Heidi Lyn Hadley
@heidihadley.bsky.social
Asst. Prof. of English Education, researching stuff like teacher identities, religion and education, and effective literacy instruction. Reader/writer/mom
Love this write up (with photos and videos!) of our 9th grade class at Beauregard HS. This model of a university-school partnership has been compelling for me as a teacher, researcher, and literacy scholar. Look at the amazing 9th graders & undergraduate students that Dr. Hinman and I work with!
Auburn College of Education literacy initiative at Beauregard High School builds confidence, community and future educators
Like many students his age, Ke'Zerrious Powell often let anxiety keep him from speaking up in class. Through a new literacy partnership between Auburn University’s College of Education and Beauregard ...
wire.auburn.edu
November 6, 2025 at 4:27 PM
Love this write up (with photos and videos!) of our 9th grade class at Beauregard HS. This model of a university-school partnership has been compelling for me as a teacher, researcher, and literacy scholar. Look at the amazing 9th graders & undergraduate students that Dr. Hinman and I work with!
I do think that there are very few factors pushing on public education as much and as persistently as Christian nationalism, so I appreciated the opportunity to write with Kevin Burke about the issue. I do ALSO appreciate the really great support and editorial work from the NEPC team.
New policy brief warns of growing efforts to reshape schools around White Christian nationalist ideology. @heidihadley.bsky.social bit.ly/4qJ0CKT
Christian Nationalism and Educational Policy in the United States
American public education, though historically rooted in Christian ideals, has long navigated tensions among denominational differences and, in modern times, secularism. The growing influence of Chris...
nepc.colorado.edu
November 4, 2025 at 5:54 PM
I do think that there are very few factors pushing on public education as much and as persistently as Christian nationalism, so I appreciated the opportunity to write with Kevin Burke about the issue. I do ALSO appreciate the really great support and editorial work from the NEPC team.
Reposted by Heidi Lyn Hadley
I had a judge presiding over one of my cases ask me if I had been a defendant in one of his cases because he recognized me. I was like nope. I'm counsel. I was dressed impeccably in a vintage Calvin Klein suit that I'd paid way too much money for. It happened in 2005ish and I still think about it.
September 29, 2025 at 12:13 PM
I had a judge presiding over one of my cases ask me if I had been a defendant in one of his cases because he recognized me. I was like nope. I'm counsel. I was dressed impeccably in a vintage Calvin Klein suit that I'd paid way too much money for. It happened in 2005ish and I still think about it.
Reposted by Heidi Lyn Hadley
Filling classrooms with computers didn't have the huge and positive impact on learning that was promised. Filling them with tablets hasn't done it either.
I know this might sound absurd to many (especially politicians) but what if we filled them with highly skilled and properly supported educators?
I know this might sound absurd to many (especially politicians) but what if we filled them with highly skilled and properly supported educators?
Say it often, say it loud:
"Overall, research has not supported the common-sense presumption that digital approaches to schooling are better than non-digital alternatives. At the broadest level, widespread computer use in education has been found to be associated with lower student achievement."
"Overall, research has not supported the common-sense presumption that digital approaches to schooling are better than non-digital alternatives. At the broadest level, widespread computer use in education has been found to be associated with lower student achievement."
Fit for Purpose? How Today’s Commercial Digital Platforms Subvert Key Goals of Public Education
Digital educational platforms have become ubiquitous in American classrooms, with tools like Google Workspace for Education, Kahoot!, Zearn, Khan Academy, and many others now structuring curriculum, i...
nepc.colorado.edu
September 29, 2025 at 10:24 AM
Filling classrooms with computers didn't have the huge and positive impact on learning that was promised. Filling them with tablets hasn't done it either.
I know this might sound absurd to many (especially politicians) but what if we filled them with highly skilled and properly supported educators?
I know this might sound absurd to many (especially politicians) but what if we filled them with highly skilled and properly supported educators?
Godawful.
Head Start preschools to bar children with undocumented parents under new Trump rule
Head Start should be ‘reserved for American citizens,’ Trump administration says
A rule change treats the federally funded preschool program like a welfare program and bars the children of undocumented immigrants. It’s a dramatic change from longstanding practice.
bit.ly
July 10, 2025 at 5:20 PM
Godawful.
Reposted by Heidi Lyn Hadley
NEW TONIGHT: The IRS says that churches can now endorse candidates from the pulpit, carving out an exemption to the decades-old ban on politicking by nonprofits.
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/07/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/07/u...
I.R.S. Says Churches Can Endorse Candidates From the Pulpit
www.nytimes.com
July 8, 2025 at 1:06 AM
NEW TONIGHT: The IRS says that churches can now endorse candidates from the pulpit, carving out an exemption to the decades-old ban on politicking by nonprofits.
