It's a great month, for certain. Except that it marks the escalation of election-related shenanigans, and I am surely not looking forward to that. Pro tip: If you contribute to your favorite candidate, make a separate email address to use just for that purpose. The you'll have a bucket for catching the onslaught of spam. Sure wish I'd done that.
Here's some reading for the week.
"Statewide book bans" are coming to Florida's classrooms, enforced by the far rightKathryn Joyce has been absolute gangbusters writing about the far right's moves against public education for Salon. This time she looks at how Florida's reading restriction rules are playing out. It's not pretty.
FLDOE Names Book Banners To Workgroup Designing Training For School Library Book Selections and No One is Surprised
Speaking of Florida's work to deny students the right to read, Accountabaloney has some details of the state's new censorship board and who's on it, which turns out to be some folks who are big fans of banning books.
Vouchers will divert $1.3 billion in public money to private schools
Florida also continues to set new standards in funneling taxpayer dollars to privateers. Here's a new report showing just how bad it is.
Bruises, scrapes and trauma: Idaho kids harmed when restrained, secluded in schoolsFrom Idaho Statesman, a disturbing story about the use of restraint and seclusion on the state's children.
Good news from my corner of the world. The perennially financially struggling Erie school district actually managed to get off the state's naughty list--the first time anyone ever managed that. It was accomplished by teaming up everyone--politicians of both parties, unions, management, local leaders. A heartening step back from the brink of disaster.
Jan Resseger points out that we now know how to do it.
Thomas Ultican talks about how this promising model can quickly be co-opted by the usual pack of privatizers.
Preston Green and Suzanne Eckes take a look at the legal implications of this case (this was the one where SCOTUS decided that Maine must fund private religious schools).
The Office of the Inspector General took a look at the troubled multi-billion dollar charter school federal grant program and found a mess. Carol Burris is at Washington Post's The Answer Sheet to explain just how bad it is.
Another pair of researchers scan the globe and conclude the same things that teachers have been saying for twenty years, namely, the idea of "what works" is seriously misfocused. Still, better they got it right than perpetuated baloney. Hechinger Report.
No kidding. But this time the word is coming from a research study at Stanford
We Must Demand Play-Based Education Because, Damn It, That's What The Evidence Tells Us
Teacher Tom reminds us that it would be useful to base our education policy on actual reality.
Secretary Cardona just asked everyone to use high stakes testing to help, not hurt. Nancy Bailey would like to remind him that high stakes testing has never been used to help.
Steven Singer and that conundrum that every teacher has faced. Who do you believe--the test, or your own lying eyes?
David Berliner: Why It Is So Dangerous When Governors and Legislatures Reduce Teacher Credentialing Requirements
When I really think about it, I am forced to conclude that a lot of people—including powerful people like governors and legislators—imagine what teachers do by thinking about what teachers do for them—the important adults. School teachers keep kids safe and busy—out of the way and out of trouble—while busy adults are at work—work that these adults consider important, in contrast to the work of schoolteachers.
IEEE Blockchain Chair Urges Speedy, Collaborative Open Metaverse Deployment (Before Mass Dissent Erupts)
Jan Resseger again, because she is really on it this week. Come to this piece for this insightful paragraph:
When I really think about it, I am forced to conclude that a lot of people—including powerful people like governors and legislators—imagine what teachers do by thinking about what teachers do for them—the important adults. School teachers keep kids safe and busy—out of the way and out of trouble—while busy adults are at work—work that these adults consider important, in contrast to the work of schoolteachers.
Yes, I know that some folks find Wrench in the Gears to be a lot, but Molly keeps her eye on things that many of us don't have the time or inclination to dig for. This particular piece comes from a conference and gives a broad collection of Bright Ideas that techno-wizards have in mind.
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