Judith Kafka

The situation in Minneapolis: even though the ICE presence in the city is greatly reduced, and national attention has moved on, a huge portion of our population remains essentially in hiding, devastating the schools and economy. In particular, much of the education system remains in crisis

📣 Happening tomorrow!

Don’t miss the Spring 2026 Ackerman Lecture with Jelani Cobb, exploring the past, present, and future of multiracial democracy in an age of authoritarianism.

📍 Baruch College | Livestream available
🔗 Register now https://marxe.baruch.cuny.edu/ackerman-lecture-spring2026/

ICE Taps into School Security Cameras to Aid Trump’s Immigration Crackdown Police assisted federal immigration agents by repeatedly searching school cameras that record license plate numbers, data show.

This is terrible. Also @the74.bsky.social has really been killing it lately.
www.the74million.org/article/ice-...

Everyone should read the entire thread.

I'm all for celebrating good teachers and good teaching in high poverty states, but the "golly, if you hold adults accountable for kids' test scores, turns out the scores go up!" disingenuity is straight from 2001.

It really is

Yes. Posting is fine and all, and I get a lot of information from folks on here so thanks to all who share. But emailing or calling your reps so that their your voice is counted by their offices really can make a difference. It doesn't matter if they read it. They see when the volume is up.

I start out each semester with a speech about how not only am I happy to make whatever accommodations students need, I am LEGALLY required to do so. I am not doing them a favor. But unlike in high school I have no way of knowing their needs unless they tell me. Many still don't.

Yes - and like everything the media focuses on in higher ed, I find the opposite problem teaching in a less- privileged setting. My students often don't want to ask for their accommodations because they don't want me to think they are making excuses, or looking for an "easy way out."

Yes - as I learned in K-12 teaching decades ago, most accommodations can benefit everyone and are just good teaching.

My husband received the nicest letter from a former student this week. The person is now an adult and wanted to let him know how much his actions as a middle school principal affected their life trajectory. If you've ever thought about sending a message like this, do it! Celebrate goodness.

Tremane Wood Spared From Execution In Shocking Decision His case marks only the second time Gov. Kevin Stitt has commuted a death sentence since entering office in 2019.

BREAKING: Tremane Wood, who was moments away from being executed for a killing his brother admitted to committing, received a last minute clemency grant from Gov. Kevin Stitt www.huffpost.com/entry/treman...

Dear Democratic Party: I currently teach first-semester college students, almost all of whom will be *business* majors. We focus on policy, not politicians, in class, but Mamdani's message has infiltrated everything. Young people are paying attention and they are energized. That's the lesson.

I voted in the city of New York sticker and pen.

Beautiful day to vote in NYC! Bummed I didn't get the Brooklyn sticker, but I'm a sucker for same-day, run-into-your-neighbors-and-school-personnel-you-remember-from-years-ago voting.

"You did not answer the question. Let's give Mamdani a chance."

None of them can answer a question about kids with special needs

None of their staffs prepped them for how kids get into gifted in kindergarten in NYC

Here it is! 90 minutes in

But I was wrong in my prediction that there would be a lot about education, since the NYC mayor has almost complete control over the city's schools and Mamdani is very weak on schools.

I'm at a mayoral debate watch party @marxe.baruch.cuny.edu and man are we laughing a lot!

I'm sorry to admit that it's somewhat gratifying to read this from folks at highly exclusive institutions.

We were inundated with mailers attacking our city council rep. I did not love how she handled a housing/development issue in my neighborhood and would have been open to voting for a challenger. But the mailers I received were so deeply offensive I could not support that effort.

I agree. And also I do think New Yorkers like myself calling and emailing helps. Statewide Dems need NYC votes. I’m not voting for anyone who fear mongers like this.

Won’t he end up splitting the vote with Eric Adams and helping Mamdani?

It’s so very good. Congratulations, Karen!

I cannot overstate the amount of hateful, ugly campaign material that has arrived in my mail daily for the past few weeks. My city council rep was targeted by terrible forces and I’m so glad to see that she prevailed. Things are looking up for mayor too.

Well ... but it only applies to students with identified disabilities, which is an important subset but also only a subset.

I stand corrected! Thanks.

I think by special education status, not race (but perhaps I'm wrong?). DeVos withdrew the Obama-era dear colleague letter about racial disparities in discipline and Biden never reinstated it. That's what I was referring to.

Again, as this article notes, Biden never actually reinstated the Obama-era guidelines that Trump is supposedly undoing here.