Let’s Offer College Credit for National Service

Thanks to the pandemic, college as we knew it has been seriously disrupted. This year could be the biggest gap year ever for recent high…

Michelle Obama Is on a Mission to Get Students Everywhere to Dream Big

The feeling inside UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion was electrifying. There was close to 10,000 high school seniors and transfer students proudly wearing their college shirts and…

These Sixth-Graders Are Recreating Classic Book Covers for Black History Month

Terrance Sims is getting creative this Black History Month. A sixth-grade teacher, Sims and his students recreated classic book covers written by famous Black historical…

I’m Celebrating First-Gens Because I Am One

We all know the journey to—and through—college isn’t easy. It can be especially difficult for first-generation students who are the first in their family to…

Black Girls Need More Than Michelle Obama

There’s danger in the singular Michelle Obama Black girl role-model narrative. There has been a beautiful picture circulating of a young African-American girl looking up…

2017’s Best Moments in Education

Every year brings its challenges. 2017 has seemed a little rougher than most—hurricanes have devastated major American cities, White supremacists marched in the streets and…

So You Want to Go to College? Send a Text.

In 2013, then-First Lady Michelle Obama approached then-Secretary of Education Arne Duncan with the goal of inspiring more young people to attend and graduate from…

While Feds Loosen School Nutrition Standards, My Child’s School Won’t Back Down

While my husband dug in the freezer on a recent Monday morning, my second-grader informed me of the day’s breakfast menu: “I’m having a waffle…

Michelle Obama Isn’t in the White House But She’s Still on for #CollegeSigningDay

There’s nothing quite like walking around with former First Lady Michelle Obama when she’s meeting students for the first time. I’ve seen her stroll across…

#MyBlackHistory: Why I’m Celebrating Every Black Genius From City Blocks to the White House

We will never meet a Black child who is not a genius and there is no secret to how we support them: We first treat them as human and then we then support them with love. …