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What We’re Reading This Week: July 12, 2019

A weekly sampling of articles, blogs and reports relevant to TT educators.

Elementary Education Has Gone Terribly Wrong 

The Atlantic 

“In the early grades, U.S. schools value reading-comprehension skills over knowledge. The results are devastating, especially for poor kids.” 

 

More Cities Take On ‘Period Poverty’ As a Way to Keep Kids in School (Video) 

Education Week 

“Many girls can’t afford menstrual products, leading them to miss class. Some cities like Providence, R.I., are providing free pads and tampons to help keep them in school.” 

 

Using Instagram to Teach Poetry 

Edutopia 

“Although traditional language arts teachers may shy away from this poetry trend, the reality is that students today aren’t picking up poetry volumes from dusty library shelves. Instapoetry has made poetry cool for a generation of students who wouldn’t access it on their own, so why not study it?” 

 

It Was Never About Busing 

The New York Times 

“That we even use the word ‘busing’ to describe what was in fact court-ordered school desegregation, and that Americans of all stripes believe that the brief period in which we actually tried to desegregate our schools was a failure, speaks to one of the most successful propaganda campaigns of the last half century.” 

 

Civil Rights, Disabilities Groups Urge Florida to Stop Building Student Database They Call ‘Massive Surveillance Effort’ 

The Washington Post 

“We are deeply concerned that the program will be used to label students as threats based on data that has no documented link to violent behavior, such as data on disabilities or those seeking mental health care.” 

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