All of the Above Podcast

Data from both the US and UK shows that reading for pleasure is on the decline for kids of all ages, and adults too. For the youngest children, time reading with a loving adult is also on the decline, at the same time as screen time is rising sharply. In a world where a generation who grew up on screens themselves is now having children, is this just the way of the future, or are we losing something fundamental that should concern us?  And, for this week in American fascism in education, we shed light on the happenings beyond just Donny and Linda. Here in LA many parents are forced to miss their child's graduation out of fears of ICE raids and kidnapping. A fake news (really) organization “catches” Western Carolina University administrator claiming the school continues DEI efforts (watch what you say people!). Republicans in Tennessee decide to cut key summer meal funding for low income families, leaving hundreds of thousands of hungry kids with no food for the summer. And lastly, as student loan repayments resume this month, Forbes shares an analysis showing the disproportionate impacts of loan default by race, including on Black women who borrow the most for college, despite the burden of both racial and gender wage gaps. Manuel and Jeff discuss!MAXIMUM WOKENESS ALERT -- get your All of the Above swag, including your own “Teach the Truth” shirt! In this moment of relentless attacks on teaching truth in the classroom, we got you covered. https://all-of-the-above-store.creator-spring.com Watch, listen and subscribe to make sure you don't miss our latest content!Listen on Apple Podcast and Spotify Website: https://AOTAshow.comStream all of our content at: linktr.ee/AOTA  Watch at: YouTube.com/AlloftheAboveFollow us at: Twitter.com/AOTAshow, Facebook.com/AOTAshow, and LinkedIn

This Week: A fascinating piece in Chalkbeat breaks down some of the pros and cons of states adopting varied graduation pathways to a HS diploma. In a world where AI can do your homework, where it seems like we have no idea what the economic future will look like, and all but 6 states have dropped their HS exit exam requirements, what is - or should be - the purpose of a high school education? But first, this week in American fascism in education was a doozy. Yikes. We got the Labor Dept shutting down Job Corps, Donny and Linda bringing back racist indigenous HS mascots in NY State, Trump attempting to cut tribal college funding by 90%, child acute malnutrition in Gaza triples amid US taxpayer funded genocide, and ICE agents start arresting high school students across the country, like in Mass, NYC, and Detroit.  Manuel and Jeff discuss!MAXIMUM WOKENESS ALERT -- get your All of the Above swag, including your own “Teach the Truth” shirt! In this moment of relentless attacks on teaching truth in the classroom, we got you covered. https://all-of-the-above-store.creator-spring.com Watch, listen and subscribe to make sure you don't miss our latest content!Listen on Apple Podcast and Spotify Website: https://AOTAshow.comStream all of our content at: linktr.ee/AOTA  Watch at: YouTube.com/AlloftheAboveFollow us at: Facebook.com/AOTAshow and Twitter.com/AOTAshow

This Week: The College Board casts its lot with the most regressive, racist actors in our society by stripping race from consideration in its National Recognition Program. The likely outcome of this decision will be a reduction in scholarship funds for Black, Latino, and Native American students, and a shifting of those funds to overrepresented Asian and white students. Here we go again. Plus, in “This Week in American Fascism in Education” the Supreme Court lets stand a lower court ruling upholding schools' right to stop students from wearing  “only two genders” t-shirts, and Trump threatens to strip CA of billions in federal education funding over trans athletes. Manuel and Jeff discuss!MAXIMUM WOKENESS ALERT -- get your All of the Above swag, including your own “Teach the Truth” shirt! In this moment of relentless attacks on teaching truth in the classroom, we got you covered. https://all-of-the-above-store.creator-spring.com Watch, listen and subscribe to make sure you don't miss our latest content!Listen on Apple Podcast and Spotify Website: https://AOTAshow.comStream all of our content at: linktr.ee/AOTA  Watch at: YouTube.com/AlloftheAboveFollow us at: Facebook.com/AOTAshow and Twitter.com/AOTAshow

This Week: Coming out of the pandemic, schools across the country implemented versions of more equitable grading practices. Today, as the immediate effects of the pandemic are behind us, new questions are coming up about whether the pendulum swung too far, and we should return to more traditional, and punitive grading practices. A piece out of Chalkbeat Chicago this week sums up the debate nicely in their high schools. Also, we talk through “This Week in American Fascism in Education” where Donny, Linda, and Kristi took a couple Ls (for now) when they tried to kick all the international students out of Harvard, and pave the way for public funding of religious charter schools. Manuel and Jeff discuss!MAXIMUM WOKENESS ALERT -- get your All of the Above swag, including your own “Teach the Truth” shirt! In this moment of relentless attacks on teaching truth in the classroom, we got you covered. https://all-of-the-above-store.creator-spring.com Passing Period is an AOTA podcast extra that gives us a chance to check-in, reflect, and discuss powerful stories in between our full episodes. Watch, listen and subscribe to make sure you don't miss our latest content!Website: https://AOTAshow.comStream all of our content at: linktr.ee/AOTA  Watch at: YouTube.com/AlloftheAboveListen at: apple.co/38QV7Bd and anchor.fm/AOTAFollow us at: Facebook.com/AOTAshow and Twitter.com/AOTAshow

This Week: Whew, it's been a doozy of a week in American education. Today we do a bit of a news round up with analysis of the stories that resonated most for us.  We've got Linda McMahon out here dropping the ball on student loan repayment plan applications, with 96% going unprocessed, sometimes for over a year! Class warfare and attempts to gut higher ed are in full swing. Gov. Gavin Newsom showing his conservative true colors as he blocks funding the CA's ethnic studies HS graduation requirement. At the same time the CA ethnic legislative caucuses join forces to switch tactics in their attempt to crush ethnic studies. They push a truly Trumpian bill, ostensibly targeting antisemitism. A Harvard student asks, is it even worth it to go to class anymore? And, Louisiana confederates join forces with Trump admin and the courts to bring an official end to school desegregation in the south. Manuel and Jeff discuss!MAXIMUM WOKENESS ALERT -- get your All of the Above swag, including your own “Teach the Truth” shirt! In this moment of relentless attacks on teaching truth in the classroom, we got you covered. https://all-of-the-above-store.creator-spring.com Watch, listen and subscribe to make sure you don't miss our latest content!Website: https://AOTAshow.comStream all of our content at: linktr.ee/AOTA  Watch at: YouTube.com/AlloftheAboveListen at: apple.co/38QV7Bd and anchor.fm/AOTAFollow us at: Facebook.com/AOTAshow and Twitter.com/AOTAshow

This Week: Everywhere you turn nowadays we are bombarded within AI.  From commercials to websites, to our smartphones, you can't escape it. And neither can the nation's college students. A bombshell piece in NY Magazine's Intelligencer this week profiles the extent to which AI use to cheat is endemic in colleges, and the growing concerns around the ethics and potential harm to humans of AI use (also try here).  From students doing virtually no writing and relying entirely on AI, to those who use AI to outline their work and tell them how to construct their thinking, to those who actively use it to undermine efforts to prevent cheating, this is deeply concerning. Questions and concerns are being confirmed by early studies showing negative impacts on students' ability to do critical thinking, solve problems, and perform tasks more complex than simply using tools like ChatGPT to complete tasks. Manuel and Jeff discuss!WAYS TO HELP WITH THE EATON FIRE IN ALTADENA/PASADENA -- Please consider giving what you can! Here are links to GoFundMe pages set up by Altadena families, links to GoFundMe pages supporting Black families devastated by the Eaton fire, and the Pasadena Educational Foundation's page set up to benefit Manuel's school community, which has been devastated by the fire. Thanks for your support!MAXIMUM WOKENESS ALERT -- get your All of the Above swag, including your own “Teach the Truth” shirt! In this moment of relentless attacks on teaching truth in the classroom, we got you covered. https://all-of-the-above-store.creator-spring.com Passing Period is an AOTA podcast extra that gives us a chance to check-in, reflect, and discuss powerful stories in between our full episodes. Watch, listen and subscribe to make sure you don't miss our latest content!Website: https://AOTAshow.comStream all of our content at: linktr.ee/AOTA  Watch at: YouTube.com/AlloftheAboveListen at: apple.co/38QV7Bd and anchor.fm/AOTAFollow us at: Facebook.com/AOTAshow and Twitter.com/AOTAshow

