Even Remotely, I Still Plan to Lead a Student-Centered Second Grade

As we settle into this school year virtually, I’ve been a little nervous, but I am committed to providing my second grade students with the…

The American School System Must Push Back on Fascist Ideas

I am going to share a dirty little secret. For over 20 years, I have been a frequent viewer of “Fox & Friends.” The blame…

‘Black Boys’ Can Help You Reach African American Males in Your Classroom

The week that it was Black History Month, I grabbed two assignments. One from a district that was serving mostly white kids, and they were…

Dear Black Students, Your Freedom Will Not Come From What You Learn in School

The master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house. Audre Lorde Dear Black Students:  I understand how frustrating it must be to see all the…

5 Ways School Leaders Can Begin to Better Equip Themselves to Deal With the Challenge We’re Facing

One of my mentors begins each interrogative problem-solving conversation with the same question, “Who knew what, when, and what did you do about it?” The…

If We Want Citizens Who Are Critical Thinkers, We Need to Support Them in Becoming Readers and Writers

In March, the National Education Policy Center published a policy statement claiming that policymakers “should realize there is no settled science of reading” and should…

Yes, Politics Do Belong In The Classroom

As I reflect on a controversial piece I wrote shortly after Donald Trump Jr. referred to educators as “loser teachers,” I remember one specific comment…

Give Students the Media Literacy Tools They Need to Fix the Internet

Our public square isn’t what it used to be. But, if schools lead the way, media literacy education can help us rebuild civic society.  If…

We Need Native American Lit in High Schools Every Day, Not Just Around Thanksgiving

The romanticized narrative of Thanksgiving continues to thrive in many schools, but “Native Americans have been speaking out and writing back against the colonialist narrative…

Here’s How to Help Your Students Find the Voices Missing From the Traditional Thanksgiving Story

In the elementary classroom, teachers often shy away from teaching a more critical viewpoint of “traditional history” for fear of how this shift will be…