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!

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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 than the average HS graduate. It’s a policy that seems reasonable, until you think about it. Manuel and Jeff discuss!

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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 it easier said than done? 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 students whose world was turned upside down this week when her father was detained by ICE. Click here for the GoFundMe. 

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 

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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 students whose world was turned upside down recently when her father was detained by ICE. Click here for the GoFundMe. 

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 

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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 lasting harm that ICE and DHS terrorism causes children who experience it themselves, or with a family member. Anxiety, depression, absenteeism, and chronic stress are likely just the tip of the iceberg. Thankfully a growing number of ed advocacy groups are speaking out against ICE terrorism and declaring it an existential threat to the safety of America’s children and school communities. 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 

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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 

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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.  Let us know what you think in the comments!

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 

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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 busy day.  Let us know what you think in the comments!

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 

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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, cheating, mental health concerns, self esteem challenges, are just some of the problems pushing parents to resist. What will districts do now as silicon valley further intrudes into the classroom? 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 

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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 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 

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