Prisoners Strike Across America & Canada to End Penal Enslavement
Shared by Hezvo Mpunga | therealnews.com | 2018-09-08
Prisoners Across US & Canada go on hunger and work strike to protest no wages/low wages, end of solitary confinement, for education programs & an end to mass incarceration | The post Prisoners Strike Across America & Canada to End Penal Enslavement appeared first on The Real News Network.
therealnews.com/stories/prisoners-strike-across-america-canada-to-end-penal-enslavement
This School Year, Let's Keep Kids in Classrooms
Shared by Anton Woronczuk | truthout.org | 2018-09-08
It's no secret that our country incarcerates people of color at much higher rates than white people. What might be less well known is that this can begin in the classroom. | Across the country, schools routinely punish, suspend, and expel students of color at higher rates than white students — setbacks that can follow students for years. Those were the findings of a new Institute for Policy Studies report called Students Under Siege. | I saw this firsthand going to school in Indiana. A report by the Indiana Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights found that Indiana "ranks second in the country in its rate of black male out-of-school suspensions" and "ranks fourth in the rate of black female out-of-school suspensions." | It's not an issue of one group…
truthout.org/articles/this-school-year-lets-keep-kids-in-classrooms/
Let's Heal Kids, Not Harden Schools
Suzanne Bohan | progressive.org | 2018-09-08
Betsy DeVos has proposed to make federal funding available for schools to purchase weapons. But the proliferation of guns will not curb violence in schools.
progressive.org/op-eds/lets-heal-kids-not-harden-schools180905/
Reject the sellout in Seattle! For a statewide and national teachers strike!
wsws | wsws.org | 2018-09-08
The WSWS Teacher Newsletter urges Seattle teachers meeting today to vote "no" and immediately constitute themselves as an independent rank-and-file committee to plan a serious struggle.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2018/09/08/wash…
CIA out of University of Illinois Chicago!
wsws | wsws.org | 2018-09-08
The CIA partnership is an expression of the militarization of life in the US and internationally that must be opposed by students and young people.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2018/09/08/ciau…
Parliamentary Elections in Sweden. Shift to the Right? Towards "A NATO Sweden"?
Peter Koenig | globalresearch.ca | 2018-09-07
The current Swedish Government, led by the Social Democrats, is governed by a coalition with the Green Party since 2014. Incumbent PM, Stefan Löfven, intends to continue his government and …
globalresearch.ca/parliamentary-elections-in-sweden-shift-to-the-right-towards-a-nato-sweden-geopolitical-implications/5653293
Can the Wall Between Church and State Survive Brett Kavanaugh?
aclu | aclu.org | 2018-09-07
The Supreme Court nominee's testimony this week signals an intent to weaken the separation of church and state. | Public schools are educational institutions, not temples of religious indoctrination. For over half a century, the Supreme Court has thus recognized that the Constitution prohibits public schools from imposing prayer on children and that religious education is the province of parents and religious communities, not government bureaucrats. | On Wednesday, Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, however, strongly suggested that he disagrees and that, if confirmed, he will vote to weaken the separation of…
aclu.org/blog/religious-liberty/can-wall-between-church-and-state-survive-brett-kavanaugh
SPLC: Florida Supreme Court's decision to remove misleading ballot measure on education is a 'victory for schoolchildren'
splcenter | splcenter.org | 2018-09-07
The Florida Supreme Court today affirmed a lower court's ruling to strike a proposed state constitutional amendment that would have eliminated local school boards' exclusive duty to regulate some new public schools — including charter schools — from the ballot.
