Adam Laats is Professor of Education and History at the State University of New York at Binghamton. This interview is based on his new book, Mr. Lancaster’s System: The Failed Reform That Created America’s Public Schools (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2024). JF: What […]
public schools
Video: “The Role of the Bible in the Founding of the United States and Religious Mandates in Public Schools”
Here is the video of the AHA “History Behind the Headlines” series. Glad to join Jim Grossman, Jon Butler, Holly Brewer, and Heath Carter for this discussion:
The Author’s Corner with Jesse Chanin
Jesse Chanin is a postdoctoral fellow at Tulane University’s Coalition for Compassionate Schools. This interview is based on her new book, Building Power, Breaking Power: The United Teachers of New Orleans, 1965-2008 (University of North Carolina Press, 2024). JF: What […]
Give every public school kid a free lunch
This makes sense. Free lunch. No strings attached. Every kid gets one. Some might even say it is a good way to make America a more “Christian” nation. đ Here is Paul Waldman: Consider the remarkable concept of âlunch debt,â […]
Episode 104: “The Roots of American Public Education”
Are you an educator? An administrator? A school board member? Does your life intersect in some way with a public school? If so, this episode is for you. We talk about the religion and transatlantic roots of American public education […]
The battle for our public schools
Hannah Natanson, Clara Ence Morse, Anu Narayanswamy and Christina Brause explore 64 laws passed in the last three academic years that are “reshaping what students can learn and do in school.” Read the piece at The Washington Post. Here are a few of […]
If elected governor of Pennsylvania, Doug Mastriano will ban critical race theory, “pornographic” literature, and “pole dancing” in schools.
Yes, you read that correctly. Here is Alia Shoab at Insider: Pennsylvania state Sen. Doug Mastriano, who is the Republican candidate for governor, said he would ban pole dancing in schools if he was elected. “On day one, the sexualization […]
I’m not going to pay for that guy’s kid to be educated
What is the common good? Should a person or couple with no children have to pay taxes to support public education? It seems to have to come this. Here is Michael Tomasky, editor of The New Republic: The Timesâ Dan Barry reported on […]
The American Historical Association wants to help K-12 history teachers navigate so-called “divisive concepts” laws
Here is more from the American Historical Association website: To date, at least 14 states have passed legislation prohibiting the teaching of concepts associated with race and slavery in the United States. At least another 16 states have similar bills […]
The “Monsters of Maple Street” were out last night in Franklin, Tennessee, one of the “top 10 places to live in America.”
Franklin, Tennessee has the highest per-capita income in the entire state. The median income is $75,871. The city is located about 20 miles south of Nashville. According to Wikipedia, it is the home of NFL quarterback C.J. Beathard, governor Bill […]
John Marshall Harlan: The lone dissenter in Plessy v. Ferguson
Here is Peter Canellos at The New York Times. His forthcoming book is titled The Great Dissenter: The Story of John Marshall Harlan, American Judicial Hero. A taste: The Supreme Court decision in Plessy v. Ferguson, announced 125 years ago Tuesday, […]
San Francisco school board will not rename schools
Some of you may remember our posts earlier this year about the San Francisco school board’s decision to rename forty-four schools that honor historical figures such as George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt. It now appears the board […]