Q&A: Selma’s Superintendent Keeps Kids Learning, Even as COVID Rages

In 2017 Dr. Avis Williams came to Selma City Schools as its new superintendent, taking over an urban district where almost all students are economically…

Teachers Are the Best Experts on How to Spend the American Rescue Plan Money

The American Rescue Plan is sending an additional $128 billion in federal dollars to elementary and secondary schools to help students recover from the difficult…

EXPLAINED: The Emergency Broadband Benefit and How to Make Sure It Reaches Families Who Need It

What is the FCC’s Emergency Broadband Benefit program? On May 12, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) launched the Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) program to help…

Digital Equity for All Students Has Never Been a More Attainable Goal

With the American Rescue Plan (ARP) officially signed into law, the nation’s public school systems will soon have an additional $126 billion to navigate challenges brought on…

The FCC Can Help End Digital Segregation Now by Expanding E-Rate

Exactly 60 years ago, James Baldwin wrote in Esquire magazine that “Anyone who has ever struggled with poverty knows how extremely expensive it is to…

I’m Glad To Be Back in the Classroom. My Students Need Me.

November 12th was our first day of school in-person since March of last year. On my drive to school, I was excited and grateful—thinking about…

2021 Must Be the Year for Rural Education

It’s no secret that education reform initiatives tend to target urban schools. Achievement gaps in America’s largest cities are significant, and as families flock to…

It’s Not a Radical Idea to Let Students Keep the Technology and Internet

COVID-19 has been a disaster for virtually every institution and education is no exception. With that being said, there has been one positive development—the proliferation…

Here’s What I Will Fight for in 2021

2020 was the pits.  More than 300,000 Americans died from COVID. A dearth of presidential leadership that led to the politicization of wearing masks—the single…

Three Lessons We Learned Through This Pandemic in 2020

It’s easy to view remote learning through the lens of its deficits. After all, there’s really no substitute for the face-to-face rapport with an excellent…