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/07/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/07/u...
Reposted by Heidi Lyn Hadley
Schools are taking a hit in every state--including the ones where most voters supported President Trump:
-Florida: $398M
-Ohio: $203M
-Louisiana: $120M
-Indiana: $107M
-Alabama: $100M
-Kentucky: $96M
-South Carolina: $94M
-Missouri: $93M
-Oklahoma: $78M
-Mississippi: $72M
-Arkansas: $64M
-Florida: $398M
-Ohio: $203M
-Louisiana: $120M
-Indiana: $107M
-Alabama: $100M
-Kentucky: $96M
-South Carolina: $94M
-Missouri: $93M
-Oklahoma: $78M
-Mississippi: $72M
-Arkansas: $64M
State totals and data sourcing here in Ed Week article: www.edweek.org/policy-polit...
See How Much School Funding Trump Is Holding Back From Your State
The administration is holding back nearly $7 billion for English learners, after-school programs, professional development, and more.
www.edweek.org
July 2, 2025 at 1:16 PM
Schools are taking a hit in every state--including the ones where most voters supported President Trump:
-Florida: $398M
-Ohio: $203M
-Louisiana: $120M
-Indiana: $107M
-Alabama: $100M
-Kentucky: $96M
-South Carolina: $94M
-Missouri: $93M
-Oklahoma: $78M
-Mississippi: $72M
-Arkansas: $64M
-Florida: $398M
-Ohio: $203M
-Louisiana: $120M
-Indiana: $107M
-Alabama: $100M
-Kentucky: $96M
-South Carolina: $94M
-Missouri: $93M
-Oklahoma: $78M
-Mississippi: $72M
-Arkansas: $64M
Reposted by Heidi Lyn Hadley
“Local school districts can’t afford to wait out lengthy court proceedings to get the federal funding they’re owed — nor can they make up the shortfall, especially not at the drop of a pin.” www.chalkbeat.org/2025/07/01/t...
Trump administration throws a $7 billion wrench into school budgets
The Education Department is holding back funding previously approved by Congress for teacher training, English learners, migrant education, and after-school programming. Advocates worry the Trump admi...
www.chalkbeat.org
July 1, 2025 at 7:18 PM
“Local school districts can’t afford to wait out lengthy court proceedings to get the federal funding they’re owed — nor can they make up the shortfall, especially not at the drop of a pin.” www.chalkbeat.org/2025/07/01/t...
Reposted by Heidi Lyn Hadley
‘I became a teacher so I can read scripted lessons written by folks who haven’t taught in a decade in order to prepare students to take a standardized test written above their grade level!’
Said no teacher ever
Said no teacher ever
June 22, 2025 at 4:28 PM
‘I became a teacher so I can read scripted lessons written by folks who haven’t taught in a decade in order to prepare students to take a standardized test written above their grade level!’
Said no teacher ever
Said no teacher ever
Reposted by Heidi Lyn Hadley
Sounds like she is deliberately ignoring the will of the people of Los Angeles and California, who duly elected their mayor, governor, and senators.
Sounds like authoritarianism to me.
Sounds like authoritarianism to me.
Kristi Noem: "We are not going away. We are staying here to liberate the city from the socialists and the burdensome leadership that this governor and that this mayor have placed on this country and what they have tried to insert into the city."
Sen. Alex Padilla is then forcibly removed!
Sen. Alex Padilla is then forcibly removed!
June 12, 2025 at 6:58 PM
Sounds like she is deliberately ignoring the will of the people of Los Angeles and California, who duly elected their mayor, governor, and senators.
Sounds like authoritarianism to me.
Sounds like authoritarianism to me.
Reposted by Heidi Lyn Hadley
BREAKING: Federal agents in plain clothes and unmarked cars tried to snatch 1st graders from LA elementary schools—told staff they had “parental consent.”
They lied. When pressed, they HID THEIR IDS. DHS admits they sent them. This wasn’t a welfare check. It was a test run for a police state.
They lied. When pressed, they HID THEIR IDS. DHS admits they sent them. This wasn’t a welfare check. It was a test run for a police state.
June 10, 2025 at 12:17 AM
BREAKING: Federal agents in plain clothes and unmarked cars tried to snatch 1st graders from LA elementary schools—told staff they had “parental consent.”
They lied. When pressed, they HID THEIR IDS. DHS admits they sent them. This wasn’t a welfare check. It was a test run for a police state.
They lied. When pressed, they HID THEIR IDS. DHS admits they sent them. This wasn’t a welfare check. It was a test run for a police state.
My recent GYN appointment in the Deep South included a) praise music in the waiting room, and b) a very sweet and somehow apologetic lecture on the benefits of reading smut for menopausal libido loss (all while in stirrups). Obsessed, obviously.
