High School Graduate Tatiana Amaya on Raising Student Voice and Claiming a Seat at the Table

Often, you hear about leaders, far earlier than you meet them. Sitting in a café near the school where I lead as principal, Mastery-Shoemaker, I…

Teachers Can’t Take Care of Their Students If They Don’t Take Care of Themselves First

I remember vividly the first time I put my head on my desk and cried during my lunch period. The bell to end the fourth…

I’m Not Willing to Trade Fixing Income Inequality for Better Schools. We Need to Do Both.

I don’t know about y’all but I get tired of seeing annual reports basically saying the same thing: Black people in America are suffering. Like…

To Struggling Readers, High School Graduate and Aspiring Literacy Teacher Daniella Martinez Says, ‘Sí Se Puede!

Every time I talk with my mom about what I want to be when I grow up, she cries. Not out of fear or sadness,…

Student Noor Bowman on Evening Out the Playing Field and Telling the Whole Story

A couple of years ago, Noor, a young high school student who was interning at a local radio station, reached out to me for an…

Better Schools Have a Place in Creating a More Equitable America

As someone who spent the first portion of his career deep in the “education reform” movement, I wasn’t surprised when Nick Hanauer’s Atlantic article, “Better…

Fixing School Discipline Policies Requires Listening and Looking at the Data

Research tells us that despite past efforts of educators and education advocates, Black and Latinx students are still consistently suspended at disproportionate rates. As districts…

When It Comes to College Graduation and Finding a Job, Mentors Make a Difference

I am living proof of the OneGoal motto: “College graduation. Period.” I’m a recent graduate of Southern Illinois University (SIU) of Carbondale where I studied…

How Teachers and Families Can Help Students Build Reading Fluency Over the Summer

Summer is a time for trying new things. Summer can also be a time for falling backward on academic skills like reading fluency. Research shows…

If Your Students Seem Unmotivated, Maybe It’s Time to Go Deep on Why

Most of us don’t think about motivation on a day-to-day basis. It’s when we want to change habits or accomplish something new and bold that…