Yes, You Can Have a Great First Year of Teaching, Just Ask Chicago’s Asia-Ana Williams

Last year, rookie English teacher Asia-Ana Williams became the poster child for Opportunity Schools, a Chicago Public Schools (CPS) effort to match teacher talent with…

Teachers, I Love You. But Sometimes Your Unions Are Full of It.

Ironically, I spent part of my Labor Day arguing with unionized teachers on social media. Yep, I sure did. Because every time I make an…

It’s OK, You Can Teach For America

In 2013, Sandra Korn, then a senior at Harvard and a contributor to the student newspaper The Crimson, wrote an article telling her peers “Don’t…

There’s Room in the NAACP to Talk About the Importance of School Choice for Black Parents

I was recently the subject of a hit piece in the Huffington Post, which tried to connect me to the Koch brothers because, as a…

Do I Really Have to Defend Civil Rights Activists From the NAACP?

For months, I’ve struggled internally with blasting the NAACP for its stance on charter schools. To chastise an advocacy organization that has been instrumental in…

NAACP: Don’t Make Black Kids the New ‘Cotton’ That Funds Failing Public Schools

Because we want our children and grandchildren to be ready for college, NAACP members like me have chosen tuition-free public charter schools. But instead of…

It’s Disappointing That My Civil Rights Organization Doesn’t Support My Civil Rights

As an advocate for equity in public education, I joined the NAACP, and eventually became the education chair for Southwest Riverside County. I believed I…

We Don’t Need More Black or Brown Faces Who Don’t Represent Our Voices, Especially in Education

Congresswoman Ayana Pressley said, “We don’t need any more Brown faces that don’t want to be a Brown voice” in regards to representation on issues…

We’ve Never Seen a Public School System Work for All Kids, But We Have to Believe We Can Build One

The other day I watched the documentary True Justice: Bryan Stevenson’s Fight for Equality.  Now if you don’t know who Bryan Stevenson is, you should…

Black Folks Can Barely Access District Choices. That’s Why I Fight for My Grandson’s California Charter.

This Wednesday, the California Senate’s Education Committee will hold a public hearing on a bill that would make local school districts the primary authority saying…