This Week: What would it look like if the people, who claim to care so much about the welfare of the nation's schools and children, actually spent their (our) time, money, and resources on things that benefited the nation's schools and children?  Well, it might look like talking about our first story today, a study from the Annenberg Institute about the surprising connections between HVAC systems and student learning. Of course, instead of talking about things like this, the powers that be are busy trying to gut the college accreditation system, promote intrusions of religion into education by using the Courts to enshrine opting out of LGBTQ content, and crippling the finances of millions of Americans with student loans. The cruelty is the point folks. Manuel and Jeff discuss!WAYS TO HELP WITH THE EATON FIRE IN ALTADENA/PASADENA -- Please consider giving what you can! Here are links to GoFundMe pages set up by Altadena families, links to GoFundMe pages supporting Black families devastated by the Eaton fire, and the Pasadena Educational Foundation's page set up to benefit Manuel's school community, which has been devastated by the fire. Thanks for your support!MAXIMUM WOKENESS ALERT -- get your All of the Above swag, including your own “Teach the Truth” shirt! In this moment of relentless attacks on teaching truth in the classroom, we got you covered. https://all-of-the-above-store.creator-spring.com Watch, listen and subscribe to make sure you don't miss our latest content!Website: https://AOTAshow.comStream all of our content at: linktr.ee/AOTA  Watch at: YouTube.com/AlloftheAboveListen at: apple.co/38QV7Bd and anchor.fm/AOTAFollow us at: Facebook.com/AOTAshow and Twitter.com/AOTAshow

This Week: DHS agents attempt to arrest kids from two Los Angeles elementary schools. The Trump admin unleashes demands that embody government overreach and 1st Amendment violations aimed at colleges, Harvard refuses to comply, costing at least $2.3B in funding for now. Faculty at the Big 10 schools lead an effort to create a NATO-like mutual defense compact to defend against the republican attacks. Then the Wisconsin governor uses an unusual level of veto power to extend additional school funding for the next 400 years. Lastly, a brilliant 10th grader in LA akes the case against the district's cell phone ban. We respect it, and she's totally wrong. Whew - busy week!  Manuel and Jeff discuss. WAYS TO HELP WITH THE EATON FIRE IN ALTADENA/PASADENA -- Please consider giving what you can! Here are links to GoFundMe pages set up by Altadena families, links to GoFundMe pages supporting Black families devastated by the Eaton fire, and the Pasadena Educational Foundation's page set up to benefit Manuel's school community, which has been devastated by the fire. Thanks for your support!MAXIMUM WOKENESS ALERT -- get your All of the Above swag, including your own “Teach the Truth” shirt! In this moment of relentless attacks on teaching truth in the classroom, we got you covered. https://all-of-the-above-store.creator-spring.com Passing Period is an AOTA podcast extra that gives us a chance to check-in, reflect, and discuss powerful stories in between our full episodes. Watch, listen and subscribe to make sure you don't miss our latest content!Website: https://AOTAshow.comStream all of our content at: linktr.ee/AOTA  Watch at: YouTube.com/AlloftheAboveListen at: apple.co/38QV7Bd and anchor.fm/AOTAFollow us at: Facebook.com/AOTAshow and Twitter.com/AOTAshow

This Week: Since Jeff is out there somewhere doing super-duper-dope-principal-leader-man things, we thought it'd be worthwhile to re-post this interview we did in 2019 on KPFK's Flip the Script with Vida Starr. It's a bit of a throwback about who we are and why we started All of the Above in the first place. The interviewer, Chavonne Taylor, is a Los Angeles community champion who first appeared on our show earlier that year.WAYS TO HELP WITH THE EATON FIRE IN ALTADENA/PASADENA -- Please consider giving what you can! Here are links to GoFundMe pages set up by Altadena families, links to GoFundMe pages supporting Black families devastated by the Eaton fire, and the Pasadena Educational Foundation's page set up to benefit Manuel's school community, which has been devastated by the fire. Thanks for your support!MAXIMUM WOKENESS ALERT -- get your All of the Above swag, including your own “Teach the Truth” shirt! In this moment of relentless attacks on teaching truth in the classroom, we got you covered. https://all-of-the-above-store.creator-spring.com Passing Period is an AOTA podcast extra that gives us a chance to check-in, reflect, and discuss powerful stories in between our full episodes. Watch, listen and subscribe to make sure you don't miss our latest content!Website: https://AOTAshow.comStream all of our content at: linktr.ee/AOTA  Watch at: YouTube.com/AlloftheAboveListen at: apple.co/38QV7Bd and anchor.fm/AOTAFollow us at: Facebook.com/AOTAshow and Twitter.com/AOTAshow

This Week: Tired of the wickedness coming from DC? Us too. And, we're gonna keep you updated on the latest. Trump threatened states with stripping federal education funds if they don't sign a letter within 10 days certifying they don't do DEI. The Supreme Court, in all of its great wisdom, reversed a lower court's injunction preventing the Trump admin from withholding hundreds of millions in funding for teacher preparation and training. And, as the move towards privatization of public education shifts into overdrive, we check in on one of the most fascinating, and disturbing examples of what can happen when school is in the wrong hands -- Kanye's Donda Academy. It's as messed up as you'd think, and worse. Manuel and Jeff discuss! WAYS TO HELP WITH THE EATON FIRE IN ALTADENA/PASADENA -- Please consider giving what you can! Here are links to GoFundMe pages set up by Altadena families, links to GoFundMe pages supporting Black families devastated by the Eaton fire, and the Pasadena Educational Foundation's page set up to benefit Manuel's school community, which has been devastated by the fire. Thanks for your support!MAXIMUM WOKENESS ALERT -- get your All of the Above swag, including your own “Teach the Truth” shirt! In this moment of relentless attacks on teaching truth in the classroom, we got you covered. https://all-of-the-above-store.creator-spring.com Passing Period is an AOTA podcast extra that gives us a chance to check-in, reflect, and discuss powerful stories in between our full episodes. Watch, listen and subscribe to make sure you don't miss our latest content!Website: https://AOTAshow.comStream all of our content at: linktr.ee/AOTA  Watch at: YouTube.com/AlloftheAboveListen at: apple.co/38QV7Bd and anchor.fm/AOTAFollow us at: Facebook.com/AOTAshow and Twitter.com/AOTAshow

This Week: In the latest chapter of weaponizing the civil rights arm of the US Dept of Ed against the very marginalized groups whose rights it was created to protect, the Trump admin announced an investigation into CA's SAFETY Act, claiming that the state may be violating FERPA by preventing districts from requiring educators to out LGBTQ+ and curious students to their families. And, in a dastardly, trojan horse style move, a group of mostly democratic CA legislatures launches a disingenuous attack against ethnic studies, claiming to want to develop standards and oversight over the curriculum to address critiques of Israel as a settler colonial state, which is now also engaged in genocide. It's bad enough we have to worry about attacks on humanizing education from the right. Now these folks are putting a polite, liberal face on that work as well. Manuel and Jeff discuss! WAYS TO HELP WITH THE EATON FIRE IN ALTADENA/PASADENA -- Please consider giving what you can! Here are links to GoFundMe pages set up by Altadena families, links to GoFundMe pages supporting Black families devastated by the Eaton fire, and the Pasadena Educational Foundation's page set up to benefit Manuel's school community, which has been devastated by the fire. Thanks for your support!MAXIMUM WOKENESS ALERT -- get your All of the Above swag, including your own “Teach the Truth” shirt! In this moment of relentless attacks on teaching truth in the classroom, we got you covered. https://all-of-the-above-store.creator-spring.com Passing Period is an AOTA podcast extra that gives us a chance to check-in, reflect, and discuss powerful stories in between our full episodes. Watch, listen and subscribe to make sure you don't miss our latest content!Website: https://AOTAshow.comStream all of our content at: linktr.ee/AOTA  Watch at: YouTube.com/AlloftheAboveListen at: apple.co/38QV7Bd and anchor.fm/AOTAFollow us at: Facebook.com/AOTAshow and Twitter.com/AOTAshow

This Week: Well, they did it. Sort of. After telling us what the plan was like evil Bond villains, the White House released the latest in its abuses of executive power this week to, ostensibly, “Improve Educational Outcomes” by doing all it can to close the US Dept of Ed without technically closing it. It's a textbook case of policy violence, with only a thin veil covering the efforts at privatization, weakening of the institutions that educate the nation, and outright attack on what's left of our civil rights infrastructure. Oh, and in case you didn't also see, apparently your favorite vaccine denier will be in charge of school lunch and special ed now, and at least 5 states are now laying the groundwork to eliminate access to free public education for all children in America. Sigh, just another day in dystopia. Manuel and Jeff discuss!WAYS TO HELP WITH THE EATON FIRE IN ALTADENA/PASADENA -- Please consider giving what you can! Here are links to GoFundMe pages set up by Altadena families, links to GoFundMe pages supporting Black families devastated by the Eaton fire, and the Pasadena Educational Foundation's page set up to benefit Manuel's school community, which has been devastated by the fire. Thanks for your support!MAXIMUM WOKENESS ALERT -- get your All of the Above swag, including your own “Teach the Truth” shirt! In this moment of relentless attacks on teaching truth in the classroom, we got you covered. https://all-of-the-above-store.creator-spring.com Passing Period is an AOTA podcast extra that gives us a chance to check-in, reflect, and discuss powerful stories in between our full episodes. Watch, listen and subscribe to make sure you don't miss our latest content!Website: https://AOTAshow.comStream all of our content at: linktr.ee/AOTA  Watch at: YouTube.com/AlloftheAboveListen at: apple.co/38QV7Bd and anchor.fm/AOTAFollow us at: Facebook.com/AOTAshow and Twitter.com/AOTAshow

