If You Really Want to Make a Difference in Black Lives, Change How You Teach White Kids

The latest episodes of police murdering Black people have my chest burning like a building set ablaze. My heart is hot, my stomach churns. My…

I’ll Believe Y’all Are Serious About Black Lives Mattering When You Send More of Our Kids to College Instead of Prison

I’m hearing a lot of people now all “rah-rah” for Black lives mattering. Meanwhile, I’m over here rolling my eyes at it all because to…

Q&A: Zakiya Sankara-Jabar on Why Now Is the Perfect Time for #SeekingChildJustice

“I want to protect my children from the system that destroyed my parents.” That’s Zakiya Sankara-Jabar, National Director of Activism at brightbeam, my new colleague…

America Has to Take Its Knees Off the Neck of Public Education, Too

By now, the image of George Floyd pinned to the ground with the knees of a murderous cop who the public trusted to serve and…

We Know Mississippi Can Improve Its Schools, If Only Our Leaders Would Get On Board

The state of Mississippi is often the butt of many jokes revolving around intelligence and education—or lack thereof. These jokes don’t happen for no reason;…

Kids Who Aren’t Well-Served in Traditional Settings Aren’t Troublemakers, They’re the Key to Real Change

Too often, education leaders think of schools and programs serving students who have gaps in their education, who are early parents, who are incarcerated or…

Real Reformers Keep Pushing for Better Outcomes Even When There Are No Easy Answers

A few nights ago the CEO for Baltimore Public Schools joined my colleagues on the 8 Black Hands podcast to discuss her efforts to improve…

The Republican Party Doesn’t Own the School Reform Movement. People of Color Do.

On Tuesday, President Donald J. Trump delivered his fourth State of the Union Address (SOTU) to the 116th Congress and the nation. The annual address…

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…

70 Years of Promises in Education. What Will It Take for Us to Keep Them?

The promise of public education is that it prepares young people for life—and the commitments we have made to meet this aspiration have dramatically increased…