Sharif El-Mekki
Blogger
Principal, Mastery Charter School Shoemaker Campus
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Featured Blog: Philly's 7th Ward
RECENT POSTS
Posted Jan. 29, 2019
His Mom Lied About Their Address So He Could Go to a Good School. Now He’s a Rhodes Scholar.
Hazim Hardeman is a Rhodes Scholar. In fact, he is Temple University’s first student to be bestowed this honor. The…
Posted Jan. 11, 2019
If You Think Excellence Can’t Exist in All-Black Schools, You’re Tripping
As a child, youth, and adult, I have had the absolute pleasure of being surrounded by Mamas and Babas who…
Posted Jan. 2, 2019
Every New Year Black Families Await the Promise of Better Schools
Almost every December 31, at 7:00 p.m., my family joins the Avenging the Ancestors Coalition (ATAC) to honor our ancestors…
Posted July 3, 2018
Independence Has Always Been a Day Late and a Dollar Short for Black People, But Schools Can Change That
On June 19, 1865, two years after Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation freeing (only) some of the enslaved, Union Major…
Posted June 26, 2018
Ninety-Six Percent of Pennsylvania’s Teachers Are White. That’s a Problem.
Imagine a doctor knowing vital, life-saving information about your health, but not sharing it with you. It would be not…
Posted May 22, 2018
All This Integration Talk Is Distracting Us From Giving Black Families Better Schools
Last week the Journey for Justice Alliance released a report called “Failing Brown v. Board.” The report is a direct…
Posted Apr. 9, 2018
If You’re an Educator Who Thinks We Need to Hold Parents Accountable, You Need to Do Some Soul Searching
Time and time again, I’ve heard educators say that the lack of parental engagement in their schools is what is…
Posted Oct. 2, 2017
I’ve Been a Principal for 15 Years, Here’s 12 Things I’ve Learned Along the Way
This marks my 15th year as a principal. I have learned directly from my coaches, mentors and colleagues. Many of…
Posted June 16, 2017
I Have 770 Children. Okay, Not Really. But I Love My Students All the Same.
“Education among all kinds of men, always had, and always will have, an element of…revolution.” —W.E.B DuBois “The most revolutionary…
Posted June 7, 2017
I Was a Principal in Southwest Philly and That Didn’t Stop These Black Cops From Pulling Me Over
All year our eighth-grade students have been grappling with social justice issues and how to address them. They’ve closely analyzed…
