Inside the Decade-Long Plan to Recruit, Hire and Retain 9,000 Black Educators Across the Country

Across the entire United States, there aren’t nearly enough Black teachers inside classrooms.  According to the National Center for Education Statistics, less than 7% of…

Want a National Effort to Combat COVID Learning Loss? Study Your Black History.

We know all too well Black and brown students in marginalized communities are now bearing the brunt of the pandemic’s effect on schools—with inadequate technology,…

Educators Who Consider Themselves ‘White Allies’ Are Dangerous When It Comes To Developing Anti-Racist Classrooms

“I am a white ally,” the 30 something-year-old white teacher declared emphatically in the diversity and inclusion professional development session. She snapped her fingers to…

I Love Teaching, But I’m Not a Martyr

I have been navigating majority (or all) white spaces for a very long time. Whether it was the tracked gifted and talented classes or my…

Will Your Black Teachers Still Matter When Black History Month Is Over?

The protests and activism that took place last year had an impact on schools. School districts are adding diversity, equity, and inclusion roles and stating…

Where Kids Learn Isn’t Important. What They Learn Is.

Last week, I was part of a conversation around creating equality and equity for Black students in the public school system. One message that was…

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…