school choice – Blue Cereal Education

Carson v. Makin (Analysis & Carrying On, Part Two)

Blue Cereal — Wed, 29 Jun 2022 14:36:56 +0000

Enabling an institution to do whatever it does by providing public services is as neutral as government can get. Those road crews don’t jump in and do repairs on the sanctuary or mosque as part of their job because that would be "establishment” – active support of specific religious activities or institutions. For them to avoid maintaining any streets which pass near a church, however, would be to deny “free exercise” – actively making it difficult for believers to partake in whatever partakery is at hand.

What the Court has done in Carson v. Makin is a substantial step further. They’ve demanded that states providing any sort of choice or flexibility in their school systems must offer comparable support for religious indoctrination in place of some of that education. They’re requiring tax dollars designated for preparing young people to function competently in a modern, diverse, complex world, be redirected to teach homophobia, science denial, sexism, misogyny, alternative history, or whatever else might be trending that week in right-wing curriculums.

Carson v. Makin (Analysis & Carrying On, Part One)

Blue Cereal — Tue, 28 Jun 2022 13:24:16 +0000

A few days ago, the Supreme Court announced its decision in Carson v. Makin, a case involving state support of religious education in rural Maine. The short version is that states which offer any sort of support for private schooling or alternatives to state-run public schools cannot deny equivalent support to religious institutions claiming a … Continue reading

Blaming Blaine? (Edd Doerr)

Blue Cereal — Tue, 17 Jan 2017 20:28:28 +0000

Edd Doerr is a former teacher and current president of Americans for Religious Liberty. Blaming Blaine? “Why Michigan Doesn’t Have School Vouchers and Probably Never Will,” blared the headline on an article in a leading education journal on January 4th. Something called the “Blaine Amendment” in the state constitution stands in the way, it asserted. … Continue reading

The Great School Voucher Fraud (Edd Doerr)

Blue Cereal — Tue, 17 Jan 2017 04:32:00 +0000

I came across this piece via Claudia Swisher, who shared it as a link in a recent post about school vouchers. I found it both enlightening and provocative, and hoped by sharing it here as a blog post rather than an attachment, it might receive even wider readership than it has deservedly earned already. I’d … Continue reading

I’ll Support Vouchers If You’ll Support Parent Choice (Repost)

Blue Cereal — Thu, 12 Jan 2017 15:17:21 +0000

I think it’s a shame the way so many voucher proponents are so staunchly against parent choice. Oh, I know they fling these two words about a great deal, but they contradict themselves repeatedly in their proposals. And I, for one, think it’s time we call them out on it.

End #OklaEd

Blue Cereal — Tue, 16 Feb 2016 03:54:31 +0000

We've been going about this all wrong. We need to make like Elsa and "Let It Go..."

The Social Contract (aka “Haman’s Gallows”)

Blue Cereal — Sun, 31 Jan 2016 13:36:00 +0000

No one knows history anymore. I don’t mean those man-in-the-street interviews shaming commoners for not knowing who won the Civil War or which President gave the “I Have A Dream” speech. I’m talking a basic understanding of why we have society. Western Civilization 101. You may remember Thomas Hobbes, 17th century political philosopher. If not, … Continue reading