This Week: It's only been a week since we last spoke, and in that time the US Dept of Education is effectively ½ the size it was, and what's left is being weaponized to target colleges and universities. Plus, an Idaho teacher makes headlines for resisting her district's message to take down signs that say “everyone is welcome here.” The district says the signs “don't allow people to express differing opinions, that it is controversial in today's political environment.” The era of using school and district policy to explicitly make room for people who believe that we all are, in fact, not welcome here, has begun. Manuel and Jeff discuss!WAYS TO HELP WITH THE EATON FIRE IN ALTADENA/PASADENA -- Please consider giving what you can! Here are links to GoFundMe pages set up by Altadena families, links to GoFundMe pages supporting Black families devastated by the Eaton fire, and the Pasadena Educational Foundation's page set up to benefit Manuel's school community, which has been devastated by the fire. Thanks for your support!MAXIMUM WOKENESS ALERT -- get your All of the Above swag, including your own “Teach the Truth” shirt! In this moment of relentless attacks on teaching truth in the classroom, we got you covered. https://all-of-the-above-store.creator-spring.com Passing Period is an AOTA podcast extra that gives us a chance to check-in, reflect, and discuss powerful stories in between our full episodes. Watch, listen and subscribe to make sure you don't miss our latest content!Website: https://AOTAshow.comStream all of our content at: linktr.ee/AOTA  Watch at: YouTube.com/AlloftheAboveListen at: apple.co/38QV7Bd and anchor.fm/AOTAFollow us at: Facebook.com/AOTAshow and Twitter.com/AOTAshow

REPOST - It was all good just a few summers ago! Folks of all backgrounds were marching, corporations were pledging, and America was, well…reckoning. Since the flurry of movement in support of racial justice in the summer of 2020, we have witnessed a severe backlash and regression that most recently has included the federal government attempting to make it illegal to even use the most basic vocabulary of equity and justice in schools. How did we get here, and how can educators survive, resist, and move forward? To help us explore these questions, we're joined by educator and racial equity coach Joe Truss!! Joe is the founder of Truss Leadership and first appeared on AOTA on the eve of the summer of 2020 to discuss dismantling white supremacy culture in schools. But first, Jeff and Manuel take a look at recent headlines in education including new data detailing students' use of AI for schoolwork and polling that claims students are exposed to “woke” messages from their teachers on a near-daily basis. → Get your Teach the Truth T-Shirt here!→ View this episode on YouTube!AGENDA0:00 - Welcome!5:55 - Number of teens using ChatGPT doubled in one year21:21 - Poll: Does your teacher express woke ideas?40:05 - Joe Truss on the backlash to DEI1:21:05 - Transition housing for foster studentsDO-NOW STORIES:About a quarter of U.S. teens have used ChatGPT for schoolwork – double the share in 2023Poll of High Schoolers Shows Many Are Taught That America Is ‘Inherently Racist'Bridging the Divide over Critical Race Theory in America's ClassroomsSEMINAR:Truss LeadershipJoe Truss LinkedInCLASS DISMISSED:The community college creating a home base for transition-age foster studentsGet MORE All of the Above:- Website- Podcast on multiple platforms via Anchor- Podcast via Apple Podcast- Podcast via Spotify- Facebook PageTheme Music by its tajonthabeat

This Week: The right wing onslaught continues. Since we last recorded, the federal government cut $400M in funding from Columbia University for allegedly failing to respond to “relentless antisemitism,” and the USDOE released its “End DEI” website, with the hopes of getting the public to report schools/educators doing DEI stuff and engaging in the mythology of reverse racism. Thankfully, there are good folks out there helping us understand the landscape of these attacks, and strategize on how to resist. Plus, we dig into a fascinating story about the effort to have AI fill in for the shortage of college counselors in the nation's high schools. What could possibly go wrong? Manuel and Jeff discuss!Also, some good news to share -- actor Steve Carell announces funding of prom tickets for students in Altadena affected by the Eaton Fire.   WAYS TO HELP WITH THE EATON FIRE IN ALTADENA/PASADENA -- Please consider giving what you can! Here are links to GoFundMe pages set up by Altadena families, links to GoFundMe pages supporting Black families devastated by the Eaton fire, and the Pasadena Educational Foundation's page set up to benefit Manuel's school community, which has been devastated by the fire. Thanks for your support!MAXIMUM WOKENESS ALERT -- get your All of the Above swag, including your own “Teach the Truth” shirt! In this moment of relentless attacks on teaching truth in the classroom, we got you covered. https://all-of-the-above-store.creator-spring.com Passing Period is an AOTA podcast extra that gives us a chance to check-in, reflect, and discuss powerful stories in between our full episodes. Watch, listen and subscribe to make sure you don't miss our latest content!Website: https://AOTAshow.comStream all of our content at: linktr.ee/AOTA  Watch at: YouTube.com/AlloftheAboveListen at: apple.co/38QV7Bd and anchor.fm/AOTAFollow us at: Facebook.com/AOTAshow and Twitter.com/AOTAshow

This Week: California got rid of affirmative action in higher ed back in the 90s with the notorious prop 209. But that isn't stopping a newcollection of bigots and Uncle Toms from suing the University of California in federal court for allegedly practicing affirmative action voodoo and still admitting “too many” Black and Brown students. Sigh. The entitlement, the hubris, the white supremacy, the arrogance, the violent impulses these folks have for us is astounding. And we aint going anywhere. Manuel and Jeff discuss!Learn more about Manuel's good work with theCalifornia Educator Diversity Action Network here. WAYS TO HELP WITH THE EATON FIRE IN ALTADENA/PASADENA-- Please consider giving what you can! Here arelinks to GoFundMe pages set up by Altadena families, links to GoFundMe pages supportingBlack families devastated by the Eaton fire, and thePasadena Educational Foundation's page set up to benefit Manuel's school community, which has been devastated by the fire. Thanks for your support!MAXIMUM WOKENESS ALERT -- get your All of the Above swag, including your own “Teach the Truth” shirt!In this moment of relentless attacks on teaching truth in the classroom, we got you covered.https://all-of-the-above-store.creator-spring.com Passing Period is an AOTA podcast extra that gives us a chance to check-in, reflect, and discuss powerful stories in between our full episodes. Watch, listen and subscribe to make sure you don't miss our latest content!Website:https://AOTAshow.comStream all of our content at:linktr.ee/AOTA  Watch at:YouTube.com/AlloftheAboveListen at:apple.co/38QV7Bd andanchor.fm/AOTAFollow us at:Facebook.com/AOTAshow andTwitter.com/AOTAshow

It was all good just a few summers ago! Folks of all backgrounds were marching, corporations were pledging, and America was, well…reckoning. Since the flurry of movement in support of racial justice in the summer of 2020, we have witnessed a severe backlash and regression that most recently has included the federal government attempting to make it illegal to even use the most basic vocabulary of equity and justice in schools. How did we get here, and how can educators survive, resist, and move forward? To help us explore these questions, we're joined by educator and racial equity coach Joe Truss!! Joe is the founder of Truss Leadership and first appeared on AOTA on the eve of the summer of 2020 to discuss dismantling white supremacy culture in schools. But first, Jeff and Manuel take a look at recent headlines in education including new data detailing students' use of AI for schoolwork and polling that claims students are exposed to “woke” messages from their teachers on a near-daily basis. → Get your Teach the Truth T-Shirt here!→ View this episode on YouTube!AGENDA0:00 - Welcome!5:55 - Number of teens using ChatGPT doubled in one year21:21 - Poll: Does your teacher express woke ideas?40:05 - Joe Truss on the backlash to DEI1:21:05 - Transition housing for foster studentsDO-NOW STORIES:About a quarter of U.S. teens have used ChatGPT for schoolwork – double the share in 2023Poll of High Schoolers Shows Many Are Taught That America Is ‘Inherently Racist'Bridging the Divide over Critical Race Theory in America's ClassroomsSEMINAR:Truss LeadershipJoe Truss LinkedInCLASS DISMISSED:The community college creating a home base for transition-age foster studentsGet MORE All of the Above:- Website- Podcast on multiple platforms via Anchor- Podcast via Apple Podcast- Podcast via Spotify- Facebook PageTheme Music by its tajonthabeat

