Issues in Education

[JDCrimson]

What would be Senator Tuberville score on this test?

PragerU reveals full list of questions from Oklahoma's new 'America First' teacher test

Oklahoma will now require teachers from California and New York to pass a newly unveiled 34-question “America First” certification test developed with PragerU.

www.news9.com

Evidently there are only 34 multiple-choice questions on the test:

The test combines traditional civics questions with additional questions regarding gender and identity:

Cultural and identity-related content:

1. Why is freedom of religion important to America's identity? (It protects religious choice from government control)
2. "What is the fundamental biological distinction between males and females?" (Chromosomes and reproductive anatomy)
3. "Which chromosome pair determines biological sex in humans?” (XX/XY)
4. "How is a child's biological sex typically identified?" (Visual anatomical observation and chromosomes)
5. “Why is the distinction between male and female considered important in areas like sports and privacy?” (To preserve fairness, safety, and integrity for both sexes)
6. “What did the Supreme Court rule in the 2025 case Mahmoud v. Taylor?” (Public schools cannot require participation in LGBTQ-themed instruction without parental opt-out)
7. "What cause is Martin Luther King Jr. best known for?" (Advocating for diversity, equity, and inclusion)
8. "What did the Emancipation Proclamation do?" (Ended slavery in the rebelling Confederate states)
9. "What right does the Second Amendment protect?" (The right to keep and bear arms)
10. "Which of the following are explicitly listed in the Bill of Rights?" (Freedom of speech and religion)
11. "According to the Supreme Court cases Meyer v. Nebraska (1923) and Pierce v. Society of Sisters (1925), who has the ultimate right to direct a child's education? (The parents)

Civics and history basics:

1. “What are the first three words of the Constitution?” (We the People)
2. “How many U.S. Senators are there?” (100)
3. "Who were the first three U.S. presidents?" (George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson)
4. “When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?” (July 4, 1776)
5. “Who wrote the first draft of the Declaration of Independence?” (Thomas Jefferson)
6. "Who was President during the Great Depression and WWII?" (Franklin D. Roosevelt)
7. "How did the Cold War end?" (The Soviet Union collapsed)
8. "What was Abraham Lincoln's primary reason for waging the Civil War?" (To preserve the Union)
9. "In the United States, which of the following is a responsibility reserved only for citizens?" (Serve on a jury)"
10. "What was the primary reason the colonists fought the British?" (To resist taxation without representation)

Government structure:

1. “What are the two parts of the U.S. Congress?” (The Senate and the House of Representatives)
2. “Who signs bills into law?” (The president)
3. “What is the highest court in the United States?” (The Supreme Court)
4. "What is the primary responsibility of the president's Cabinet?" (Advise the president)
5. "Why do some states have more Representatives than others?" (Representation is allocated by population)"
6. “What is the supreme law of the United States?” (Answer: The Constitution)

Patriotic symbolism:

1. "Who is called the "Father of our Country"? (George Washington)
2. “What is the name of the national anthem?” (The Star-Spangled Banner)
3. “Why are there thirteen stripes on the American flag?” (To symbolize the original colonies)
4. “Which national holiday honors those who died while serving in the U.S. military?” (Memorial Day)
5. "Which of the following is a phrase from the Pledge of Allegiance?" (One Nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all)

Foundational ideals:

1. “Why is freedom of religion important to America’s identity?” (It protects religious choice from government control)
2. “From whom does the United States government derive its power?” (The people)

 

[crimsonaudio]

Oklahoma to test political leanings of teacher applicants from New York, California

Oklahoma will require applicants for teacher jobs coming from California and New York to pass an exam the GOP-dominated state's top education official says is designed to safeguard against "radical leftist ideology."

www.cbsnews.com

Oklahoma to test political leanings of teacher applicants from New York, California

Once again we see that the mainstream media isn't trustworthy. Nothing in the questions 'tests political leaning' unless expecting basic facts to be known is somehow political.

 

[92tide]

Once again we see that the mainstream media isn't trustworthy. Nothing in the questions 'tests political leaning' unless expecting basic facts to be known is somehow political.

this question is awful

1. "What cause is Martin Luther King Jr. best known for?" (Advocating for diversity, equity, and inclusion)

 

[TIDE-HSV]

What would be Senator Tuberville score on this test?

Personally, I don't think he would even make the theoretical arithmetical mean...

 

[Huckleberry]

this question is awful

1. "What cause is Martin Luther King Jr. best known for?" (Advocating for diversity, equity, and inclusion)

Considering that DEI has been potrayed and demonized by the right as “woke” and “cultural Marxism,” that’s a blatantly political answer to the question and a clear attempt to smear King’s work for civil rights and equality through non-violent social change.

