All Of The Above Podcast

This Week: In what could be a landscape shifting class action lawsuit, parents sue Curriculum Associates, maker of iReady, alleging privacy concerns, lack of parental consent for collection and use of data, and potentially scandalous use of student data profiles for profit. Sounds scary, and to be clear, we should treat ed tech with deep scrutiny. But, but does the case hold water? Plus, in the latest move to institutionalize white, christian nationalist patriarchy, a growing number of states are now telling schools to teach the “Success Sequence.” This approach advocates students graduate from high school, get a full time job, get married, and have children -- in that order -- as the best way to avoid or escape from poverty. Sigh. Here we go again. Manuel and Jeff discuss!MAXIMUM WOKENESS ALERT -- get your All of the Above swag, including your own “Teach the Truth” shirt! In this moment of relentless attacks on teaching truth in the classroom, we got you covered. https://all-of-the-above-store.creator-spring

This Week: In a stunning 8-1 decision this week the US Supreme Court overturns a Colorado law banning conversion therapy for minors. Using the first amendment as a shield for hateful, Christian nationalist bigotry against LGBTQ people, the court says the state can no longer regulate a licensed mental health provider’s “free speech” by providing talk-based conversion therapy. Only Justice Jackson came through on the side of righteousness on this one. Plus, grade inflation has been an issue for decades now, but attention on this issue is heightening as frustration mounts from all corners. GPAs are higher than ever, but test scores are stagnant or falling. The College Board says AP exams are less rigorous, but they’re just responding to a broader lowering of standards across society. Economists say grade inflation means lower earnings and harmful life outcomes. So what do we do about this mess? Manuel and Jeff discuss!MAXIMUM WOKENESS ALERT -- get your All of the Above swag, including your own “Teach the Truth”

This Week: The legacy of Cesar Chavez is forever tarnished following the revelation of rape and sexual abuse allegations. As communities quickly (and rightly) pivot to centering the farmworkers movement instead of Chavez, there are at least 40 schools across CA named in his honor, along with numerous statues, murals, and awards bearing his legacy. Where do schools go from here? Plus, we weave together a few stories about the devastating effects our tech overlords are having on the nation’s children. In Los Angeles, a jury sets new precedent by handing down $6M in damages against Instagram and YouTube as intentionally addictive platforms that harmed a young woman. Hundreds of similar cases are now looking to move forward in the courts as well. Meanwhile, the first lady acted out a scene from iRobot this week, as she touted humanoid robots as replacements for teachers. At the same time, new data from EdWeek shows that our youngest children -- nearly half of whom have their own tablet and unlimited screen time b

Today on AOTA Shorts: The State of Oregon is one of just a few in the country that doesn't mandate a specific number of school days each year, and over ⅓ of their school districts have gone down to a 4 day school week. Proponents of mandating more school for Oregon youth argue this is the driving force behind Oregon’s dismal performance on the most recent NAEP.  And, they argue, that the aggregate effect of the shorter school weeks and shorter school years, can mean students miss out on a full year of instruction by the time they graduate. But, not all school days are created equal. Most states text in April or May, weeks before the end of the school year, so does a week or two less school in Oregon really make a difference? It just might. Manuel and Jeff discuss!MAXIMUM WOKENESS ALERT -- get your All of the Above swag, including your own “Teach the Truth” shirt! In this moment of relentless attacks on teaching truth in the classroom, we got you covered. https://all-of-the-above-store.creator-spring.com W

Today on AOTA Shorts: A new paper from researchers at Oregon State University and the University of Chicago shows evidence that parents place greater credibility in what their children’s grades say about their academic performance than they do test scores. But the researchers raise concerns that this could be inadvertently resulting in parents missing key data about their student’s struggles in school. Citing rampant grade inflation, and frequent mismatches between grades and more rigorous standardized test scores, they advocate parents place more credibility on tests as an indicator or performance. But are the parents right? And in an environment where the latest generation of parents experienced the negative effects of hyper fixation on testing of the NCLB era, why should parents care what tests say about their kids? Manuel and Jeff discuss!MAXIMUM WOKENESS ALERT -- get your All of the Above swag, including your own “Teach the Truth” shirt! In this moment of relentless attacks on teaching truth in the class

