Whether You Call Them ‘Vouchers’ or Not, It’s Time to Ask Some Tough Questions in Illinois

Recently, the negatively-charged term “voucher” has been morphing into the more positive term “scholarship program.” In the case of my home state of Illinois, before…

Just Because Trump and DeVos Like Charter Schools Doesn’t Mean You Can’t, Too

A while ago school choice policies were gaining steam across the country. Charter schools and vouchers were still somewhat controversial, but more and more people…

Illinois’ School Accountability Plan Doesn’t Work for Our Kids and the Feds Told Them So

It’s comforting to learn that the feds (i.e. The U.S. Department of Education run by Secretary Betsy DeVos) has some serious concerns about Illinois accountability…

Without the Office for Civil Rights, My High School Would Have Continued to Discriminate Against Students Like Me

You may have seen the news. On July 11, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos responded to a letter written by Senator Patty Murray, which questioned the…

We’ve Known for Years What Makes Teachers Better: It Isn’t Sexy or Controversial But It Works

As school reforms go, it’s not sexy, it’s not new, and it’s not at all controversial. So it probably won’t get as much attention as…

I Almost Didn’t Graduate High School Because My School Wouldn’t Change a Light Bulb

Recently, Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos said she believes local and state governments should be allowed to set their own rules when it comes to…

Will States Hold Their Schools Accountable Under ESSA? A New Report Sheds Some Light

The ever-reliable edu-wonks over at Bellwether Education Partners, along with the trusted folks at Collaborative for Student Success (CSS), have put together a comprehensive review…

Education Reform Isn’t Just for Cities

School reform advocate Derrell Bradford and policy writer Andy Rotherham hit on it. Illinois education writer Tracy Dell’Angela has a blog focused on it. Teacher/education…

Here’s Some Suggested Reading for Our Trash-Talking Secretary of Education

You hear a lot these days—especially in the Trump era—about how broken, antiquated and just generally messed up public education is in our country. Just…

A Letter to Betsy DeVos About My Student Loans

Dear Secretary DeVos, You and I have a lot in common. We’re both from the great state of Michigan and have the same Michigan accent.…