June 9, 2025 at 7:26 PM
My recent GYN appointment in the Deep South included a) praise music in the waiting room, and b) a very sweet and somehow apologetic lecture on the benefits of reading smut for menopausal libido loss (all while in stirrups). Obsessed, obviously.
Reposted by Heidi Lyn Hadley
Yesterday, June 2, was an interesting day at work. I was reporting a story about how the Education Department hadn't delivered a report to Congress on the Condition of Education, despite the June 1 deadline mandated by law. 🧵 (1/9)
June 3, 2025 at 11:19 AM
Yesterday, June 2, was an interesting day at work. I was reporting a story about how the Education Department hadn't delivered a report to Congress on the Condition of Education, despite the June 1 deadline mandated by law. 🧵 (1/9)
My daughter has been home from college for less than a month. She has four younger brothers. She has recently started spamming the family group chat with pictures of the toilet seat being left up in her bathroom. Daily. Nearly hourly, honestly.
May 29, 2025 at 10:48 PM
My daughter has been home from college for less than a month. She has four younger brothers. She has recently started spamming the family group chat with pictures of the toilet seat being left up in her bathroom. Daily. Nearly hourly, honestly.
It turns out that oversight for public funds for education matters. A lot.
"They included over $40,000 in airfare, over $3,000 in alcohol purchases, over $10,000 in restaurants, $6,091 for a luxury hotel in India — and even $1,678 in charges for sommelier courses." www.chalkbeat.org/indiana/2025...
Wine and StubHub: Here are the charges on the school credit card of an ex-charter leader
The credit card expenses include over $40,000 for airfare, over $3,000 for alcohol, and $1,080 for the Daytona International Speedway. The ex-official worked at Matchbook Learning, which has largely f...
www.chalkbeat.org
May 29, 2025 at 4:06 PM
It turns out that oversight for public funds for education matters. A lot.
Reposted by Heidi Lyn Hadley
The SPLC identifies 1,371 extremist organizations nationally in 2024, noting a 25 percent increase in Alabama and mainstream infiltration of far-right ideologies.
Southern Poverty Law Center releases 2024 "Year in Hate and Extremism" Report
The SPLC identifies 1,371 extremist organizations nationally in 2024, noting a 25 percent increase in Alabama and mainstream infiltration of far-right ideologies.
www.alreporter.com
May 23, 2025 at 1:48 PM
The SPLC identifies 1,371 extremist organizations nationally in 2024, noting a 25 percent increase in Alabama and mainstream infiltration of far-right ideologies.
Reposted by Heidi Lyn Hadley
"Try as we might, we cannot understand the 2023 Plan as anything other than an intentional effort to dilute Black Alabamians’ voting strength and evade the unambiguous requirements of court orders standing in the way."
Please don't call Montgomery that. I don't care if you don't mean it that way. This is 2025. www.al.com/news/2025/05...
Trump-appointed judges find Alabama Legislature is racist, cite 'monkey town' text
Judges will consider putting Alabama elections back under federal supervision.
www.al.com
May 21, 2025 at 1:48 PM
"Try as we might, we cannot understand the 2023 Plan as anything other than an intentional effort to dilute Black Alabamians’ voting strength and evade the unambiguous requirements of court orders standing in the way."
Some of this has to be attributed to the standardization and high stakes assessment culture; if students have only been told that everything they are learning "will be on the end of level test"
May 14, 2025 at 7:24 PM
Some of this has to be attributed to the standardization and high stakes assessment culture; if students have only been told that everything they are learning "will be on the end of level test"
Some of the books they are banning baffle me. Like, this book is almost 20 years old? And there are way wackier (by their standards) books out there that it seems they would want to ban before this one. But sure, we're all safe from the revolutionary ideas in Water for Elephants now. 🙄
"Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen is now banned in all Utah public schools.
It was reported by Cache, Davis and Tooele school districts.
This is the 18th book to be banned statewide under the 2024 law, HB29.
It was reported by Cache, Davis and Tooele school districts.
This is the 18th book to be banned statewide under the 2024 law, HB29.
A 17th book has been banned in all Utah public schools.
"Tricks" by Ellen Hopkins was added to the list today.
It was reported by Davis, Tooele and Washington school districts.
"Tricks" by Ellen Hopkins was added to the list today.
It was reported by Davis, Tooele and Washington school districts.
May 6, 2025 at 8:39 PM
Some of the books they are banning baffle me. Like, this book is almost 20 years old? And there are way wackier (by their standards) books out there that it seems they would want to ban before this one. But sure, we're all safe from the revolutionary ideas in Water for Elephants now. 🙄
Reposted by Heidi Lyn Hadley
This this this!
When high-needs schools can’t pay for teachers, they’ll outsource learning to machines and our most vulnerable students will simply get test-prep curriculum.
