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Sunday, August 25, 2024

ICYMI: Batten The Hatches Edition (8/25)

The Board of Directors goes back to school tomorrow, while the Chief Marital Officer gets her students on Tuesday, so things are cranking into high gear here. Plus lots was going on in the world of education last week, so I've got a mountain of reading for you today. Let's dive right in.

The First Day of School

John Merrow, longtime distinguished education reporter, writes what he wished his grandchildren's teacher message would be on Day One. It's pretty good.

Ten Non-Standard Ideas for the Beginning of the School Year

Experienced educator Nancy Flanagan with some unusual but cool ideas for starting the year.

How About, First and Foremost, We Agree to Not Suck the Joy From Their Lives

Teacher Tom, a Seattle pre-school institution, also has some thoughts that are particularly important as school starts. About what we can and can't measure in education.

The fastest-growing college expense may not be what people think

Probably not news if you have college students in your family. Hechinger reports on one more side effect of the housing problems in this country.

Bible Teaching in Every Classroom? In Oklahoma, Few Signs It’s Happening.

Ruth Graham, behind the New York Times paywall, takes a look at Ryan Walters and his attempt to force the Bible into every classroom. 

The Joy of a Cell-Phone-Free School Day

The indispensable Mercedes Schneider reports on just how delightful it is to have a cellphone-free classroom. (Spoiler: very).

I'm a high school teacher, and my school banned cellphones in the classroom. Every school should do the same.

If you want more on that same theme, here's Emily Brisse in Business Insider of all places, explaining how a ban made her students' lives better. 

As School Year Starts, Pennridge School District Still Needs to Revise Shadow Banning Book Policy

Jenny Stephens continues to do great work for the Bucks County Beacon. This piece follows the Pennridge School District and its continued wrestling with shadow banning of books (and if you don't know how that works, you should study up).


Paul Thomas looks at how the alarm bells over US student reading ability have been rung over and over, falsely.

A New School Year Brings More Weapons

Steve Nuzum talks about how things are going with weapons in school in South Carolina these days. Could be better.

Several states, DOJ take interest in case where Cobb teacher was fired behind book read in class

This is the case of the teacher who was fired for reading "My Shadow Is Purple" to her Fifth Graders. All sorts of folks are interested in making sure the court doesn't uphold her termination. Erica Murphy covers it for 11Alive.

Resist the AI guidance you are being given

Earlier this week I lambasted the Chicago Public School administration for their bone-headed AI guidebook. Benjamin Riley also took them to task, and his task-taking is worth a read.

Parents can still pay for theme park passes using state scholarship money

Remember all those stories about how Florida voucher dollars were being spent for all sorts of iffy expenses? Well, once word got out, reports Jay Waagmeester for the Florida Phoenix, the state did not a thing about the issue, and so it continues.

Most Americans are leery of book bans — but they don’t oppose all restrictions, survey says

Erica Meltzer reports for Chalkbeat that Americans mostly think book bans are a bigger threat than children seeing naughty things in books. There's some more nuance to be found.

Politicians step up attacks on the teaching of scientific theories in US schools

From The Conversation, a look at how science education has been and continues to be challenged.

How People Vote. How People Choose a “Good” School. Is it Common Sense?

Nancy Flanagan looks at how the culture trickles down into school, and how common sense isn't always what we think it is.

The Girl Scouts sued wife of North Carolina Republican gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson over nearly $3,000 in “money owed”–and won

North Carolina has two of the most bananas candidates for office in the nation, and Justin Parmenter continues to track their various misadventures.

Part 2: Parents’ Rights Activists, Privatizers, and Project 2025 Conspire Against Public Schooling

Jan Resseger has been looking at the people looking at Project 2025 for even more information about what it means.

Love of Teaching is Under Attack

David Finkle is known mostly as the man behind Mr. Fitz, a super comic about teaching. But every once in a while he does some blogging, too, and you should not miss this post about the erosion of the love of teaching.

Skyrocketing Test Gains in Oklahoma Are Largely Fiction, Experts Say

I don't really want to spend all this time with Oklahoma, but Ryan Walters is such a raging firehose of incompetence that he keeps coming up. 

Federal agency joins criticism of Oklahoma education department's financial controls

Meanwhile, the feds have been checking out his work and have found the education dudebro-in-chief is less than awesome when it comes to taking care of the financial side of things. Than there's the screw up with Title 1 funds. 

School choice and a history of segregation collide as one Florida county shutters its rural schools

Kate Payne for the Associated Press with the tale of a Florida district struggling with history and race.

Why Black Teachers Matter

A study shows that Black teachers matter for more than just Black students.

Florida school board pauses chaplain plans following interest from 'Ministers of Satan'

In a completely unsurprising development, Florida school discover the law allowing them to put a chaplain in schools is not working out exactly as they were hoping it would.

Naught for Teacher

I missed this when it ran in The Baffler back in April, but Jennifer Berkshire's look at the Democratic Party's work on conservative education dismantling is timely.


Larry Cuban collected some cartoons. Just in case you could use a break

At Forbes.com this week I updated the continuing saga of Carson v. Makin, the case that required Maine to funs religious charters, and an overview of the whole cellphone ban thing

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