Khaliah Fitchett on Going From Handcuffs to Running for Congress

One afternoon in March 2010, Khaliah Fitchette, a 16-year-old student at Newark’s University High School, was riding home on a NJ Transit bus with her…

We Must Vote for the Candidates Who Will Implement the Right Policies for Our Kids

I first met Shennell McCloud when she was Director of Recruitment, and then as Director of Advocacy for KIPP New Jersey, a charter school network…

What I’ve Learned in 10 Years of Teaching

I am currently in my 12th year of teaching. I spent my first two years in The Bronx at P.S. 211 and have spent these…

This School Year Let’s Treat Our Teachers Like Celebrities

My father was a high school teacher for 30 years. My earliest memories are of him returning home in the evening after a long day…

10 Ways Teachers Can Be ‘All In’ Like Jon Snow This School Year

(Warning: Game of Thrones spoilers ahead. But like from Season 6, so no excuses; play like a champion.) There is this shot in the penultimate episode of…

This New Jersey Parent Summit Had Parents Fired Up and Ready to Go

Awesome…Uplifting…Informative…Amazing…Spectacular…Inspirational…Wonderful…Successful…these are just some of the words parents used to describe the New Jersey Parent Summit. Upon arrival, attendees received gift bags full of “swag”…

Jared’s Got Something Special and KIPP’s ‘Pathways’ Is Helping Him Show It

Eight-year-old Jared Teel-Drayton hops into the room, hands flapping, eyes darting, smile alight. He’s been painting—his class went to the art room today—and his teacher,…

Let’s Avoid ‘Alternative Facts’ When We Talk About School Choice and Charter Schools

Over the weekend, Americans were introduced to a new meme: “alternative facts,” Trump advisor Kellyanne Conway’s awkward rationalization of the president’s reality-challenged worldview. Well, it…

9 Stories of Parents Demanding Better Schools in 2016

Okay, so I’m not a parent—yet. But every day I read so many inspiring stories of parents from around the country demanding better schools for…

I Knew From the Start I Had Found My Son’s Community School

My husband and I have always believed we have the right to choose where our children attend school. So when I noticed my youngest son…