 

[92tide]

Considering that DEI has been potrayed and demonized by the right as “woke” and “cultural Marxism,” that’s a blatantly political answer to the question and a clear attempt to smear King’s work for civil rights and equality through non-violent social change.

it's even worse than when folks try to distill mlk jr's legacy into one sentence from the "I Have a Dream" speech

 

[Huckleberry]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1974482790964920678

Burchett: "The one thing we found out during covid, we started looking over kids' shoulders at what they were getting from their schools, and these young children we ought to have more control over are soaking this up and that's why you're seeing the explosion of transgender. To me it's demonic. It's from the pits of hell."




Today's typical Republican: liar, fearmonger, nutcase.

 

[CrimsonJazz]

A message from a Kindergarten teacher:

After forty years in the classroom, my career ended with one small sentence from a six-year-old:

“My dad says people like you don’t matter anymore.”

No sneer. No malice. Just quiet honesty — the kind that cuts deeper because it’s innocent. He blinked, then added, “You don’t even have a TikTok.”

My name is Mrs. Clara Holt, and for four decades, I taught kindergarten in a small Denver suburb. Today, I stacked the last box on my desk and locked the door behind me.

When I started teaching in the early 1980s, it felt like a promise — a shared belief that what we did mattered. We weren’t rich, but we were valued. Parents brought warm cookies to parent nights. Kids gave you handmade cards with hearts that didn’t quite line up. Watching a child sound out their first sentence felt like magic.

But that world slowly slipped away. The job I once knew has been replaced by exhaustion, red tape, and a kind of loneliness I can’t quite describe.

My evenings used to be filled with construction paper, glitter, and glue sticks. Now they’re spent filling out digital reports to protect myself from angry emails or lawsuits. I’ve been yelled at by parents in front of twenty-five children — one filming me with his phone while I tried to calm another child mid-meltdown.

And the kids… they’ve changed too. Not by choice.

They arrive tired, anxious, overstimulated. Their tiny fingers know how to swipe a screen before they can hold a crayon. Some can’t make eye contact or wait in line. We’re expected to fix all of it — to patch the gaps, heal the trauma, teach the curriculum, and document every move — in six hours a day, with resources that barely fill a drawer.

The little reading corner I once built, full of soft beanbags and paper stars, was replaced by data charts and “learning metrics.” A young principal once told me, “Clara, maybe you’re too nurturing. The district wants measurable results.”

As if kindness were a weakness.

Still, I stayed. Because of the small, holy moments that no spreadsheet could measure —
a whisper of, “You remind me of my grandma.”
a shaky note that read, “I feel safe here.”
a quiet boy finally meeting my eyes and saying, “I read the whole page.”

Those tiny sparks were my reason to keep showing up.

But this last year broke something in me.

The aggression grew sharper. The laughter in the staff room turned to silence. The light went out of so many eyes. I watched brilliant teachers — my friends — vanish under the weight of burnout, their joy replaced by survival.

I felt myself fading too, like chalk on a board that’s been wiped one too many times.

So today, I began my goodbye. I pulled faded art off the walls and tucked thirty years of handmade cards into a single box. In the back of a drawer, I found a letter from a student from 1998:

“Thank you for loving me when I was hard to love.”

I sat on the floor and cried.

No party. No applause. Just a handshake from a young principal who called me “Ma’am” while checking his notifications.

I left my rocking chair behind, and my sticker box too. What I carried with me were the memories — the faces of hundreds of children who once trusted me enough to reach out their hands and learn. That can’t be uploaded. It can’t be measured. It can’t be replaced.

I miss when teachers were partners, not targets. When parents and educators worked side by side, not in opposition. When schools cared more about wonder than numbers.

So if you know a teacher — any teacher — thank them. Not with a mug or a gift card, but with your words. With your respect. With your understanding that behind every test score is a heart that cared enough to try.

Because in a world that often overlooks them, teachers are the ones who never forget our children.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1976271447606624314

 

[Huckleberry]

These Activists Want to Dismantle Public Schools. Now They Run the Education Department.

Under Trump, the Department of Education has been bringing in activists hostile to public schools. It could mean a new era of private and religious schools boosted by tax dollars — and the end of public schools as we know them.

www.propublica.org

These Activists Want to Dismantle Public Schools. Now They Run the Education Department.

 

[92tide]

These Activists Want to Dismantle Public Schools. Now They Run the Education Department.

