Heather Perkinson

OpenAI is trying to clamp down on ‘bias’ in ChatGPT GPT-5 is better at resisting liberal ‘pressure,’ the company says.

OpenAI is trying to clamp down on ‘bias’ in ChatGPT
www.theverge.com/news/798388/...

As boys shift to the right, we are seeing the rise of the ‘new chill girl’ | Naomi Beinart Even in comparatively liberal spaces, such as my high school, girls who wince at locker room talk risk exclusion

As boys shift to the right, we are seeing the rise of the ‘new chill girl’
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Four Simple Ways to Pre-Assess Your Students Barbara R. Blackburn shares four simple activities teachers can use to pre-assess student knowledge and readiness before planning or teaching a lesson.

4 Simple Ways We Can Pre-Assess Students

Barbara Blackburn shares four simple activities teachers can use to pre-assess student knowledge & readiness before teaching a lesson.
#edusky #educoach @barbararblackburn.bsky.social @sharemylesson.bsky.social #teaching

www.middleweb.com/52730/four-s...

We have armed secret police kidnapping people off the street based on the color of their skin.

When we win: we will haul them before a Senate committee. The masks will come off. There will be consequences.

Just a reminder that Wikipedia is the only remaining reliable source of information that right wing billionaires can't control. (Although they'll never stop trying.)

Please donate to them whenever you can. Even a little bit helps.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

Special education staff decimated after Trump administration shutdown firings: Sources The nation’s special education services have been significantly damaged after Fridays’s mass layoffs within the Department of Education, sources told ABC News.

I hope you'll read this and call your government representatives:

Librarian fired after refusing to censor 2SLGBTQ+ books wins $700K US settlement | CBC Radio A former Wyoming library director who was fired amid an uproar over books with sexual content and 2SLGBTQ+ themes that some people complained were inappropriate for young readers will be paid $700,000...

👏👏👏 Librarian wins $700K US settlement

The freedom to read is under attack. Let's do something about it. Let Freedom Read Day. Banned Books Week. UniteAgainstBookBans.org/LFRD/ Unite Against Book Bans.

It's #LetFreedomReadDay! Take at least ONE action today to defend the freedom to read. When we all #UniteAgainstBookBans, we can make a difference. All you need is 5 minutes to make an impact! #BannedBooksWeek

🧵 Check out the thread below or UniteAgainstBookBans.org/LFRD/ for some ideas 👇

Thousands of Mainers face loss of SNAP benefits as program undergoes historic cuts The changes will put more pressure on food pantries, which are already seeing a rise in need and warning that they won't be able to fill the gap.

We’re expecting a tsunami of food insecurity in our state and across the country,” said Anna Korsen, deputy director of Full Plates Full Potential, a Brunswick-based organization that focuses on ending childhood hunger in Maine. #mepolitics

www.pressherald.com/2025/10/12/t...

Nabarun Dasgupta Combining scientific studies with community engagement to reduce deaths and other harms from drug use.

Congrats to UNC's Nabarun Dasgupta, one of this year's MacArthur Foundation Fellows. He is an epidemiologist & harm reduction advocate creating practical programs to mitigate harms from drug use, particularly opioid overdose deaths 1/n
www.macfound.org/fellows/clas...

Genuine question: for those enthusiastically pushing AI tools into every part of our education system—what checks/guardrails are there around algorithmic biases like this?

Call Gov. Hochul and tell her to sign the Freedom to Read Act S1099/A7777 Phone: 518-474-8390

NY pals: Take action for Banned Banned Books Week. Urge Gov. Hochul to sign the Freedom to Read Act. Call her office and/or fill out these forms:

NYPL: app.oneclickpolitics.com/campaign-pag...
 
EqualityNY: actionbutton.nationbuilder.com/share/SPK-QE...

@thelibrariansfilm.bsky.social

Trump slashes mental health agency as shutdown drags on Sources tell NPR that more than 100 employees have been laid off at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Agency. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had some cuts reversed late Saturday.

These cuts will almost certainly lead to more suicides and school and mass shootings in America. And remember: after every major mass shooting, Republicans emphasize that “mental health” is the solution and that regulating guns is a nonstarter www.npr.org/sections/sho...

