Apprentice Plumber and High School Senior Leonard Ferguson Isn’t Afraid to Tackle the Dirty Jobs

As an eighth-grader, Leonard Ferguson signed up for the plumbing concentration at Baltimore County’s Western School of Technology and Environmental Science, but he wasn’t sold…

Every Student Wants to Learn, We Just Need to Teach Them

Anyone who has spent time around young children knows how curious and wonder-filled they are. When my son was 5, we’d drive around and he…

Groundbreaking Change Is Happening in the Education Space With Black and Brown Leaders at the Forefront

We’ve got 22 million Black and Latino students in our schools, but there are relatively few teachers of color in the classroom. Dozens, maybe hundreds,…

Even as a Student, Maye-gan Brown Has Something to Teach Us About Justice

There is no honor in the world like being a teacher. And in a school, every single person can play a teaching role. In fact,…

I Hope My Story of Sexual Harassment Can Lead to a Teachable Moment in Our Classrooms

I have been watching silently this week as women are stepping forward to discuss times they felt uncomfortable about their interactions with male colleagues and…

6 Things Black Students Need to Hear After Nipsey Hussle’s Death

“He was a former gang member…and in other news…” That’s what my favorite local news station, WGN, had to say about Ermias Joseph Asghedom—better known…

What It Feels Like to Lose One of the Two Black Teachers at Your School

Last week I got an email that one of my son’s two kindergarten teachers, Ms. Ashley, is starting her maternity leave and he’s getting a…

I Don’t Want ‘Well-Behaved’ Students, I Want Students Who Will Challenge the Status Quo

“Well-behaved women seldom make history.” I have pondered over this Laurel Ulrich quote for several years after hearing it, and especially during Women’s History Month.…

Betsy DeVos Wants Larger Paychecks For Teachers Who Deliver Results for Kids

In a recent statement to Congress, Betsy DeVos, the nation’s education chief, made the following statement: Students may be better served by being in larger…

While Betsy Was Trying to Throw the Special Olympics Away, Democrats Were Busy Attacking School Choice

I’m on a mission to call everybody out who’s not working in the best interest of kids, all 2019. On this week’s list is Secretary…