ICYMI: Christmas Eve Edition (12/24)

Later today I'll see my grandchildren, some of whom have flown in from the Left Coast. The Board of Directors, upping their game from previous Christmases, have bounded out of bed early every day this week. And not only are stockings not hung, but unwrapped presents are stashed in various corners of the house and car. At the same time, this is an odd holiday for my family; sad for some reasons and joyous for others. However you meet the season, here's hoping that it's a good one for you.

And yes, I still have some stuff for you to read, if you have a spare minute.

Newly Surfaced Video Of Moms For Liberty Advisor Reveals Religious Extremist Agenda

Jennifer Cohn at the Bucks County Beacon has been doing some tremendous job tracking both the Moms and the christianist right. This piece does some tremendous dot connecting.

What Kind of Bubble is AI?

Cory Doctorow considers the future of AI. "AI is a bubble, and it’s full of fraud, but that doesn’t automatically mean there’ll be nothing of value left behind when the bubble bursts."

The Community Schools Movement Is Running Headlong Into Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’s Hard-Right Agenda

What happens when schools designed to meet the needs of communities and families run into the DeSantis agenda? Jeff Bryant has the story.

Utah charter schools want student data from school districts — so they can advertise to families

Yes, competition is swell, but charter fans would like to give their schools some extra tools to help them "compete."

Fighting Book Bans in Kentucky Schools—and Beyond

At The Nation, Ramona Pierce looks at how reading repression is playing out in Kentucky, where students and the community are fighting back.

Harvard student goes viral for takedown of Moms for Liberty co-founder in Florida

I loathe headlines with "takedown" in them, but this piece highlights Zander Moricz. You may remember him from his graduation speech in which, forbidden to mention gay students, he talked about those with "curly hair" instead. He went back to Sarasota (he's a student at Harvard now) to take Bridget Ziegler to task for condemning publicly what she herself does privately. It is a great speech.

Federal judge rules school board districts illegal in Georgia school system, calls for new map

Gerrymandered school remain a popular segregation tool. A federal judge has told Georgia to shape up. Jeff Amy reports for the AP.

About the “Bizarre Coalition” Weighing Standardized Testing “Big Changes,” and More.

The indispensable Mercedes Schneider takes a look at the strange coalition that has come up to fic high stakes testing, and how it compares to some bizarre coalitions of the past.

Someone complained about a book in a Great Barrington classroom. Then the police showed up

Once again, this time in Massachusetts, somebody decided to call the law to go into a school to look for a naughty book. Quite a surprise to the English teacher who was still in the classroom when the cop showed up.

A peek into the experience of a student journalist at New College

Chloe Rusek is a journalism student at New College, the one that Ron DeSantis is trying to turn into a conservative powerhouse. This is her story of trying to interview university president Richard Corcoran. And trying and trying. 

Why Youngstown State matters more than Harvard

Will Bunch at the Philadelphia Inquirer says that what's happening is not as important as what's happening at the many public universities where most students attend. And what's happening is a version of The New College--party hacks are being put in charge.

Panic! Pandemic Learning Loss!

Thomas Ultican reads the latest chicken littling from The 74 and says, "Hey, wait a minute." And he has data.

A Crowded Table

Nancy Flanagan offers a holiday reflection.