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…

Why We Need to Stop Thinking About Students in Terms of Strengths and Weaknesses

My son is a freshman in high school and this felt like my first report card pick up all over again. While I have access…

5 Things Parents and Teachers Can Do to Teach Kids Critical Thinking Skills

There’s a growing premium on critical thinking. The skill of robust reasoning is increasingly crucial for work—and a successful life. People who know how to…

If We Want to Retain and Recruit Teachers, We Have to Walk It Like We Talk It

I have attended a lot of educator conferences this year. A common theme I heard over and over again is the challenge of teacher shortages.…

Time to Recognize That the Black Education Movement Is Growing and Isn’t Going Anywhere

Here’s the scene. There’s a movement of Black education advocates afoot. It’s built on the shoulders of the Black-led movements that preceded it, and it’s…

Those Teachers in Idaho Destroyed Any Trust Parents Had in Their Teachers

Will the parents of my Mexican students ever look at me the same after Halloween in Middleton, Idaho? On Friday, I had an awesome day…

If You’re a Teacher in a Turnaround School, You’ve Got a Friend in Me

I recently spent a weekend with two elementary school teachers. I was not there because I was from their school or even their state—I was…

There Is No Perfect Time to Speak Out Against Injustice

In education, we imagine school to be a safe and equitable place. But my experience has been very different. As both a Black male educator…

The Country Is Massively Polarized But Our Classrooms Don’t Have to Be

I am heartbroken at us. I am heartbroken at what we, as a country, have proven to be. I am heartbroken at our last week,…

Forget About the Pipeline, School Discipline Is Already a Prison for Many Students

As I walked past the principal’s office, I could see that Jonah was sitting outside again, his small legs shaking nervously, his head hung low.…