My new article  The Mystery of Karimeh Abbud: Lady photographer of Palestine is up on Muftah Magazine!

Karimeh Abbud (1896-1955), also known as the Lady Photographer, was the first female Palestinian professional photographer living and working in Lebanon and Palestine in the first half of the twentieth century. According to research, Abbud may have been the first female professional photographer in the entire Arab world.

Read it all on Muftah!

Karimeh Abbud (wikimedia)

If I had to choose one individual for the title of Most Polarizing Educationist, that person would certainly be Michelle Rhee.

(You know– educationist— the genuine article, like the Rolexx watch or Louis Wuitton handbag.)

Though Rhee has received much press in venues including Time, the  Harvard Political Review, the Washington Post, and the New York Times for being “polarizing,” the problem with being polarizing is that those with influence might like to read about you and talk about you, but because they are mindful of their own career climbing (as many educationists and politicians tend to be), they won’t want to be closely identified with you.

Sure, in your only year as the single teacher in the classroom, you might tape children’s mouths and cause them to bleed— and later joke about it to a group of first-year teachers– and never be called…

The Lee School Board in Florida wants to opt out of all standardized testing. They have listened to parents. They are tired of enriching Pearson.

“FCAT. Florida Standards. Common core.

“No matter what you call it, the school board wants it gone.

“Board members unanimously expressed their disdain for standardized testing at the school board meeting Tuesday, pledging to research the possibility of “opting out” the entire district from standardized testing.

“There needs to be a come-to-Jesus meeting … to talk about these issues point blank,” Chairman Tom Scott said.

Board member Don Armstrong said the district cannot afford to continue testing at the current rate.

“A lot of our money is being poured out of this county to go to one company, I won’t say names,” he said. “But on this board or not on this board, I won’t stand for it anymore.”

Dozier asked the board to…