splcenter.org/news/2018/09/07/splc-florida-supreme-court%25E2%2580%2599s-decision-remove-misleading-ballot-measure-education-%25E2%2580%2598victory
'Punitive Discipline Policies Have Proven to Be Destructive to Children'
Janine Jackson | fair.org | 2018-09-07
CBS News ( 8/14/18) | Janine Jackson: Nothing says America 2018 like a spate of stories on how back-to-school shopping includes bulletproof backpacks. Arming teachers and gearing kids up like commandos are presented as more-or-less reasonable responses to concerns about school safety. | Any violence in schools is too much, of course, but a conversation about school safety that's focused on guns and bullets is a narrow and distorted conversation. Recasting our definition of a "safe school environment" could lead us in some very different directions. | Karen Dolan is director of the Criminalization of Race and Poverty Project at the Institute for Policy Studies, and co-author, with Ebony Slaughter-Johnson and Myacah Sampson, of the recent report Students Under Siege: How the School-to-Prison Pipeline, Poverty and Racism Endanger Our Schoolchildren. She joins us now by phone…
fair.org/home/punitive-discipline-policies-have-proven-to-be-destructive-to-children/
Economy Adds 201,000 Jobs in August, Unemployment Steady at 3.9 Percent
Shared by Samantha Borek | truthout.org | 2018-09-07
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported the economy added 201,000 jobs in August; although downward revisions of 50,000 to the prior two months' data brought the three-month average to 185,000. The unemployment rate remained at 3.9 percent, but the overall employment-to-population (EPOP) fell by 0.2 percentage points to 60.3 percent. | This 0.2 percentage point drop also showed up for prime-age workers (ages 25 to 54), although the EPOP for prime-age workers is still 0.9 percentage points above its year-ago level. For men, the year-over-year increase is 1.1 percentage points, while for women it is 0.8 percent. In both cases, EPOPs remain below prerecession peaks and well below the peaks hit in 2000. | Perhaps the most encouraging news in the report is evidence of a modest acceleration in wage growth. The average hourly wage increased by 2.9 percent over the last year.
truthout.org/articles/manufacturing-employment-falls-in-august/
Words Get in the Way
Missy Comley Beattie | counterpunch.org | 2018-09-07
If compassion were contagious, they'd mandate a vaccine to prevent transmission. I write but the words get in the way. Words, bombarding my conscience, breaking my heart. I write. I delete. It's a release to let my fingers dance across the keyboard. And reassuring that I can delete the dance. I write more words and…
counterpunch.org/2018/09/07/words-get-in-the-way/
Petroleum Junkies of the World, Unite!
Craig Collins | counterpunch.org | 2018-09-07
Like most Americans, I was born into a lifestyle of cheap energy and took it for granted. Growing up in the latter half of the 20th century, cars and electricity were just part of daily life. Nobody thought of it as addiction; it was progress. Every new electronic device and labor saving appliance was a testament to the miracle of modern science and technology. The future was usually portrayed as a technological utopia where all our wants and needs would be met by some new scientific wonder. Remember The Jetsons?
counterpunch.org/2018/09/07/petroleum-junkies-of-the-world-unite/
Healing in North Lawndale
Robert Koehler | counterpunch.org | 2018-09-07
"This isn't rocket science," Jackie Ingram said, humorously downplaying her involvement in the Restorative Justice Community Court, a pilot project of the Cook County Circuit Court, which has brought a new, healing-focused system of justice to her community this past year. My thought in that moment was: She's right. Saving kids and reclaiming a troubled,…
counterpunch.org/2018/09/07/healing-in-north-lawndale/
Waste plastics poison the food chain and contribute to global warming
wsws | wsws.org | 2018-09-07
A variety of recent research highlights the ways in which the huge amounts of discarded plastic products are harmful to the environment and human health.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2018/09/07/plas…
Striking Tacoma, Washington, teachers demand better pay, funding for education
wsws | wsws.org | 2018-09-07
On Thursday, teachers in Tacoma joined thousands of striking teachers throughout the state of Washington as the unions work to contain and isolate the struggles in each district.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2018/09/07/wash…
Los Angeles Teachers Prepare to Strike: An Organizing Drive Long in the Making
Shared by Hezvo Mpunga | therealnews.com | 2018-09-06
LA teachers voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike, should contract negotiations fail. Each side accusing the other of illegal tactics. However, teachers say this is not mainly about wages, but about improving children's education. Jane McAlevey explains | The post Los Angeles Teachers Prepare to Strike: An Organizing Drive Long in the Making ap…
therealnews.com/stories/los-angeles-teachers-prepare-to-strike-an-organizing-drive-long-in-the-making
In Louisville, a Web of Private Interests Conspire to Expand Charter Schools
Jeff Bryant | progressive.org | 2018-09-06
Members of the Kentucky Board of Education have allied with corporate interests to privatize education, including involvement in potential real estate deals.
