While We Get Lost in the Wrong Arguments, Too Many of Our Kids Aren’t Ready for the Future

As a Generation Xer, I was sold the dream in the 1990s that one day we would all telecommute to work, execute our daily duties…

Thank God for Parents Who Refuse to Be Gaslighted by the Failing Education System

Last week I attended a community town hall in Nashville organized by my friend Vesia Hawkins, a relentless and faithful community servant who brought together…

Someone Should Run for School Board, Why Not You?

Let’s get this out of the way. Mark Twain’s famous joke: “In the first place, God made idiots. That was for practice. Then he made…

After 40 Years, There Is Still Time for the U.S. Department of Education to Become a Good Idea

Wherever you exist on the political spectrum, the U.S. Department of Education’s work has never been more relevant to the lives of families and students,…

Teachers Are Rightfully Demanding Better for Themselves, But What Are They Bringing to the Table?

Behold, the Chicago model of educator noisemaking has gone national, and now public school teachers have emerged as an indomitable political force using loud, large,…

Integration Is a Noble Goal, But Obsessing Over It Shouldn’t Distract Us From Improving Teaching and Learning

Another week, another headline about the urgency of jettisoning efforts to improve teaching and learning for all kids and instead laser-focusing on ending segregation in…

I’m a Public School Parent and I Have Every Right to Complain

When someone speaks poorly of public institutions there is probably a story there.  To that point, if you read the millions of words I’ve written…

I Hate to Inform You, but Not Everyone Is Above Average in Wobegon

Wherever you live, there is a high probability that Minnesota is low-key superior to your state.  We are the safest state in America, we have…

The Biggest Threat to Public Education Is Still Its Insidious ‘Belief Gap’

For a long time school reform seemed to be winning the public argument about the failure of schools to prepare students academically. During that run,…

The Three R’s of Parents Who Want to Raise Free Children

A parent’s power to determine the right to choose where, when and what their children learn is only one power among many that create what I call parental sovereignty—a concept I believe is rooted in three essential R’s: roles, responsibilities and rights. …