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Public Education

The Militarization And Weaponization Of Media Literacy

During President Donald Trump’s second term, education has remained a central battleground in American politics. Republicans claim that classrooms have become hotbeds of “woke” indoctrination, accusing educators of promoting progressive agendas and tolerating antisemitism. In contrast, Democrats argue that conservatives are systematically defunding and dismantling public and higher education precisely because it teaches values like diversity, equity, and inclusion. While these partisan skirmishes dominate headlines, they obscure a much deeper and more enduring issue that encompasses all of these issues and more: the influence of corporate and military power on public education.

How Wall Street’s Grip On School Finance Deepens Inequality

Public school districts are bracing for cuts after the Trump administration’s decision to withhold $6.8 billion of education funding. But the financial squeeze is not new. For years, private finance has quietly shaped public education budgets. Schools have become deeply reliant on Wall Street debt to finance everything from basic infrastructure and classroom upgrades to day-to-day operations. The deeper schools fall into debt, the more they are bound by a set of financial rules that prioritize investors over students and teachers. School districts turn to debt financing when they face costs that their immediate budgets cannot cover.

Trump Freezes Over $6 Billion In Education Funding

While President Trump signed his so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill” into law this July 4 — locking in massive tax cuts for the wealthy and ramping up funding for ICE and the military — the Education Department quietly froze over $6 billion in federal education funding, throwing thousands of schools and community programs into limbo. The funding freeze, like the ugly spending bill, is part of Trump’s plans to slash programs that benefit the working class while deepening inequality and redirecting public money toward repression, privatization, and militarization. This also comes as Trump effectively dismantles the Department of Education via executive order with the full support of Education Secretary Linda McMahon, and giving ICE the green light to attack immigrant students and families through raiding schools, hospitals, and religious sites.

Minneapolis Parents And Teachers Protest Cuts To Special Education

Minneapolis, MN — Dozens of teachers and parents interrupted a school board meeting to demand the Minneapolis Public Schools not cut special education department staff or funding. As special education teachers are beginning to be laid off and the Minneapolis Public School district faces a $75M budget deficit with plans for wide cuts, protesters are calling for the most vulnerable students in the district not to be on the chopping block. With chants of “Who’s schools? Our schools,” and “inclusion is for everyone,” the large crowd of protesters interrupted the School Board meeting on Tuesday, March 25, by standing and chanting in unison before several speakers shared their stories.

Trump Begins Process Of Dismantling Department Of Education

On March 20, US President Trump signed an executive order to begin the process of dismantling the Department of Education. The order aims to move education funding from the federal government to the states, and coincides with the plan outlined in Project 2025 by the right-wing think tank the Heritage Foundation, which set eliminating the DOE as a goal. The DOE, which, among other objectives, plays a key role in providing funding for impoverished and low income students, students with disabilities, and other underserved students, has been a target of conservatives in the US for decades.

Argentina: Hundreds Of Thousands Mobilize In Defense Of Public Education

On October 2, hundreds of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of Argentina to demand that Javier Milei’s neoliberal government cease its attempts to defund public university education. It was the largest protest to date against Milei’s harsh neoliberal measures, yet the libertarian head of state refused to budge. Several political parties, social movements, unions, and human rights organizations joined students, professors, graduates, and university workers in the streets demanding that Milei not veto the University Financing Law which seeks to increase the university budget given the needs faced by Argentine universities.

50 Reasons Why Portland Teachers Are Striking

There are more than 4,500 educators and 45,000 students in Portland Public Schools (PPS) in Oregon —and that adds up to about 50,000 reasons why Portland Association of Teachers (PAT) members are going on strike tomorrow. These dedicated educators and students don’t have what they need—and deserve—to be successful.  Here are 50 more reasons:  REASON #1: Enormous Class Sizes: Portland teacher Tiffany Koyoma-Lane has had as many as 31 students in her third-grade class, competing for her attention. Frankly, not all of them get it. “The difference between 21 and 31? Every student and family gets less of me,” she says. Class size caps would improve learning, union members say.

Nicaragua: The Education Generation

Thanks to a complete overhaul of the country’s educational system in the past 15 years, record numbers of students are graduating from high school. Although recent international headlines claim academic spaces are closing in Nicaragua, there is now actually increased access to free public universities. That, combined with hundreds of free vocational programs around the country, means that the class of 2023 has more options open to them than ever before. In a few short weeks, our youngest daughter Orla will graduate from high school. Recently I went to her school to watch as she and her friends marched in blue and white one final time to celebrate Nicaragua’s Independence.

