Tim Ossman, Jr. on Instagram: @black_man_beyond Tim Ossman, Jr.’s bio can be found HERE. Randi Weingarten on Twitter: @RWeingarten Randi Weingarten’s bio can be found HERE. Learn more about AFT’s Reading Opens the World initiative HERE. Read more about AFT’s many other initiatives HERE. Chris Savage can be found on Twitter at @Eclectablog. MoReno Taylor II can be found on […]

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 […]

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 […]

The following essay was written by my good friend Caitlin Muciek-Balkus, a young mother from the mid-Michigan area. In it, she describes the difficult position parents are in right now as things open up after a year-long shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While I appreciate the strong desire of so many to get people back to work, I think […]

David M. Perry on Twitter: @Lollardfish David M. Perry’s website: DavidMPerry.com Prepurchase David M. Perry’s forthcoming book The Bright Ages HERE. David M. Perry at CNN: Yes, it’s a good idea to bribe people to get vaccinated David M. Perry at CNN: Covid protesters must stop exploiting symbols of the Holocaust Jordan Zakarin on Twitter: @JordanZakarin Republicans now have two […]

The following essay was written by Trina Tocco. She is a resident of Royal Oak and has two amazing children who attend Ferndale Public Schools. When the pandemic hit, I had to make a choice – either one of my children wouldn’t be able to participate in virtual school because of mental illness or I would have to put my […]

Yesterday, I wrote about the one year anniversary of the first diagnosed COVID case in Michigan.  Today, I want to spend some time talking about the coordinated attacks Governor Whitmer has faced as she has tried to save the lives of Michiganders.  I have shared my previous thoughts on Senator Mike Shirkey. But those were merely his words and actions […]

We knew that March 10, 2020 would be a historic day as it was the Presidential Primary Election in Michigan and voters exercised their vote to select their party’s nominee for the Presidency. I spent Election Day, as I always do, fielding calls and questions from local clerks, ensuring that polls were open, tabulators working, and issues dealt with.  One […]

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 […]

In Washtenaw County where I live, the COVID-19 infection rate of Black residents is 13%, about the same as the percentage of Black residents int the county (12.3%). However, of the people who are hospitalized, 27% are Black and Black residents are 23% of those who die from virus. Worse yet, statewide, less than 5% of the people who have […]

Nearly two months ago, the federal government made billions of dollars in COVID-19 relief funds available to the states. Michigan is in line for over $5 billion in relief funding, including $2.1 billion to re-open schools in our state. However, so far, none of that money has been allocated and, if its not used by the end of March, we […]