This Week: The nation's report card is out, and the results are… meh. Manuel and Jeff get into it briefly before diving more deeply into the latest attacks on public education coming from DC and state governments. The administration handed down three executive orders this week that, if allowed to stand, would have disastrous impacts on the nation's schools, and in particular on our most marginalized youth (see here, and here). We go deep on the “Ending Radical Indoctrination In K-12 Schooling” order, which mandates the teaching of lies to our children, and is a case study in authoritarian propaganda and anti democratic policymaking. Also, Oklahoma State Supt Ryan Walters furthered his record of hate and bigotry by passing a new rule (which still needs legislative approval) that would require parents in his state to prove citizenship or legal status of their children before enrolling in public school. This is a clear attempt to challenge the long standing precedent in the Plyler v. Doe Supreme Court decision, which outlawed these types of policies since the early 1980s. It's getting rough out here folks, but we gotta stick together. Manuel and Jeff discuss! WAYS TO HELP WITH THE EATON FIRE IN ALTADENA/PASADENA -- Please consider giving what you can! Here are links to GoFundMe pages set up by Altadena families, links to GoFundMe pages supporting Black families devastated by the Eaton fire, and the Pasadena Educational Foundation's page set up to benefit Manuel's school community, which has been devastated by the fire. Thanks for your support! MAXIMUM WOKENESS ALERT -- get your All of the Above swag, including your own “Teach the Truth” shirt! In this moment of relentless attacks on teaching truth in the classroom, we got you covered. https://all-of-the-above-store.creator-spring.com  Passing Period is an AOTA podcast extra that gives us a chance to check-in, reflect, and discuss powerful stories in between our full episodes.  Watch, listen and subscribe to make sure you don't miss our latest content! Website: https://AOTAshow.com Stream all of our content at: linktr.ee/AOTA   Watch at: YouTube.com/AlloftheAbove Listen at: apple.co/38QV7Bd and anchor.fm/AOTA Follow us at: Facebook.com/AOTAshow and Twitter.com/AOTAshow

This Week: In just the first few days in office, the Trump administration has used the powers of executive orders to enact hateful and violent policies intended to cause harm to marginalized people of all sorts, and enshrine white supremacy in the nation's system of public schooling.  From their Orwellian press releases, to eliminating DEI offices, to placing individuals identified as having DEI related work on administrative leave, to taking down hundred of websites with resources for schools and colleges to use to promote equity and justice, the war for the soul of education has been ramped up to new heights. But, as bad as it is, all hope is not lost. Manuel and Jeff discuss! WAYS TO HELP WITH THE EATON FIRE IN ALTADENA/PASADENA -- Please consider giving what you can! Here are links to GoFundMe pages set up by Altadena families, links to GoFundMe pages supporting Black families devastated by the Eaton fire, and the Pasadena Educational Foundation's page set up to benefit Manuel's school community, which has been devastated by the fire. Thanks for your support! MAXIMUM WOKENESS ALERT -- get your All of the Above swag, including your own “Teach the Truth” shirt! In this moment of relentless attacks on teaching truth in the classroom, we got you covered. https://all-of-the-above-store.creator-spring.com  Passing Period is an AOTA podcast extra that gives us a chance to check-in, reflect, and discuss powerful stories in between our full episodes.  Watch, listen and subscribe to make sure you don't miss our latest content! Website: https://AOTAshow.com Stream all of our content at: linktr.ee/AOTA   Watch at: YouTube.com/AlloftheAbove Listen at: apple.co/38QV7Bd and anchor.fm/AOTA Follow us at: Facebook.com/AOTAshow and Twitter.com/AOTAshow

This Week: As we celebrate MLK Jr. weekend, we thought it would be apt to have a special re-release of our recent discussion with Jesse Hagopian about his new book, Teach Truth: The Struggle for Antiracist Education. Nearly half of our nation's public school children are subject to laws that forbid honest education about the history of racism in this country. Two-thirds of US teachers report self-censoring discussions on race, gender, identity, and sexuality in their classrooms. How did we get here, and how can we collaboratively fight for the truth to be taught in our schools? Educator and activist Jesse Hagopian joins us this week to unpack his new book. Jesse is an editor for Rethinking Schools magazine, a founding member of Black Lives Matter at School, and the Director for the Zinn Education Project's “Teaching for Black Lives" campaign.  WAYS TO HELP WITH THE EATON FIRE IN ALTADENA/PASADENA -- Please consider giving what you can! Here are links to GoFundMe pages set up by Altadena families, links to GoFundMe pages supporting Black families devastated by the Eaton fire, and the Pasadena Educational Foundation. MAXIMUM WOKENESS ALERT -- get your All of the Above swag, including your own “Teach the Truth” shirt! In this moment of relentless attacks on teaching truth in the classroom, we got you covered. https://all-of-the-above-store.creator-spring.com  Passing Period is an AOTA podcast extra that gives us a chance to check-in, reflect, and discuss powerful stories in between our full episodes.  Watch, listen and subscribe to make sure you don't miss our latest content! Website: https://AOTAshow.com Stream all of our content at: linktr.ee/AOTA   Watch at: YouTube.com/AlloftheAbove Listen at: apple.co/38QV7Bd and anchor.fm/AOTA Follow us at: Facebook.com/AOTAshow and Twitter.com/AOTAshow

This Week: Everyone has seen the news of the devastating fires that have hit the LA area. Today Manuel shares the perspective of an educator at the front lines, working in the high school that has served the Altadena community for generations. Jeff adds perspective from schools and communities affected by the smoke and ash in Los Angeles, and together we process the meaning of this week's tragic events.   WAYS TO HELP WITH THE EATON FIRE IN ALTADENA/PASADENA -- Please consider giving what you can! Here are links to GoFundMe pages set up by Altadena families, links to GoFundMe pages supporting Black families devastated by the Eaton fire, and the Pasadena Educational Foundation. MAXIMUM WOKENESS ALERT -- get your All of the Above swag, including your own “Teach the Truth” shirt! In this moment of relentless attacks on teaching truth in the classroom, we got you covered. https://all-of-the-above-store.creator-spring.com  Passing Period is an AOTA podcast extra that gives us a chance to check-in, reflect, and discuss powerful stories in between our full episodes.  Watch, listen and subscribe to make sure you don't miss our latest content! Website: https://AOTAshow.com Stream all of our content at: linktr.ee/AOTA   Watch at: YouTube.com/AlloftheAbove Listen at: apple.co/38QV7Bd and anchor.fm/AOTA Follow us at: Facebook.com/AOTAshow and Twitter.com/AOTAshow

This Week: We're back for 2025 and we know talking about politics can be a bit, exhausting now. But, all hope is not lost! There's good news at the state level in CA with new protections for LGBTQ+ students and the educators who support them, improvements to the history curriculum to teach a more honest history of colonialism and segregation, and more! Plus, out of the great state of Arkansas, a federal judge bans the draconian, right wing law that would support citizens to challenge “controversial” books in libraries, and subject librarians to criminal prosecution. Who says all hope is lost? Manuel and Jeff discuss! MAXIMUM WOKENESS ALERT -- get your All of the Above swag, including your own “Teach the Truth” shirt! In this moment of relentless attacks on teaching truth in the classroom, we got you covered. https://all-of-the-above-store.creator-spring.com  Passing Period is an AOTA podcast extra that gives us a chance to check-in, reflect, and discuss powerful stories in between our full episodes.  Watch, listen and subscribe to make sure you don't miss our latest content! Website: https://AOTAshow.com Stream all of our content at: linktr.ee/AOTA   Watch at: YouTube.com/AlloftheAbove Listen at: apple.co/38QV7Bd and anchor.fm/AOTAFollow us at: Facebook.com/AOTAshow and Twitter.com/AOTAshow

Nearly half of our nation's public school children are subject to laws that forbid honest education about the history of racism in this country. Two-thirds of US teachers report self-censoring discussions on race, gender, identity, and sexuality in their classrooms. How did we get here, and how can we collaboratively fight for the truth to be taught in our schools? Educator and activist Jesse Hagopian joins us this week to unpack his new book, Teach Truth: The Attack on Critical Race Theory and the Struggle for Antiracist Education. Jesse is an editor for Rethinking Schools magazine, a founding member of Black Lives Matter at School, and the Director for the Zinn Education Project's “Teaching for Black Lives" campaign. But first, Jeff and Manuel take a look at recent headlines in education including schools prepping for upheaval over fears of mass deportations and a new study highlighting the benefits of Ethnic Studies in high schools. → Get your Teach the Truth T-Shirt here! → View this episode on YouTube! AGENDA 0:00 - Welcome! 5:45 - Educational impact of mass deportation fears 17:43 - Study highlights benefits of Ethnic Studies 30:00 - Jesse Hagopian on the Struggle for Antiracist Education 1:14:52 - Preparing for a worsening political climate in education DO-NOW STORIES: Schools are bracing for upheaval over fear of mass deportations California Bill Would Protect Schools, Child Care Centers From Immigration Raids Ethnic studies boosts critical thinking, equity awareness in high school students Judge rejects lawsuit over ‘liberated' ethnic studies classes in LAUSD SEMINAR: Jesse Hagopian Website Teach Truth: The Struggle for Antiracist Education Black Lives Matter At School: An Uprising for Educational Justice Teaching for Black Lives Teacher Unions and Social Justice More Than a Score: The New Uprising Against High Stakes Testing. CLASS DISMISSED: Fill your cup, friends. Get MORE All of the Above: - Website - Podcast on multiple platforms via Anchor - Podcast via Apple Podcast - Podcast via Spotify - Facebook Page Theme Music by its tajonthabeat --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/aota/support

