Jennifer Berkshire
@jenniferberkshire.bsky.social
Podcasting about education policy and politics at haveyouheardpodcast.com | Latest book: The Education Wars: A Citizen's Guide and Defense Manual www.educationwarsbook.com. Follow my work at: http://educationwars.substack.com
I went Behind the News to talk about the potent backlash to school vouchers. Give it a listen!
fresh audio product:
• Jennifer Berkshire talks about the anti-school voucher backlash
• Heather Berg, author of Notes from the Sex Worker Left, on what that formation brings to politics
www.leftbusinessobserver.com/Radio.html#S...
• Jennifer Berkshire talks about the anti-school voucher backlash
• Heather Berg, author of Notes from the Sex Worker Left, on what that formation brings to politics
www.leftbusinessobserver.com/Radio.html#S...
September 18, 2026 at 4:36 PM
I went Behind the News to talk about the potent backlash to school vouchers. Give it a listen!
How about this? Kids can finally get some decent math teachers, add and subtract when they get to college, and be prepared for STEM & tech careers if we just scoop up STEM & tech professionals being displaced by AI and get them into the classroom
September 18, 2026 at 3:10 PM
How about this? Kids can finally get some decent math teachers, add and subtract when they get to college, and be prepared for STEM & tech careers if we just scoop up STEM & tech professionals being displaced by AI and get them into the classroom
Reposted by Jennifer Berkshire
This piece insightfully unpacks the schism between DeVos' American Federation of Children and what @jenniferberkshire.bsky.social coins "school choice extremists," which, to my eye, are being QBed by orgs like Heritage, Ed Choice, Americans for Prosperity, & Goldwater.
I wrote about the looming crack up in the school voucher coalition. TLDR voters want to see vouchers much more tightly regulated - something Dems and at least one influential school choice org are finally picking up on educationwars.substack.com/p/the-vouche...
The Voucher Crack-Up is Coming
The politics of ‘education freedom’ are unsustainable
educationwars.substack.com
September 10, 2026 at 4:45 PM
This piece insightfully unpacks the schism between DeVos' American Federation of Children and what @jenniferberkshire.bsky.social coins "school choice extremists," which, to my eye, are being QBed by orgs like Heritage, Ed Choice, Americans for Prosperity, & Goldwater.
I wrote about the looming crack up in the school voucher coalition. TLDR voters want to see vouchers much more tightly regulated - something Dems and at least one influential school choice org are finally picking up on educationwars.substack.com/p/the-vouche...
The Voucher Crack-Up is Coming
The politics of ‘education freedom’ are unsustainable
educationwars.substack.com
September 10, 2026 at 4:17 PM
I wrote about the looming crack up in the school voucher coalition. TLDR voters want to see vouchers much more tightly regulated - something Dems and at least one influential school choice org are finally picking up on educationwars.substack.com/p/the-vouche...
Reposted by Jennifer Berkshire
“an ideological errand-running program with no accountability paying for the wealthiest families in the state of Iowa to send their kids to the private schools they were going to send them to anyway”
For @newrepublic.com I wrote about why Democrats should embrace 'mom populism.' TLDR Find me a Dem who flipped a GOP seat or is running competitively in a red state and I'll find you a loud opponent of school vouchers.
September 1, 2026 at 2:50 PM
“an ideological errand-running program with no accountability paying for the wealthiest families in the state of Iowa to send their kids to the private schools they were going to send them to anyway”
Reposted by Jennifer Berkshire
No matter where you're at politically, this is a must-read from @jenniferberkshire.bsky.social.
Why Democrats Must Embrace a “Mom Populist” Education Agenda
Democrats once preached college-for-all, and were too soft on school privatization. They need to reverse course on both these positions—and make an unapologetic case for education as a public good tha...
newrepublic.com
August 28, 2026 at 1:22 PM
No matter where you're at politically, this is a must-read from @jenniferberkshire.bsky.social.
Reposted by Jennifer Berkshire
While rural rage at data centers is well-reported in media, little attention has been paid to how school vouchers have irked small-town Republican voters, (@jenniferberkshire.bsky.social being an exception).
August 27, 2026 at 2:01 PM
While rural rage at data centers is well-reported in media, little attention has been paid to how school vouchers have irked small-town Republican voters, (@jenniferberkshire.bsky.social being an exception).
For @newrepublic.com I wrote about why Democrats should embrace 'mom populism.' TLDR Find me a Dem who flipped a GOP seat or is running competitively in a red state and I'll find you a loud opponent of school vouchers.
