This Week: Everyone has seen the news of the devastating fires that have hit the LA area. Today Manuel shares the perspective of an educator at the front lines, working in the high school that has served the Altadena community for generations. Jeff adds perspective from schools and communities affected by the smoke and ash in Los Angeles, and together we process the meaning of this week’s tragic events.  

WAYS TO HELP WITH THE EATON FIRE IN ALTADENA/PASADENA -- Please consider giving what you can! Here are links to GoFundMe pages set up by Altadena families, links to GoFundMe pages supporting Black families devastated by the Eaton fire, and the Pasadena Educational Foundation.

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 

Passing Period is an AOTA podcast extra that gives us a chance to check-in, reflect, and discuss powerful stories in between our full episodes. 

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This Week: We're back for 2025 and we know talking about politics can be a bit, exhausting now. But, all hope is not lost! There’s good news at the state level in CA with new protections for LGBTQ+ students and the educators who support them, improvements to the history curriculum to teach a more honest history of colonialism and segregation, and more! Plus, out of the great state of Arkansas, a federal judge bans the draconian, right wing law that would support citizens to challenge “controversial” books in libraries, and subject librarians to criminal prosecution. Who says all hope is lost? 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 

Passing Period is an AOTA podcast extra that gives us a chance to check-in, reflect, and discuss powerful stories in between our full episodes. 

Watch, listen and subscribe to make sure you don't miss our latest content!

Website: https://AOTAshow.com

Stream all of our content at: linktr.ee/AOTA  

Watch at: YouTube.com/AlloftheAbove

Listen at: apple.co/38QV7Bd and anchor.fm/AOTA
Follow us at: Facebook.com/AOTAshow and Twitter.com/AOTAshow

Nearly half of our nation’s public school children are subject to laws that forbid honest education about the history of racism in this country. Two-thirds of US teachers report self-censoring discussions on race, gender, identity, and sexuality in their classrooms. How did we get here, and how can we collaboratively fight for the truth to be taught in our schools? Educator and activist Jesse Hagopian joins us this week to unpack his new book, Teach Truth: The Attack on Critical Race Theory and the Struggle for Antiracist Education. Jesse is an editor for Rethinking Schools magazine, a founding member of Black Lives Matter at School, and the Director for the Zinn Education Project’s “Teaching for Black Lives" campaign. But first, Jeff and Manuel take a look at recent headlines in education including schools prepping for upheaval over fears of mass deportations and a new study highlighting the benefits of Ethnic Studies in high schools.

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AGENDA

0:00 - Welcome!

5:45 - Educational impact of mass deportation fears

17:43 - Study highlights benefits of Ethnic Studies

30:00 - Jesse Hagopian on the Struggle for Antiracist Education

1:14:52 - Preparing for a worsening political climate in education

DO-NOW STORIES:

Schools are bracing for upheaval over fear of mass deportations

California Bill Would Protect Schools, Child Care Centers From Immigration Raids

Ethnic studies boosts critical thinking, equity awareness in high school students

Judge rejects lawsuit over ‘liberated’ ethnic studies classes in LAUSD

SEMINAR:

Jesse Hagopian Website

Teach Truth: The Struggle for Antiracist Education

Black Lives Matter At School: An Uprising for Educational Justice

Teaching for Black Lives

Teacher Unions and Social Justice

More Than a Score: The New Uprising Against High Stakes Testing.

CLASS DISMISSED:

Fill your cup, friends.

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Theme Music by its tajonthabeat

This Week: A fascinating story about what’s happening to higher ed in rural America out of the Hechinger Report reveals that across the country options for rural students are shrinking dramatically, with campuses closing, and dozens of majors and key programs being cut. Enrollment is down, but advocates say the cuts are going beyond the needed adjustments and are leaving rural students -- many of whom are low income, first generation, and students of color -- with a separate and unequal college experience. That’s not to mention what it means to limit the course of study for the nation’s students, especially in the humanities. 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 

Passing Period is an AOTA podcast extra that gives us a chance to check-in, reflect, and discuss powerful stories in between our full episodes. 

Watch, listen and subscribe to make sure you don't miss our latest content!

Website: https://AOTAshow.com

Stream all of our content at: linktr.ee/AOTA  

Watch at: YouTube.com/AlloftheAbove

Listen at: apple.co/38QV7Bd and anchor.fm/AOTA

Follow us at: Facebook.com/AOTAshow and Twitter.com/AOTAshow

This Week: We’re tired of talking about right wing nonsense… but they got the former head of the WWE ready to be in charge of the nation’s education system, so we gotta talk about it a little. And, a fascinating story out of NYC about students getting cartoons and screen time instead of outdoor recess. Parents are, rightfully, concerned.  Why does recess matter? Why isn’t the quality of recess higher on our list of priorities when it comes to resources? 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 

Passing Period is an AOTA podcast extra that gives us a chance to check-in, reflect, and discuss powerful stories in between our full episodes. 

Watch, listen and subscribe to make sure you don't miss our latest content!