progressive.org/public-school-shakedown/financial-forces-behind-lousiville-charters-180905/
When Sea Turtles and Fishermen Collide
Shared by Jocelyn Dombroski | therealnews.com | 2018-09-06
Ecologically sustainable fishing communities and marine life can coexist and great community-level efforts are underway to maintain their livelihood, says Bryan Wallace, Senior Scientist with the Conservation Science Partners | The post When Sea Turtles and Fishermen Collide appeared first on The Real News Network.
therealnews.com/stories/when-sea-turtles-and-fisherman-collide
US billionaire Richard DeVos, Amway co-founder and Orlando Magic owner, dies at 92
RT | rt.com | 2018-09-06
American billionaire Richard DeVos, the co-founder of Amway, owner of the Orlando Magic basketball team and father-in-law of US Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has died at the age of 92.
rt.com/usa/437812-richard-devos-amway-dies/
Tacoma teachers strike as walkouts spread across Washington
wsws | wsws.org | 2018-09-06
School officials in three districts threatened disciplinary action against striking teachers while educators in Tacoma joined walkouts in 10 other districts Thursday.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2018/09/06/taco…
Only three percent of students have received Governor Cuomo's "free tuition" scholarship
wsws | wsws.org | 2018-09-06
Despite the fact that the SUNY and CUNY systems are the second and third largest public higher education systems in the United States, with about 700,000 students in all, fewer than 21,000 Excelsior Scholarships were awarded last academic year.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2018/09/06/suny…
Plutocracy Now!
Consortiumnews | consortiumnews.com | 2018-09-05
The United States today qualifies as a plutocracy — on a number of grounds, and it is having a profound impact on the media, education and think tanks–indeed on the whole of society, says Michael Brenner. By Michael Brenner Plutocracy… Read more ?…
consortiumnews.com/2018/09/05/plutocracy-now/
Does Hogan's Schools Rhetoric Match his Track Record?
Shared by Hezvo Mpunga | therealnews.com | 2018-09-05
Some Democrats say Larry Hogan is taking credit for their educational accomplishments, but will either candidate's policy be transformational for public schools? | The post Does Hogan's Schools Rhetoric Match his Track Record? appeared first on The Real News Network.
therealnews.com/stories/does-hogans-schools-rhetoric-match-his-track-record
As Amazon Hits $1 Trillion in Value, Its Warehouse Workers Denounce "Slavery" Conditions
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2018-09-05
Amazon made headlines Tuesday when it became the second American company, after Apple, to reach $1 trillion in value. Amazon's founder and chief executive, Jeff Bezos, is the richest man in the world, with a net worth of more than $167 billion. But what's behind that wealth? What about its workers? The working conditions in Amazon's warehouses have been the focus of protests, union drives and several investigations–including by student reporters. As students throughout the country head back to class, we feature an investigative report by students at the Rutgers University Department of Journalism and Media…
www.democracynow.org/2018/9/5/as_amazon_…
Extreme Heat Prompts 65 Baltimore School Closures, Student Protests
Shared by Hezvo Mpunga | therealnews.com | 2018-09-05
The closures sparked a debate between students and Republican Gov. Larry Hogan about who is to blame for the lack of air conditioning in city schools | The post Extreme Heat Prompts 65 Baltimore School Closures, Student Protests appeared first on The Real News Network.
