I really enjoyed the story of the airplane buddy you met! I have only once sat next to the same passenger on a outgoing and on a return flight - how cool! And what was cooler was that she got some very good information from a reliable source about the real consequences of electing a madman with a theocratic agenda. We are already living with this theocratic ideology in Texas and it’s very galling to say the least. Also great were the updates from TECBD - Last night we had dinner with my friend and former supervisor Mike Turner (who oversaw my work in TJJD from 2015-2017) who was driving through El Paso on his way home from the conference and that was a treat too! I haven’t been able to attend since 2021 and it’s a heartbreak that I couldn’t go this year either, but I have been following it on social media. (That’s not the same.) So, thank you for all the updates! Hope your turkey week is peaceful - Gita
Hey, Gina. Thanks for the observations. I wish you'd been there, too. It's a wonderful meeting. Also, I'm sorry I didn't meet your pal, Mike Turner. The next year we're all in Tempe (or somewhere), let's connect.
Jen, thanks a lot for the note. I surely didn't cover all the reasons for concern about scuttling ED, but I'm glad those that I mentioned made sense. And, if you (or others) can offer additional arguments for sustaining ED (or reasons it should be abolished), please add them here. That'll help all of us.
John, thanks for sharing your experience with your seatmate! That sounds like it made for a more enjoyable flight both directions. Also, as Jen said, thank you for sharing talking points. I need to get some together as I'm going to be asked about it too.
Very sorry to miss this conference and especially sorry to miss seeing all y'all! Sounds like you had a great time--and you did a excellent job talking policy with your seat-mate! I honestly don't think the incoming admin will try to abolish the USDOE. The higher priority and lower-hanging fruit is (a) budget cuts--that's what we saw proposed during Trump 1.0--keep an eye on appropriations this year--and (b) allocating public funds for private education (e.g., through vouchers; scholarships). Both are big concerns and long-standing Republican priorities.
I have to laugh when Trump says "take education back to the states." Education in the U.S. lives at the state and local level! We have federal laws that govern us and protect kids' rights, along with federal funding that makes a difference in kids' outcomes--but state and local funding and local control is the law of the land in the U.S.
I really enjoyed the story of the airplane buddy you met! I have only once sat next to the same passenger on a outgoing and on a return flight - how cool! And what was cooler was that she got some very good information from a reliable source about the real consequences of electing a madman with a theocratic agenda. We are already living with this theocratic ideology in Texas and it’s very galling to say the least. Also great were the updates from TECBD - Last night we had dinner with my friend and former supervisor Mike Turner (who oversaw my work in TJJD from 2015-2017) who was driving through El Paso on his way home from the conference and that was a treat too! I haven’t been able to attend since 2021 and it’s a heartbreak that I couldn’t go this year either, but I have been following it on social media. (That’s not the same.) So, thank you for all the updates! Hope your turkey week is peaceful - Gita
Hey, Gina. Thanks for the observations. I wish you'd been there, too. It's a wonderful meeting. Also, I'm sorry I didn't meet your pal, Mike Turner. The next year we're all in Tempe (or somewhere), let's connect.
I have been asked about eliminating the ED and I know it will come up again this week with family. Thanks for your talking points!
Jen, thanks a lot for the note. I surely didn't cover all the reasons for concern about scuttling ED, but I'm glad those that I mentioned made sense. And, if you (or others) can offer additional arguments for sustaining ED (or reasons it should be abolished), please add them here. That'll help all of us.
John, thanks for sharing your experience with your seatmate! That sounds like it made for a more enjoyable flight both directions. Also, as Jen said, thank you for sharing talking points. I need to get some together as I'm going to be asked about it too.
Jane, thanks for the note. As you work on talking points, please share. It's a good time for reasoned, measured observations.
Maybe I should create a conversation thread (I think there's a way to do so somewhere here on Substack) so folks can share with each other.
Very sorry to miss this conference and especially sorry to miss seeing all y'all! Sounds like you had a great time--and you did a excellent job talking policy with your seat-mate! I honestly don't think the incoming admin will try to abolish the USDOE. The higher priority and lower-hanging fruit is (a) budget cuts--that's what we saw proposed during Trump 1.0--keep an eye on appropriations this year--and (b) allocating public funds for private education (e.g., through vouchers; scholarships). Both are big concerns and long-standing Republican priorities.
I have to laugh when Trump says "take education back to the states." Education in the U.S. lives at the state and local level! We have federal laws that govern us and protect kids' rights, along with federal funding that makes a difference in kids' outcomes--but state and local funding and local control is the law of the land in the U.S.
On that note, keep an eye on efforts in the Commonwealth of VA to overhaul the state's 52-year-old education funding formula: https://virginiamercury.com/2024/09/17/va-lawmakers-prepare-to-overhaul-decades-old-school-funding-formula/
Cheers! 🎉
I suspect you're right, Betsy, that abolishing ED has too little bang for the political costs. But, there are people talking about it.
Great suggestions about what to monitor, too! Thanks!