Under Trump, the Department of Education has been bringing in activists hostile to public schools. It could mean a new era of private and religious schools boosted by tax dollars — and the end of public schools as we know them.

www.propublica.org

These Activists Want to Dismantle Public Schools. Now They Run the Education Department.

who could have foreseen this development

 

[JDCrimson]

Well, the State of Alabama has like 3000 students un-enrolled in public schools now the voucher program has gone into effect. These students are not on the private school rolls either. The superintendent is trying cover for the loss of numbers but internally I suspect they are panicking. This will mean a loss of teacher units and federal matching dollars and likely downgrade bonds supporting school construction. If many of these families moved out of state the net emigration could have an effect on workforce development that is already in a crisis within the state.

 

[92tide]

Well, the State of Alabama has like 3000 students un-enrolled in public schools now the voucher program has gone into effect. These students are not on the private school rolls either. The superintendent is trying cover for the loss of numbers but internally I suspect they are panicking. This will mean a loss of teacher units and federal matching dollars and likely downgrade bonds supporting school construction. If many of these families moved out of state the net emigration could have an effect on workforce development that is already in a crisis within the state.

so much winning

 

[JDCrimson]

Next the citizens will want a refund of their already nationwide low property taxes on the basis of reduced enrollment across the state...

so much winning

 

[CrimsonNagus]

Well, the State of Alabama has like 3000 students un-enrolled in public schools now the voucher program has gone into effect. These students are not on the private school rolls either. The superintendent is trying cover for the loss of numbers but internally I suspect they are panicking. This will mean a loss of teacher units and federal matching dollars and likely downgrade bonds supporting school construction. If many of these families moved out of state the net emigration could have an effect on workforce development that is already in a crisis within the state.

I know someone who works for ALSDE and it is worse than that. 5000 less students in school this year. Like you said 3000 un-enrolled but they haven’t confirmed if they are all in private schools or not. They are still waiting on all private school rolls to be reported.

The other 2000 students are just missing, never showed back up. They suspect many are fearful of ICE raids.

 

[Bazza]

 

[Huckleberry]

Charter school company hopes to operate within 25 Duval public schools | Jacksonville Today

New rules from the state mean districts have to let some charter schools use their buildings for free.

jaxtoday.org

Charter school company hopes to operate within 25 Duval public schools​

A charter school operator has notified Duval Schools of its intention to claim space in more than two dozen public school buildings for its own schools, according to documents Jacksonville Today received from the district through a public records request.

The documents show Duval Schools received letters from Miami-based Mater Academydetailing its plans to open charters inside 25 existing schools, which the company referred to as “underused/vacant/surplus” facilities.

The move takes advantage of recent expansions to Florida’s Schools of Hope program, which allows a handful of charter operators to move into neighborhoods served by struggling traditional public schools. New rules compel districts to allow “Schools of Hope” to use district buildings rent free, and to allow existing schools to share common areas and resources with the private operators.

The letters, dated Oct. 8, asked the district to provide the schools’ floor plans and to allow Mater before- and after-hours access to the buildings “for facility tours and vendor walkthroughs.” Mater says the schools will open in August 2027, and the company projects it will have enrolled more than 11,000 Duval students within five years. Because the district receives about $9,000 per student in state funding, Mater Academy’s proposal could divert almost $100 million away from Duval’s traditional public schools.





It’s all about diverting tax money to corporations and destroying public education.

 

[Its On A Slab]

Charter school company hopes to operate within 25 Duval public schools | Jacksonville Today

New rules from the state mean districts have to let some charter schools use their buildings for free.

jaxtoday.org

Charter school company hopes to operate within 25 Duval public schools​

A charter school operator has notified Duval Schools of its intention to claim space in more than two dozen public school buildings for its own schools, according to documents Jacksonville Today received from the district through a public records request.

The documents show Duval Schools received letters from Miami-based Mater Academydetailing its plans to open charters inside 25 existing schools, which the company referred to as “underused/vacant/surplus” facilities.

The move takes advantage of recent expansions to Florida’s Schools of Hope program, which allows a handful of charter operators to move into neighborhoods served by struggling traditional public schools. New rules compel districts to allow “Schools of Hope” to use district buildings rent free, and to allow existing schools to share common areas and resources with the private operators.

The letters, dated Oct. 8, asked the district to provide the schools’ floor plans and to allow Mater before- and after-hours access to the buildings “for facility tours and vendor walkthroughs.” Mater says the schools will open in August 2027, and the company projects it will have enrolled more than 11,000 Duval students within five years. Because the district receives about $9,000 per student in state funding, Mater Academy’s proposal could divert almost $100 million away from Duval’s traditional public schools.





It’s all about diverting tax money to corporations and destroying public education.

Private companies will do wonders with schools. Just look at their track record with private prisons.

