I could go on and on. Music makes community, but it comes out of community as well. Sometimes the community makes up for weaknesses in the presentation, but when the performance is strong on its own, like this year, it just all adds up to something transcendent. I can use some deep held tradition this year, and the only thing that's missing is my wife doing a solo (she was ready for a break). And being there in the middle of all that sound ("And He Shall Purify" is kind of meh in recordings, but when you're singing it live, it's a banger). So here's hoping that you have something in the big seasons of your year that gives you an extra shot in the heart.
Anyway, here's the reading from the week.
Jennifer Berkshire in In These Times takes a look at the growing tide of responses to right-wing attacks on local public schools. She's been calling this one for a while.
Maurice Cunningham, the dark money expert, thinks it may be time to put a fork in Moms For Liberty. From The Progressive.
Jennifer Berkshire and Jack Schneider take the opposing view. Though in the end, Cunningham, Berkshire and Schneider agree about the kind of threat M4L presents. And they both use the same Chris Rufo quote.
One continuing story out of Florida is that vouchers have grown so much that they need help managing them, because the company tasked with the job can't quite handle it.
Jose Luis Vilson takes a look at uncomfortable conversations, and just who is feeling uncomfortable about them. Who exactly are we deciding to protect?
It's a Jose Luis Vilson two-fer this week (he did say he was getting back to writing). This one looks at the business of being a teacher who takes on activism and keeping their job all at the same time (and he should know).
Kristen Taketa, writing for the San Diego Union-Tribune, looks at an audit that finds the Inspire network has been collecting a lot of money without any records to prove that they deserve those dollars.
An insightful bit of coverage that just happens to come from the student newspaper at my alma mater.
Bradley Funneled $86 Million to Right-Wing Litigation, Policy, Media, Youth Groups, and Higher Education in 2022
Bradley Funneled $86 Million to Right-Wing Litigation, Policy, Media, Youth Groups, and Higher Education in 2022
The Bradley Foundation is a major funder of conservative causes, including education issues, David Armiak takes a look at where they spent $86 million last year.
A while ago I started with Jingle Bells and spun that into a discussion of the canon. Now Nancy Flanagan jumps off from their into even bigger questions difficult conversations and anti-racism.
Nancy Bailey reminds us of the various attempts to co-opt play for not-much-fun and profit.
2023 was the year we got lots of vouchers. Jan Resseger (who, as always, has done her homework) reminds us just what sorts of vouchers we got.
Sue Kingery Woltanski points out a moment when Florida's M4L was not so very interested in what parents wanted. Surprise, surprise.
I has a really busy week at Forbes.com and cranked out three pieces for them:
* a Kentucky court once again slapped down the forces of school choice
* a Satanic Flap in Iowa brings up why the wall between church and state is a really good idea
* speaking of which, more lawsuits seek to widen that hole in the wall
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