Christopher Martell
@chrismartell.bsky.social
Teacher Educator & Researcher, Associate Professor of Social Studies Education UMass Boston; Boston Public Schools parent; Dorchester, Boston
Find my books here: https://linktr.ee/chrismartell
http://www.christophercmartell.com
Find my books here: https://linktr.ee/chrismartell
http://www.christophercmartell.com
Pinned
Navigating Tensions in Critical Social Studies
How can social studies teachers include critical civic and historical content when topics like slavery and the civil rights era are deemed too "controversial" for the classroom?This book provides a po...
www.tcpress.com
Want a copy of Rob Martinelle and my new book? It is now available for pre-order (but you will sadly have to wait until November 25, 2026 to receive it). www.tcpress.com/products/nav...
Reposted by Christopher Martell
My latest piece on Monsters and memory-
www.counterpunch.org/2026/09/18/w...
www.counterpunch.org/2026/09/18/w...
When Monsters Walk Among Us
More than four decades ago, the Greek composer and public intellectual Manos Hadjidakis issued a warning that now reads less like a reflection on fascism than a prophecy of our own time. The greatest ...
www.counterpunch.org
September 18, 2026 at 1:18 PM
My latest piece on Monsters and memory-
www.counterpunch.org/2026/09/18/w...
www.counterpunch.org/2026/09/18/w...
Boston Public Schools parents: Worried about too many screens and tech in schools? The group gathering is for you. First meeting is on October 8th.
www.fournorms.com/events/scree...
www.fournorms.com/events/scree...
Four Norms Community Event Listings | Screen Sense Boston: Screen Sense Boston: EdTech and Screens in Boston Public Schools
A community-built collection of local events supporting healthier tech boundaries and stronger communities for our children. Find and connect with other advocates.
www.fournorms.com
September 18, 2026 at 11:28 PM
Boston Public Schools parents: Worried about too many screens and tech in schools? The group gathering is for you. First meeting is on October 8th.
www.fournorms.com/events/scree...
www.fournorms.com/events/scree...
It is that time of year when Boston Magazine releases its annual "Wealthiest Public High Schools in Greater Boston" list. Please don't read these type of lists. Do more harm than good. They are not thoughtfully assessing teaching or learning and are just created to get clicks.
September 18, 2026 at 4:44 PM
It is that time of year when Boston Magazine releases its annual "Wealthiest Public High Schools in Greater Boston" list. Please don't read these type of lists. Do more harm than good. They are not thoughtfully assessing teaching or learning and are just created to get clicks.
Capitalism is the problem. Milton Friedman made it that way. A good (and very deep) read from this month's Current Affairs. www.currentaffairs.org/news/were-li...
We’re Living In the World That Milton Friedman Made
You can’t understand what’s wrong with the 21st century without confronting the High Priest of the Invisible Hand.
www.currentaffairs.org
September 17, 2026 at 7:35 PM
Capitalism is the problem. Milton Friedman made it that way. A good (and very deep) read from this month's Current Affairs. www.currentaffairs.org/news/were-li...
In July, Trump said "everybody is profiting." Whenever he says "everybody," he means him. www.bloomberg.com/graphics/202...
Trump Made 29,000 Securities Trades, More Than All of Congress
Donald Trump made nearly 29,000 securities trades in 17 months — more than every member of Congress combined. The stock-purchasing ban he’s pushing would leave him exempt
www.bloomberg.com
September 17, 2026 at 2:02 AM
In July, Trump said "everybody is profiting." Whenever he says "everybody," he means him. www.bloomberg.com/graphics/202...
So very rarely do I and the Fordham Institute agree on anything. AI school start ups (including Alpha-who just opened here in Boston) being incredibly problematic (and I'd add dangerous) is apparently one. Go figure?
fordhaminstitute.org/national/com...
fordhaminstitute.org/national/com...
Alpha School’s Theranos problem
I was recently walking around Austin, Texas. And a block from the new W Hotel, I passed Alpha School, housed in what looked like a tech office. Outside was a sign reading “Kids crush academics in two ...
fordhaminstitute.org
September 15, 2026 at 1:20 PM
So very rarely do I and the Fordham Institute agree on anything. AI school start ups (including Alpha-who just opened here in Boston) being incredibly problematic (and I'd add dangerous) is apparently one. Go figure?
fordhaminstitute.org/national/com...
fordhaminstitute.org/national/com...
I won't post the link because I don't want to encourage clicks. But this is the most bananas educational editorial ever published in the Washington Post. A sign of how far that newspaper has declined (I use to respect its sound educational reporting and thoughtful educational debates-no more).
