Education

A dark classroom

At least the Wall Street Journal is supporting Bessinger against the “education horror show.”

By Justin Katz | October 15, 2021 |

Yesterday, I wondered why the plight and complaints of Providence middle school teacher Ramona Bessinger weren’t of more concern to teachers, parents, the community, the union, and Rhode Islanders generally.  Today, the Wall Street Journal editorial board has proven that somebody actually cares, giving their editorial the sharp headline, “Education Horror Show, Continued.”  (Search the headline…

Whiteboard harassment of Ramona Bessinger

Where is the support for Bessinger and her cause?

By Justin Katz | October 14, 2021 |

William Jacobson reports on Legal Insurrection that while Providence middle school teacher was at an inquiry alleging that she had permitted some students out of her classroom during a practice lockdown, students wrote threatening notes on her classroom’s whiteboard and tweeted pictures at them.  One of the images showed a student at the board, but Jacobson speculates…

A water drop and ripples

Leftism makes things worse in such a way as to leave people not knowing what they’re missing.

By Justin Katz | October 11, 2021 |

That’s a conclusion that leaps off the page of Stacey Matthews’s roundup of info on New York City’s ban on gifted & talented programs for children.  First, consider a tweet from New York Post columnist Karol Markowicz: It really is leftism in action. They could not make the bad schools better so they’ll make the…

Norman Rockwell Freedom of Speech

Let’s not pretend the Biden administration’s attack on local parents is out of character.

By Justin Katz | October 8, 2021 |

Whenever we have the opportunity to watch some other country gradually be taken over by left-wing fascists (Venezuela comes first to mind), the headlines always have me shouting at the computer screen — like a movie-watcher might shout at the TV when the hero is ignorant that his friend is the villain and is acting…

A water drop and ripples

Garland and school protests show how thoroughly corrupted our government has become.

By Justin Katz | October 6, 2021 |

This is one of those “wait, what?” items: “Attorney General Garland has a conflict of interest in bringing this investigation. Erika Sanzi of Parents Defending Education notes that ‘Parents are concerned over intrusive surveys and ‘screeners’ that ask 12-year-olds if they are pansexual or gender fluid. The surveys are often created/administered by’ Panorama Education. ‘Merrick…

A container ship

Modern Oncology, Supply Chain Challenges, and Parents’ Lawsuit Against the Governor

By John Loughlin | October 2, 2021 |

John Loughlin interviews Dr. Tim Shafman, Heritage Foundation Senior Fellow Brent Sadler, and Rich Southwell of the Parents’ Union.

Road to Serfdom Step 6

This is how quickly factions of a free people can persuade themselves to take away freedom.

By Justin Katz | October 1, 2021 |

The road to serfdom couldn’t be much clearer than as illustrated by this Newsmax article headlined, “US School Board Group Asks Biden for Help Against Growing ‘Threat’“: As schools around the country face growing backlash related to pandemic safety measures and studies of race in America, school board members are asking for federal help from the president…

A toy school bus

School busing is a disaster waiting to happen in Rhode Island.

By Justin Katz | October 1, 2021 |

Pay attention to the budget of a Rhode Island school district for a few cycles, and you’ll learn that there are two companies providing busing, both with unionized workforces.  Districts are obligated by law to provide transportation (including mandatory bus monitors), so the lack of competition leaves them with little choice and leaves the public…

Chariho School Committee, 6/22/21

David Stall’s resignation in Chariho demonstrates that even when we win we don’t win.

By Justin Katz | September 30, 2021 |

That dynamic has defined the disheartening turn of national politics over the past couple of decades, and as often happens, we can see the lines of the problem more clearly when they’re close up.  When people aren’t able to win fair and square and have a reasonable go at changing things, they don’t change their…

A water drop and ripples

Terry McAuliffe summarizes Democrats’ view of parents and education

By Justin Katz | September 29, 2021 |

The Democrat candidate for Virginia governor Terry McAuliffe (who is the former governor and a long-time Democrat Party insider going back to the Bill Clinton White House) said the quiet part out loud during a recent debate: I’m not going to let parents come into schools and actually take books out and make their own…