ICYMI: Handel Holiday Edition (12/17)

For somewhere approaching thirty years, my small town marks the holiday season with a rendering of (portions of) Handel's Messiah. It's an increasingly impressive performance. From year to year I'm either in the chorus or the orchestra. I'm orchestra-ing it this year, which provides extra opportunity to listen and soak it in (because Handel deployed trombones sparingly in the piece). It's a moving way to spend an evening, more so if you add the small town element of knowing the people stepping up to present a solo. My pastor, who is also a theater guy and whose wife (also a theater person) I've worked with various times over thirty years--anyway, he has a solo in the production for the first time this year, and he kicks the heck out of The Trumpet Shall Sound. And an old friend is returning to her signature solo "Rejoice Greatly" after having been sidelined by illness for a few years, and her voice might not be quite as powerful, but it still conveys so much joy. 

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. 

Conservatives Want to Destroy Public Schools. Communities are Fighting Back.

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.

The Rise and Fall of Moms For Liberty

Maurice Cunningham, the dark money expert, thinks it may be time to put a fork in Moms For Liberty. From The Progressive.

Moms for Liberty Isn’t Going Anywhere

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.

Florida private school vouchers have expanded so lawmakers are looking for more organizations to administer them

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.

Difficult for Whom

Jose Luis Vilson takes a look at uncomfortable conversations, and just who is feeling uncomfortable about them. Who exactly are we deciding to protect?

For Educators who get in trouble but want to stay in their profession

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).

One of California's largest charter school networks lacked years of records to justify tens of millions in spending, state audit finds

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.

Book bans are the new norm in school libraries across the country

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

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.

The Problem with Jingle Bells

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.

Will The Real Recess Stand Up? It’s NOT Playworks, Phys. Ed., Meditating, or Brain Breaks!

Nancy Bailey reminds us of the various attempts to co-opt play for not-much-fun and profit.

2023: The Year School Vouchers Became an Entitlement for Wealthy Children

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.

M4L Supports Parental Rights Except When It Doesn’t

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

Join me on substack. Then all of my stuff will just come to you. And it's free!