This Week: A fascinating story about what's happening to higher ed in rural America out of the Hechinger Report reveals that across the country options for rural students are shrinking dramatically, with campuses closing, and dozens of majors and key programs being cut. Enrollment is down, but advocates say the cuts are going beyond the needed adjustments and are leaving rural students -- many of whom are low income, first generation, and students of color -- with a separate and unequal college experience. That's not to mention what it means to limit the course of study for the nation's students, especially in the humanities. Manuel and Jeff discuss! MAXIMUM WOKENESS ALERT -- get your All of the Above swag, including your own “Teach the Truth” shirt! In this moment of relentless attacks on teaching truth in the classroom, we got you covered. https://all-of-the-above-store.creator-spring.com  Passing Period is an AOTA podcast extra that gives us a chance to check-in, reflect, and discuss powerful stories in between our full episodes.  Watch, listen and subscribe to make sure you don't miss our latest content! Website: https://AOTAshow.com Stream all of our content at: linktr.ee/AOTA   Watch at: YouTube.com/AlloftheAbove Listen at: apple.co/38QV7Bd and anchor.fm/AOTA Follow us at: Facebook.com/AOTAshow and Twitter.com/AOTAshow --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/aota/support

This Week: We're tired of talking about right wing nonsense… but they got the former head of the WWE ready to be in charge of the nation's education system, so we gotta talk about it a little. And, a fascinating story out of NYC about students getting cartoons and screen time instead of outdoor recess. Parents are, rightfully, concerned.  Why does recess matter? Why isn't the quality of recess higher on our list of priorities when it comes to resources? Manuel and Jeff discuss! MAXIMUM WOKENESS ALERT -- get your All of the Above swag, including your own “Teach the Truth” shirt! In this moment of relentless attacks on teaching truth in the classroom, we got you covered. https://all-of-the-above-store.creator-spring.com  Passing Period is an AOTA podcast extra that gives us a chance to check-in, reflect, and discuss powerful stories in between our full episodes.  Watch, listen and subscribe to make sure you don't miss our latest content! Website: https://AOTAshow.com Stream all of our content at: linktr.ee/AOTA   Watch at: YouTube.com/AlloftheAbove Listen at: apple.co/38QV7Bd and anchor.fm/AOTA Follow us at: Facebook.com/AOTAshow and Twitter.com/AOTAshow --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/aota/support

This Week: Oklahoma State Supt Ryan Walters makes a truly dystopian video that he “mandated” all schools show to the students announcing the creation of a new Department of Religious Freedom and Patriotism. Trump continues plotting and scheming for his assault on public education with a new-ish 10 point plan, complete with support for book bans, attacks on teacher tenure, teaching white supremacist history, and banning the honest teaching of history. But, at the same time, the march to right wing insanity is hitting notable roadblocks. A federal court ruling out of Louisiana rules that their state's law requiring the posting of the 10 commandments in classrooms is unconstitutional. With some good news in the face of an onslaught of right wing attacks, all is not lost. Manuel and Jeff discuss! MAXIMUM WOKENESS ALERT -- get your All of the Above swag, including your own “Teach the Truth” shirt! In this moment of relentless attacks on teaching truth in the classroom, we got you covered. https://all-of-the-above-store.creator-spring.com  Passing Period is an AOTA podcast extra that gives us a chance to check-in, reflect, and discuss powerful stories in between our full episodes.  Watch, listen and subscribe to make sure you don't miss our latest content! Website: https://AOTAshow.com Stream all of our content at: linktr.ee/AOTA   Watch at: YouTube.com/AlloftheAbove Listen at: apple.co/38QV7Bd and anchor.fm/AOTAFollow us at: Facebook.com/AOTAshow and Twitter.com/AOTAshow --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/aota/support

This Week: It was a rough week y'all. You know it. We know it. The forces of hate and oppression are out here. Trump is going to get rid of the US Dept of Education, vouchers will be had for all, and wokeness will be outlawed forever. Not so fast.  While undoubtedly we took a hit this week, the odds of an impending end to the Dept of Education are not particularly high.  And we saw big wins on education ballot measures across the country, from school construction in CA, to voting down vouchers in many red states, to voters in Mass ending high stakes testing as a grad requirement. So, the struggle for justice remains, and there's some hope in the mix too.  Manuel and Jeff discuss! Get your All of the Above swag, including your own “Teach the Truth” shirt! In this moment of relentless attacks on teaching truth in the classroom, we got you covered. https://all-of-the-above-store.creator-spring.com  Passing Period is an AOTA podcast extra that gives us a chance to check-in, reflect, and discuss powerful stories in between our full episodes.  Watch, listen and subscribe to make sure you don't miss our latest content! Website: https://AOTAshow.com Stream all of our content at: linktr.ee/AOTA   Watch at: YouTube.com/AlloftheAbove Listen at: apple.co/38QV7Bd and anchor.fm/AOTA Follow us at: Facebook.com/AOTAshow and Twitter.com/AOTAshow --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/aota/support

This Week: Despite the right-wing hysteria that would have you believe wokeness and DEI are undermining the quality of America's colleges, it turns out that it's unqualified rich kids who are buying their way into schools like USC, sneaking in the back door as so-called walk-on athletes. And, a powerful new study from GPSN and the Center for Diversity in Leadership shows that Black and Brown educators in LA are planning to leave the teaching profession within 1-2 years in overwhelming numbers. What does this mean for educators, students, and the field? And what do we do about it?  Manuel and Jeff discuss! Get your All of the Above swag, including your own “Teach the Truth” shirt! In this moment of relentless attacks on teaching truth in the classroom, we got you covered. https://all-of-the-above-store.creator-spring.com  Passing Period is an AOTA podcast extra that gives us a chance to check-in, reflect, and discuss powerful stories in between our full episodes.  Watch, listen and subscribe to make sure you don't miss our latest content! Website: https://AOTAshow.com Stream all of our content at: linktr.ee/AOTA   Watch at: YouTube.com/AlloftheAbove Listen at: apple.co/38QV7Bd and anchor.fm/AOTA Follow us at: Facebook.com/AOTAshow and Twitter.com/AOTAshow --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/aota/support

Encampments raided, college presidents sacked, student loan forgiveness struck down, DEI programs abolished, and free speech battles raging–what in the world is going on across our nation's college campuses? With so many hot button issues impacting higher education today, how should students, families, and folks in the K-12 space navigate discussions and decisions about going to college? This week we're joined by Kirk Carapezza, the Managing Editor and Correspondent for higher education at GBH News and cohost of the podcast College Uncovered with John Marcus from the Hechinger Report! He shares some of his takeaways from years of reporting on the state of higher education. But first, Jeff and Manuel take a look at recent headlines in education including an education titan's praise of standardized testing and a new law banning legacy admissions. → Get your Teach the Truth T-Shirt here! → View this episode on YouTube! AGENDA 0:00 - Welcome! 5:50 - Praise for latest test scores in CA 20:24 - Legacy admissions banned 33:51 - Kirk Carapezza of College Uncovered 1:15:40 - Educating amid an ongoing genocide DO-NOW STORIES: Understanding California's test scores could hold the key to student improvement California bans legacy admissions at colleges. The end of affirmative action is a reason why SEMINAR: College Uncovered Podcast WGBH - Kirk Carapezza Get MORE All of the Above: - Website - Podcast on multiple platforms via Anchor - Podcast via Apple Podcast - Podcast via Spotify - Twitter - Facebook Page Theme Music by its tajonthabeat --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/aota/support

This Week: Amidst a culture of short attention spans, TikTok videos, 30 second sound bites, and 24 hour news cycles, it's perhaps not surprising that the novel is going by the wayside in English classrooms across America. But the reality is a bit more complex than that. Pressure to raise standardized test scores, modern curriculum, and increasing use of computers and tablets to read rather than printed text may also be playing a role. But either way, is the prevalence of students reading excerpts of texts, rather than full texts, just the way things are now, or a loss for society and the nation's youth? Manuel and Jeff discuss! Als CLICK HERE to register for the 10/16/24 CA Educator Diversity Action Network's virtual Back2School Event to meet and learn with pioneering leaders from schools and communities across CA and share your thoughts on the issues we can tackle in 2025 and beyond! Get your All of the Above swag, including your own “Teach the Truth” shirt! In this moment of relentless attacks on teaching truth in the classroom, we got you covered. https://all-of-the-above-store.creator-spring.com  Passing Period is an AOTA podcast extra that gives us a chance to check-in, reflect, and discuss powerful stories in between our full episodes.  Watch, listen and subscribe to make sure you don't miss our latest content! Website: https://AOTAshow.com Stream all of our content at: linktr.ee/AOTA   Watch at: YouTube.com/AlloftheAbove Listen at: apple.co/38QV7Bd and anchor.fm/AOTA Follow us at: Facebook.com/AOTAshow and Twitter.com/AOTAshow --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/aota/support

