that lets you see which states have the most not-exactly-qualified teachers in the classroom.
A Far-Right Moms Group Is Terrorizing Schools in the Name of Protecting Kids
David Gilbert wrote this piece about Moms for Liberty for Vice, and it is blistering, with some specific tales of people who have crossed M4L and an exceptional retelling of their origin story. A good antidote to M4L's attempt to push out PR about how nice and non-threatening they are. An important read.
Gaslighting Americans about public schools: The truth about ‘A Nation at Risk’
Another important read from this week. Valerie Strauss at the Washington Post hosts the true story of A Nation At Risk (celebrating another one of its birthdays) from James Harvey, who was part of that report's creation. What better person to debunk that influential festival of cherry picking and logic chopping. And this link is to MSN's copy of the piece--so no paywall.
The Lies America Tells Itself About Black Education
Bettina Love at EdWeek with another take on A Nation At Risk, well worth your time. She pulls up the sub-text of the report--that the US was falling behind in education because it was spending too much time and money on Those Children. Another important read.
New “Ed Reform” Coalition Shows How Media Allows Billionaires to Control Narrative
Maurice Cunningham, expert on dark money in education, takes a look at the hottest new coalition in Massachusetts.
Are Schools Responsible for the Racist Behaviors of Students?
Nancy Flanagan wonders who bears the responsibility when students start acting out racism.
NARF Demands Change in Charter Hair Policy
Classical Charter School of Leland requires boys to get their hair cut short, because, I guess, the 21st century still hasn't made it everywhere yet. The Native American Rights Fund is not a fan of that policy.
Chromebooks’ ‘Short’ Lifespan Costs Schools Billions of Dollars, Report Finds
Maybe your district heard it, too-- the claim that by going digital, we could save all sorts of money on textbooks. But it turns out that Chromebooks are actually super-expensive. Lauraine Langreo has the story at EdWeek.
Reporting from Portland about behavioral issues through the roof.
Florida leads the way once again. If nothing else, this serves notice that "the money should follow the child" will be jettisoned once it does its work. Sue Kingery Woltanski has her eye on Tallahassee.
Review: Christianity and Critical Race Theory
I ordered this book on the strength of the review. Turns out Jesus didn't necessarily demand that His followers had to reject CRT. This looks like a thoughtful piece about, among other things, the church's need to deal with its own racism.
Stop Giving Away Our Tax Dollars to Private & Parochial Schools.
Steven Singer would like to have a few words with elected representatives about the tax credit scholarship program in Pennsylvania.
Spring Branch ISD cancels trip to see play due to performance that was not 'age-appropriate'
This week in Dumb Culture War Moves, a parent complains that a performance of James and the Giant Peach includes actors who play multiple parts in flamboyant costumes that don't always match their birth gender. So the district canceled the trip.
Take Your Kid To Work Day Reports from Greek Mythology
From McSweeney's. Made me chuckle.
At Forbes.com, I covered a new working paper from Mark Weber and Bruce Baker, school finance wizards, that finds another influential factor for how long districts stayed remote.
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