August 24, 2026 at 7:45 PM
For @newrepublic.com I wrote about why Democrats should embrace 'mom populism.' TLDR Find me a Dem who flipped a GOP seat or is running competitively in a red state and I'll find you a loud opponent of school vouchers.
Dems capitalizing on opposition to school vouchers isn't just an Iowa thing. Which makes sense. If you're a GOP voter who sees vouchers as an expensive giveaway to the rich or a state takeover of private schools, your party no longer represents you. www.chalkbeat.org/2026/06/02/r...
The Democrat betting that school vouchers can be a winning issue in red-state Iowa
Rob Sand is borrowing Republican language about waste and oversight to attack Iowa’s ESA program — and making vouchers central to his campaign for governor.
www.chalkbeat.org
June 2, 2026 at 5:15 PM
Dems capitalizing on opposition to school vouchers isn't just an Iowa thing. Which makes sense. If you're a GOP voter who sees vouchers as an expensive giveaway to the rich or a state takeover of private schools, your party no longer represents you. www.chalkbeat.org/2026/06/02/r...
Weekend listening: Sarasota FL was supposed to be the capital of MAGAmerica, starting with its school board. Then came the revolt of the normies soundcloud.com/haveyouheard...
#218 When the Circus Came to Town
Sarasota Florida was supposed to be the new capital of Magamerica. But a funny thing happened on the way to making this coastal community and its school board the epicenter of right wing activism. A w
soundcloud.com
May 9, 2026 at 1:45 PM
Weekend listening: Sarasota FL was supposed to be the capital of MAGAmerica, starting with its school board. Then came the revolt of the normies soundcloud.com/haveyouheard...
Education was a big issue in this Michigan special election. Some important lessons here on how education & affordability are starting to intersect 1) running against universal school lunch is a real loser! 2) make [state name] more like Mississippi does not seem to rally voters
May 6, 2026 at 1:13 PM
Education was a big issue in this Michigan special election. Some important lessons here on how education & affordability are starting to intersect 1) running against universal school lunch is a real loser! 2) make [state name] more like Mississippi does not seem to rally voters
The future in 2 stories: 1) AI will create a permanent underclass that no amount of college and career readiness can address and 2) school-as-workplace prep will hasten this along
May 3, 2026 at 1:55 PM
The future in 2 stories: 1) AI will create a permanent underclass that no amount of college and career readiness can address and 2) school-as-workplace prep will hasten this along
One major issue missing from this account of the GOP's struggles in Iowa: school vouchers. The controversial program is expensive, unregulated, and widely seen as a handout to wealthy Iowans. This has created a mess for GOP candidates and an opening for Dems www.wsj.com/politics/ele...
Ruby Red Iowa Backed Trump by 13 Points in 2024. Now It’s a Battleground.
Iowa has trended red for a decade, but Democrats are showing signs of life, and that could help their party reclaim Congress and maybe even a governorship.
www.wsj.com
May 2, 2026 at 2:01 PM
One major issue missing from this account of the GOP's struggles in Iowa: school vouchers. The controversial program is expensive, unregulated, and widely seen as a handout to wealthy Iowans. This has created a mess for GOP candidates and an opening for Dems www.wsj.com/politics/ele...
If you live in a red state w/ a voucher program, not only must your elected GOP reps support it (no matter how much of a hole it blows in the budget), but if they try to limit the program in ANY way, they'll be targeted by billionaire school choice PACs. Seems likely to alienate a lot of GOP voters
May 1, 2026 at 1:36 PM
If you live in a red state w/ a voucher program, not only must your elected GOP reps support it (no matter how much of a hole it blows in the budget), but if they try to limit the program in ANY way, they'll be targeted by billionaire school choice PACs. Seems likely to alienate a lot of GOP voters
The backlash against edtech is suddenly everywhere - and it's only going to grow. I wrote about why this grassroots revolt is about more than Chromebooks and Khanmigo educationwars.substack.com/p/the-big-te...
The Big Tech Backlash
Thoughts on what's driving a potent grassroots revolt
educationwars.substack.com
April 29, 2026 at 8:30 PM
The backlash against edtech is suddenly everywhere - and it's only going to grow. I wrote about why this grassroots revolt is about more than Chromebooks and Khanmigo educationwars.substack.com/p/the-big-te...
Reposted by Jennifer Berkshire
Have you heard? @jenniferberkshire.bsky.social and @jackschneider.bsky.social are presenting during ELC’s Education Justice Lecture on June 3! Register or sponsor using the links below!