therealnews.com/stories/extreme-heat-prompts-65-baltimore-school-closures-student-protests
Sheryl Sandberg Misled Congress About Facebook's Conscience
Sam Biddle | theintercept.com | 2018-09-05
Facebook chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg draped herself in the star-spangled banner of American principles before today's Senate Select Intelligence Committee hearing on social media. Sandberg proclaimed that democratic values of free expression were integral to the company's conscience. "We would only operate in a country where we could do so in keeping with our values," she went on. Either this was a lie told under oath, or Facebook has some pretty lousy values."We would only operate in a country where we could do so in keeping with our values." | Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., questioned Sandberg and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey about the fact that they are both ostensibly American companies, but also firms with users around the world — including in countries with legal systems and values that differ drastically from the United States. Rubio cited various governments that crack down…
theintercept.com/2018/09/05/facebook-senate-hearing-sheryl-sandberg/
Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights partners with Discovery Education to launch new education program
Shared by Jocelyn Dombroski | therealnews.com | 2018-09-04
Khalilah Harris and Kerry Kennedy discuss RFK Human Rights' launch of the Speak Truth To Power education initiative; engaging young people in schools to be aware of and take action on global human rights issues; and, the need to support teachers with the right tools and resources to be effective in the classroom | The post Robert F. Kenned…
therealnews.com/stories/robert-f-kennedy-human-rights-partners-with-discovery-education-to-launch-new-education-program
No more science for you: Liquid nitrogen experiment fail caught on camera (VIDEO)
RT | rt.com | 2018-09-04
The Museum of Discovery in Little Rock, Arkansas is beloved by locals and known for its hands-on approach to science education. However, things got a little out of hand at a recent event combining magic and science.
rt.com/usa/437582-liquid-nitrogen-experiment-fail/
What Educators Can Do to Make College More Affordable
Don Weimer | progressive.org | 2018-08-31
It's not just tuition–the cost of textbooks and other curricular materials is unnecessarily high.
progressive.org/op-eds/how-colleges-and-universities-can-make-education-affordable-180831/
Seattle Teachers Poised to Strike Draw Solidarity from Their Brothers and Sisters In Puerto Rico
Jesse Hagopian | progressive.org | 2018-08-31
To prepare for what we are likely to face in our struggle for a just contract, Seattle educators recently organized a panel that included a representative from the Puerto Rico Federation of Teachers.
progressive.org/public-school-shakedown/seattle-teachers-poised-to-strike-draw-solidarity-from-Puerto-Rico-180831/
Venezuela Denounces Regional Anti-Migrant 'Xenophobia' as Brazil Militarises Border
Paul Dobson | venezuelanalysis.com | 2018-08-30
The Maduro administration contrasted the recent attacks against Venezuelan migrants to its own open door policy which has seen foreigners benefit from free health, housing, education, and food programs.
venezuelanalysis.com/news/14023
Oklahoma Teachers Must Stay Unified to Overcome Janus and Union-Bashers
John Thompson | progressive.org | 2018-08-30
Oklahoma teachers face the litmus test of whether to reinvigorate–or reinvent–their union.
progressive.org/public-school-shakedown/oklahoma-teachers-must-stay-unified-180829/
Headlines for August 30, 2018
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2018-08-30
"We Did a Fantastic Job": Trump Praises His Handling of Puerto Rico Despite 3,000 Deaths, Report: Trump Administration Jailing Passport Applicants with U.S. Birth Certificates, Betsy DeVos Prepares to Rewrite Campus Sexual Misconduct Policies, Baylor University Accused of Infiltrating Sexual Assault Support Groups, Texas Police Officer Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Fatally Shooting Black Teenager, California Lawmakers Push for State to Go Carbon-Free by 2045, Trump on Twitter Announced Donald McGahn Leaving White House Counsel Post, Florida GOP Candidate for Governor Said Black Opponent Andrew Gillum Will "
www.democracynow.org/2018/8/30/headlines
Top Student Loan Watchdog Resigns over Trump Admin Doing Bidding of Predatory Lenders
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2018-08-29
As the school year begins this week across the United States, the top student loan watchdog has resigned in protest, accusing the Trump administration of siding with powerful predatory lenders over student loan borrowers. Seth Frotman worked as student loan ombudsman under the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau director, Mick Mulvaney. He wrote that under Mulvaney's leadership, "the Bureau has abandoned the very consumers it is tasked by Congress with protecting." This comes as Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has proposed new rules that would cut an estimated $13 billion in federal student loan relief for peopl…
