Laura Waters
Blogger
Blogger, Parent, School Board Member
Lawrence Township, New Jersey
Featured Blog: NJ Left Behind
RECENT POSTS
Posted Mar. 25, 2020
Will This Pandemic Force Us to Boldly Address the Inequities in Our Schools?
I live right off Route 206, a mostly two-lane road that begins in the Pinelands of southern New Jersey, winds…
Posted Mar. 18, 2020
Districts Are Using Students With Disabilities as an Excuse to Do Nothing
My husband and I have four children. Our three oldest are what we in the special needs community call “neuro-typical”…
Posted Mar. 16, 2020
Schools Like This One Might Have an Easier Time Going Virtual
As COVID-19 continues to spread across New Jersey, “long term school closures are inevitable,” said Governor Phil Murphy on Friday. All…
Posted Feb. 25, 2020
Now That Trump Is Abandoning Charter Schools, Democrats Are Free to Champion a Truly Progressive Education Platform
I could be Bernie Sanders’ daughter. After all, my parents were much like him, children of Eastern European Jewish immigrants…
Posted Jan. 27, 2020
What Happens When a Good Public Charter School Can’t Get a Building
Imagine that your 15-year-old daughter is enrolled in a public high school that you both chose for its affirmative culture…
Posted Jan. 6, 2020
There Are So Many Things Wrong With This Piece in ‘The Nation.’ Here Are My Top 4.
On New Year’s Eve “The Nation” published an analysis by Jennifer Berkshire called “The Democrats’ School Choice Problem.” Her piece is instructive…
Posted Dec. 15, 2019
Here’s What Happened Yesterday When AFT and NEA Locked Out Black and Brown Parents from a Candidate Forum
Yesterday the AFT/NEA sponsored a “Public Education Forum” in Pittsburgh. There, hand-selected union members heard from seven Democratic presidential candidates…
Posted Dec. 11, 2019
I’m Waiting for Democrats to Stop Using Progressive Talking Points and Start Listening to Parents
When eight Democratic presidential candidates appear on stage in Pittsburgh this Saturday, most—if not all—will echo teachers unions’ animus towards…
Posted Dec. 6, 2019
If You’re Looking for a Robust Democratic Debate About Education, This Ain’t It
“At last,” I exulted, as I peered at a Slack message from a colleague. The Democratic presidential candidates are going…
Posted Dec. 2, 2019
Don’t Take Us Back to the Days When Our Children With Disabilities Could Be Denied an Education
We barely survived my son Jonah’s adolescence. One evening in Philadelphia’s 30th Street Station he pushed me so hard I…
