Sharif El-Mekki
Blogger
Principal, Mastery Charter School Shoemaker Campus
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Featured Blog: Philly's 7th Ward
RECENT POSTS
Posted Feb. 9, 2017
#MyBlackHistory: What Do Black Panthers Have to Do With a Charter School Principal? Let Me Tell You
Education was fundamental to the Black Panther Party, and it remains true for social justice activists today.…
Posted Jan. 25, 2017
Black Families Have a Long History of Using School Choice as Resistance to Racist and Inadequate School Systems
National School Choice Week is an independent public awareness effort spotlighting effective education options for children, including traditional public schools,…
Posted Jan. 12, 2017
Trump Might Want to Scrap the Office of Civil Rights, But the Work Continues
In a community not too far from my home of Philadelphia, yet light years away in the tony suburb of…
Posted Dec. 14, 2016
Schools Waste Too Much Time Trying to Find Good Teachers, and Colleges Can Fix That
“After 30 years of doing such work, I have concluded that classroom teaching…is perhaps the most complex, most challenging, and…
Posted Dec. 6, 2016
To Know the Black Community Is to Know How Thirsty We Are for Better Schools
I often wonder what it will take for Black children in our communities to attend high-performing schools. According to many…
Posted Nov. 14, 2016
Here’s What I Told My Black Students to Remember Now That Trump Is President
The morning after the election, Philadelphia was fresh off a six-day public transit strike. Now our students, who had demonstrated…
Posted Oct. 19, 2016
Before You Get Rid of ‘No Excuses’ Discipline, Hear Me Out
I’m concerned about the growing backlash against what are referred to as “no excuses” schools. Too often, critics depict overly-rigid…
Posted Oct. 13, 2016
The NAACP Was Founded by White People and It Still Isn’t Looking Out for Black Families
Some organizations are committed to a cause. Everyone knows exactly what they stand for. Look at Greenpeace—everybody knows that they’re…
Posted Aug. 30, 2016
How Badly Do We Really Want Black, Brown and Poor Kids to Be Successful?
“I am not accountable for the violence, drugs, pregnancy…in my school.” I wasn’t surprised by this final retort. It was…
Posted July 29, 2016
I’m Inspired by So Many Students But the Kid Who Tried to Kill Me Inspires Me Most
I was recently asked which of my former students most inspired me. I have literally thousands to draw from for…
