Rick Wormeli

In 2026, let's walk together, finding every opportunity (and make our own if none are found) to hold candid conversations on oppression, to become aware, remain informed, and do the heavy lifting required. Let's find a way to cultivate hope, dismantle despair, summon courage, suppress ego, think critically, extend compassion, and ignite creative endeavor in each of us - You know, 'the stuff of great humanity. There's a wonderful generation coming up, looking for our example; we can do this.

Work habits matter—so teach and report them on purpose [standards-based grading] mctownsley.net/work-habits-ma…

IF ONLY a method to remove potentially deadly bacteria from raw milk had been invented!!

Great article by Peter Greene on court decision in Arkansas. Why the state may not force religion into public schools. open.substack.com/pub/curmudguca…

This new article in The Learning Professional describes how AI streamlines technical tasks, but also heightens leaders’ responsibility to ensure professional learning design and evaluation efforts are accurate and aligned with the intended purposes. learningforward.org/journal/learni…

Really interesting article about the preparation paradox in schools: smartbrief.com/original/the-p…

Florida professors quietly defy restrictions on race and gender: ‘This is how authoritarianism works’ | Florida | The Guardian theguardian.com/us-news/2026/m…

An Arkansas law requiring that the Ten Commandments be prominently displayed in public school classrooms has been struck down by a federal judge. cbsn.ws/4sP3PZD

Thank you for this @RichardEngel. People who have learning disabilities are not dumb. And saying someone is dumb who has them is…not accurate. At all.

The Supreme Court already settled this: in Plyer v. Doe in 1982, it ruled that ALL children—regardless of immigration status—have the right to attend public K–12 schools. States can’t deny them an education under the Constitution. Not even TN, which continues to pass more lawsuits than laws.

In case you're interested, here's a new video podcast with Professor Tim Allen from the New England League of Middle Schools, about 25 minutes long, talking about a wide range of topics in education, leadership, and some other stuff I've never been asked. youtube.com/watch?v=REqJOu…

Hooray for @RichardEngel, one of the greatest--and bravest--broadcast journalists of our time for responding to @POTUS's callous attack on people with learning disabilities by speaking so openlly about his own. (Me too, Richard!) I hope kids who are struggling hear his message!

Trump says people with learning disabilities are “dumb.” We are not.

I have changed my website from zhaolearning.com to zhaolearning.org for security reasons. My latest post: How to Change Schools Without Changing Schools at zhaolearning.org/2026/03/17/how…

Judge strikes down Arkansas law mandating schools display the Ten Commandments. Here's what to know apnews.com/article/ten-co…

Yes. That’s what the data show. Like they do in every. Other. State.

BREAKING: huge summary judgment win in our VOA case EVERYONE on admin leave is ordered rehired & all other decisions made by the Trump admin to gut agency down to "statutory minimum" r "vacated & set aside" Kudos to our amazing partners &clients in labor, democracy & journalism

"...[T]he problem is not that schools lack good ideas. The problem is that schools are not designed mainly to welcome good ideas. They are designed to maintain a political settlement among groups with different interests." Exceptionally compelling piece by Dr. Yong Zhao just out today in his blog: How to Change Schools Without Changing Schools zhaolearning.org/2026/03/17/how…

The Texas A&M Board of Regents’ claim that they are simply following the will of taxpayers to censor topics on race overlooks a fundamental reality: I am a Black man and a taxpayer, and I do not support the use of my public funds against me, my interests, or my values. Taxpayers are not a monolith, and invoking them as a unified justification erases the diversity of views that actually exists. Public institutions should not be guided by a narrow interpretation of taxpayer will—especially when doing so risks compromising core principles such as academic freedom, open inquiry, and democracy.

Students who took notes by hand scored ~28% higher on conceptual questions than laptop note-takers. Writing forces your brain to process and compress ideas instead of copying them.