Today on AOTA Shorts: On March 2nd, the Supreme Court issued a ruling, ostensibly from the Court’s 6 conservative justices, that overturns a California policy which prevented educators from outing trans students, or students exploring their gender identity to their families without the student’s consent. The case is admittedly complex, pitting parents’ rights to be informed about their child, their right to free exercise of religion, and their right to equal protection of the laws, against the welfare of children and educators’ own rights to free exercise of religion. Figuring out the right decision on this one is gonna be tough. But, one thing is certain, this Supreme Court, and the white supremacist, christian nationalist interests it represents, have no interest in protecting the well being of trans or nonbinary youth. Manuel and Jeff discuss!MAXIMUM WOKENESS ALERT -- get your All of the Above swag, including your own “Teach the Truth” shirt! In this moment of relentless attacks on teaching truth in the cl

This Week: First, bombshell news out of LAUSD this week as Supt Alberto Carvalho was placed on paid leave after his home and office were raided by the FBI. Not much has been made public yet, but speculation is that the raid may be tied to Carvalho’s role in the failed investment in an AI chatbot during his time as head of schools in both LA and Miami. Then, our main story today tackles the growing number of districts where teachers are authorizing strikes. The California Teacher Association (CTA) claims ⅓ of their members are living check to check, with many taking on second jobs like Doordash delivers at night to afford housing. Districts say declining enrollment, rising health care costs, and skyrocketing prices mean there’s no money to raise teacher pay. Where do we go from here?  Lastly, we tackle a fascinating piece about the state of Indiana acting on a new Trump admin regulation that will remove federal student aid funding from college majors/programs that don’t result in graduates earning more money t

This Week: We got a lot to cover this week! Students across the country are seizing the moment by engaging in the democratic process and walking out of school in protest of DHS terrorism. But the pushback is here. In LA the cops are telling kids to get back on campus, and in Texas the governor is going as far as threatening districts with state takeover where kids walk out. Also, the cartoon villains over at the Heritage Foundation published their call to arms to all hatemongers to fight to overturn the Plyler v Doe decision, which granted the right to all children to access free public education -- including undocumented kids. In what can only be described as a flimsy, clearly unconstitutional, and truly wicked stance on the issue, the effort to further traumatize undocumented families continues. Lastly, we explore a fascinating piece from the folks at the Digital Inquiry Group about how we can help students navigate the cesspool of misinformation and manipulation that is the online media landscape. But, is

This Week: First, we have some updates on Liam Ramos and some of his classmates who were used as bait, kidnapped, and sent to a concentration camp in Texas where there’s now a measles outbreak. Thankfully a federal judge issued a scathing ruling against the fascist Trump regime and freed Liam and his father, though some of his classmates still remain imprisoned.  And we discuss Manuel’s students joining students across the country in walking out from school to protest ICE and DHS terrorism.  Then we get into a fascinating story raising the question of whether or not secondary age students are following the post pandemic lead of their parents and “quiet quitting” school. The data is clear -- students are doing less homework, and fewer students believe working hard on schoolwork is important. But what does it mean for kids, educators, and society at large?  Manuel and Jeff discuss!Help one of Manuel’s students whose family has been the victim of ICE terrorism: Please Join us in supporting one of Manuel's st

Please Join us in supporting one of Manuel's students whose world was turned upside down this week when her father was detained by ICE. Click here for the GoFundMe. This Week: While the harm has, to a significant extent, already been done, there was an important legal victory in the fight against the white supremacist, fascist effort to destroy public education. A lawsuit brought by the AFT and others last summer resulted in a federal judge declaring the administration’s attempt to outlaw “illegal discrimination” against white people, and requiring that districts and universities certify they don’t practice DEI was enacted without following proper procedures. Just this month the administration declared they are dropping their appeal. This is one of numerous legal defeats the administration has suffered, however their fascist overreach continues, raising continued constitutional crises, and reinforcing the chilling effect of their racist agenda. Also, new research from scholars in New York state shows the

