The Sandstorm: Class Size Lies
Title: Class Size Lies Author: Larry Sand Date: October 3, 2022 The number of children in the classroom has no effect on educational achievement. The perennial, “We have a teacher shortage!” canard has a younger and equally bogus sibling known as, “Children do better in a small class setting!” In fact, lower class size is very often on the list […]
The Sandstorm: Banned Books Bunkum
Title: Banned Books Bunkum Author: Larry Sand Date: September 27, 2022 The anti-book banning fetish is all about advancing a radical sexual agenda in our schools. Mercifully, Banned Books Week, celebrated Sept. 18-24 this year, is over, and we can take a deep breath for the next 51 or so weeks till it once again rears its ugly, hysterical, manipulative, […]
The Sandstorm: Nowhere Mann
Title: Nowhere Mann Author: Larry Sand Date: September 20, 2022 It’s beyond time to get the government out of education. In a recent New York Times piece, “School Is for Everyone,” Anya Kamenetz lavished praise on 19th Century education reformer Horace Mann, who saw public schools as a “crucible of democracy.” His goal was to have the state take over […]
The Sandstorm: The Education Revolution Rages On
Title: The Education Revolution Rages On Author: Larry Sand Date: September 13, 2022 It’s back-to-school time, and the culture chasm is wider than ever. In January, a Gallup poll found that Americans’ belief in grade-school teachers’ honesty and ethics had dropped to 64%, an all-time low. Then in July, another Gallup poll showed that just 28 percent of Americans have […]
The Sandstorm: Do American Students’ Lives Matter?
Title: Do American Students’ Lives Matter? Author: Larry Sand Date: September 5, 2022 The teacher union mandated school lockdowns could have lifetime ramifications for many kids. The results of the first post-lockdown National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) were released on June 1, and they showed anything but progress. Most subgroups took a big hit, but Blacks and Hispanics suffered […]
The Sandstorm: U.S. Schools Get Bad Marx
Title: U.S. Schools Get Bad Marx Author: Larry Sand Date: August 30, 2022 A book written in 1958 explains our current cultural upheaval. My father was a liberal Democrat. He worshipped FDR and didn’t care much for the GOP. His parents were staunch Republicans, and the political discussions I remember from the 1950s were always entertaining – if not a […]