New policy memo from the Freedom to Learn Collective highlights research needs in the wake of fear-based politics and well-funded networks that threaten public schools. bit.ly/43UanMq

And listen to brief co-author Kevin Burke, on the Faithful Politics (@faithfulpolitics.bsky.social) podcast, discussing Christian Nationalism in education & the brief. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/c...

Hosts Will Wright and Pastor Josh Burtram speak with Dr. Kevin Burke, co-author of the first-of-its-kind NEPC report Christian Nationalism and Educational Policy in the U.S., about how faith is reshaping public schools and what it means for church-state separation. youtu.be/3b0Nx2bazCQ

New policy brief warns of growing efforts to reshape schools around White Christian nationalist ideology. @heidihadley.bsky.social bit.ly/4qJ0CKT

Read the whole thing. I’d add that to the extent this IS an opportunity for public school districts, it’s an opportunity for the best locally resourced—especially through existing 501c3 foundations they already draw from—to make new cash selling services. Not an option for many poorer districts.

Former EdSec @arneduncan.bsky.social is wrong. Govs likely won't be able to "ensur[e] that the students with the greatest needs are prioritized" by Trump's SGO/voucher program. wapo.st/3LkhIP7. Welner explains why: nepc.colorado.edu/publication/.... @joshcowenmi.bsky.social @carolburris.bsky.social

The Trump administration has said that will not fund the nation’s largest federal food assistance program after Oct. 31, unless the government shutdown is resolved. bit.ly/4908Bgt

New NEPC Review: School Choice Wisconsin report’s conclusions about the cost effectiveness of private school vouchers rest on invalid methods and inaccurate data. @schoolfinance101.bsky.social bit.ly/3LcGsZB

Don't export the NOLA approach to other districts. @carolburris.bsky.social explains why the sales pitches are built on quicksand.

Members of the National Academy of Education drew upon a consensus study to question the Trump administration’s proposal to prioritize the funding of programs that emphasize so-called “patriotic education.” bit.ly/3LntMPs

New NEPC Review: @bellwetherorg.bsky.social report takes a balanced yet overly simplistic approach to evaluating the use of artificial intelligence in schools. @tmphilip.bsky.social bit.ly/42Qa5WE

NEPC Talks Education: This month's podcast explores the challenges of navigating education's competing goals, with @cmsaldana.bsky.social and @dlabaree.bsky.social bit.ly/3KUg2vs

K12 Inc, now rebranded as "Stride", continues to be a darling of investors. But this new story from @palan57.bsky.social about a lawsuit in NM suggests that the company continues to engage in the sorts of ed malpractice and cheating that made the rebranding necessary. www.forbes.com/sites/peterg...

This couldn't be true! The administration has told us that it's firmly against "unlawful proxy discrimination" (unless it favors white people, perhaps?) (www.justice.gov/ag/media/140...) Trump Considers Overhaul of Refugee System That Would Favor White People www.nytimes.com/2025/10/15/u...

Layoff notes sent to ED staff official emails, which admin said can't be checked during shutdown. Admin now says it's okay to check, just to see if laid off. But they won't check cuz they don't trust the admin. ('Sorry, you checked email, so you're fired for cause.') www.nytimes.com/2025/10/14/u...

Opinion | Trump's mass firings strike a hammer blow against Americans with disabilities www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnb...

Inside a New Bible-Infused Texas English Curriculum www.nytimes.com/2025/10/14/u...

New NEPC Review: National Governors Association report relies on faulty assumptions, undermining its call for schools to prioritize economic outcomes. bit.ly/4nToslx

Yikes! I hadn't read Brooks' column until now. What a stale collection of 2-decade-old talking points (plus enough misleading statements to make Trump blush, if that were possible)! Mr. Brooks, it's simple: Kids learn when they have rich opportunities to learn. No, it won't help to bring back NCLB.

Celebrating well-loved scholar David Berliner bit.ly/3WwjwXw

Education Secretary Linda McMahon says she's leading the department's "final mission" to shut down. But @megomatz.bsky.social and I found it's more than that: Political appointees from ultraconservative groups are in power at ED now, and they hope to dismantle public schools.

The “One Big Beautiful Bill” invites Treasury Department regulations that will leave states vulnerable to federal overreach, diminished protections for students, and steep academic declines tied to voucher expansion. bit.ly/434xcN9

Student data isn’t safe. Ed tech companies collect + monetize it without real oversight. #StudentPrivacy @nepc.bsky.social greatlakescenter.org/docs/Policy_...

Yes! More importantly, the report is misleading. As the review says, "simple comparisons of privatization programs’ expenditures and public school spending do nothing to inform a comparative analysis of each sector’s cost, especially when differences in student populations and outcomes are omitted."

