Keep hearing the assertion that we have a deficit of STEM grads but this isn't remotely true. The relentless campaign to make K-12 and higher ed about STEM and nothing else - fueled by made-up stats - means we have too many STEM grads as @nora_delacour explains here Highly recommend Neil Krauss' excellent book The Fantasy Economy for more. You can also hear him on this episode of @HaveYouHeardPod on.soundcloud.com/w1GGwgMVeGnTzp…

Georgia officials blinking on whether to offer AP African American studies shows what a bind the GOP is in over this stuff. Reality is dawning that culture war issues are repelling the suburban voters the party must hold onto in November 1/ usatoday.com/story/news/nat… The more the GOP leans into school culture wars, the worse it does. So why keep running on issues voters think are *weird*? 1) Trump gets some of his loudest applause when he goes after schools. Base goes wild when he pledges to cut funding. Suburban voters? Not so much 2/

All these RIP free market ideology takes miss that when it comes to education, GOP free market orthodoxy is more orthodox than ever. Also one of the few areas where *elites* and *populists* are in complete agreement, which should tell you something washingtonpost.com/business/2024/… Major change is GOP willingness to blow up state budgets for the cause. In Arizona ballooning cost of private school vouchers is forcing deep cuts well beyond education. AZ just slashed $330 million in spending on water infrastructure projects propublica.org/article/arizon…

Really beginning to think that Chait, Applebaum et al are unaware that the GOP in state after state is enacting bans on any speech that causes *discomfort* ICYMI the latest of these was rolled out by the Michigan GOP this week michiganadvance.com/2021/09/21/dem…

This from @MaggieSeverns really captures why the backlash against critical race theory 1) isn't just about critical race theory 2) why it's so politically potent and 3) how Dems are missing the boat. Again politico.com/news/2021/07/2… One thing that pops up again and again in local stories but doesn't get enough attention is the generational split that's driving critical race theory furor. A lot of the equity plans parents are now fighting are a response to student demands.

We did a great episode of @HaveYouHeardPod on the K-12 culture wars. And one thing that really comes through that I'm not hearing anywhere else is how much of this story is about the waning of the No Child Left Behind era. soundcloud.com/haveyouheardpo… @HaveYouHeardPod My thinking on this has been informed by the brilliant @DMenefeeLibey who talks about a bipartisan *treaty* on education. That's what NCLB was and it covered over deep disagreements about what schools are for, what they should teach etc. And now that treaty has fallen apart.

My absolute fave side project is the newsletter I do for my dad about intergenerational communities sprouting up around the country. Concept is that seniors help raise & nurture kids and adults who need extra support. It's brilliant... 1/ Shouting out to a few of these so you can learn more and drop by for a visit. Treehouse in Easthampton MA has created an intergenerational community to support foster kids. You should see their academic outcomes! treehousefoundation.net 2/

This Texas *divisive concepts* bill, passed by the Senate in the dead of night, is the broadest/vaguest I've seen so far. And that's the point - to instill fear in teachers about what they can talk abut huffpost.com/entry/texas-re… If you're trying to make sense of what *divisive concepts* are and how teachers/students will be affected, highly recommend the latest @HaveYouHeardPod featuring voices of teachers on the frontlines of the K-12 culture wars soundcloud.com/haveyouheardpo…

I had the honor yesterday of hearing from 15 Boston students attending 6 city schools about what they've lost during the past year & how adults can help them recover. Takeaway: their view of the pandemic & remote learning is far more complex than what's reflected in the news /1 For starters, they take the pandemic EXTREMELY seriously because they've lost loved ones & their communities have been the hardest hit. So they're not buying the argument that this thing is over /2