ICYMI: Final Stretch Edition (8/13)

Final stretch for the summer, and I can't say I'm sad about it because this has been a less-than-optimal summer here at the institute. But we have your reading for the week. I'll remind you that if you find something in the weekly compendium that strikes you as valuable, you can support the writers by sharing them on whatever social media platforms you're using these days. Cutting through the online fog is hard, and you help by amplifying the things that you think should get through that fog.

School choice debate not over as Nevada’s governor has a plan to fund private school scholarships

The AP looks at the Nevada governor's latest attempt to make vouchers happen in his state.

Staff sues Woodland Park school district over new 'punitive' media policy

From the Gallery of Bad Policies, we have Woodland Park schools in Colorado, where the district has declared that teachers and staff can't post anything about the district without superintendent approval. 

Idaho Professors Sue Over Law Threatening Prison for Teaching About Abortion

Meanwhile, college professors in Idaho are pushing back against a "don't mention abortion" law. Kylie Chung reports at Jezebel.

“Betsy DeVos Was a Disaster. I Think Erika Donalds Could Be Worse.”

Kiera Butler at Mother Jones with a well-detailed look at Erika Donalds, the queen of school privatization in Florida. The hook (that she could be Trump's next education secretary) is a stretch, but the rest of this is excellent. Bonus: at last, a mainstream outlet covers the actual origins of Moms For America.

Next frontier in Fla. education wars: Climate

Arianna Skibell at Politico looks at one of the effects of letting PragerU into Florida classrooms.

Florida says it doesn’t want indoctrination in schools — but look at the materials it just approved

If you can use an introduction to PragerU and their propaganda machine, Valerie Strauss at the Washington Post has you covered.

AI Chatbot ‘Ed’ Will Be L.A. Unified’s Newest Student Adviser, Superintendent Says

EdWeek picks up a piece from the LA Times about the newest step forward in the dehumanizing of student care.

A new AI app lets users ‘text’ with Jesus. Some call it blasphemy.

Fiona Andre at Washington Post writes about one more awesome use of AI, which could not possibly end terribly I'm sure.

Arkansas education department nixes AP African American Studies course at last minute

Well, hell. Allegedly the state has said that students can take the course--they just won't get graduation credits from it. We'll see.

Teach for America Promised to Fix the Teacher Exodus Before Anyone Even Noticed There Was One. Now It’s Choking on Its Own Failure

Steven Singer looks at TFA and the teacher exodus and how the bad ideas of one hjelped feed the other.

Big-City Mayors Are Getting Kicked Out of Schools

Interesting take from Alan Greenblatt at Governing-- are we finally getting mayors out of the school-running business (at which they mostly sucked)?

John White, “Chief Success Officer”(?)

The indispensable Mercedes Schneider takes a look at the highly dispensable, and yet somehow still failing upwards, John White

Critical thinking education trumps banning and censorship in battle against disinformation, study suggests

What's most effective way to combat misinformation? Probably not banning the source. From PsyPost, a look at a study on the topic.

Progressives Are Defeating Conservatives in School Board Elections—Even in Ohio

Some folks have been saying this all along (I see you, Jennifer Berkshire)--being a far right book-banning anti-LGBTQ right winger is not a winning strategy on the local level. From David Pepper in Washington Monthly.

I Was Wrong About Trigger Warnings

Jill Filipovic at the Atlantic questions trigger warnings and whether they might have had the opposite of their intended effect.

Democratic lawmakers attend ALEC meeting to see what might be on the Legislature’s agenda

What a fun piece. A couple of Democratic lawmakers report from inside a gathering of the corporate right-wing bill mill. It is... illuminating.

Banned in Boston (Globe) II: the Barr Foundation/Hostetter 2021 Political Team

Maurice Cunningham with more view inside the dark money machinery that the Boston Globe carefully avoids noticing.

The Case for Vouchers Collapses

At Carolina Forward, an explanation of why voucher programs are a bad idea for education policy.

Grand jury investigating bid-rigging involving DeSantis’ education department

Billy Townsend was following this story forever, but now the feds are involved in the wacky story of that time that competing corrupt officials got in each others' way. Because Florida.

The Education Policies Governor Ron DeSantis Has Enacted in Florida Are Just Plain Scary

These things hit the fan one at a time, so it helps every so often to back up and look at a slightly bigger picture. Jan Resseger is here to help do that.

HISD Suffers With ‘New Education System’ Turnaround Plan

Speaking of summing up a barrage of bad policy ideas, Gary Rubinstein takes a look at the junk that's hitting Houston schools after the state takeover.

Middle Schoolers: The Myth and the Reality

Should officials loosen work requirements so that 14 year olds can work in bars? Should officials have their heads examined? Nancy Flanagan with some reality checks about middle schoolers.

Ron DeSantis Announces He Will Live As Slave For One Year To Prove It Not Bad

The Onion. Enjoy.

Meanwhile, at Forbes. com, I look at a study that shows social-emotional development really matters. 

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