In the Age of Social Media, Our Kids Need All the Mental Health Support They Can Get

As a parent in his mid-thirties, I know that my childhood is totally unlike the childhood of my children. Sure, that’s a truism. But perhaps…

The Case for Supporting the Mental Health of Your Students

Four seniors at Ánimo Jackie Robinson—a Green Dot high school that opened to bring more high-quality, public education to historic South Central Los Angeles—chose to…

A Psychology Professor Explains How Racial Trauma Impacts Students of Color

Dr. Maryam Jernigan-Noesi has been thinking about and studying children’s mental health since she was a child herself. I recently talked to her about the…

What ‘Surviving R. Kelly’ Means for My Black Daughters and the Schools They Attend

As the Black mother of two Black girls, I am always acutely aware of how Black girls are harmed in this society. However, there are…

Excellence Is Not a ‘White Thing’

“Mom, the kids at school said I act White,” my daughter told me one afternoon a few weeks ago. I asked her why. “Because I…

Being a School Principal and a Parent of a Special Needs Child Took Me Under, But I’m Coming Back

For five years, I was principal of one of the most difficult schools in my urban district. In those five years, I had eight supervisors.…

Why the Department of Education Finally Needs to Accept That Education Is a Civil Right

As a 5-year old kindergartner, I was threatened with my first suspension for being talkative and “disruptive” in class by my almost 70-year-old White teacher.…

Our Students Need Every Educator to Speak Up to Ensure DeVos Hears Our Support for Restorative Justice

In my decade in Chicago Public Schools as a social worker and currently as a behavioral health specialist, I’ve learned a great education goes beyond…

Even When Teachers Don’t Feel Safe, They Don’t Support Guns in the Classroom

Hear us teachers loud and clear: We do not want to be armed, and we do not want to work in prison-like school buildings. We…

14 Percent of Your Students Have an Actual Plan to Commit Suicide

Fourteen percent of your students have a suicide plan. Thirty-one percent report suicidal thoughts, but 14 percent of them actually have a plan. One in…