This County Made History and Elected Its First School Board Member of Color

On a cold December evening in Gwinnett County, Georgia, my mother and I rushed to find good seats in the auditorium of the J. Alvin…

When Advocating for Students With Disabilities, It’s OK to Be Wrong Sometimes But It’s Not OK to Be Quiet

I remember the first time I spoke up at a national conference in front of my colleagues. We were at a national meeting of a…

A Hmong Charter School Where Success Is Starting to Lead to Integration

I recently visited a high-performing charter school in a low-income urban area. Like so many others—like the one my kids attend in Washington, D.C.—it was…

I Rewrote Joe Kennedy’s Speech to Be About Education Because I Wish It Was

When Rep. Joe Kennedy III gave the Democrats’ response to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address, he of course spoke to the same…

This Book Made Me Realize All the Ways We’ve Wronged Refugee Students

While American democratic life is certainly standing at the brink of something awful, it can be difficult to hang just the right word on our…

English-Language Learners Deserve to Know How Their Schools Are Doing and These Changes Will Help

Each year, states publish “report cards” on student performance in K-12 education, as measured by math and reading tests, graduation rates and other key indicators.…

White Families You’re Not Doing My Kids Any Favors By Sending Your Kids to Our School

The big buzz word in New York City education is: Diversity. On October 26, 2017, yet another plan was announced, this time promising to bring diversity…

4 Ways We Can Fund Personalized Learning to Create More Equitable Schools

Budget shortfalls in states are framing a new angle on educational equity conversations. It is no longer simply about what is right, but what is…

No, They’re Not Vouchers. Here’s What Illinois’ New Tax-Credit Scholarships Actually Are.

The final compromise that allowed Illinois to implement a new, more equitable education funding formula included a surprise—a 5-year pilot of tax-credit scholarships, which allow…

Illinois’ School Accountability Plan Doesn’t Work for Our Kids and the Feds Told Them So

It’s comforting to learn that the feds (i.e. The U.S. Department of Education run by Secretary Betsy DeVos) has some serious concerns about Illinois accountability…