Families Have School Options, We Just Don’t Spell Them Out in Plain English

Over my 15 years of working in education, I have grown to appreciate that parents are far more savvy, knowledgeable, and resourceful than policy wonks…

As Grown-Ups Argue Over Reopening Schools, Chicago’s Kids Lose

Chicago Public Schools students are back in school.  Well, some of them are. It’s complicated, and getting messier by the minute.  WBEZ Chicago has more…

Let’s Be Honest, Schools Are Not About Education

Nine months of pandemic learning have made clear what some of us already knew, and what many are afraid to admit: Schools are not about…

How to Help Beginning Readers During the Pandemic

Before the pandemic, many American children struggled to read well. Now, the pandemic has thrown early elementary teachers a curve ball in teaching reading; they…

California Parents and Advocates Sue for the Constitutional Right to Education

The Oakland REACH is an Oakland-based, parent-run, parent-led group committed to empowering families from our most underserved communities to demand high-quality schools for our children.…

Why I Gave My Son Permission to Drop Out of High School

We see a child in a maple treeWe’re watching him climb,You and I.You say, “Come down,You’ll hurt yourself!”I say, “Go upYou’re touching the sky!” –…

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…