Sunday, January 12, 2025

ICYMI: Fire and Ice Edition (1/12)

Whether you are being hit with a blizzard or a fire, I hope you are staying safe this weekend, and that you are coming through with minimal damage, and that you get the help and support that you need. For the rest of us, here's one researched list of places to which you can contribute to help folks in LA.

Here's some reading from the week.

Schoolhouse Crock

From The Baffler, Jennifer Berkshire's very excellent review of Adam Laats's very excellent book about one of the first great education con artists. 

Burning Down the Schools

Anne Lutz Fernandez and the impact of climate change on schools.


Paul Thomas shares practices and ideas surrounding the teaching of writing. He's an expert. 

Ryan Walters is blaming teachers for New Year’s attack. Has he forgotten Oklahoma history?

Ryan Walters, the education dudebro-in-chief of Oklahoma, continues to make it hard to believe that he was once a respected history teacher. But I guess if you have a Trumpian desire for press attention, you just have to keep saying stupid things loudly.

The Danger of Miseducation

Jess Piper connects Dylann Roof, January 6, and the problems that come with the rewriting of history.

Undoing EdTech's Death Grip on Education

At Restore Childhood, Denise Champney does some outstanding work breaking down just how deep and bad the edtech hold on education has become. 

Technology is supposed to decrease teacher burnout – but we found it can sometimes make it worse

"Use this app! It will save you time!" Here's some actual research to back up why every new piece of tech fills teachers with existential dread.


Audrey Watters connects some techno-dots, starting the Power School data breach, in which somebody got their hands on a bunch of student data that the company was probably sell anyway.


Paul Bowers at the ACLU explains why South Carolina's love for vouchers is just a bad, bad idea.

Fact-checking Elon Musk's claims that NJ teachers 'don't need to know how to read'

You may have heard President Musk's complaint that Jersey teachers will no longer need to be able to read. This piece from Lori Comstock explains why he's full of it, with all the details so you can explain it to your MAGA uncle.

Hundreds of Charter Schools Will Fail, Close, and Abandon Thousands of Families in 2025

Shawgi Tell looks at the research and lets us know what we can expect from charter schools this year.

AI Wants to Help Me Write– But With Disclaimers

The indispensable Mercedes Schneider tried taking an AI writer out for a spin, and while some results are predictable, take a look at the caveats that the AI company puts on its own product!

EnronAI

Back when he was a baby lawyer, Benjamin Riley worked for Enron. Yes, that Enron. He was on the inside for the early stages that led to that famous collapse (in a department trying to keep it from happening) and for him, much of the AI industry has a familiar smell.

Committee Moves to Ban More Books

In South Carolina, one committee can ban books from every school in the state. How efficient! Steve Nuzum reports on their most recent targets.

Newton Falls implementing Armed Staff Program

This is in Ohio, where a district is starting to arm its staff "to act as a deterrent and a force multiplier." Yeah, I'm sure that will work out.

Honor President Carter: Save and Improve the U.S. Department of Education!

Nancy Bailey says if you want to honor Carter, help protect and improve part of his legacy.

Mississippi Association of Educators Opposes Private ‘School Choice’ Efforts

Erica Jones, head of the MAE, will say it again-- don't strip funding from public schools to give it to private schools.

Trump’s Immigration Proposals Would Traumatize Children and Schools and Jeopardize Children’s Civil Rights

Jan Resseger dives into the question of what Trump's professed intent to throw out all the immigrants (that don't work for his friends) might do to their children. 

Is 2025 the Year to Eliminate Florida’s High School Exit Exams?

Florida is usually in the forefront of bad trends. Could they actually join the crowd on a good one? Sue Kingery Woltanski looks into it. 

Scandalling Up in Ohio

David Pepper profiles J. D. Vance's likely replacement, whose previous achievements include enabling one of Ohio's biggest privatized education scandals.

At Forbes this week, I explained why this is the heart of the school year, and looked at a scary bad new bill in Indiana for dissolving public school districts.

In the meantime, you can subscribe to my free substack and get all of my stuff in your email inbox. 

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