#webinar #publiceducation #teachertok #fyp #publicschools
#webinar #publiceducation #teachertok #fyp #publicschools
April 28, 2026 at 4:24 PM
Have you heard? @jenniferberkshire.bsky.social and @jackschneider.bsky.social are presenting during ELC’s Education Justice Lecture on June 3! Register or sponsor using the links below!
#webinar #publiceducation #teachertok #fyp #publicschools
#webinar #publiceducation #teachertok #fyp #publicschools
Among the 20K workers Citi is firing: “A.I. Champions and Accelerators” who perform their dayjob while trying to convince their coworkers to adopt AI www.nytimes.com/2026/04/21/b...
Job Cuts Driven by A.I. Are Rising on Wall Street
www.nytimes.com
April 28, 2026 at 12:38 PM
Among the 20K workers Citi is firing: “A.I. Champions and Accelerators” who perform their dayjob while trying to convince their coworkers to adopt AI www.nytimes.com/2026/04/21/b...
Reposted by Jennifer Berkshire
As would my masters thesis on women using DIY comics as a vehicle for establishing identity, now that I look at it
My PhD dissertation on how the separation of work and home shaped gender identity in 19th century America would have been prohibited in 21st century Texas
April 25, 2026 at 2:07 PM
As would my masters thesis on women using DIY comics as a vehicle for establishing identity, now that I look at it
Reposted by Jennifer Berkshire
My PhD dissertation on public pedagogy and the It Gets Better Project would be prohibited in Texas.
My PhD dissertation on how the separation of work and home shaped gender identity in 19th century America would have been prohibited in 21st century Texas
April 25, 2026 at 2:13 PM
My PhD dissertation on public pedagogy and the It Gets Better Project would be prohibited in Texas.
My PhD dissertation on how the separation of work and home shaped gender identity in 19th century America would have been prohibited in 21st century Texas
April 25, 2026 at 1:57 PM
My PhD dissertation on how the separation of work and home shaped gender identity in 19th century America would have been prohibited in 21st century Texas
Recommended weekend listening: Silicon Valley's vision for schools is dreary and dystopian. It's also fueling a massive backlash against all things edtech soundcloud.com/haveyouheard...
#217 Silicon Valley’s Dystopian Vision for Schools
As Silicon Valley’s tentacles reach ever more deeply into the nation’s public schools, a provocative new book sounds an emphatic “stop”! We talk to Tim Scott, author of Schooling for Silicon Valley, a
soundcloud.com
April 25, 2026 at 12:43 PM
Recommended weekend listening: Silicon Valley's vision for schools is dreary and dystopian. It's also fueling a massive backlash against all things edtech soundcloud.com/haveyouheard...
Reposted by Jennifer Berkshire
Join @haveyouheard.bsky.social Podcasters, Authors and Educators, @jenniferberkshire.bsky.social and @jackschneider.bsky.social, for ELC’s 17th Annual Education Justice Lecture edlawcenter.org/join-podcast...
April 24, 2026 at 6:28 PM
Join @haveyouheard.bsky.social Podcasters, Authors and Educators, @jenniferberkshire.bsky.social and @jackschneider.bsky.social, for ELC’s 17th Annual Education Justice Lecture edlawcenter.org/join-podcast...
According to that big new profile of ED chief Linda McMahon, the brains behind the new federal school voucher program was west Texas oil billionaire and 'theo-ligarch' Tim Dunn www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
April 24, 2026 at 5:13 PM
According to that big new profile of ED chief Linda McMahon, the brains behind the new federal school voucher program was west Texas oil billionaire and 'theo-ligarch' Tim Dunn www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
Reposted by Jennifer Berkshire
@jenniferberkshire.bsky.social is right on, as usual.
Blue-state governors are facing a Boromir moment here. They like to think they can use Trump's scheme for good, but it won't work. It'll siphon money away from public schools.
Blue-state governors are facing a Boromir moment here. They like to think they can use Trump's scheme for good, but it won't work. It'll siphon money away from public schools.
The Blue State Voucher Express
The Democrats' pro-voucher wing is pressing blue state governors to embrace Trump's voucher program
educationwars.substack.com
April 24, 2026 at 3:15 PM
@jenniferberkshire.bsky.social is right on, as usual.
Blue-state governors are facing a Boromir moment here. They like to think they can use Trump's scheme for good, but it won't work. It'll siphon money away from public schools.
Blue-state governors are facing a Boromir moment here. They like to think they can use Trump's scheme for good, but it won't work. It'll siphon money away from public schools.