Our Kids Can No Longer Wait for Educational Justice, And They Shouldn’t Have To

I wanna talk about three things: movements, public education and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s words foreshadowing what would be an ongoing and urgent fight.…

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…

Lakisha Young Talks About How Oakland Is Tackling the Reading Crisis

Lakisha Young is the executive director of The Oakland REACH. Her work began through witnessing the disparities faced by Black and Brown students, including members…

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…

Black and Latino Students Are Locked Out of Advanced Classes While White Students Reap the Benefits

In schools across America, Black and Latino students are being pushed into less advanced courses, while their White peers reap the benefits of taking advanced…

Homeschooling Isn’t the Right Choice for Every Child, But My Mom Knew It Was Right for Me

Back around 350 BC, Aristotle described education as “an ornament in prosperity and a refuge in adversity.” Clearly, education has been valued and prioritized for…

We Shined a Light on What Many Refuse to See: World-Class Cities With Third-World Educational Results

You mad, bro? That seems like the most appropriate question to ask after my team released “The Secret Shame of Progressive Cities” last week, a…

This Mom and Her Three Kids Graduated College With Support From Their Charter School

When my oldest daughter, Nayeri, started at YES Prep Southeast in Houston, it was hard to leave her old school and her friends. It was…

Here’s What It Really Means to Move to a ‘Good School’ in a ‘Good Neighborhood’

Many White folks, especially Northern White liberals who voted for Obama, would argue they are not racist, even while they actively cause harm to Black…

Nowhere Is the Hypocrisy of Progressives More Apparent Than in Education

Two years ago, when I ran for mayor of Minneapolis I was somewhat naïve, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed about the possibility of mobilizing the White, progressive…