Federal Judge Blocks Trump Effort to Bar Some Immigrant Families From Head Start A federal court stopped the administration’s attempt to exclude some immigrant children from the nation’s largest early childhood education program, protecting millions of families while the case continues.

President Trump's attempt to exclude some immigrant families from participating in Head Start is unlawful — and a federal judge has blocked it.

There are reports that the *entire* office of special education at the US Dept of Education has been cut. These hardworking folks ensure kids with disabilities get equal access to a quality education.

America’s children deserve better than this.

Documentary explores the fight against book bans by public school librarians Learn about a new film that explores the work of public school librarians facing scrutiny by parent groups and politicians

NEW @pbsnews.org Classroom Daily News Lesson —

For #BannedBookWeek hear about a new documentary that focuses on school librarians and school book bans. Ask students — who should decide what books they can read? #sschat #EDUSky

https://loom.ly/4ZOTmnI

A7: #1 for me is to get out of my office and go build/strengthen relationships with the people I serve. When they know me & I know them, all aspects of the work are easier. They know that I am a competent professional, I have experience, I am reliable, honest, & I do what I say I will do.
#TLSkyChat

Wrote a post about it. Like to reqd it? Here you go: Weeding: The Great Library Divide: Embracing Collection Maintenance with Enthusiasm | AASL Knowledge Quest share.google/HjoDlZpNZSw7...

#TLSkyChat

BFTP: Keeping Your Library Collection Smelling F.R.E.S.H! One of my heroes, Doug Johnson, includes a "Blast From The Past" post on his blog each week. As Doug describes it:"A weekend Blue Skunk "feature" will be a revision of an old post. I'm calling this BF...

Me too, friend! Me too! #TLSkyChat www.librarygirl.net/post/bftp-ke...

Seven years ago today Susan Collins voted to confirm Brett Kavanaugh, breaking her pledge to block any Sup Ct nominees who posted a danger to Roe. The rest is history. Never forget. #MEpolitics

Yes AND It was one of the first books (for kids) that I've ever seen handle micro aggressions with such grace and humor. @jerrycraft.bsky.social is a genius. Bonafide! #TLSkyChat.

A Proactive Approach to Book Challenges Book challenges are on the rise. ALA's Office of Intellectual Freedom, which tracks requests to remove materials from library shelves, reported in September that there had been a 60% increase in book ...

💬 #TLSkyChat A3: I wrote about creating a library advisory board, to serve as #teamlibrary, b4 book challenges landed on our door here. While I'll address this proactive approach later tonight, I found that gathering my team BEFORE the challenge made navigating it so much easier. #bannedbooksweek

A3:

My principal and faculty are on my team! Although this is my second year, the importance and power I have placed on the library space and reading has created a culture of allies. If I ever had an issue with censorship, my district would have my back. #TLSkyChat

A2: The New Kid by Jerry Craft. Worth it because it called attention to a healthy, loving Black family adjusting through awkwardness of middle school. It's worth protecting b/c it was a mirror for Black kids and NOT a trauma-vampire story for our culture. #TLSkyChat

A3 #TLSkyChat My team of intellectual freedom heroes includes a coalition of educators from all content areas & orgs like Educate Maine & the Maine Association of School Libraries which created these infographics to share w/trs, admins, sch boards, etc
www.educatemaine.org/intellectual...

A2 #TLSkyChat Gender Queer survived a challenge in my school & although it rarely checks out, I think it remains a hugely important book in my library. When school board members testified in support of it, they all said variations on "I'm so glad I read this,I never would've picked it up on my own."

I was disappointed in PEN's data, it doesn't seem complete. It says no books were banned in Maine last year and I know that's not completely true.

💬 #TLSkyChat A1. Broadly, I think conversations about censorship need to focus more on readers than on books. As readers we all need different things. Having access to what you need, and the right to choose NOT to engage with what you don't need, is called freedom.

Is banning cellphone use in school enough? Do we want to be "tech referees" or "tech coaches"?
www.gse.harvard.edu/ideas/edcast...
#EduSky