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…

We All Carry Implicit Biases. Christopher House Is Learning to See and Change Them.

Research shows that, as early as preschool,  racial bias affects student learning. From a young age, we adults are treating children differently based on their…

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…

When It Comes to Education, Democrats Need to Think Bigger

I’m a Sam Seaborn Democrat. As the idealistic West Wing character once said:  Education is the silver bullet. Education is everything. We don’t need little…

There’s a Face Off Between Parents and Presidential Candidates, And It’s Way Bigger Than Charter Schools

In the words of the late, great Notorious B.I.G., “I’m going, going, back, back to Cali, Cali.” A year ago I told y’all a national…

Even in a School With an ‘A’ Rating, Students of Color Are Being Failed

Around the country, schools that initially impress observers with high overall test scores often lose their luster upon closer examination, when inequities in achievement by…

How English Learners Got Left Behind in the Drive Towards Equity

WHAT WE GOT WRONG: Many years ago, back in 2014, when the world was young and American politics had not yet gone wholly off the rails, I launched a policy research team to focus on young English learners (ELs). …

Black Families, These Are Not the Democrats Who Will Save Us

While watching the Public Education Forum 2020 on Saturday, one phrase caught my attention: Democratic “hopefuls,” referring to the presidential candidates in attendance. Given that…

Black Families Haven’t Been Hoodwinked, We Come From a Legacy of School Choice

The Democratic party once embraced charter schools as a tool for equity and opportunity. Now, as Andre Perry points out in his recent op-ed, “Support…