www.democracynow.org/2018/8/29/top_stude…
Books, Not Magazines: Outcry Grows over DeVos Plan to Divert Federal Funds For Guns in Schools
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2018-08-29
Pressure is growing for Education Secretary Betsy DeVos to reject plans to grant federal funds to states to purchase firearms for teachers and school employees. The proposal comes after requests from Oklahoma, Texas and other states to train and arm school marshals. DeVos's plan would use federal Student Support and Academic Enrichment grants to pay for firearms and to train educators in their use, and would reverse long-standing federal policy prohibiting federal funds for arming educators. We speak with Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, and Adam Skaggs, chief Counsel at the Gif…
www.democracynow.org/2018/8/29/books_not…
Headlines for August 29, 2018
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2018-08-29
Puerto Rico Increases Hurricane Death Toll to 2,975, Andrew Gillum, a Black Progressive Backed by Bernie Sanders, Wins Florida Gubernatorial Primary, Trump-Backed Martha McSally Wins Arizona GOP Senate Primary, Trump Warns of "Violence" If Democrats Win Control of Congress, Texas Police Officer Convicted for Killing 15-Year-Old African-American Student, Teachers in Washington State Begin Strike, U.N. Secretary-General: Report on Genocide Targeting Rohingya Needs Serious Consideration, India Carries Out Raids Arresting Critics of Modi Government, France's Environment Minister Resigns On-Air over Climate Change, De…
www.democracynow.org/2018/8/29/headlines
Puerto Rico Raises Official Death Toll to Nearly 3,000 as First Anniv. of Hurricane Maria Approaches
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2018-08-29
Puerto Rico officially raised the death toll from Hurricane Maria last year from 64 to nearly 3,000 following the release of a study ordered by the governor of the island. This officially makes Maria one of the deadliest storms in U.S. history. We get response from Democracy Now! co-host Juan González and Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers.
www.democracynow.org/2018/8/29/puerto_ri…
Let's Ditch Cages in Animal Research
Garet Lahvis | progressive.org | 2018-08-24
Tests on caged animals often fail to replicate in human trials, while lab animals suffer.
progressive.org/op-eds/Lab-Cages-in-Animal-Research-180824/
Meet the Owner of Canary Mission's Anonymous Anti-Palestinian Blacklisting Website
Hamzah Raza | grayzoneproject.com | 2018-08-22
Canary Mission has exploited its anonymity to smear college students with impunity. The Grayzone has obtained documents identifying the owner… | The post Meet the Owner of Canary Mission's Anonymous Anti-Palestinian Blacklisting Website appeared first on Grayzone Project.
grayzoneproject.com/2018/08/22/meet-the-owner-of-canary-missions-anonymous-anti-palestinian-blacklisting-website/
Large Earthquake Off Northern Venezuelan Coast
TeleSur English | venezuelanalysis.com | 2018-08-22
According to the Venezuelan Foundation of Seismological Research, the quake registered at 6.9 on the Richter Scale and left parts of Trinidad and Tobago without electricity.
venezuelanalysis.com/news/14014
In DeVos's Home State, Students Push for their Right to Literacy
Rann Miller | progressive.org | 2018-08-17
Literacy has been, and continues to be, a critical component of African-American liberation.
progressive.org/public-school-shakedown/michigan-students-push-for-literacy-right-180817/
Continuing the Teachers' Fight in West Virginia
Sarah Jaffe | progressive.org | 2018-08-15
The West Virginia teachers won a raise, but the biggest fight, says Rebecca Diamond, teacher and member of the American Federation of Teachers-West Virginia, is still ongoing.
progressive.org/dispatches/continuing-the-teachers-fight-in-west-virginia-180815/
What the 'Sensible Middle' Doesn't Get About Education
Peter Greene | progressive.org | 2018-08-14
There is no middle between facts and the story that the earth is flat.
progressive.org/public-school-shakedown/what-the-sensible-middle-doesnt-get-about-education-180814/
Oppression Education: Israeli Academic Institutions Throw Their Lot With the Israeli Security Elite
pacbi | bdsmovement.net | 2018-08-10
Oppression Education: Israeli Academic Institutions Throw Their Lot With the Israeli Security Elite: AnalysisThree recent events in Israel's largest universities demonstrate academic and security institutions are actually increasing their cooperation. | Academic BoycottJuly 23, 2018 | By:
| | Shir Hever …
bdsmovement.net/news/oppression-education-israeli-academic-institutions-throw-their-lot-israeli-security-elite