Laura Waters
Blogger
Education Writer, Parent, School Board Member
Lawrence Township, New Jersey
Featured Blog: NJ Education Report
RECENT POSTS
Posted June 30, 2021
Biden Pledged to Overturn Trump’s Education Policies. So, How’s It Going?
When the U.S. Senate confirmed Dr. Miguel Cardona as President Joe Biden’s Education Secretary in March 2021, legislators handed him…
Posted June 24, 2021
This Newark Public School Knows How to Nurture Parent Partnerships
Newark’s Roseville Community Charter School has accomplished a mighty feat: Keeping students and families engaged through the most disruptive school year…
Posted June 8, 2021
EXPLAINED: What Are Standardized Tests and Why Do We Need Them?
Few education topics get parents, teachers, and school leaders more riled up than discussions about using results from student tests…
Posted Apr. 10, 2021
EXPLAINED: The American Rescue Plan Gives a Huge Boost to School Funding
What is the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021? You may have heard it as the “second big COVID stimulus,”…
Posted Feb. 24, 2021
Meet Newark’s Own Amanda Gorman, Seventh Grade Poet Makayla Brown
A month ago, as Amanda Gorman shared her beautiful prose during President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris’ inauguration, students at…
Posted Feb. 1, 2021
As a Mom of a Son With Multiple Disabilities, I Have the Receipts on Remote Instruction
Here at brightbeam, our North Star is “How Are The Children?” As parents look back over the last nine months…
Posted Jan. 20, 2021
Amanda Gorman Is Climbing That Hill. Now if Only The Rest of Us Would Join Her.
Today at President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris’s inauguration, Amanda Gorman stole the show. Lady Gaga? J-Lo? Garth…
Posted Jan. 8, 2021
Was DeVos Really the ‘Worst Secretary of Education Ever’?
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos resigned last night, citing Wednesday’s putsch at the Capitol, Trump’s incitement of violence, and her concern…
Posted Dec. 22, 2020
Will Biden’s Pick for Education Secretary Work for All Kids?
“We want to support you so that you can get to the great work of helping kids. You have to…
Posted Dec. 10, 2020
Good Luck Finding an Education Secretary Who Can Help Kids and Make Unions Happy, Mr. President-Elect
President-Elect Joe Biden may be setting himself up for a confrontation between two of his top advisors. Perched on one…
