My Name Is Chyrise Harris and This Is Why I’m Fighting for Better Public Schools

Three years ago this month, my dad passed away. Growing up in Indiana, he attended both the segregated and integrated schools of the Gary Community…

Do I Really Have to Live in an All-White Neighborhood for My Kids to Get a Good Education?

I grew up in Queens (St. Albans), New York, and attended Andrew Jackson High School in the early ’90s. My family, who migrated to New…

We’re 42 Years Apart But Our Mission Is the Same: Change Education for the Black Community

We are two Black men separated by 42 years in age. But we are bound by our collective rage about what is happening to our…

I Got to Be a Fly on the Wall in a Room Full of Teachers

On a recent afternoon, I spent two hours listening to eight public school teachers talk about their work. All but one of them teaches in…

When ‘Good Enough’ Isn’t Good Enough at All for Our Students of Color

But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost… —Luke 14:28 The first…

All the Black Kids Are Still Sitting Together in the Cafeteria

I attended a predominantly Latino grammar school. We were all friends for the most part—the Black students, Mexican students and the few White students that…

As Black and Brown Educators, We’re Coming Together to Support DACA and the American Dream

“The land flourished because it was fed from so many sources, because it was nourished by so many cultures and traditions and peoples.” —Lyndon B.…

Here’s Everything You Need to Know When You’re Done Denying Your Kid Has Special Needs

Before I had my younger daughter, I had no idea about special education. I had never heard of an IEP (Individualized Education Plan). And if…

We Aren’t the First and We Won’t Be the Last Family to Leave the Public School System

We are not the first family and I know we will not be the last to transfer our children out of public school. Our eighth-grader and…

These Two Sisters Aren’t Afraid to Get Messy If It Means Better Schools for Philadelphia’s Kids

“Don’t mess it up.” Those words rode the bus with Quibila Divine in the late 1960s and early ’70s from North Philadelphia to the predominantly…