This Week: With the tragic murder of Renee Nicole Good by masked ICE agents in Minneapolis this week, and the chaotic, violent confrontation between Border Patrol and students and educators outside Roosevelt High School, it has been quite a week in the city of lakes. The Minneapolis Public Schools closed schools for the remainder of the week, and are now allowing families to opt into remote learning for the next month to escape the violence, fear, and chaos being caused by these DHS terrorists. To get some on-the-ground perspective on what this means for school communities, we’re joined by Minneapolis educator Marcus Zackery. What does this all mean for educators, particularly those of us supporting marginalized communities across America?MAXIMUM WOKENESS ALERT -- get your All of the Above swag, including your own “Teach the Truth” shirt! In this moment of relentless attacks on teaching truth in the classroom, we got you covered. https://all-of-the-above-store.creator-spring.com Watch, listen and subscribe to

Today on AOTA Shorts: In what can only be described as silicon valley’s educational wet dream, the Alpha School expands its footprint across the nation. The private school, which packs a $75K/year price tag, touts its ability to have kids learn twice as much in just 2 hours of AI based “instruction” per day. And contrary to what you might expect, the school claims its guides (the adults who work there rather than teachers) offer a more humane environment than traditional schools. And, as the Alpha School eyes expansion to Palo Alto, just down the road, computer science graduates of Stanford University are finding a dearth of jobs, as the industry shifts entry level jobs to AI. What are the implications of this AI mess we find ourselves in? Manuel and Jeff discuss! Woah, new format! AOTA Shorts give a brief, quick-hitting breakdown of a single story in this increasingly wild world of education that you can enjoy in the car, at work, or in those precious minutes of down time you (maybe) get during your busy day

Today on AOTA Shorts: Fulfilling her mandate as cartoon villain Attorney General, Pam Bondi effectively gutted what little civil rights infrastructure remains in the United States declaring that the use of data to prove discriminatory impact of policy is now a violation of federal law. Claiming that the long-standing rule which allowed the federal government to hold states, cities, and private entities accountable for upholding structural racism does not “sufficiently serve the public interest,” Bondi is paving the way for a rash of racist policies to flow freely from the most right wing areas of the country, and the more polite, sweeping of the problems under the rug in more progressive areas. Is this the end game for civil rights in education? Manuel and Jeff discuss!Woah, new format! AOTA Shorts give a brief, quick-hitting breakdown of a single story in this increasingly wild world of education that you can enjoy in the car, at work, or in those precious minutes of down time you (maybe) get during your bus

This Week: One one hand, it is shocking to think about, and on the other hand it’s just a continuation of America's long-standing tradition of white folks in power hurting themselves in the never ending effort to oppress others even more. The latest casualty of the anti DEI hysteria is stacking up to be men, and in particular white men. Women now occupy around 60% of all seats in college, and for many years now - in particular at the nation’s most selective colleges - affirmative action efforts have been underway to ensure gender balance in the freshman class, even though vastly more women apply than men. So now, experts project that the anti DEI policies in place could result in fewer seats going to male applicants, as they are out competed by their female peers.  Plus, we dig into a fascinating story out of Log Angeles, where parents are organizing to push back against screen time. Starting in Kindergarten, students are spending hours a day on devices, leading to all kinds of concern. Distraction, cheat

This Week: We’re diving into two higher ed topics this week.  First, the University of Alabama suspends and cuts funding for two student magazines, one called Nineteen Fifty-Six, which centers Black voices and experience, and the other called Alice, which is a fashion and wellness magazine that focuses on women. Citing the Trump admin’s anti DEI hysteria and Alabama’s anti DEI law, the University says it’s complying with the law and upholding free speech, almost as if Orwell himself had written the script.  Also, we dig into shocking news about the rise in disability accommodations, particularly at many of the nation’s most elite colleges. At Stanford, nearly 40% of undergrads are getting disability accommodations. What on earth is happening with Gen Z, and why is it totally their fault and their fault alone, and has nothing to do with the world we made for them or any systemic factors whatsoever? Manuel and Jeff discuss!MAXIMUM WOKENESS ALERT -- get your All of the Above swag, including your own “Teach the T

