Porticus’ Post

Here is a radio interview I just did. It is on my study of graduates of Catholic colleges and universities, how they come out ahead on meaningful lives, community engagements, and ethical decision making. https://lnkd.in/gPXehb6m

The Jewish community rallied in Sacramento to advocate for four of our priority bills this legislative session. Thank you, Jewish Public Affairs Committee of California (JPAC), for leading our delegation. What legislation did we lobby for? - AB 2918: This bill requires the governing board of a local educational agency (LEA) and governing body of a charter to allow teachers, parents, guardians, and community members to review locally adopted ethnic studies courses, as specified, and creates conditions and parameters for ethnic studies courses. - AB 2925: Requires antisemitism to be included in higher education anti-discrimination and DEI trainings. - SB 1287: Requires higher education institutions to implement code of conduct policies around appropriate punishments for students who call for genocide of another people. - SB 1277: Codifies the CA Teachers Collaborative on Holocaust and Genocide Education as an official state program. Learn more about our legislative agenda: https://lnkd.in/gcCUtaMf

Can education help solve political polarization? It can! Check out my book trailer on YouTube: https://lnkd.in/eZV9dRqi Educational pluralism and exposure versus indoctrination.

Important topics

Teaching truth and honesty in a divided America. How to cultivate democratic values in a polarized society on Busted Pencils: https://lnkd.in/gc3bdWYf

Juneteenth is coming up. It is not merely a celebration of past emancipation but a reminder of an ongoing struggle for true freedom. It reminds us that any celebration of freedom in the United States is inherently complex. We must acknowledge that we occupy stolen lands and that the ideals of liberty and justice for all are aspirational, often falling short of reality. Juneteenth’s greatest lesson is perhaps this: that we must continue to teach freedom as a goal we reach for in the future. Please read my latest thoughts about the pedagogy of Juneteenth: https://lnkd.in/eXzJzB2H

Columbia University deactivated Jewish Professor's access card, not letting him on campus. They sighted his own safety concerns due to pro-Hamas activists. Stark reminder of Vienna 1938 when Jewish professors were also blocked and eventually expelled. Lets remember that these protests began after the most vicious, sadistic massacre of Jews since the holocaust. These were not freedom fighters. Hamas had full control of Gaza. They were not oppressed victims of occupation - Israel did not occupy Gaza. These were Palestinians out to do what they planned and said they would do - kill as many Jews as they can. One would expect as a leading global university, Columbia would know how to draw clear lines between morality and freedom of speech, peaceful demonstrations and calls for violence. Not to mention teach its students basic history. True leadership with a clear moral campus and the tools and willingness to enforce these codes is needed. Time to take action.

"The question that we have is: Is Jewish education a zero-sum game?" In this week's article "Charting New Waters: The Convergence of Commercial Success Strategies in Jewish Education", Dr. Jonathan Mirvis explores Jewish education strategies from a new point of view. Link in the first comment.

September 21 is the UN Day of International Peace, and Harbord and Khan reflect on the need for education to inspire a sense of optimism that actions can improve our shared world. They share a tool and some thoughts about how to incorporate a sense of individual agency in peace education. https://lnkd.in/eBFQryef Sanje Ratnavale, Lynn Schramek, Alli Minch, OESIS Network, #leadingnetworkforinnovationatindependentschools, #ClassesoftheFutureconferences, #FacultyProfessionalDevelopmentforMembers, Harbord & Khan, Meredith Harbord, Sara Riaz Khan, United Nations, #UNDayofInternationalPeace

What does Peace Education mean to you? Is it something that you include and embed into your current practice? Is Peace Education something that could be more explicitly included in mission, vision, values, community projects, clubs, etc.? Could your school focus on interdisciplinary or transdisciplinary learning one year with a focus on Peace Education? Some of the questions we ask in our latest article for Intrepid ED News, we all need to find ways to listen to each other in healthy debate. #students #teachers #peace #education