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…

Even as a Student, Maye-gan Brown Has Something to Teach Us About Justice

There is no honor in the world like being a teacher. And in a school, every single person can play a teaching role. In fact,…

Mashea Ashton Talks Newark, Cory Booker and the Challenges of Launching Her Own School

Mashea Ashton tells the truth, even when it’s hard. Almost three years ago, when she moved to Washington, D.C., to be closer to family, she…

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…

I’m a Teacher and I Stopped Saying the Pledge of Allegiance a Long Time Ago

Good morning students. Please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the…

We Could Have More Black Teachers If We Removed These Barriers

There is a growing body of evidence that Black students perform better when they have a Black teacher. It is a problem, then, that only…

We Need More Teachers Like Black Panther’s T’Challa, Now!

Why does everything have to be about race? Simply put, REPRESENTATION MATTERS!…

When We Listen to Parents, We Get Real School Choice

As a child, I often heard the words, “Listen to your parents.” It was usually uttered with a stern look and was often mandated from…

White Women Are Going to Have to Do a Lot More Than Just Thank Black Women, We Need to Get to Work

The Black women of Alabama saved their state and the nation from would-be Sen. Roy Moore. They answered the call. Seems to me that we…

Want to Close Achievement Gaps? Know Why They Exist in the First Place

There’s a sad reality in our education system today: Some students just don’t do as well as others. I realize I’m not breaking news here,…