The fact that educated people vote for Democrats shows just how biased our educational system has become.

Al Gore, who Americans thought was boring, is now booing people at Davos dinners. Not on my Bingo card.

If Trump is “derived from Europe,” as he said this morning, I have some questions about the second derivative.

Heritage, cosplaying as the Children's Defense Fund: "the default in American culture today is to put the desires of adults over the needs of children." Strange line in a country that still lets kids grow up in poverty. @jessgrose.bsky.social does an excellent job of unpacking the report here.

Great insights by @csattinbajaj.bsky.social on how schools can support immigrant students, parents, and the teachers who care about them.

"Whoever thought we'd be hit by a pandemic? That's an ancient problem" this lady is every public health person right now

new annual report cover sheet dropped

the macron sunglasses stay ON during sex

If I could ask everyone outside Minnesota to read one thing to understand what's going on there (on ICE's side, not the community response), my current pick would be this public Facebook post by @erinmayequade.bsky.social, a state legislator in Apple Valley, an outer-ring suburb of Minneapolis

One thing that's really interesting here is the travel standard limits, which I think are reasonable! They don't want students to have to travel more than 30-40 minutes one way. But it shouldn't just be a rural standard. Note that in urban school choice contexts, students routinely travel that far.

"The powerful have their power. But we have something too: the capacity to stop pretending, to name realities, to build our strength at home, and to act together." - Carney Transcript⤵️

That Baker lady is way less optimistic and thinks some real Truth and Reconciliation moves will be necessary

If you're hoping to show students evidence to support your tech rules/interactive pedagogical approach, here's what I use. Decidedly not comprehensive, but makes the key points.

Texas really did a number on Letter from a Birmingham Jail

ESAs are not designed to give parents - especially those who've been shortchanged by public schools - real options.

Any day of the week, give me the pre-Trump meritocratic order over this. The old meritocracy had imperfections and contradictions, to be sure - but hiring people who could actually do the job was not one of them.

Texas is seeking to exclude a school from the ESA program, as it's associated with Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), which Gov Abbott labeled it a "foreign terrorist organization." CAIR called this what it is: a “discriminatory attempt to exclude Islamic schools.”

I have even more bad news. When an admissions committee suspects your professors wrote letters of recommendation with ChatGPT, we will not acknowledge the irony of this moment.

Public schools are being terrorized, interfering with all kids' constitutional right to a public education in MN and undocumented kids' rights under Plyler.

I choose the bear

This is a great teaching example for why cross-national comparison matters in social science. People also make “bad choices” in peer countries, but they’re far less likely to end up homeless.

Read @hebagowayed.bsky.social on how the Trump visa ban harkens back to the eugenics-inspired immigration policies of the early 20th century. Steven Miller's virulent white nationalism is driving US policy at home (ICE) and abroad.

Texas ESA loophole in one screenshot: “one time family fee” for new families only. In other words, that's a $3,000 upfront surcharge on access for families not already attending this private school.

Please listen to @heymrsbond.com and take a moment to affirm your kid’s teachers. Teaching has gotten so much harder under this administration. If you see a teacher showing up for your kid, show up for them, even in a small way.

Another example of upfront fees in Texas private schools: families lay out $825 by May 1st in order to enroll for kindergarten. Families won't have ESA funds by then, so it's out of pocket. [Friday Night Lights =me, python, & Texas private schools. Yeehaw.]

Here is a great example of a Texas private school's fees - many of which families will have to pay out of pocket before any state ESA money will kick in.

For @msnownews.bsky.social, I wrote an article about how ICE Watch is grounded in sociological theories of violence prevention. The reality is that most men will only commit public violence in extremely specific scenarios and ICE Watch disrupts the conditions necessary for escalation.

Reading the Politco article about the University of Austin, I learned that there's a bust of Bari Weiss in the library.

Remarkable shot of the past and present pressing against each other. Behind today's headlines hangs The Problem We All Live With (1964).

show me your pomodoro break

In every state we’ve studied, private schools demand deposits and fees well before ESA $ are available. Call it what it is: school choice with a cover charge, rationing access by who can pay up front.

Ezra Klein’s latest @nytpitchbot.bsky.social grand slam

the nobel prize is the ultimate regift

the world's gone mad but you can still name a bronx zoo roach for valentine's day

I can't think of a more urgent national need right now than Don't Be an Asshole training. Teaching kids about self-governance, healthy personal relationships, and equal regard for others is an end in itself, not a hack for increasing test scores.

We once used “hidden curriculum” to mean students learned more than the 3 Rs. Now, as they endure this occupation, some are learning a fourth: Resistance.

"Uh, you mentioned Congress" - the money screen capture

"At an Oval Office signing ceremony for a bill aimed at putting whole milk back on the menu in school cafeterias"

Luke Shaefer as Chief Executive of Health, Human Services, and Poverty Solutions in Detroit - amazing news!!!!

imagining my former students weird flexing their knowledge of denmark and hamlet

in The Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts of 2026, Marx points out that all four forms of alienated labor are present in student AI use.

Taxpayer-funded discrimination, peak 2026: "around 40 percent of the religious schools have policies that favor students of their own faith and around 25 percent have policies that discriminate against LGBTQ+ students."

Via Quinnipiac poll: 77% of Republicans polled believe Renee Good's fatal shooting was justified; 4% of Democrats did.

“One of the citizens whom agents put in a chokehold was 16 years old.”

It would appear I am now a columnist at Inside Higher Ed. My first piece focuses on McCarthyism, censorship, and our current moment in higher education. This is an essay I started nearly 6 months ago so I'm glad to finally share it with y'all. www.insidehighered.com/opinion/colu...

I know there's a lot of passion to help fix what is ailing America. Here's one thought. You live in a school district. See if your district is holding an election for school board this year. If so, find out if there is a pro-public education candidate. If so, do something to support--put up a

The NYT has numbers on the cuts at the Dept of Education. Almost 800 people have been cut at Federal Student Aid. That's a lot larger than I expected. And IES has been gutted.

Florida spending 4.3B (11.2% of total K12 expenditures) on private school choice, and Arizona 1.16B (8.4%) [via EdChoice]

“private schools in Arkansas have raised their tuitions by thousands of dollars since vouchers first became available….’The cost of tuition seems to be going up as well. In a lot of places, it seems to be the same amount as the EFA’”