The COVID-19 Attendance Crisis Is Bigger Than You Think

Much of the public discussion about pandemic education has focused on two major questions: How are families handling remote learning? What does safe reopening of…

Rev. Sharpton: Education Problems Are a ‘Five-Alarm’ Fire

Now would be a good time to listen to Rev. Al Sharpton. You didn’t see that coming. Me, of all people, pointing to a left-of-center…

Why Can We Have Halloween But Not Homeroom?

Upset parents are demanding answers about reopening schools as they watch COVID-19 case counts ramp back up while unmasked groups convene for sport and fun.…

KIPP Students Know What They Need to Thrive in Remote Learning

On July 30th, the Mayor of DC, Muriel Bowser, announced that D.C. schools would begin the year remotely. It was clearly time to take the…

Here’s Why Dumping the Discipline Question on the Common App Really Matters

This is a year unlike any other. I am sure you have heard this over and over again as, over the past seven months, our…

Books Are Essential Tools to Help Children Manage Grief

With more than 200,000 COVID-related deaths nationwide since March, and with the knowledge from a recent Kaiser Family Foundation study that the COVID infection rates…

How to Help Kids Cope With COVID and Back to School Stress

In a year like none other, going back to school—usually a well-established, streamlined process marked by ordered checklists and cheerful first-day photos—has been a long…

If the NBA Can Do It, Why Can’t Our Schools?

Few physical institutions are stronger symbols of childhood than Walt Disney World’s theme parks. At its peak, nearly 250,000 children and their families visited the…

We Don’t Give a Damn About Equity Initiatives Without Intentional Investment in Our Kids

Closed mouths don’t get fed. That’s why fellow Chicago activist, Natasha Dunn, and I recently demanded that Chicago Public Schools adopt our Black Student Achievement…

Internet Access Is a National Crisis, So Who’s Going To Fix It?

It’s October, almost seven months into a pandemic that has turned the world upside down. Since the shutdowns in March, folks have adapted; businesses have…