JD Vance? No big mystery there: Dreiser painted his portrait back in 1925 in American Tragedy. JDV is just another vicious Clyde Griffiths. Here's the Cliffnote version; Just sub in "law student" for "bellhop" and you're good to go.

OK religious charter school case puts SCOTUS conservatives in a lose-lose position: 1.) Admit that charter schools aren't public schools after all. or 2.) Admit that they don't care about "originalism" after all. From last Nov The New Republic newrepublic.com/article/176500…

Tonight at 7pm ET, the The Library Company is hosting a remote talk in which I will talk about my new book, “The Memory of ‘76,” and the Revolution’s unique role in American life as a contested national origin myth. Free registration info: librarycompany.org/events/firesid…

"26 Republican state representatives, almost a third of those in the state House, signed a letter demanding an investigation into Walters’ conduct." msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-…

Coming Sept. 17: The book Project 2025 doesn't want you to read. They say history proves them right, but my new history of public schools shows how empty their MAGA claims are. (Spoiler: The "Founding Fathers" didn't want Christian, free-market schools.) adamlaats.net/2018/05/09/toe…

Check out the book Elon Musk doesn't want you to read. Available Sept. 17 The story: a tech-obsessed narcissist thought he could use poor children to make himself rich and famous. He...failed. adamlaats.net/2018/05/09/toe…

Chump/Vance 2024 [Free link:] nytimes.com/2024/08/27/boo…

Queen Betsy's next Big Idea: non-opposable thumbs.

Hey you! Yes, you--the science educator who cares about vaccines, climate change, evolution, and other fake-controversial subjects!! Check out @ncse 's new fellowship: ncse.ngo/sound-science-…

Excited to be back in Boston--grateful for fellowship help to work on my new book: adamlaats.net/2022/09/17/com…

Yeep. I get hungry just thinking about the way teachers used to be paid. This is from Groton, MA, 1811. Yup. The teacher got fed by the lowest bidder--73 cents a week.

Exhibit 5,398,235: We ask too much from teachers. This Boston teacher, 1849: "I will succeed or, as a teacher, die in it."

Who opposes MAGA school policy? Everyone. "these efforts to push Christianity into public schools are hitting a wall of hostility in conservative-led states, including lawsuits, protests and resistance from local officials." politico.com/news/2024/09/0…

Okay, so you're going to hear a lot from politicians about what the "Founding Fathers" wanted in public schools. ...but what if we focused on what the real founders of public schools really wanted?

Cheers to Chancellor David C. Banks for telling the NYT the real deal. This is how public schools have defeated privatizers for 200 years. Check out my new book for the full story: adamlaats.net/2022/09/17/com…

If you ask Neil Gorsuch, the "Founding Fathers" wanted football coaches to pray with students. If you ask Ron DeSantis, the "Founding Fathers" wanted chaplains in public schools...just not Satanic ones. But the real founders of public schools really wanted something different--

Aw: Rebecca N, aged 13 in 1858, committed to the Danvers (MA) almshouse: told the sup't she wanted to get out "to try and be somebody."