Back-to-School is Bringing Some Great Education Journalism
And nothing from me for the moment as I revisit the classroom
During the summer of 2021, I left teaching. I thought this was a permanent departure, but a former colleague had to take a last-minute leave, so I’m back teaching at my last high school. As a result, I’ve briefly back-burnered the newsletter, with half a dozen ideas remaining half-baked in my drafts folder.
In the meantime, I thought I’d recommend two great new pieces of journalism that, among other things, highlight how crucial it is to remain vigilant about and involved in education issues.
First, I hope you’ll read Zack Beauchamp’s very clear piece at Vox on a very dangerous person many Americans have never heard of: Christopher Rufo. If there is a singular individual who can be seen as most responsible for our current wave of education censorship, it is Rufo. Beauchamp reviews his new book, approaching it in a deeply thoughtful way, exposing how the extremism of Rufo’s methods matches the extremism of his goals.
Then, I’d recommend reading James Traub’s article at Politico, “Virginia Went to War Over History. And Students Actually Came Out on Top.” At least one quote from this piece and question I have about it will likely end up in the next newsletter I write about schools. Traub’s comprehensive look at the messy process by which Virginia approved new K-12 history standards provides some key history about standard-setting. It’s a story that turns out well, but only because a top-down sleight of hand was averted.
I hope to produce some new writing soon. Right now, I have to go reread “Beowulf.”