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…

What James Baldwin’s Activism Can Teach Schools About Social Justice

Every August 2, I spend nearly the entire day observing the birthday of the late James Baldwin, one of the 20th century’s most esteemed and…

Great Teachers Turn Life’s Challenges Into Lessons and Inspiration for Others

As teacher leaders, we go out and we inspire; we fight; we motivate, and we do it because we love students and believe in educators.…

3 Reasons Why Every LGBTQ Student Deserves a Mentor

My wife and I are educators working at the same school. On a daily basis we navigate microaggressions in the workplace; unwillingness to use our married…

School Shootings Aren’t the Only Things School Police Officers Need to Train For

In light of recent school shootings, one of the proposed solutions has been to put more school police officers in schools. In the last 30…