September 15, 2026 at 3:26 AM
I won't post the link because I don't want to encourage clicks. But this is the most bananas educational editorial ever published in the Washington Post. A sign of how far that newspaper has declined (I use to respect its sound educational reporting and thoughtful educational debates-no more).
The irony is not lost on me that this is behind a paywall. 🤦♂️ www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
Democracy Dies Behind Paywalls
The case for making journalism free—at least during the 2024 election
www.theatlantic.com
September 15, 2026 at 1:09 AM
The irony is not lost on me that this is behind a paywall. 🤦♂️ www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
Good. Should not have gotten this far.
But grave concerns should remain that this will be revisited before 2028, especially if Republicans think they may lose the White House.
www.npr.org/2026/09/14/n...
But grave concerns should remain that this will be revisited before 2028, especially if Republicans think they may lose the White House.
www.npr.org/2026/09/14/n...
The Supreme Court rejects Trump's mail voting restrictions for this year's midterms
The Supreme Court has rejected the Trump administration's request to allow mail-in voting restrictions under a U.S. Postal Service plan for the midterm general election.
www.npr.org
September 15, 2026 at 12:58 AM
Good. Should not have gotten this far.
But grave concerns should remain that this will be revisited before 2028, especially if Republicans think they may lose the White House.
www.npr.org/2026/09/14/n...
But grave concerns should remain that this will be revisited before 2028, especially if Republicans think they may lose the White House.
www.npr.org/2026/09/14/n...
Donald Trump's guiding principle is the white supremacist theory of everything. This article by Michael Harriot brings the receipts.
www.contrabandcamp.com/p/a-stable-g...
www.contrabandcamp.com/p/a-stable-g...
A Stable Genius, a Black Historian and a White Supremacist Theory of Everything
With the exit of Smithsonian chief Lonnie Bunch, Donald Trump proved a theory that has eluded America’s most brilliant minds.
www.contrabandcamp.com
September 14, 2026 at 11:23 PM
Donald Trump's guiding principle is the white supremacist theory of everything. This article by Michael Harriot brings the receipts.
www.contrabandcamp.com/p/a-stable-g...
www.contrabandcamp.com/p/a-stable-g...
An important read. September 11th is one of the roots to our current authoritarian era. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
Trump keeps using “national security” to do what he wants
From the "war on terror" to the war on trumpets and wind turbines.
www.motherjones.com
September 14, 2026 at 11:08 PM
An important read. September 11th is one of the roots to our current authoritarian era. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
One of the few nice things about social media is that I can see many other people also think what is happening in the United States is messed up and needs to stop (often people I would have never expected). Resistance only works when the masses participate. Gives me hope. youtu.be/vwSRqaZGsPw?...
Gil Scott-Heron - Revolution Will Not Be Televised (Official Audio)
YouTube video by Ace Records
youtu.be
September 14, 2026 at 1:03 AM
One of the few nice things about social media is that I can see many other people also think what is happening in the United States is messed up and needs to stop (often people I would have never expected). Resistance only works when the masses participate. Gives me hope. youtu.be/vwSRqaZGsPw?...
Massachusetts has an unusually large number of ballot questions this November. Here is my hot take on them...
September 10, 2026 at 1:23 AM
Massachusetts has an unusually large number of ballot questions this November. Here is my hot take on them...
Reposted by Christopher Martell
The lesson “pushes my students of color to articulate ideas on what reparations could look like to repair historical harm that still impacts the Black/Af Am community today, challenging the far too common belief that society should just move beyond slavery.”
—Irene Morales, HS teacher, Los Angeles⬇️
—Irene Morales, HS teacher, Los Angeles⬇️
Repair: Students Design a Reparations Bill
In this activity, students take on the role of activist-experts to improve upon a Congressional bill for reparations for Black people.
www.zinnedproject.org
September 9, 2026 at 5:51 PM
The lesson “pushes my students of color to articulate ideas on what reparations could look like to repair historical harm that still impacts the Black/Af Am community today, challenging the far too common belief that society should just move beyond slavery.”
—Irene Morales, HS teacher, Los Angeles⬇️
—Irene Morales, HS teacher, Los Angeles⬇️
What happens when social studies methods professors use data visualizations to help beginning teachers teach about race and racism? Check out Tammy Shreiner and my new article in Teachers and Teaching. Behind a paywall? E-mail me ([email protected]): www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Using data visualisations to teach about race and racism in social studies methods courses
Using critical race theory as the lens, this interpretive case study examined how preservice teachers (PST) learned to teach about race/racism through data visualisations (dataviz) within two socia...
www.tandfonline.com
September 9, 2026 at 4:46 PM
What happens when social studies methods professors use data visualizations to help beginning teachers teach about race and racism? Check out Tammy Shreiner and my new article in Teachers and Teaching. Behind a paywall? E-mail me ([email protected]): www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Completely sums up the current presidential situation in the United States. www.usatoday.com/story/opinio...
