My Black History Is Knowing My Mother Africa and Her Descendants Throughout the Diaspora

This post was inspired by a Nayyirah Waheed poem, “African American II,” from her book “Salt.” In the 1400s, Europeans first arrived to my Mother Africa’s house.…

To My Brilliant Black Daughters, Nobody Can Take Away Your History

To my beautiful, brilliant Black daughters, I have so many hopes and dreams for you, that if I tried to say them all, they would…

People Thought She Had Lost Her Mind But She Knew Home Schooling Was Right for Her Babies

I used to be one of those parents, someone who thought home schooling was a fringe movement, driven by overprotective parents with cray-cray ideas who…

A Conversation With Black Parents, Teachers and Students

VIDEO SERIES: We recently brought together a group of Black teachers, parents and high school students to talk about their experiences with public schools.…

Chicago Isn’t Atlanta—Our Student Learning Gains Are Real and Lead the Nation

About a year ago, Stanford researcher Sean Reardon was digging deep into a 300-million-piece database he created, containing five years’ worth of state test scores…

I’m a Student Working for Peace, Not a Terrorist Threat

In school we are taught about historical events such as discrimination or segregation. We become educated about the mistakes of our past and say we…

Black Children Won’t Succeed With Less Accountability in Public Education

America’s first black president has signed the Every Child Succeeds Act legislation that many see as a partial retreat on his strong support for school reform.…

America’s Education System Shorts African-American Students, New Study Shows

Our country has taken considerable strides toward racial equality in recent decades, but one area where we still fall well short—where a child’s race still…

Why Families of Color Leave ‘Great’ Suburban Schools

I was at a housewarming party recently with the parents of many of my sons’ current and former classmates. As is typically the case when…

Next Steps in Newark: Superintendent Chris Cerf Responds to Dale Russakoff’s ‘The Prize’

Last week, Education Post ran an interview with Newark Superintendent Chris Cerf talking about ongoing efforts to improve public education in New Jersey’s largest city.…