34justice

Author: Ben Spielberg

  • Digging Deeper Into Democratic Donors

    After I argued that labor unions should endorse Bernie Sanders about a month ago, a Hillary Clinton supporter complained on Twitter about this section of my article: The following meme, describing cumulative donations the candidates have received over the past thirty years, is illustrative: She voiced two criticisms of the…

  • The Truth About School Funding

    Dmitri Mehlhorn, co-founder of StudentsFirst, wrote an article a few weeks ago about school funding titled, “How Money is Spent Matters.”  That statement is obviously true; who could disagree with it? Unfortunately, the article’s actual argument – that “America’s schools are not underfunded” – is completely false.  This post corrects…

  • What It Means to be Tough on Wall Street

    I nearly spit out the hard apple cider I was drinking when I heard the following exchange during the first Democratic presidential debate: Anderson Cooper: Senator Sanders wants to break up the big Wall Street banks. You don’t. You say charge the banks more, continue to monitor them. Why is…

  • Organized Labor Should Endorse Bernie Sanders

    The National Education Association (the union to which I used to belong) is considering an early endorsement of Hillary Clinton.  This decision, like the American Federation of Teachers’ endorsement of Clinton on July 11, would be a huge mistake. One reason is that it would violate members’ trust.  As Peter…

  • A Closer Look at TFA’s Alumni Survey and Data Practices

    Teach For America (TFA) recently released a report describing some of the results from its alumni survey.  The report provides interesting information about many alums’ careers.  At the same time, however, TFA’s misleading presentation of the results and the organization’s unwillingness to share the underlying data are troubling. Consider the…

  • What’s the Best Way to Deal with the Ku Klux Klan?

    On the recommendation of my friend and colleague Mike Mitchell, I recently listened to a fascinating podcast about Daryl Davis, an award-winning musician who is best known for his role in bringing down the Maryland chapter of the Ku Klux Klan – through his friendship with Klan members.  In the…

  • Is VAM a Sham? Depends on the Question You’re Asking.

    “Does data source X provide useful information?” and “Should data source X be used for purpose Y?” are two very different questions.  Unfortunately, conflation of these questions by education researchers, writers, and advocates far too frequently results in bad policy recommendations. This problem surfaces especially often in debates about value…

  • Black Lives Matter Movement Gives Bernie Sanders’ Racial Justice Agenda the Push It Needs

    Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has unveiled a comprehensive racial justice agenda aimed at “addressing the four central types of violence waged against black and brown Americans: physical, political, legal and economic.”  The agenda includes, among other policy proposals, a call for police demilitarization, community policing, aggressive prosecution of police officers…

  • Anti-gay Policy at the FDA and What You Can Do About It

    Ireland recently became the first country to legalize gay marriage through public referendum, a major victory for the LGBT rights movement. The US Supreme Court is expected to follow in Irish voters’ footsteps soon; the court will probably rule in favor of legalized gay marriage when it issues an opinion…

  • Money and Power Matter. Family Structure, Not So Much.

    Money and Power Matter. Family Structure, Not So Much.

    50 years ago, Assistant Secretary of Labor Daniel Patrick Moynihan wrote a report called The Negro Family: The Case For National Action. The central argument in what has come to be called the Moynihan Report was that “The Breakdown of the Negro Family Has Led to a Startling Increase in…