Author: Mitchell Robinson

Tudor Dixon’s “small business” is driving US refractory manufacturers out of business

Tudor Dixon’s “small business” is driving US refractory manufacturers out of business

During last night’s gubernatorial debate, GOP nominee Tudor Dixon asserted that a difference between her and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer was that Dixon was a small business owner, whose company had been “crushed during the pandemic by Whitmer’s Covid policies.” Curious, I decided to look into Dixon’s “small business.” Here’s what I learned… Dixon’s business, Cornerstone Foundry Supply (CFS), manufactures nothing–it’s […]

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Let’s talk about “parental rights”…

Let’s talk about “parental rights”…

Cultural conservatives are trying to make the 2022 midterm elections about education in general, and the (phantom) issue of “parental rights” specifically. As someone who has been involved in education at various levels for the past 40+ years, I’ve not seen any evidence of a widespread lack of parents’ abilities to guide and influence their children’s schooling. To be sure, […]

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Moms for Liberty is coming for your books…and much more

Moms for Liberty is coming for your books…and much more

Moms for Liberty (M4L), an astro-turf group that is probably not actually many moms and definitely not about liberty, has moved on. While they didn’t seem too afraid of a deadly virus that killed almost 6.5 million people around the globe—as evidenced by their increasingly dramatic and dangerous anti-mask and anti-vaccine protests at school board meetings across the country—they are […]

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Virginia was not about education…but Democrats need to be

Virginia was not about education…but Democrats need to be

So, about Virginia… The election in Virginia was not about “education”–it was about racism, and white supremacy. Maybe if establishment Democrats hadn’t tacked hard right on education, starting with Bill Clinton and reaching a crescendo with Barack Obama and Arne Duncan, we wouldn’t have given up the “high road” on public education. There’s been a lot of discussion about the […]

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It’s Time to Blame the Unvaxxed

It’s Time to Blame the Unvaxxed

Years ago, I placed the blame for uncertified, unqualified edutourists who spent a year or two working in mostly urban schools before heading off to law school or cushy gigs at ed policy think tanks on the despicable persons heading up Teach for America–the Michelle Rhees and Wendy Kopps of the world–and not the fresh-faced, hyper ambitious noobs who applied […]

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A crowded class at the University of Missouri School of Journalism.

Public Universities are Under Attack from the Right; It’s Time to Support our State Higher Education System

I hear lots of folks talking about “our failing public education system” these days, and as a student of education there aren’t many conservative “talking points” that bother me more than this one. While much of this rhetoric lately has focused on the K-12 school reopening “debate”, the pandemic has also cast a bright light on the problems facing higher […]

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Now’s the Time to Get Rid of Standardized Tests

Now’s the Time to Get Rid of Standardized Tests

If you’re wondering how even in a deadly global pandemic, standardized tests like the ACT and SAT are still surviving, like education “zombies,” just follow the money. • Over $1.7 billion is spent on standardized testing in the US each year. • Another $669 million is spent on elementary assessments. • Between $34-65 per student per year is spent by […]

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A classroom window at Baton Rouge Magnet High School.

How Can We Reopen Schools If We Can’t Even Open Windows?

I’m seeing a lot of well-intentioned rhetoric lately about the importance of good ventilation in schools to mitigate the spread of Covid in school classrooms, with the best advice being to “just open a window,” and “use a simple box fan to circulate exhaled air.” The example shown was of a “real classroom” with an entire wall of windows, a […]

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What Will Happen When All The Teachers Are Gone?

What Will Happen When All The Teachers Are Gone?

I really tried to see “both sides” of this “reopen the schools” debate for the longest time…I know how hard it is to try to get anything done with little kids at home in normal times–multiply that by 100 during this pandemic. And I get the frustration that comes with trying to juggle work, bills, child care, and all the […]

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I’m a Teacher, and I’m Losing My Patience, Too

I’m a Teacher, and I’m Losing My Patience, Too

In spite of most of the US public being supportive of public education, our schools, and our children’s teachers, a small but vocal minority has been growing increasingly rambunctious about reopening schools. Recently, Dr. Ben Linas, a physician in Brookline, MA, added his apparently cranky voice to this debate, penning a piece for Vox titled, “I’m an epidemiologist and a […]

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On Trans* Students and Level Playing Fields

On Trans* Students and Level Playing Fields

Republican Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas spent some time today questioning President Biden’s nominee for Secretary of Education, Dr. Miguel Cardonas, and decided to focus on the issue of transgender students playing sports in school. Here’s what Sen. Marshall had to say… New Republican Sen. Roger Marshall (Kansas) also used his questioning time to push transphobia. Cardona quickly shut him […]

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