How ‘Social Distancing’ Is Changing the Way We View Schools

Paradoxically enough, as Washington, D.C., has slid from mass school closures into social distancing and working from home toward increasingly likely shelter-in-place, my neighborhood is…

Here’s How I Know Our Schools Need More Teachers of Color, Like Me

You don’t wash your hair every day? How often do you wash it? Every other week?!” The fifth grader with blonde hair that reached just past her…

Black History Is American History and Should Be Celebrated All Year Long

As a Minnesotan, February is a signal that the warmth of spring is so close yet so far away (seriously, last Thursday the high was two…

Children With Disabilities Have Civil Rights, Too

When we think of legally segregated and unequal schools, we usually think of the Jim Crow system of “Black and White” schools. Most of us…

Minnesota’s Bill Wilson Walked His Talk About Improving Schools for Families. Now It’s Our Turn.

Nothing stopped Bill Wilson. From the time he was bused past three schools because he was African American, to the day he was told it was…

If You’re Serious About Equity, Prove It by Including Leaders of Color at Your School

When I graduated from Harvard’s Graduate School of Education with a master’s degree in school leadership, I was confident I would quickly be hired as…

I Don’t Want to Hear Another Argument About How Charter Schools Are Killing Public Schools

Dear America,  Please don’t bother my community with anti-charter school arguments in 2020. That’s unless you’re willing to get involved with majority-Black attended public schools…

I’ll Believe Chicago Is Progressive When We Close the Gaps for Black and Brown Kids

Shame on it all! In a new report, “The Secret Shame: How America’s Most Progressive Cities Betray Their Commitment to Educational Opportunities for All,” brightbeam…

We Have to Get Education Right for Black Students and Families in 2020

I’m just going to get straight to the point. In 2020—and beyond—we have to get education right for Black students and families. Point blank and…

Democrats, This Is Your Moment to Make Equity More Than a Slogan

Where do Democratic candidates stand on public education? After last month’s Forum on Education, we know that the candidates are committed to increasing the federal…