When high-needs schools can’t pay for teachers, they’ll outsource learning to machines and our most vulnerable students will simply get test-prep curriculum.
Over the next decade, it's really looking like who'll get books and knowledgeable human teachers will be more stratified by class than I think a lot of people understand
April 15, 2025 at 11:32 PM
This this this!
When high-needs schools can’t pay for teachers, they’ll outsource learning to machines and our most vulnerable students will simply get test-prep curriculum.
When high-needs schools can’t pay for teachers, they’ll outsource learning to machines and our most vulnerable students will simply get test-prep curriculum.
I say pretty regularly that it worries me that so many of our young teachers grew up under NCLB legislation and have thus very little ability to imagine curricula that is actually, genuinely responsive to the students they teach.
"There are plenty of teachers who find structured materials a relief and no threat to their autonomy - and their number is growing. A key part of that is workload." Read my latest, on the growing amount of scripting in US curricula, here: www.tes.com/magazine/tea...
Why US schools have fallen in love with scripted lessons
A mix of necessity, ideology and circumstance is driving a widespread adoption of scripting in US classrooms, finds Holly Korbey
www.tes.com
March 27, 2025 at 6:01 PM
I say pretty regularly that it worries me that so many of our young teachers grew up under NCLB legislation and have thus very little ability to imagine curricula that is actually, genuinely responsive to the students they teach.
Reposted by Heidi Lyn Hadley
Confirmed $19 million in HBCU funding for 2025 is suspended pending review from the USDA for this year's 1890 Scholars. Affects 2 Alabama schools. My latest for @al.com. www.al.com/news/2025/02...
$19 million in HBCU funding suspended after Trump diversity ban: ‘Not looking too good’
19 schools are recipients of this scholarship program run by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
www.al.com
February 21, 2025 at 6:13 PM
Confirmed $19 million in HBCU funding for 2025 is suspended pending review from the USDA for this year's 1890 Scholars. Affects 2 Alabama schools. My latest for @al.com. www.al.com/news/2025/02...
This article about white Christian nationalist rhetorical practices in public education has been out for a minute now, but I just got the email with the 50 free reprints, so if anyone wants them, here's the link: www.tandfonline.com/eprint/SPBJZ...
Ungrievable: Theorizing white Christian nationalist rhetorical practices in education
The religiopolitical movement of White Christian nationalism has increasingly impacted policy and practice in public education in the United States. This theoretical paper examines how White Christ...
www.tandfonline.com
February 19, 2025 at 6:19 PM
This article about white Christian nationalist rhetorical practices in public education has been out for a minute now, but I just got the email with the 50 free reprints, so if anyone wants them, here's the link: www.tandfonline.com/eprint/SPBJZ...
Reposted by Heidi Lyn Hadley
The grants support:
- Partnerships b/t districts and nonprofits or higher ed to expand teacher prep & recruitment
- Hands-on classroom training for teacher candidates
- In-service PD for teachers and principals
- Alternative programs for entering the profession
www.edweek.org/teaching-lea...
- Partnerships b/t districts and nonprofits or higher ed to expand teacher prep & recruitment
- Hands-on classroom training for teacher candidates
- In-service PD for teachers and principals
- Alternative programs for entering the profession
www.edweek.org/teaching-lea...
Trump Administration Slashes Millions in Teacher-Training Grants
Citing "divisive ideology," the U.S. Department of Education cut two programs supporting teacher prep and PD.
www.edweek.org
February 19, 2025 at 2:53 PM
The grants support:
- Partnerships b/t districts and nonprofits or higher ed to expand teacher prep & recruitment
- Hands-on classroom training for teacher candidates
- In-service PD for teachers and principals
- Alternative programs for entering the profession
www.edweek.org/teaching-lea...
- Partnerships b/t districts and nonprofits or higher ed to expand teacher prep & recruitment
- Hands-on classroom training for teacher candidates
- In-service PD for teachers and principals
- Alternative programs for entering the profession
www.edweek.org/teaching-lea...
I will work with Stephanie any day on any project because she's amazing, but I really, really love this article, which insists that we consider what it really means to welcome students into ELA classrooms and consider the commitments that are implicit in canonical book choices.
My amazing collaborator and friend @heidihadley.bsky.social & I wrote this article as we were contemplating the repercussions of retreating to the canon because of book bans.
Here’s the link: journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
If you want a copy and can’t get access, let me know, and I’ll send!
Here’s the link: journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
If you want a copy and can’t get access, let me know, and I’ll send!
November 27, 2023 at 6:28 PM
I will work with Stephanie any day on any project because she's amazing, but I really, really love this article, which insists that we consider what it really means to welcome students into ELA classrooms and consider the commitments that are implicit in canonical book choices.