Dirk Tillotson
Blogger
Founder and Executive Director, Great School Choices
Oakland, California
Featured Blog: Great School Voices
RECENT POSTS
Posted Jan. 11, 2017
Don’t Talk to Me About ‘Privatization,’ Because Your ‘Public’ School Is Hardly Public
In Oakland, one of the highest achieving schools in the city is Hillcrest Elementary. It’s a “public” school that is…
Posted Dec. 16, 2016
It’s Never Been Harder to Be a Teacher and That’s Why We Need to Train Them Better
Teacher training in the U.S. has been a crapshoot. Because when you’re hiring first year teachers, sometimes you say “crap”…
Posted Dec. 6, 2016
Oakland’s Kids Will Continue to Benefit From the Legacy of Superintendent Antwan Wilson
Late last month, Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) Superintendent Antwan Wilson was nominated to become the new school chief of D.C. Public Schools.…
Posted Nov. 29, 2016
This Can Be the Biggest Change We See With More Unionized Charters: Getting Everyone Focused on Quality and Equity
Charters and unions are often seen as diametrically opposed. This isn’t really an accurate history.…
Posted Oct. 14, 2016
A Message to the NAACP on the Eve of Its Charter Vote: Black Families Want More School Choices
Black families support charter schools. That’s clear from a number of recent surveys on school choice. In the 2016 Education Next…
Posted Sep. 8, 2016
Here’s Why I and Other Black Families Support Charter Schools
Most Black families support charter schools. It’s not because we’ve been duped, or that we’re “privatizers.” It’s because many of us…
Posted June 27, 2016
2 Rules to Explain Why Expulsion Hearings Will Always Be Biased Against Black Boys
Four hours in an expulsion hearing gives you time to think. And afterwards, you are wrapped tight. So it takes…
Posted May 11, 2016
When a Charter School Learns From the District to Take on Special Needs
New York City has a great program for autism inclusion in its district schools. Thing was, there wasn’t one in…
Posted Oct. 30, 2015
We Have a Serious Problem in Education Reform and It’s Not What You Think
We have a serious “other people’s children” problem in education reform. Many if not most of the spokespeople and decision…
Posted Sep. 11, 2015
California Test Score Results Are an Honest Starting Point for Growth
I have talked before about the bitter medicine that is the Common Core Standards and the pain we have to…