This Week: A fascinating new study of teacher strikes across America over the last two decades shows that strikes work to a) improve educator wages, b) improve working conditions like class sizes and support services, and c) increase overall education funding. And we've all heard it -- “I'm just not a math person” or “I can't do math.” Our collective problem with poor math identity remains not only pervasive, but is passed from generation to generation. But can we fix this identity problem? Manuel and Jeff discuss! Get your All of the Above swag, including your own “Teach the Truth” shirt! In this moment of relentless attacks on teaching truth in the classroom, we got you covered. https://all-of-the-above-store.creator-spring.com  Passing Period is an AOTA podcast extra that gives us a chance to check-in, reflect, and discuss powerful stories in between our full episodes.  Watch, listen and subscribe to make sure you don't miss our latest content! Website: https://AOTAshow.com Stream all of our content at: linktr.ee/AOTA   Watch at: YouTube.com/AlloftheAbove Listen at: apple.co/38QV7Bd and anchor.fm/AOTA Follow us at: Facebook.com/AOTAshow and Twitter.com/AOTAshow --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/aota/support

This Week: It happened again. Another mass shooting at a school in America, this time in Winder, GA. Another young, disaffected, white, male carries out a rageful act of violence, killing 4 people and injuring several others. Despite being the only country in the world that lives like this, our elected officials continue to fail us all, and force America's schools to live under a haze of home grown terrorism.  On a more positive note, and to throw it right back in the face of toxic masculinity, California is set to become the latest state to require menstrual education as part of its comprehensive sex ed curriculum for kids in grades 7-12.  Manuel and Jeff discuss! ALSO -- CA educators click here to support Teach Plus's campaign to have SB 1391 become law, and help us continue to diversify the teacher workforce in our state!  Get your All of the Above swag, including your own “Teach the Truth” shirt! In this moment of relentless attacks on teaching truth in the classroom, we got you covered. https://all-of-the-above-store.creator-spring.com  Passing Period is an AOTA podcast extra that gives us a chance to check-in, reflect, and discuss powerful stories in between our full episodes.  Watch, listen and subscribe to make sure you don't miss our latest content! Website: https://AOTAshow.com Stream all of our content at: linktr.ee/AOTA   Watch at: YouTube.com/AlloftheAbove Listen at: apple.co/38QV7Bd and anchor.fm/AOTAFollow us at: Facebook.com/AOTAshow and Twitter.com/AOTAshow --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/aota/support

This Week: As Kamala picks a former teacher for VP in Coach Walz, there could be… could be, some signs that the right wing fever is breaking in local school board elections in Florida. Maybe. Turns out an endorsement from Ronny D may not be all it's cracked up to be. And, in hopeful news, some fascinating new federal data shows that America's schools are, quite literally, the safest they have been over the last two decades with record low levels of things like serious school based violence, gang activity, and theft. That's right, the schools are doing better than ever. You heard that right.  Hug  a teacher near you. Manuel and Jeff discuss! Get your All of the Above swag, including your own “Teach the Truth” shirt! In this moment of relentless attacks on teaching truth in the classroom, we got you covered. https://all-of-the-above-store.creator-spring.com  Passing Period is an AOTA podcast extra that gives us a chance to check-in, reflect, and discuss powerful stories in between our full episodes.  Watch, listen and subscribe to make sure you don't miss our latest content! Website: https://AOTAshow.com Stream all of our content at: linktr.ee/AOTA   Watch at: YouTube.com/AlloftheAbove Listen at: apple.co/38QV7Bd and anchor.fm/AOTA Follow us at: Facebook.com/AOTAshow and Twitter.com/AOTAshow --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/aota/support

This Week: California's governor wrote a letter to school leaders this week, urging urgent action on banning cell phones from the classroom. Citing ample data showing that increased use of cell phones leads to depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues, as well as data from the US Surgeon General's 2023 report on the dangers of social media for youth, Newsome did not mince words, and asked school and school system leaders to take action even ahead of any future legislation on this issue statewide.  In addition, Oklahoma's right wing state Superintendent Ryan Walters, notorious for his recent push to force teachers to teach the bible in public schools, is facing investigation and possible impeachment from his republican colleagues. Manuel and Jeff discuss! Get your All of the Above swag, including your own “Teach the Truth” shirt! In this moment of relentless attacks on teaching truth in the classroom, we got you covered. https://all-of-the-above-store.creator-spring.com  Passing Period is an AOTA podcast extra that gives us a chance to check-in, reflect, and discuss powerful stories in between our full episodes.  Watch, listen and subscribe to make sure you don't miss our latest content! Website: https://AOTAshow.com Stream all of our content at: linktr.ee/AOTA   Watch at: YouTube.com/AlloftheAbove Listen at: apple.co/38QV7Bd and anchor.fm/AOTA Follow us at: Facebook.com/AOTAshow and Twitter.com/AOTAshow --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/aota/support

This Week: New guidelines for Title IX implementation and enforcement went live on August first, at least for about half of the country. The US Dept of Education's plan to undo some of the damage that Trump and noted AOTA show hater Betsy Devos did during their tenure has several important provisions that offer greater protection to LGBTQ students, and greater accountability on institutions of higher ed to protect women subject to sexual harassment and assault. But at least 26 states have sued in federal court to block implementation of the new rules, putting their future in doubt.  Also, as the school year kicks off here in SoCal, we talk about big (if potentially crazy) ideas to address the nation's challenges with chronic absenteeism.  Mauel and Jeff discuss!   Get your All of the Above swag, including your own “Teach the Truth” shirt! In this moment of relentless attacks on teaching truth in the classroom, we got you covered. https://all-of-the-above-store.creator-spring.com  Passing Period is an AOTA podcast extra that gives us a chance to check-in, reflect, and discuss powerful stories in between our full episodes.  Watch, listen and subscribe to make sure you don't miss our latest content! Website: https://AOTAshow.com Stream all of our content at: linktr.ee/AOTA   Watch at: YouTube.com/AlloftheAbove Listen at: apple.co/38QV7Bd and anchor.fm/AOTA Follow us at: Facebook.com/AOTAshow and Twitter.com/AOTAshow --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/aota/support

This Week: Sometimes research tells us something new. And sometimes it confirms what we already thought was true. That's the case this week, as a new study from UCLA and Penn provides evidence of the “transformational” impact of a Los Angeles program that provided families in poverty with cash they can use to meet their needs. Benefits included housing stability, food stability, child engagement with enrichment activities, the ability to escape abusive relationships, the ability to withstand a $400 family emergency, and more.  In addition, with the start of the school year right around the corner here in SoCal, we dig into the age-old question of when the school year should start, and why it's been creeping earlier and earlier.  Manuel and Jeff discuss! Get your All of the Above swag, including your own “Teach the Truth” shirt! In this moment of relentless attacks on teaching truth in the classroom, we got you covered. https://all-of-the-above-store.creator-spring.com  Passing Period is an AOTA podcast extra that gives us a chance to check-in, reflect, and discuss powerful stories in between our full episodes.  Watch, listen and subscribe to make sure you don't miss our latest content! Website: https://AOTAshow.com Stream all of our content at: linktr.ee/AOTA   Watch at: YouTube.com/AlloftheAbove Listen at: apple.co/38QV7Bd and anchor.fm/AOTA Follow us at: Facebook.com/AOTAshow and Twitter.com/AOTAshow --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/aota/support

This Week: Two big headlines this week in The 74 and EdWeek about troubling new data showing problematic student behaviors, mental health concerns, and even threats or physical violence are plaguing our nation's schools. Obviously this is a cause for concern, and perhaps not surprising given the challenging new realities schools and educators have faced coming out of the pandemic. But, is this data the full story? Kids don't magically appear in schools -- they come from the society that raises them, right? So what do their behaviors say about us grown folk? Also, as perhaps modest counterpoint, LAUSD shares that test scores are on the rise for all students, despite the challenges we face with student social and emotional well being.  Manuel and Jeff discuss!  Get your All of the Above swag, including your own “Teach the Truth” shirt! In this moment of relentless attacks on teaching truth in the classroom, we got you covered. https://all-of-the-above-store.creator-spring.com  Passing Period is an AOTA podcast extra that gives us a chance to check-in, reflect, and discuss powerful stories in between our full episodes.  Watch, listen and subscribe to make sure you don't miss our latest content! Website: https://AOTAshow.com Stream all of our content at: linktr.ee/AOTA   Watch at: YouTube.com/AlloftheAbove Listen at: apple.co/38QV7Bd and anchor.fm/AOTAFollow us at: Facebook.com/AOTAshow and Twitter.com/AOTAshow --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/aota/support

