Welcome, Abby and Abby, new subscribers! This week's Extras start and end with articles about race, with pieces about teaching (and a picture of Indie the Dog!) in the middle. If you have time to read just one story, please pick the first one. It's a doozy, and important, and well-crafted, and
Welcome, Abby and Abby, new subscribers! This week's Extras start and end with articles about race, with pieces about teaching (and a picture of Indie the Dog!) in the middle. If you have time to read just one story, please pick the first one. It's a doozy, and important, and well-crafted, and it might make you think about eviction in a new way. Please enjoy!
Forced Out: The Eviction Epidemic
Poor African American men face incarceration; poor African American women face eviction. This is a sad, stunning piece by Matthew Desmond. Please read.
When We Harm Rather than Help – Some Thoughts on Reading Interventions
English teacher Pernille Ripp is back again with another thoughtful post about reading instruction. This one focuses on the reading interventions we implement — and how some prevent young people from actually liking to read.
This is Indie, who likes bones, sofas, and books. (She belongs to Extras subscriber Marni.)
“Hand’s not raised? Too bad. I’m calling on you anyway”
Cold-calling, a popular teacher technique to encourage student listening and participation, is punitive and oppressive, according to Alfie Kohn, who also believes we shouldn't have grades. Though I like Prof. Kohn in theory when he talks about the ills of extrinsic motivation, here he comes across as a tad insane. What do you think?
Why Hillary Clinton Doesn’t Deserve the Black Vote
Michelle Alexander, author of The New Jim Crow, argues that Hillary Clinton was an accomplice to Bill Clinton's discriminatory tough-on-crime, low-on-investment policies of the 1990s, which hurt African Americans. Prof. Alexander does not endorse Bernie Sanders but suggests a third party. My criticism is that she reads the 1990s from a 2010s lens.
Thank you for reading this week's edition of Iserotope Extras! We're up to Issue 29! Here's something to email me about: Would you prefer to receive this newsletter every week, or every other week? I'm deciding on what's the exact right amount of Extras. Thank you!
Education May Cut Dementia Risk, Study Finds
Researchers say people with at least a high school education and healthier lifestyles are aiding a decline in new cases, or staving off dementia longer.
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