ICYMI: Surprise, Surprise Edition (7/28)

Hard to believe that just a week ago, we still thought the Joe Biden was running for another term. Sometimes life just comes at you quickly. And some times the actual news will fit in a couple of sentences, but because we want to wrestle with it more, we listen to a whole lot of blather about the actual news. Enough of that. Let's get on with it. Here are some things to read.

A Florida school district banned ‘Ban This Book.’ Author says that’s ‘erasure of the highest order’ and wants it reinstated

CNN continues coverage of this very meta story, with Moms for Liberty snarling in the wings.

Florida 7-year-old compelled to testify in book ban lawsuit

Escambia school district has decided that a seven year old is too young to read a book about a penguin with two dads, but old enough to be forced to testify for 90 minutes.

Deer Creek, Yukon latest to refuse Ryan Walters' order to add Bible to curriculum

Walters decrees "Thou shalt teach the Bible." A growing list of school districts says, "No."

We can teach Black kids to read and love who they are. Here’s how.

Sharif El-Mekki writes about an initiative for the Philadelphia Inquirer. 

It’s Time to End Federal Funding for Reckless For-Profit Charter Schools

Carol Burris profiles a new bill that would straighten out some of the charter school funding shenanigans on the federal level.

COVID-19 devastated teacher morale − and it hasn’t recovered

Lesley Lavery and Steve Freiss look back at the punch in the face that was covid and our reaction to it. Nothing here you don't know, but I bet you'd put it out of your mind as much as you could.

High Schoolers in rural, western Illinois town learn the history of why their town is white.

Emily Hays for IPM news with a story about teaching hard things and why making kids uncomfortable might be a good thing. 

Critical Issues and Minutiae of Public Education

Nancy Flanagan on the tiny parts of education and when parents get obsessed with them.

How the Culture Wars Are Undermining Public Education

Jacobin runs an interview with Jennifer Berkshire, with plenty of pithy insights about the culture panic being directed at public education.

What's Ryan Walters really want, because all he's doing now is getting ignored?

A very cool thing is happening in Oklahoma. A whole lot of school districts are telling Ryan Walters to take his mandatory Bible teaching and stick it where hymns are not heard. Clay Horning writes about it for Oklahoma Columnist.

'Parental choice': Nonprofit creates Bible opt-out form for parents, Ryan Walters reacts

On top of that, there's now an opt-out form for parents who want to exercise those parental rights that Walters is so concerned about.

Florida’s School Grade Calculations: The Only Constant Is Change

Sue Kingery Woltanski reminds us that Florida's crappy school evaluation system moves the goalposts regularly.

AI is not what you think unless you think it is hot garbage

A set of presentation slides, both hilarious and insightful and also slightly rage-making.

Over at Bucks County Beacon, I point out that while folks are justifiably worked up over Project 2025, we should also pay attention to Agenda 47, in which Trump's plans for the future come out of his own mouth.

Also, for The Progressive, my concerns about Josh Shapiro as VP material.

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