Think Economics Is Boring? It’s Actually the Key to Good Citizenship

When teachers, parents and students think about civics in the classroom, first and foremost they imagine social studies, Constitution Day and the Pledge of Allegiance.…

Chance the Rapper, Lupe Fiasco and 10 Other Songs That Inspire My Students

Some logic statements for the teachers out there: Your kids love music. You love your kids. Therefore, you love music. Even though this conclusion isn’t…

Just Because Trump and DeVos Like Charter Schools Doesn’t Mean You Can’t, Too

A while ago school choice policies were gaining steam across the country. Charter schools and vouchers were still somewhat controversial, but more and more people…

I Almost Quit Teaching on My Third Day. Here’s 10 Things I Wish I’d Known.

Dear Mark, You called out sick today (Thursday, September 6, 2007). Only your third day of school—ever!—and you lied about having a family emergency in…

You May Have Seen ‘Hamilton,’ But Not Like This

It was a cool Chicago evening in late April. I walked down the bleacher steps of the spacious new Back of the Yards College Preparatory…

I Was at the ‘Hamilton’ Performance With Mike Pence and I Saw Something You Didn’t See on Twitter

By the time I was running down 46th Street to the Richard Rodgers Theatre in New York City this past Friday night, I’d been consuming…

The Rise and Fall of the Suburban School

FOX’s first G.O.P. debate is a month from now and Republican presidential candidates, with the exception of Jeb Bush, can’t disavow college- and career-ready standards…