Jon Sawyer
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Jon Sawyer
@jonsawyer.org
Writing on education and religion | University of Colorado Boulder | National Education Policy Center | https://www.jonsawyer.org
Reposted by Jon Sawyer
New policy memo from the Freedom to Learn Collective highlights research needs in the wake of fear-based politics and well-funded networks that threaten public schools. bit.ly/43UanMq
What We Need to Know Now to Respond to Right-Wing Attacks on Public Schools: A Research Agenda
Progress toward educational, social, political, and economic equality has always faced backlash—sometimes violent, other times embedded in institutions. Amid economic uncertainty, politicians are agai...
nepc.colorado.edu
November 6, 2025 at 4:20 PM
Reposted by Jon Sawyer
Hosts Will Wright and Pastor Josh Burtram speak with Dr. Kevin Burke, co-author of the first-of-its-kind NEPC report Christian Nationalism and Educational Policy in the U.S., about how faith is reshaping public schools and what it means for church-state separation. youtu.be/3b0Nx2bazCQ
Christian Nationalism and Educational Policy in the United States with Dr. Kevin Burke
YouTube video by Faithful Politics Podcast
youtu.be
November 4, 2025 at 1:10 PM
Reposted by Jon Sawyer
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.
November 4, 2025 at 5:54 PM
Reposted by Jon Sawyer
And listen to brief co-author Kevin Burke, on the Faithful Politics (@faithfulpolitics.bsky.social) podcast, discussing Christian Nationalism in education & the brief.
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/c...
November 4, 2025 at 5:36 PM
Reposted by Jon Sawyer
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 5:19 PM
Reposted by Jon Sawyer
New NEPC Review: School Choice Wisconsin report’s conclusions about the cost effectiveness of private school vouchers rest on invalid methods and inaccurate data.
@schoolfinance101.bsky.social bit.ly/3LcGsZB
NEPC Review: Wisconsin’s Most Cost-Effective K-12 Program (School Choice Wisconsin, August 2025)
Wisconsin’s long-running private school voucher program has drawn decades of research interest, including a recent report from School Choice Wisconsin. The report claims voucher-receiving schools in R...
nepc.colorado.edu
October 28, 2025 at 4:09 PM
Reposted by Jon Sawyer
Members of the National Academy of Education drew upon a consensus study to question the Trump administration’s proposal to prioritize the funding of programs that emphasize so-called “patriotic education.” bit.ly/3LntMPs
Researchers Question Prioritizing “Patriotic Education”
Members of the National Academy of Education drew upon a consensus study to question the Trump administration’s proposal to prioritize the funding of programs that emphasize so-called “patriotic educa...
nepc.colorado.edu
October 23, 2025 at 3:24 PM
Reposted by Jon Sawyer
It was an honor to interview @dlabaree.bsky.social for this month’s @nepc.bsky.social podcast. I’ve learned so much from Professor Labaree’s writing, and it was a real treat to learn from him through our conversation about recent shifts in education policy. If you have a few mins, give it a listen!
October 16, 2025 at 5:01 PM
Reposted by Jon Sawyer
NEPC Talks Education: This month's podcast explores the challenges of navigating education's competing goals, with @cmsaldana.bsky.social and @dlabaree.bsky.social bit.ly/3KUg2vs
NEPC Talks Education: An Interview With David Labaree About Navigating Education's Competing Goals
University of Wisconsin‑Madison Assistant Professor Christopher Saldaña interviews David Labaree about the fundamental tensions shaping American education, and how recent developments in AI and school...
nepc.colorado.edu
October 16, 2025 at 4:21 PM
Reposted by Jon Sawyer
The “One Big Beautiful Bill” invites Treasury Department regulations that will leave states vulnerable to federal overreach, diminished protections for students, and steep academic declines tied to voucher expansion. bit.ly/434xcN9
Federal Vouchers, Treasury Regulations, and State Flexibility
The 2025 Reconciliation Act, or “One Big Beautiful Bill,” creates a federal school choice program offering tax credits for donations to Scholarship Granting Organizations that fund private-school tuit...
nepc.colorado.edu
October 7, 2025 at 4:55 PM
Governors Beware: The Voucher Advocates in DC Are Not Serious About Returning Education to the States

@nepc.bsky.social

nepc.colorado.edu/publication/...
Federal Vouchers, Treasury Regulations, and State Flexibility
The 2025 Reconciliation Act, or “One Big Beautiful Bill,” creates a federal school choice program offering tax credits for donations to Scholarship Granting Organizations that fund private-school tuit...
nepc.colorado.edu
October 7, 2025 at 2:03 PM
Reposted by Jon Sawyer
“The growing influence of rightist movements, and especially Christian Nationalism, on educational policies and practices threatens all too many of the gains that have been made…”