This Week: Not sure we were ever in style, to be honest.  But, some new data from SUNY Albany shows that the common assumption that the lack of male teachers -- nearly 90% of elementary teachers are female -- hurts boys in their earliest years of academic development, may in fact be wrong. Turns out that in this study, there is no difference in academic achievement between kids who had all female teachers and those who had both male and female teachers. Does this mean male educators are obsolete, or is there more to the story?  Plus, districts facing escalated ICE terrorism are seeing significant declines in enrollment, not just challenges with attendance. LAUSD has seen a drop in EL enrollment of 13,000 students in one year, with a particularly steep decline in Spanish speaking students. What does this mean for the nation’s schools and children? Manuel and Jeff discuss!  Free Masterclass Monday Nov 24th from our good friends at Multicultural Classroom! "Teaching in Truth: How to Stay Centered and Cultur

Today on AOTA Shorts: In a both groundbreaking and not at all surprising analysis of student test scores from a Florida community besieged by ICE terrorism and lawless detainment of community members, it turns out that this sort of madness has a negative effect on student learning. Who’d a thunk it? Will this deter the right wing extremists in power to change course?  Probably not. But, it’s even more clear than ever that this has nothing to do with law and order, or keeping communities safe. It’s doing deep, systemic harm to kids and communities, and this is just the tip of the iceberg. The data also shows that the harms to student learning extend beyond just those students who are undocumented, or who are themselves the targets of ICE terrorism. The entire community is negatively affected, especially those students who are Spanish speaking. Manuel and Jeff discuss!Woah, new format! AOTA Shorts give a brief, quick-hitting breakdown of a single story in this increasingly wild world of education that you can e

This Week: We begin with some highlights from members of the AOTA family. One listener responds to last week’s discussion about vouchers and reports from the dark side in FL about what it’s like for parents who can’t trust the education system under Desantis. Then, is the USDOE really trolling us online with their insane social media posts? Yes. Yes, they are. What an utter embarrassment to the office and the profession. Lastly, we celebrate the people of Colorado voting to increase taxes on higher income folks in their state in order to preserve universal free meals in schools. In the face of so much right wing insanity, this is an important proof point that the people will support progressive, justice orientated legislation, even if it means making wealthier folks pay more.  Manuel and Jeff discuss!MAXIMUM WOKENESS ALERT -- get your All of the Above swag, including your own “Teach the Truth” shirt! In this moment of relentless attacks on teaching truth in the classroom, we got you covered. https://all-of-th

This Week: The state of Florida has distinguished itself in recent years as a true laboratory for right wing extremist policy in education. Well, the process continues as the impacts of vouchers and efforts to privatize public education are reaching new heights. As schools battle for “market share” and districts sell access to courses on an Amazon-like website, the public coffers are being drained faster than ever before. Meanwhile, in so-called liberal California, amidst the passage of AB 715, which conflates critique of Israel with Antisemitism and instills a draconian oversight structure over schools and educators, Oakland Unified is found to have created a “discriminatory environment” for things like the display of Palestinian flags, allowing an unsponsored a teach-in about Israeli genocide and colonialism, and posting “Free Palestine” posters in classrooms. Thankfully, the fight is not over on AB 715. The American-Arab Anti Discrimination Committee is filing a federal lawsuit to challenge the constitutio

Today on AOTA Shorts: Algorithmic bias is the technical term. Racism in, racism out. But in practice, the unthinkable nearly came to pass last week when a high school student in Baltimore County, MD was hanging outside his school and was soon confronted by armed police ordering him to the ground. The boy had finished a bag of Doritos, crumpled it up and placed it in his pocket, which the school’s AI security system deemed to be a weapon. This triggered the notification of law enforcement, who arrived with guns blazing. Also, we return to our discussion on last week’s short with a comment from a listener. In a world where the potential harm of AI is so great, how should we address its proper use in schools to help equity young people for modern life? Manuel and Jeff discuss!Woah, new format! AOTA Shorts give a brief, quick-hitting breakdown of a single story in this increasingly wild world of education that you can enjoy in the car, at work, or in those precious minutes of down time you (maybe) get during your