“Our curriculum focusses less on rote memorization and more on putzing around.” – New Yorker

BEST OF THE WEEK

Boston Herald: MA Senator Elizabeth Warren still undecided on lifting charter school cap

Bay State Banner: At $30 million, MA race a battleground for national charter debate

Trump pitches $20 billion education plan at Ohio charter school that received poor marks from state

NYT: An F-Minus for America’s Schools From a Fed-Up Judge  http://ow.ly/zzQB3044mox

The Seventy Four: Black Lives Matter leader says national movement ‘hijacked’ https://t.co/xs5QN7aypR

Chalkbeat: Open houses and closed doors: How the first step toward high school can become a stumbling block https://t.co/hJbPM3bkjS

New York Times: An Effective but Exhausting Alternative to High-School Suspensions http://ow.ly/9SPU3044gGy

New Orleans Times Picayune: Divided America: Many schools left behind in recovery https://t.co/BP44Drfcge

KQED: Oakland Prides Itself on Being Diverse — Until It Comes Time to Send Kids to School http://ow.ly/pPrO3044iwy

Huffington Post: Obama Administration To Schools: Stop Using Police To Enforce Rules https://t.co/qaRL2QAvpi

NPR: Louisiana Kids Return To School, A Bubble Of Normalcy After Massive Floods https://t.co/VqyPLDkyrd

The Atlantic: Mayor Bill de Blasio Fights for Universally Free Pre-K in New York http://ow.ly/XOW23044jtO

FROM “THE GRADE”

Making EdReporting Better in 2016-17 with Regular Use of Polling Data

Washington Post Journo Jay Mathews Reflects On 20 Years Covering Education http://ow.ly/Dmcp3044j2j

KICKERS

NYT: Fortress of Tedium: What I Learned as a Substitute Teacher.

WAMU: Teaching 9/11 When ‘Never Forget’ Becomes ‘Never Experienced It’  

Alexander Russo

Alexander Russo is a freelance education writer who has created several long-running blogs such as the national news site This Week In Education, District 299 (about Chicago schools), and LA School Report. He can be reached on Twitter at @alexanderrusso, on Facebook, or directly at alexanderrusso@gmail.com.