Read more, and please share this incredible report by @kevinkumashiro.com

www.kevinkumashiro.com/schooltimes
School Times for End Times — Kevin Kumashiro
SCHOOL TIMES FOR END TIMES: A Brief History of U.S. Christian Nationalist Activism and Public Education
www.kevinkumashiro.com
September 29, 2025 at 3:59 PM
“The growing influence of rightist movements, and especially Christian Nationalism, on educational policies and practices threatens all too many of the gains that have been made…”

Read more, and please share this incredible report by @kevinkumashiro.com

www.kevinkumashiro.com/schooltimes
School Times for End Times — Kevin Kumashiro
SCHOOL TIMES FOR END TIMES: A Brief History of U.S. Christian Nationalist Activism and Public Education
www.kevinkumashiro.com
September 29, 2025 at 3:59 PM
Reposted by Jon Sawyer
New interactive report from @kevinkumashiro.com follows the threads of Christian Nationalism from the Colonial Era to the present day, explaining how we got to this point and helping us think through how we can move forward. Highly recommended!
www.kevinkumashiro.com/schooltimes
School Times for End Times — Kevin Kumashiro
SCHOOL TIMES FOR END TIMES: A Brief History of U.S. Christian Nationalist Activism and Public Education
www.kevinkumashiro.com
September 27, 2025 at 3:40 PM
Reposted by Jon Sawyer
Kind of surreal when your worlds collide. @jonsawyer.org congrats on the reference!

www.kevinkumashiro.com/schooltimes
School Times for End Times — Kevin Kumashiro
SCHOOL TIMES FOR END TIMES: A Brief History of U.S. Christian Nationalist Activism and Public Education
www.kevinkumashiro.com
September 27, 2025 at 12:21 PM
Without getting into the fray of justifying the unjustifiable, I want to note that we need serious, thoughtful grappling with how LGBTQ+ identifying young people (whether visible or not) are navigating today’s volatile religiopolitical climate. The scapegoating must stop: the learning must begin.
September 16, 2025 at 7:49 PM
Reposted by Jon Sawyer
For those interested in the growth of ESA vouchers and the new federal push for vouchers by Trump and Congressional Republicans, please read this thread about the important new voucher study & the NYT article about that study. reachcentered.org/publications...
The Effects of Universal School Vouchers on Private School Tuition and Enrollment: A National Analysis | REACH
The mission of REACH is to provide objective, rigorous, and applicable research that informs and improves school choice policy design and implementation to increase opportunities and outcomes for disa...
reachcentered.org
September 12, 2025 at 1:32 PM
Reposted by Jon Sawyer
In this Q&A, Scott Skinner-Thompson, Bethy Leonardi, and Sara Staley explain the implications of Mahmoud v. Taylor, a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision siding with parents who asserted faith-based reasons for opting their children out of reading books about LGBTQ-related topics. bit.ly/3JSzJmY
Learning About LGBTQ Topics in School
In this Q&A, Scott Skinner-Thompson, Bethy Leonardi, and Sara Staley explain the implications of Mahmoud v. Taylor, a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision siding with parents who asserted faith-based re...
nepc.colorado.edu
September 9, 2025 at 4:25 PM
Reposted by Jon Sawyer
Fears Grow That Trump Will Cut Special Education Support Funding

www.edweek.org/teaching-lea...
Fears Grow That Trump Will Cut Special Education Support Funding
Advocacy organizations are warning members to brace for "hundreds" of grant terminations.
www.edweek.org
August 15, 2025 at 6:05 AM
Reposted by Jon Sawyer
Supreme Court May Soon Consider Overturning 45-Year Precedent

www.newsweek.com/supreme-cour...
Supreme Court may soon consider overturning 45-year precedent
"The 6-3 majority on the Supreme Court will decide what they want and then try to rationalize it," one First Amendment advocate told Newsweek.
www.newsweek.com
July 19, 2025 at 10:32 AM
Reposted by Jon Sawyer
As Congress passed federal voucher legislation last week, a new study offers insights into how such programs might—or might not—impact the racial demographics of private schools. @bryanmann.bsky.socialbit.ly/44CcPqC
Do Vouchers Help Make Private Schools More Diverse?
As Congress passed federal voucher legislation last week, a new study offers insights into how such programs might—or might not—impact the racial demographics of private schools.
nepc.colorado.edu
July 10, 2025 at 4:11 PM
Reposted by Jon Sawyer
I shall henceforth think about everything we are witnessing around Christian nationalism, policy and the law as the “puritan mistake”
July 10, 2025 at 3:31 AM
I shall henceforth think about everything we are witnessing around Christian nationalism, policy and the law as the “puritan mistake”
July 10, 2025 at 3:31 AM
Reposted by Jon Sawyer
James Madison is rolling in his grave.

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 1:54 PM
James Madison is rolling in his grave.

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 1:54 PM