A new study examined how the pandemic impacted college access for different student groups. bit.ly/4gPtoF8

New NEPC Review: @futureedgu.bsky.social report offers sound descriptions of universal voucher programs across 10 states. bit.ly/4nVjOD1

David Berliner passed away yesterday morning. He was incredibly kind, smart & funny, w/a deep sense of what’s right. Last month, facing his illness, he told me he really wanted people to read his personal essays abt schls & democracy - a new book that's reviewed here: edrev.asu.edu/index.php/ER...

New interactive report from @kevinkumashiro.com follows the threads of Christian Nationalism from the Colonial Era to the present day, explaining how we got to this point and helping us think through how we can move forward. Highly recommended! www.kevinkumashiro.com/schooltimes

Edtech platforms "are not neutral 'tools' but complex ecosystems shaped by technical architectures, commercial imperatives, and political-economic interests." Excellent new policy brief on edtech platforms from @nepc.bsky.social and @philnichols.bsky.social

New policy brief: Educators should reassess the hidden impacts of ed tech ecosystems on teaching, learning, and student data. bit.ly/46C2JXT

The Partnership for the Future of Learning just released a two-year blueprint for strengthening public education and fighting back against attacks. bit.ly/425VRR3

This month's NEPC Talks Education podcast is out! Kevin Welner and Robert Kim discuss the recent dramatic shifts in K-12 federal education policy with @cmsaldana.bsky.social. @edlawcenter.bsky.social bit.ly/469Iba6

Vermont recently became the first state in the nation to prohibit schools from using social media to communicate with students. bit.ly/4gvrQQC

McMahon/Trump love charters. Using discretion that comes with stopgap sending, they just cut $15 million from magnet schools, $9 million from gifted/talented programs, & $31 million from Ready to Learn (PBS shows for children) and gave it all to grow more charters. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/15/u...

For those interested in the growth of ESA vouchers and the new federal push for vouchers by Trump and Congressional Republicans, please read this thread about the important new voucher study & the NYT article about that study. reachcentered.org/publications...

An amicus brief filed by the National Academy of Education uses research evidence to argue that a state law that restricts curriculum related to race and sex harms students and—ultimately—democracy itself. bit.ly/3K1yoKu

In this Q&A, Scott Skinner-Thompson, Bethy Leonardi, and Sara Staley explain the implications of Mahmoud v. Taylor, a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision siding with parents who asserted faith-based reasons for opting their children out of reading books about LGBTQ-related topics. bit.ly/3JSzJmY

New NEPC Review: Relying on weak data and useless analyses, the EdChoice 2025 Fiscal Factbook fails to support its claims about the fiscal impact of vouchers and ESAs. @jerseyjazzman.bsky.social bit.ly/4lZ7BM6

20 years after the storm, a new report takes stock of New Orleans schools, post-Katrina. bit.ly/47i72JV

The reconciliation bill for FY 2025 moved money to the wealthiest Americans, taking it from the poor and from future generations. Here are some ways the bill will affect children. @elainemaag.bsky.social bit.ly/41dxaSj

An annual report on state-funded preschool programs highlights gains in spending and enrollment. But the report warns of uneven progress toward universal access, and it foreshadows future challenges. bit.ly/4oGLk8E

A new research review provides insight into the debate over the use of the SAT and ACT in college admissions decisions. @fairtest.bsky.social bit.ly/4m81vtW

A new study examines how navigating school choice can create psychological stress and other burdens for low-income families. bit.ly/3IVUJss

This thoughtful review by @shannapeeples.bsky.social provides a vital reminder of the hope we must recapture -- hope we felt while learning about these wonderful Schools of Opportunity. @prof-ishimaru.bsky.social @katesomerville.bsky.social @michellevalladares.bsky.social @wileyke.bsky.social ‪‪

The Southern Poverty Law Center now provides a set of free learning guides examining key topics in education through a social justice lens ‪@splcenter.org‬ bit.ly/3UtmLxT

In this Q&A, Tania Hogan and Kathy Escamilla explain the impact of a proposal to eliminate federal programs that help students learning English and the children of migrant families. bit.ly/3IQXM51

Many of us who teach law have wrestled with something akin to the 'collegiality'/'decorum' choice facing KBJ, as discussed in this impt thread by @whitehouse.senate.gov. When & how does one open up the conversation about intellectual dishonesty, etc?

As Congress passed federal voucher legislation last week, a new study offers insights into how such programs might—or might not—impact the racial demographics of private schools. @bryanmann.bsky.social‬ bit.ly/44CcPqC

A new analysis of a school finance lawsuit hints at lessons learned for those hoping to obtain state-level education funding that is both adequate and equitable. @dsknight99.bsky.social‬ bit.ly/46qG7uN

Get this: The Idaho Atty General concluded that a teacher's "Everyone is Welcome Here" sign violates state law because ... wait for it ... it's anti-Trump. Wrap your head around the fact that we've come to that point as a country. www.idahoednews.org/top-news/att...