Every Book You Teach Is a Political Choice. Make It a Step Towards Social Justice.

At NNSTOY’s (National Network of State Teachers of the Year) conference last July, civil rights educator Sharif El-Mekki delivered a moving presentation that ended with…

Here’s Why You Should Worry Less About Your Kid’s Happiness and More About Their Test Scores

We’ve known this for a while, but here’s another survey to add fuel to the fire: Parents tend to inflate their kids’ academic progress and…

7 Back-to-School Things That Drive Parents Crazy

Look, I’ve been in your worn out shoes with the holes in the big toe area. For most Nashville public school families, the countdown to…

I Thought I Suffered for Not Being Placed in ESL Classes, But I Was Wrong

At the age of 2, I left the United States to live in my parents’ native country, Guatemala. I completed my first two years of…

I Did Not Want to Read Tom Rademacher’s Book, But Then I Picked It Up and Couldn’t Stop

At the advanced age of 20, I thought I knew what I liked in literature. It turns out, I was wrong. I’m not as passionate…

My Students Think That ‘Being an Author Isn’t Really for Black People’

Recently, I worked with a group of middle school students on an extended-day literary magazine publication. We discussed potential careers that the experience could prepare…

Thought Charter and District Schools Couldn’t Work Together? Newark Has Found a Way

It’s often noted that the original vision for charter schools, championed by legendary teachers’ union leader Al Shanker and others, was that they’d be “laboratories…

Students With Reading Disabilities Deserve the Magic of Books Too

Exciting. Delightful. A joyful experience for the mind and soul, escaping into other worlds. This is the power of reading. Frustrated. Discouraged. Feeling like a…

You’ve Heard About the Achievement Gap. Here’s 10 Ways Communities Can Help Close It.

During the new millennium, the United States faces a vital challenge—the challenge of closing the academic achievement gap between Caucasian and minority students, specifically, students…

The Only Thing I Want to See Melting This Summer Is My Ice Cream Cone, Not My Kid’s Brain

Yeah I know, the last thing most of us parents want to do during summer is think about school. We just want to enjoy time…