Canada understands what we refuse to: Trump is a joke | Opinion
Sorry, but I'm rooting for Canada in this insipid trade war our president started. At least they know how to treat a petulant child like Donald Trump.
www.usatoday.com
September 9, 2026 at 1:29 AM
Completely sums up the current presidential situation in the United States. www.usatoday.com/story/opinio...
Want a copy of Rob Martinelle and my new book? It is now available for pre-order (but you will sadly have to wait until November 25, 2026 to receive it). www.tcpress.com/products/nav...
Navigating Tensions in Critical Social Studies
How can social studies teachers include critical civic and historical content when topics like slavery and the civil rights era are deemed too "controversial" for the classroom?This book provides a po...
www.tcpress.com
September 8, 2026 at 7:58 PM
Want a copy of Rob Martinelle and my new book? It is now available for pre-order (but you will sadly have to wait until November 25, 2026 to receive it). www.tcpress.com/products/nav...
It's #LaborDay! Which means it is the time each year when I share this old post on why this holiday is so important to teach about (including teaching about the intersection of race and labor). #edusky #sschat christophermartell.blogspot.com/2016/01/teac...
Teaching About the Intersection of Race and Labor
Labor history is often missing from the U.S. history curriculum. For example, here in Massachusetts, the History and Social Science Fram...
christophermartell.blogspot.com
September 7, 2026 at 3:19 PM
It's #LaborDay! Which means it is the time each year when I share this old post on why this holiday is so important to teach about (including teaching about the intersection of race and labor). #edusky #sschat christophermartell.blogspot.com/2016/01/teac...
Reposted by Christopher Martell
The passing of Pierre Damas Bel is utterly devastating. He was a son, a brother, a college student and JROTC member with dreams of studying medicine—and he embodied exactly what the American dream could look like.
September 2, 2026 at 8:48 PM
The passing of Pierre Damas Bel is utterly devastating. He was a son, a brother, a college student and JROTC member with dreams of studying medicine—and he embodied exactly what the American dream could look like.
Some statistics to support our reality... A new report from my colleagues over at UMass Amherst. www.umass.edu/news/article...
Nearly All Americans Believe There is Corruption in the Federal Government, New UMass Amherst Poll Finds | UMass Amherst
Democrats and Republicans largely agree on what constitutes corruption, but partisan loyalties change how they judge identical presidential behavior
www.umass.edu
September 2, 2026 at 10:14 PM
Some statistics to support our reality... A new report from my colleagues over at UMass Amherst. www.umass.edu/news/article...
Want to know how we got here? I highly recommend @ibramxk.bsky.social's new book "Chain of Ideas." It is a very deep dive into white supremacy (including the great replacement theory, anti-DEI, etc.), authoritarianism, and right wing movements both in the U.S. and globally.
September 2, 2026 at 6:04 PM
Want to know how we got here? I highly recommend @ibramxk.bsky.social's new book "Chain of Ideas." It is a very deep dive into white supremacy (including the great replacement theory, anti-DEI, etc.), authoritarianism, and right wing movements both in the U.S. and globally.
Did not have @mapquest.com as a force of resistance on my 2026 bingo card! ❤️
September 2, 2026 at 1:34 PM
Did not have @mapquest.com as a force of resistance on my 2026 bingo card! ❤️
The Trump/McMahon Department of Education is using funding threats to force states to take money away from public schools and create private school vouchers. Tell Gov. Healey to not fall for that scam here in Massachusetts! Help by signing this petition. actionnetwork.org/petitions/po...
Sign the Petition! Tell Governor Healey to Say No to the Federal School Voucher Scheme
The federal "tax credit scholarship" voucher program sends public funds away from public schools and students to subsidize private schools. It was established under Section 70411 of the One Big Beauti...
actionnetwork.org
September 2, 2026 at 1:07 PM
The Trump/McMahon Department of Education is using funding threats to force states to take money away from public schools and create private school vouchers. Tell Gov. Healey to not fall for that scam here in Massachusetts! Help by signing this petition. actionnetwork.org/petitions/po...
Their goal is to create chaos, make it more difficult to vote, and increase doubt in the election results. This is scary stuff for our democracy. Be ready for anything. www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
Postal Service plans may keep voters from getting ballots, whistleblower says
An anonymous federal official warns that a rushed USPS portal tied to Trump’s mail-voting order could reject large batches of ballots before the midterms.
www.washingtonpost.com
September 1, 2026 at 6:15 PM
Their goal is to create chaos, make it more difficult to vote, and increase doubt in the election results. This is scary stuff for our democracy. Be ready for anything. www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...