This Week: The right wing Christian Nationalists have been hard at work on the integrity of the nation's schools, coming straight for the most basic tenet of any democratic society -- separation of church and state. In Oklahoma, the state superintendent issues a decree that henceforth all grade 5-12 classrooms will “incorporate” the bible and the 10 commandments into the curriculum. And ominously, that “immediate and strict compliance is expected.” Nothing dystopian here. Not to be outdone, in Louisiana, the governor signed into law a bill requiring a state approved, 11x14” size with easily readable font, version of the 10 commandments to be posted in all classrooms. Both efforts, along with several others working their way through the legislative process in other states, are clear violations of the 1st Amendment, and are intended to challenge the Supreme Court's 1980 decision in Stone v. Graham, which declared a Kentucky attempt to force the 10 commandments into public schools unconstitutional. In these troubling times, the very fate of democracy in school may well now be in the corrupt and vicious hands of the likes of Clarence Thomas, Amy Coney Barrett, and Brett Kavanaugh. Yup. Manuel and Jeff discuss.   Get your All of the Above swag, including your own “Teach the Truth” shirt! In this moment of relentless attacks on teaching truth in the classroom, we got you covered. https://all-of-the-above-store.creator-spring.com  Passing Period is an AOTA podcast extra that gives us a chance to check-in, reflect, and discuss powerful stories in between our full episodes.  Watch, listen and subscribe to make sure you don't miss our latest content! Website: https://AOTAshow.com Stream all of our content at: linktr.ee/AOTA   Watch at: YouTube.com/AlloftheAbove Listen at: apple.co/38QV7Bd and anchor.fm/AOTA Follow us at: Facebook.com/AOTAshow and Twitter.com/AOTAshow --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/aota/support

This Week: It looks like there will be two new additions coming to the CA high school curriculum in the coming years.  The state legislature is close to passing a new bill which would mandate teaching about menstrual health, which is, shockingly, currently not part of the state's comprehensive sexed curriculum.  And since nearly 80% of students say they learn more about frog's bodies than their own, this can't come too soon!  And, this week the state passed a new requirement for personal finance to be taught as a possible alternative to traditional economics, which will begin in the 2026-27 school year. The course will cover topics like financing college, personal savings, credit, and investing. But, as with most ed policy, the proof will be in the pudding. Manuel and Jeff discuss!    Get your All of the Above swag, including your own “Teach the Truth” shirt! In this moment of relentless attacks on teaching truth in the classroom, we got you covered. https://all-of-the-above-store.creator-spring.com  Passing Period is an AOTA podcast extra that gives us a chance to check-in, reflect, and discuss powerful stories in between our full episodes.  Watch, listen and subscribe to make sure you don't miss our latest content! Website: https://AOTAshow.com Stream all of our content at: linktr.ee/AOTA   Watch at: YouTube.com/AlloftheAbove Listen at: apple.co/38QV7Bd and anchor.fm/AOTA Follow us at: Facebook.com/AOTAshow and Twitter.com/AOTAshow --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/aota/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/aota/support

This Week: As we conclude AAPI Heritage Month, today we dig into some new data from AP-NORC showing that a massive majority (71%) support the teaching of honest history about racism, slavery and segregation in our K-12 public schools. A similar super majority supports the teaching of AAPI culture and history in the US as well. This data flies in the face of some of the stereotypes and myths that we are led to believe are true, and is an affirming retort to the use of some members of the AAPI community to present a brown face on a white supremacist agenda to suppress the teaching of truthful history. Manuel and Jeff discuss!     Get your All of the Above swag, including your own “Teach the Truth” shirt! In this moment of relentless attacks on teaching truth in the classroom, we got you covered. https://all-of-the-above-store.creator-spring.com  Passing Period is an AOTA podcast extra that gives us a chance to check-in, reflect, and discuss powerful stories in between our full episodes.  Watch, listen and subscribe to make sure you don't miss our latest content! Website: https://AOTAshow.com Stream all of our content at: linktr.ee/AOTA   Watch at: YouTube.com/AlloftheAbove Listen at: apple.co/38QV7Bd and anchor.fm/AOTA Follow us at: Facebook.com/AOTAshow and Twitter.com/AOTAshow --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/aota/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/aota/support

From the CRT hysteria to the current targeting of university DEI efforts, we've seen an escalating right wing attack on public education in this country. Often under the guise of “parental rights,” these attacks have targeted teachers, LGBTQ+ students, books, curriculum, SEL, and equity-mined programming. Dr. Heather Harding, the executive director of Campaign for our Shared Future, joins us this week to share her experience in organizing opposition to this rising tide of racist and anti-equity attacks on public education. The Campaign for Our Shared Future is a time bound, nonpartisan campaign to defend and promote K12 public education amid political attacks. But first, Jeff and Manuel take a look at recent headlines in education including a heated exchange in Congress concerning Ethnic Studies and new data on low rates of college degree attainment. → Get your Teach the Truth T-Shirt here! → View this episode on YouTube! AGENDA 0:00 - Welcome! 6:41 - Ethnic Studies under attack yet again 25:27 - New data on low rates of degree attainment 43:48 - Dr. Heather Harding on Organizing the Resistance 1:16:27 - College encampments earn important victories DO-NOW STORIES: Berkeley superintendent, GOP congressman tussle over ‘liberated' ethnic studies Liberated Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum Consortium Website  40% of 2013 HS grads who started on a degree or credential didn't finish NCES Report: A First Look at the 2021 Postsecondary Enrollment, Completion, and Financial Aid Outcomes of Fall 2009 Ninth-Graders SEMINAR: The Campaign for Our Shared Future CLASS DISMISSED: Meet Students at 4 Colleges Where Gaza Protests Win Concessions, Incl. Considering Israel Divestment Get MORE All of the Above: - Website - Podcast on multiple platforms via Anchor - Podcast via Apple Podcast - Podcast via Spotify - Twitter - Facebook Page Theme Music by its tajonthabeat --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/aota/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/aota/support

This Week: The Shenandoah County Schools have gone completely off the white supremacist ledge this week, as the school board voted 5 to 1 to reinstate -- yes you heard that right -- reinstate the names of confederate warmongers on two of their schools that were renamed early in the period of the racial reckoning following the murder of George Floyd. The school board made this vote despite majority opposition from the community, and as a bold statement of their commitment to uplifting one of the most despicable chapters of American history, chattel slavery. To date, this is the first known instance of a school system that changed school names from confederate warmongers reversing course. Tragically, in this era of rising white supremacy, it may not be the last. Manuel and Jeff discuss.  Get your All of the Above swag, including your own “Teach the Truth” shirt! In this moment of relentless attacks on teaching truth in the classroom, we got you covered. https://all-of-the-above-store.creator-spring.com  Passing Period is an AOTA podcast extra that gives us a chance to check-in, reflect, and discuss powerful stories in between our full episodes.  Watch, listen and subscribe to make sure you don't miss our latest content! Website: https://AOTAshow.com Stream all of our content at: linktr.ee/AOTA   Watch at: YouTube.com/AlloftheAbove Listen at: apple.co/38QV7Bd and anchor.fm/AOTA Follow us at: Facebook.com/AOTAshow and Twitter.com/AOTAshow --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/aota/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/aota/support

It seems like everywhere we turn right now there are bold statements being made about AI in education. Some claim it must be embraced and that it will take our profession to new heights of learning and achievement. Others claim it's undermining the most basic elements of ethics and academic integrity. To help us unpack the promise, dangers, and unknowns of AI, we sit down with Priten Shah, the CEO of Pedagogy.Cloud and author of the book AI & The Future of Education! Is the robot apocalypse coming for your favorite teacher, or will AI help us deliver the high-quality education that every child deserves? But first, Jeff and Manuel take a look at recent headlines in education including a conservative group's plan to charge tuition for undocumented children in K-12 and a new bill in Tennessee allowing teachers to carry firearms at school. → Get your Teach the Truth T-Shirt here! → View this episode on YouTube! AGENDA 0:00 - Welcome! 7:52 - Tuition plot for undocumented children 23:28 - Armed teachers in Tennessee  34:58 - Priten Shah on A.I. in Education 1:09:43 - Students defund LAUSD police DO-NOW STORIES: Think tank with ties to Trump lays out plan to deny free education to undocumented students Gov. Bill Lee says he'll sign bill to let some Tennessee teachers and staff carry guns in schools SEMINAR: Priten Shah website AI & The Future Of Education CLASS DISMISSED: How Students Led a Historic $25M Divestment from LA School Police Get MORE All of the Above: - Website - Podcast on multiple platforms via Anchor - Podcast via Apple Podcast - Podcast via Spotify - Twitter - Facebook Page Theme Music by its tajonthabeat --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/aota/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/aota/support

This Week: As student activism comes to life on college campuses across the nation and around the world in protest of institutional complicity in the genocide and apartheid in Palestine, colleges crack down with violent police responses, suspensions, and even cancellation of graduation ceremonies at USC. Meanwhile, the youth are definitely leading the way. And, Manuel and Jeff discuss the age old question many educators grapple with -- should I leave the classroom and become an administrator? Or not?  Get your All of the Above swag, including your own “Teach the Truth” shirt! In this moment of relentless attacks on teaching truth in the classroom, we got you covered. https://all-of-the-above-store.creator-spring.com  Passing Period is an AOTA podcast extra that gives us a chance to check-in, reflect, and discuss powerful stories in between our full episodes.  Watch, listen and subscribe to make sure you don't miss our latest content! Website: https://AOTAshow.com Stream all of our content at: linktr.ee/AOTA   Watch at: YouTube.com/AlloftheAbove Listen at: apple.co/38QV7Bd and anchor.fm/AOTA Follow us at: Facebook.com/AOTAshow and Twitter.com/AOTAshow --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/aota/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/aota/support

