Mead On Charter Growth, Free Speech EO, Sports, Music, And New York Myths And CA Pensions…

Emmeline Zhao is a wonderful partner with a delightful mean streak. Look for our project on Jack Coons and his work in education later in April.

Don’t miss Sara Mead on charter growth.

We discussed the other day a possible Trump executive order on campus free speech. It came yesterday along with some other provisions and is basically a big nothing – it calls on schools to enforce current law though it is possible it could lead to some new bureaucracies people may soon come to regret alongside already sprawling campus bureaus around various issues.

Obviously President Trump as a free speech champion is ludicrous given some of his rhetoric. But hopefully this lands as a big nothing and people don’t take the bait. President Trump is adept at getting into his critics’ heads and using the reflexive opposition to whatever he does to get critics out of position politically. In other words, yes universities should protect free speech and free inquiry, yes as they have to now under the law, and yes there are some problems – and always have been from different directions at different times – although it’s hardly the “crisis” some make it out to be.

Also on higher ed, here’s Bruno Manno on more workforce friendly options emerging in post-secondary sector. I have been struck lately at how gloomy many people are about K-12 and higher ed and the energy that is driving toward alternative options and various employer-embedded strategies.

This Alia Wong story on some of the myths surrounding the Stuyvesant debate makes some important points and highlights some frequently overlooked caveats. But her take on the public opinion is pegged to a 2014 survey when there is  more recent data that paints a more textured picture of the landscape.

California has a fiscal problem around pensions.

CRPE on teachers unions and charters, what does organizing lead to?

Do we have a disdain for high school sports? I don’t know how widespread it is outside of the general debate about how people view sports. But, I do wonder whether decoupling sports from high schools more, or really supplementing non-school leagues for high school aged athletes, might allow for more people to view sports as a life long inclusive activity rather than one where people are weeded out. You could still have elite sports leagues but also broader participation in less elite ones. That has health and other implications.

In lieu of music, here’s Sandy Kress on the power of music.