We Need a Stronger Commitment to Recruit and Retain Teachers of Color

The current global pandemic has challenged the concept of America’s exceptionalism. As we struggle with COVID-19, we are also uncomfortably grappling with the vestiges of slavery…

Award-Winning Teachers Demand 4 Anti-Racist Policies to Ensure Schools Are a Place of Liberation

As educators, and also as community members, parents, and learners, the undersigned 2018 Teachers of the Year, rise in solidarity with Black Lives Matter against…

Parents, It’s Way Past Time to Break Up With Traditional Education and School Funding

This pandemic is an opportunity to change not only how we educate children, but how we fund that education. Right now, school and district leaders…

I Was the Only Black Teacher, And I Quit My First Job After Six Months

Why would a teacher submit her resignation for her first teaching job out of college in February of that school year? The answer is racism, mistreatment, and…

6 Anti-Racist Educators to Follow on Instagram Right Now

As a social media junkie, I spend countless hours surfing through hundreds of profile pages on different platforms. In the wake of COVID-19 and rising…

Here’s How COVID-19 Is Hurting Aspiring Teachers of Color and Three Ways We Can Fix It

A growing body of evidence demonstrates the valuable role that teachers of color play in our schools, but COVID-19 could shrink their ranks—and may have…

George Floyd Is Proof America Needs More Black Teachers

America, 2020: A Black man is recorded being killed in broad daylight by a White police officer trained to “protect and serve.” As videos and…

Here’s One Way to Talk With Teachers About Race in Schools

I’m five hours into facilitating a professional development on race for a group of teachers.  Overall, the morning was positive: everyone has remained engaged in…

As a Black Male Educator, I Get to Be a Superhero for Students Too Often Left Behind

Teaching is one of my greatest gifts. Seeing my mother’s life’s work as a teacher in Dekalb County created my blueprint for what the life…

Here’s How I Know Our Schools Need More Teachers of Color, Like Me

You don’t wash your hair every day? How often do you wash it? Every other week?!” The fifth grader with blonde hair that reached just past her…