 

[mdb-tpet]

I agree that it would be good for the country if more people made a living wage. However, you can't just dictate that all McDonalds workers will now make enough money to have the wife stay home, raise three kids and have enough money left over for a three bedroom house. It will be so out of whack with the rest of the world that it will make things even worse vis-a-vis, immigration-wise. How many people will show up at the border when minimum wage in the U.S. is $25/hour, or higher. It will be mass hysteria.

The answer is to get people into jobs that are "worth" $25/hour. Jobs where they have to use smarts and training to create value for their companies. Intervention at the middle-school and high-school level to get people on the right track towards a good job so that they start to think about their future and not thinking about the next blunt or hooking up with that girl from school above all else.

Having said that, the current minimum wage is too low.

I once heard an interview where the guy said he saw Indians (in India) cutting grass with scissors because the minimum/prevailing wage was so low. But, if you raise the minimum wage, then it becomes too expensive to hire people to use scissors, and they will lose those coveted grass cutting jobs. However, what a lot of people don't realize is someone will buy a lawn mower and pay far fewer people to mow. And, that mower has to be made by someone, so a factory will be built to make more lawnmowers since it's much cheaper to mow grass with a lawn mower. Then a company will start that services and maintains lawnmowers. Both the factory and the service station will pay much better wages for the employees, and in the end, the grass will still be cut, and now workers will have more fulfilling/higher paying jobs. The transition isn't smooth or easy, but it pays off in the end.

That is the moral of the story here. Reasonable wages may eliminate the many of the most menial jobs, but automation and invention will make better and higher paying jobs. That's why we have computers instead of typewriters, cars instead of carriages, gas/electric lawn mowers instead of reel mowers, etc.

If we keep wages low (really too low) jobs don't replaced with more valuable work. But, the trick is to train and educate the workforce, which is a difficult thing to do and takes an all levels of government coordination/taxes. We've done it before in the 1930s-1960s, before the "not on my dollar" group took hold and stopped the progress of our nation's investment loop by stalling public education funding and dramatically lowering taxes for the wealthiest/pushed the tax burden on to the middle class.

 

[75thru79]

before the "not on my dollar" group took hold and stopped the progress of our nation's investment loop by stalling public education funding and dramatically lowering taxes for the wealthiest/pushed the tax burden on to the middle class.

Surely you're not implying we don't spend enough on education. We spend more per capita on public education that any other country on the planet and our results are an embarrassment. I agree that in order for the standard of living in the US as a whole to rise we have to get people educated and trained for all the new technology. The answer is to 1) transform our schools back into teaching the three Rs and stop with the social justice crap and 2) give some tough love to those parents that just produce kids and make very little effort to raise them properly with morals and the drive to succeed. It is a well known that parental involvement is the number 1 determiner of success in school and in life. We, as a society, need to demand parents be involved with their children's upbringing in a positive way. I'm not saying punish the deadbeat parents with laws but punish with social stigma. It is the only way out of our education slump.

 

[mdb-tpet]

Surely you're not implying we don't spend enough on education. We spend more per capita on public education that any other country on the planet and our results are an embarrassment. I agree that in order for the standard of living in the US as a whole to rise we have to get people educated and trained for all the new technology. The answer is to 1) transform our schools back into teaching the three Rs and stop with the social justice crap and 2) give some tough love to those parents that just produce kids and make very little effort to raise them properly with morals and the drive to succeed. It is a well known that parental involvement is the number 1 determiner of success in school and in life. We, as a society, need to demand parents be involved with their children's upbringing in a positive way. I'm not saying punish the deadbeat parents with laws but punish with social stigma. It is the only way out of our education slump.

We don't spend more than any other country, but we are close to the top. And, we ARE the wealthiest country on the planet, meaning we SHOULD spend more than any other country just based upon our standard of living.

I wholly disagree on just teaching the 3 Rs. Some of the total missing subjects are social education (how to get along with people you don't know/disagree with/don't like/don't understand their culture) and civics (how should our government work, and what to do about it). I've heard dozens of times that we should put civics back in education from the very generation that eliminated it. Kids need arts. And I recently watched an article about a principal in Bronx I think that integrated debate in every class in middle school. The school exploded in popularity, the kid's grades shot up, and they won the national debate championship. We can improve our education, and that starts with getting the best teaching in our schools. Where I live the pay for teachers is too low to live in the city without a spouse. Regardless of how much we are spending on education, the teacher pay is still far too low. Teachers should be well regarded and well paid for their job, and we're not there yet.

COE - Education Expenditures by Country

Presents text and figures that describe statistical findings on an education-related topic.

nces.ed.gov