We Can Teach Black History and LGBTQ History at the Same Time. In Fact, We Should.

My social media feeds were drenched with homophobia this week. People were saying how they really felt about my state, Illinois, joining other states mandating…

Just Like Emancipation, Quality Schools Are Being Delayed and Denied to Black Students

“Until the lion tells his side of the story, the tale of the hunt will always glorify the hunter.” While many Americans are waiting with baited breath for July 4,…

Teaching Our Students to Save the Planet May Be the Most Important Lesson We Can Teach

Miko Vergun, 17, lives in the Portland, Oregon suburb of Beaverton. She fears she may never be able to visit her native Marshall Islands in…

It’s Going to Take More Than a Black History Month Report to See Racial Equity in Our Schools

Black History Month provides a calendar-driven chance for students and teachers to talk about Black History. But it can easily become a way of tokenizing…

How We Build a Pipeline of Teachers That Know How to Talk About Race and Social Justice

Nearly 60 years ago, our nation’s students watched as leaders of the civil rights movement pushed back against entrenched Jim Crow laws and re-defined American…

Poor Curriculum Is a Recipe for Disaster, Here’s How Schools Can Help Teachers Find and Use High-Quality Materials

Lately, I’ve seen a meme that keeps popping up on social media: “Telling a teacher to use a boxed curriculum is like forcing a chef…

How Kentucky’s Superintendent of the Year Got Autonomous Schools to Adopt the Same Curriculum

Understanding that the content we put in front of children matters, 50CAN, a nonprofit network of citizen advocates, recently held a session on the importance…

How My School Blocked Me From Teaching ‘The Hate U Give’

While “The Hate U Give” is a best-selling book and top-rated film, I’m getting some real pushback from my administration about having my students read the…

No Teacher Should Be an Island

I didn’t quite understand what it meant to be an “island” until I started teaching eight years ago. For years, I was the only United…

Instead of School Supplies Give Parents a List of What Their Kids Need to Succeed

Last August I was visiting family in Oregon when I walked into a supermarket and by the front door saw a large sign that read…