Q&A With Paige Kowalski: Getting Transparent About Student Data

Student data. Standardized testing. Accountability. These words set off a lot of big feelings among parents, educators and policymakers — especially fear and anger. Controversies…

It’s Time to Dump Deficit-Based Data

As the school year begins, we hear lots of deficit-laden words like “Title I,” “tough,” “low-income,” and “low-achieving” to describe primarily Black and brown students…

Cardona Matters, But the Most Important Decisions Will Happen at the Local Level

President Joe Biden has certainly kept busy during his first days in the Oval Office. He has issued a call for national unity, doubled down…

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 that “impressionable children are watching…

Without Data, We Can’t Fight for Our Students’ Futures

Sometimes, data can seem pesky. Just ask the folks who continue to suggest that coronavirus spikes are merely the result of increased testing. “You know…

Civil Rights Groups Insist on Testing: ‘You Cannot Improve What You Do Not Measure.’

Even a broken clock is right twice a day. In this case, the clock is soon-to-be-Ex-Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, who has told states that…

An Election Alone Fixes Nothing. So, What’s Next?

The people of the United States have voted to replace Donald Trump with Joe Biden. It is the first step in repairing the massive rifts…

If You’re Serious About Equity, Prove It by Including Leaders of Color at Your School

When I graduated from Harvard’s Graduate School of Education with a master’s degree in school leadership, I was confident I would quickly be hired as…

70 Years of Promises in Education. What Will It Take for Us to Keep Them?

The promise of public education is that it prepares young people for life—and the commitments we have made to meet this aspiration have dramatically increased…

When It Comes to Education, Democrats Need to Think Bigger

I’m a Sam Seaborn Democrat. As the idealistic West Wing character once said:  Education is the silver bullet. Education is everything. We don’t need little…