Reforming capitalism: lessons from Denmark
Terrific Nicholas Kristof New York times column on Denmark. The article's subtitle says it all: Danes haven’t built a “socialist” country. Just one that works. Similar to Finland, Denmark is a capitalist economy with widely shared prosperity. Each offers a model for how to realize the reformed capitalism that, as we have explored in previous posts, American capitalists like Ray…
Where is our national task force on remote learning?
This morning I woke up sure that my kids should go back to school when it reopens in just over a month. Knowing their school is planning outdoor classrooms helps diminish my fear somewhat, so that the risk we’d be knowingly undertaking might be worth the benefits: my kids need to be around other kids, and I need six consecutive…
Needed: no red tape unemployment insurance
Terrific Bridge article on how hard it is for way to many out-of-work Michiganders to get unemployment insurance. The article's title says it all: Michigan unemployment system designed to slow payments working all too well. Bridge writes: A big source of the problem, according to experts: The $52 million Michigan Integrated Data Automated System, known as MiDAS, a computer system…
What are the first principles of quality remote learning during a pandemic?
It’s hard to sit down to write today about what would make for good remote learning, when my brain wanders to the question everyone is writing—and meme’ing—about, which is whether or not schools can safely reopen for in-person learning. The safety of students and staff is obviously paramount. But it would certainly be easier to choose the more risk-averse option…
We won’t ever know how much the opportunity gap grew during covid because we don’t measure the right outcomes
Last week, I shared observations of my children and their learning during the surprise homeschooling months of the coronavirus pandemic. Now it’s time to overlay an important lens on that experience: my kids are living in almost the best version of what homeschooling during a pandemic can look like. My husband and I kept our jobs so we weren’t experiencing…