The Dystopian Future Of US Public Education Is On Display In Houston

On June 1, the state of Texas removed Elizabeth Santos, an elected school board trustee, from office and replaced her with Janette Garza Lindner, the candidate she defeated in December 2021. The ousting was part of a larger takeover of the Houston public school system by the Republican-led Texas state government — a process that began in late 2019 and became formalized June 1 when Mike Miles, a charter school owner whose school administrator license lapsed five years ago, was installed as the new superintendent of the district by Gov. Greg Abbott along with an appointed Board of Managers.

UFT Contract Would Expand Virtual Learning And School Privatization

As if responding to Betsy Devos’ admonition that “K-12 education for too long has been very static and very stuck,” Department of Education Chancellor David Banks declared last week that the City’s new Tentative Contract Agreement with the UFT fulfilled Mayor Adams’ challenge to “reimagine education” and that “the days of simply working … in the four walls of the classroom are over.” To this end, New York City will become “the first major public-school system to develop, implement and expand high-quality virtual learning programs for instruction and related services” by creating a centralized virtual learning program and expanding school-level virtual learning to all high schools by the 2026-27 school year.

Wisconsin Governor Signed Largest School Voucher Expansion In 30 Years

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers signed a budget package Tuesday that includes what could be the biggest voucher school expansion since the program started 30 years ago. You would be excused for having flashbacks to the work of former Republican Gov. Scott Walker, who championed school privatization and greatly expanded the state’s voucher program in 2014. The deal that Evers, a Democrat, supported is a package of bills that were signed along with the state budget and which could increase private school voucher enrollment by 40% statewide. It could effectively be such a strong push toward privatization that it would put the state’s public schools in crisis, pulling students and the funding the goes with them out of already cash strapped public school districts.

Common Good A Big Subject In Oakland Schools Strike

The 3,000 teachers and support staff of the Oakland Education Association walked out May 4, shutting down all 85 elementary, middle, and high schools. Community support was immediate and widespread—parents were already familiar with the cuts the district had inflicted or proposed. Many donated food and joined our picket lines to walk, dance, and chant in solidarity. Eighty-eight percent of teachers had voted to strike, after it became clear that our demands were not being taken seriously at the negotiating table. The Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) had stonewalled us—delaying meetings, failing to show up, and presenting vague proposals that demonstrated a limited understanding of what’s really needed day to day in schools.

Nationwide Demonstrations Denounce Restrictions On Teaching, Book Bans

Teach-ins at university campuses, community book drives, read-alouds of banned books on social media, and rallies in front of the College Board headquarters in both New York and Washington, D.C. These were among the activities taking place across the country on Wednesday as part of the Freedom to Learn national day of action spearheaded by the African American Policy Forum, which has been critical of state laws restricting how teachers can discuss race in the classroom. The forum is led by Kimberlé Crenshaw, a law professor and civil rights scholar at Columbia University Law School.

Famous Bilingual Program Is Failing And Teachers May Strike

Twenty years ago, the small school district of Woodburn piloted Oregon’s first K-12 district-wide dual-language program. It became a model for schools nationwide. Yet while the district continues to proudly present itself as bilingual, in reality this program—along with the rest of the system—is failing. Last week the Woodburn Education Association voted to authorize a potential strike, as teachers fight for better pay and caps on class sizes. So did the neighboring Silver Falls Education Association. “We see the most issues with the dual-language program,” said Misha Pfliger, a WEA rep and high school teacher. “It hasn’t been supported or sustained as the district has promised. Lots of teachers are leaving.

New York Pre-K Workers Fight For Their Jobs, In Spite Of Their Union

New York City, New York - Just days before school started last fall, 400 early childhood education workers in New York City were told they were being “excessed,” leaving their students in limbo. The workers sprang into action, and in January they won a short-term reinstatement. But they’re still fighting for long-term job stability as the administration of Mayor Eric Adams slowly dismantles his predecessor Bill De Blasio’s signature program, universal pre-kindergarten. And not only are they fighting the city—they’ve also had to fight their union, the United Federation of Teachers. With 180,000 members, the UFT is the largest teachers union in the country and a powerful force in city politics.
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