This Week: This week has been a doozy in education. The University of Southern California chose its valedictorian, a hijab wearing south Asian woman who minors in resistance to genocide, and then took away her right to speak because she opposes Israeli genocide… or because of “security concerns.” Then, notorious FL governor Ron Desantis (and his buddy Manny Diaz, state Education Commissioner) unveiled new dystopian legislation requiring the teaching of communism… or a set of propaganda about communist history as the antithesis to American freedom. The campaign of white supremacist, psychological warfare continues in America. Manuel and Jeff discuss.   Get your All of the Above swag, including your own “Teach the Truth” shirt! In this moment of relentless attacks on teaching truth in the classroom, we got you covered. https://all-of-the-above-store.creator-spring.com  Passing Period is an AOTA podcast extra that gives us a chance to check-in, reflect, and discuss powerful stories in between our full episodes.  Watch, listen and subscribe to make sure you don't miss our latest content! Website: https://AOTAshow.com Stream all of our content at: linktr.ee/AOTA   Watch at: YouTube.com/AlloftheAbove Listen at: apple.co/38QV7Bd and anchor.fm/AOTA Follow us at: Facebook.com/AOTAshow and Twitter.com/AOTAshow --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/aota/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/aota/support

There's no shortage of ideas in education where the concept looks one way and the actual reality looks…different. This is especially true when it comes to professional learning communities (PLCs), a popular school reform effort that many schools claim to have in place yet few actually execute with fidelity. What are folks getting wrong? And why is it so hard to change practice, even when people can recognize the value of the tenets of PLC work? To help us unpack this, we chat with Dr. Anthony Muhammad, a world-renowned educator and author who is one of the leading voices in the effort to construct quality PLCs. We explore his new book The Way Forward, and explore the connections between PLCs, student success, and the fight for a more equitable and just school system. But first, Jeff and Manuel take a look at recent headlines in education including new research from Pew detailing how teachers feel about the profession today and a battle in California over which math is the best math for college-bound high schoolers. → Get your Teach the Truth T-Shirt here! → View this episode on YouTube! AGENDA 0:00 - Welcome! 7:43 - New survey details teachers' misery 24:48 - Is Algebra II being canceled? 39:19 - Dr. Anthony Muhammad 1:21:34 - New NTOY DO-NOW STORIES: Pew: What's It Like To Be a Teacher in America Today? Data science under fire: What math do high schoolers really need? SEMINAR: Dr. Anthony Muhammad Facebook Author Page Dr. Anthony Muhammad Solution Tree Page Dr. Anthony Muhammad on X CLASS DISMISSED: National Teacher of the Year helps diverse students and their families thrive in rural Tennessee Get MORE All of the Above: - Website - Podcast on multiple platforms via Anchor - Podcast via Apple Podcast - Podcast via Spotify - Twitter - Facebook Page --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/aota/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/aota/support

This Week: The interwebs were all ablaze with discussion about the news from AERA that two scholars' research has shown that Black students, particularly boys from low income backgrounds, are less likely to be enrolled in special education services if they have Black teachers. Big surprise, right? Also, Chicago Public Schools reverses its decade-long decision to have per pupil funding for schools in favor of a more common system, with a twist. An “opportunity index” will be used to differentiate funding based on a number of factors. Is this a good thing for schools and kids? And why don't all districts do this? Manuel and Jeff discuss.   Get your All of the Above swag, including your own “Teach the Truth” shirt! In this moment of relentless attacks on teaching truth in the classroom, we got you covered. https://all-of-the-above-store.creator-spring.com  Passing Period is an AOTA podcast extra that gives us a chance to check-in, reflect, and discuss powerful stories in between our full episodes.  Watch, listen and subscribe to make sure you don't miss our latest content! Website: https://AOTAshow.com Stream all of our content at: linktr.ee/AOTA   Watch at: YouTube.com/AlloftheAbove Listen at: apple.co/38QV7Bd and anchor.fm/AOTAFollow us at: Facebook.com/AOTAshow and Twitter.com/AOTAshow --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/aota/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/aota/support

This Week: Finally, we get some data from a new study out of North Carolina showing the many benefits for students who read “disturbing” banned books. It's about time! The data shows kids are more empathetic, happier, and lead to read better, among other benefits.  And, the learning loss hawks have reached new levels of wild predictions. A new paper from Stanford claims that pandemic disrupted learning will cost the US economy $31 trillion dollars over the remainder of the century. The pseudoscience of economics is in full effect. Manuel and Jeff discuss. Lastly, we celebrate the life of our friend and former classmate Felicia Phillips who recently passed too soon.  Get your All of the Above swag, including your own “Teach the Truth” shirt! In this moment of relentless attacks on teaching truth in the classroom, we got you covered. https://all-of-the-above-store.creator-spring.com  Passing Period is an AOTA podcast extra that gives us a chance to check-in, reflect, and discuss powerful stories in between our full episodes.  Watch, listen and subscribe to make sure you don't miss our latest content! Website: https://AOTAshow.com Stream all of our content at: linktr.ee/AOTA   Watch at: YouTube.com/AlloftheAbove Listen at: apple.co/38QV7Bd and anchor.fm/AOTA Follow us at: Facebook.com/AOTAshow and Twitter.com/AOTAshow --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/aota/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/aota/support

This Week: We begin with what can only be described as a hit piece that came out this week in the NY Post that cited Manuel as a great purveyor of the neo marxist conspiracy that is CRT, which is, apparently, destroying all of the fabric of America and along with it, all of western civilization. You should read it. It's as crazy as it sounds. We also explore a fascinating piece in LA School Report this week which informs us about a new movement among “education advocacy organizations” that have a goal to get rid of school attendance zones across the country by 2030. Dripping with the rhetoric of champions for progressive change, these orgs purport to be attempting to remove some of the longest standing barriers to integration and educational opportunity in our nation. But looking a little deeper, is this just the movement to end public schools, dressed up as progressive change? Manuel and Jeff discuss. Get your All of the Above swag, including your own “Teach the Truth” shirt! In this moment of relentless attacks on teaching truth in the classroom, we got you covered. https://all-of-the-above-store.creator-spring.com  Passing Period is an AOTA podcast extra that gives us a chance to check-in, reflect, and discuss powerful stories in between our full episodes.  Watch, listen and subscribe to make sure you don't miss our latest content! Website: https://AOTAshow.com Stream all of our content at: linktr.ee/AOTA   Watch at: YouTube.com/AlloftheAbove Listen at: apple.co/38QV7Bd and anchor.fm/AOTA Follow us at: Facebook.com/AOTAshow and Twitter.com/AOTAshow --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/aota/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/aota/support

This Week: We begin with a moment of reflection on the children of Palestine, particularly in Gaza, where American weapons are being used to steal the childhood of a generation of children. Then, we catch up with a Texas judge's ruling that a Houston area school district did not discriminate by suspending a Black boy for wearing his natural hair. Then we talk about troubling new Rand Corp. data showing that nearly two thirds of teachers in America are self-censoring content on race, gender, sexuality, and politics out of fear. This is true even if they don't live in a state or district with bigoted censorship laws on the books. Manuel and Jeff discuss.  Get your All of the Above swag, including your own “Teach the Truth” shirt! In this moment of relentless attacks on teaching truth in the classroom, we got you covered. https://all-of-the-above-store.creator-spring.com  Passing Period is an AOTA podcast extra that gives us a chance to check-in, reflect, and discuss powerful stories in between our full episodes.  Watch, listen and subscribe to make sure you don't miss our latest content! Website: https://AOTAshow.com Stream all of our content at: linktr.ee/AOTA   Watch at: YouTube.com/AlloftheAbove Listen at: apple.co/38QV7Bd and anchor.fm/AOTA Follow us at: Facebook.com/AOTAshow and Twitter.com/AOTAshow --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/aota/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/aota/support

This Week: New data from NJ and MA shows that teachers who entered the profession through alternative certification programs, particularly following shortages in recent years, show similar gains in test scores and similar performance in teacher evaluations to their peers who were trained in traditional teacher prep programs. But, are we surprised? Also, surprise surprise, kids do better when teachers' mental health is in a good place. Manuel and Jeff discuss.  Get your All of the Above swag, including your own “Teach the Truth” shirt! In this moment of relentless attacks on teaching truth in the classroom, we got you covered. https://all-of-the-above-store.creator-spring.com  Passing Period is an AOTA podcast extra that gives us a chance to check-in, reflect, and discuss powerful stories in between our full episodes.  Watch, listen and subscribe to make sure you don't miss our latest content! Website: https://AOTAshow.com Stream all of our content at: linktr.ee/AOTA   Watch at: YouTube.com/AlloftheAbove Listen at: apple.co/38QV7Bd and anchor.fm/AOTA Follow us at: Facebook.com/AOTAshow and Twitter.com/AOTAshow --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/aota/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/aota/support