Website: https://AOTAshow.com

Stream all of our content at: linktr.ee/AOTA  

Watch at: YouTube.com/AlloftheAbove

Listen at: apple.co/38QV7Bd and anchor.fm/AOTA

Follow us at: Facebook.com/AOTAshow and Twitter.com/AOTAshow

This Week: Oklahoma State Supt Ryan Walters makes a truly dystopian video that he “mandated” all schools show to the students announcing the creation of a new Department of Religious Freedom and Patriotism. Trump continues plotting and scheming for his assault on public education with a new-ish 10 point plan, complete with support for book bans, attacks on teacher tenure, teaching white supremacist history, and banning the honest teaching of history. But, at the same time, the march to right wing insanity is hitting notable roadblocks. A federal court ruling out of Louisiana rules that their state’s law requiring the posting of the 10 commandments in classrooms is unconstitutional. With some good news in the face of an onslaught of right wing attacks, all is not lost. 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 

Passing Period is an AOTA podcast extra that gives us a chance to check-in, reflect, and discuss powerful stories in between our full episodes. 

Watch, listen and subscribe to make sure you don't miss our latest content!

Website: https://AOTAshow.com

Stream all of our content at: linktr.ee/AOTA  

Watch at: YouTube.com/AlloftheAbove

Listen at: apple.co/38QV7Bd and anchor.fm/AOTA
Follow us at: Facebook.com/AOTAshow and Twitter.com/AOTAshow

This Week: It was a rough week y'all. You know it. We know it. The forces of hate and oppression are out here. Trump is going to get rid of the US Dept of Education, vouchers will be had for all, and wokeness will be outlawed forever. Not so fast.  While undoubtedly we took a hit this week, the odds of an impending end to the Dept of Education are not particularly high.  And we saw big wins on education ballot measures across the country, from school construction in CA, to voting down vouchers in many red states, to voters in Mass ending high stakes testing as a grad requirement. So, the struggle for justice remains, and there’s some hope in the mix too.  Manuel and Jeff discuss!

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 

Passing Period is an AOTA podcast extra that gives us a chance to check-in, reflect, and discuss powerful stories in between our full episodes. 

Watch, listen and subscribe to make sure you don't miss our latest content!

Website: https://AOTAshow.com

Stream all of our content at: linktr.ee/AOTA  

Watch at: YouTube.com/AlloftheAbove

Listen at: apple.co/38QV7Bd and anchor.fm/AOTA

Follow us at: Facebook.com/AOTAshow and Twitter.com/AOTAshow

This Week: Despite the right-wing hysteria that would have you believe wokeness and DEI are undermining the quality of America’s colleges, it turns out that it’s unqualified rich kids who are buying their way into schools like USC, sneaking in the back door as so-called walk-on athletes. And, a powerful new study from GPSN and the Center for Diversity in Leadership shows that Black and Brown educators in LA are planning to leave the teaching profession within 1-2 years in overwhelming numbers. What does this mean for educators, students, and the field? And what do we do about it?  Manuel and Jeff discuss!

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 

Passing Period is an AOTA podcast extra that gives us a chance to check-in, reflect, and discuss powerful stories in between our full episodes. 

Watch, listen and subscribe to make sure you don't miss our latest content!

Website: https://AOTAshow.com

Stream all of our content at: linktr.ee/AOTA  

Watch at: YouTube.com/AlloftheAbove

Listen at: apple.co/38QV7Bd and anchor.fm/AOTA

Follow us at: Facebook.com/AOTAshow and Twitter.com/AOTAshow

Encampments raided, college presidents sacked, student loan forgiveness struck down, DEI programs abolished, and free speech battles raging–what in the world is going on across our nation’s college campuses? With so many hot button issues impacting higher education today, how should students, families, and folks in the K-12 space navigate discussions and decisions about going to college? This week we’re joined by Kirk Carapezza, the Managing Editor and Correspondent for higher education at GBH News and cohost of the podcast College Uncovered with John Marcus from the Hechinger Report! He shares some of his takeaways from years of reporting on the state of higher education. But first, Jeff and Manuel take a look at recent headlines in education including an education titan’s praise of standardized testing and a new law banning legacy admissions.

→ Get your Teach the Truth T-Shirt here!

→ View this episode on YouTube!

AGENDA

0:00 - Welcome!

5:50 - Praise for latest test scores in CA

20:24 - Legacy admissions banned

33:51 - Kirk Carapezza of College Uncovered

1:15:40 - Educating amid an ongoing genocide

DO-NOW STORIES:

Understanding California’s test scores could hold the key to student improvement

California bans legacy admissions at colleges. The end of affirmative action is a reason why

SEMINAR:

College Uncovered Podcast

WGBH - Kirk Carapezza

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Theme Music by its tajonthabeat

This Week: Amidst a culture of short attention spans, TikTok videos, 30 second sound bites, and 24 hour news cycles, it’s perhaps not surprising that the novel is going by the wayside in English classrooms across America. But the reality is a bit more complex than that. Pressure to raise standardized test scores, modern curriculum, and increasing use of computers and tablets to read rather than printed text may also be playing a role. But either way, is the prevalence of students reading excerpts of texts, rather than full texts, just the way things are now, or a loss for society and the nation’s youth? Manuel and Jeff discuss!

Als CLICK HERE to register for the 10/16/24 CA Educator Diversity Action Network’s virtual Back2School Event to meet and learn with pioneering leaders from schools and communities across CA and share your thoughts on the issues we can tackle in 2025 and beyond!

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 

Passing Period is an AOTA podcast extra that gives us a chance to check-in, reflect, and discuss powerful stories in between our full episodes. 

Watch, listen and subscribe to make sure you don't miss our latest content!

Website: https://AOTAshow.com

Stream all of our content at: linktr.ee/AOTA  

Watch at: YouTube.com/AlloftheAbove

Listen at: apple.co/38QV7Bd and anchor.fm/AOTA

Follow us at: Facebook.com/AOTAshow and Twitter.com/AOTAshow