New York School Talk
Why I Gave My Son Permission to Drop Out of High School
We see a child in a maple treeWe’re watching him climb,You and I.You say, “Come down,You’ll hurt yourself!”I say, “Go upYou’re touching the sky!” –…
The Epidemic We’re Not Talking About: Most High School Seniors Can’t Read or Do Math
The National Assessment for Education Progress (NAEP)—nicknamed “America’s Report Card”—released their 12th grade scores at the end of October. The horrifying results: Just 37% of 12th-graders reached or…
Vote Local Day 5: Care About Schools? Vote Local. (ft. Alina Adams)
Yes, there is a big national election happening. But if you really want to improve policy in education, we need to #VoteLocal. New York School…
Six Tips for Talking to Kids About Coronavirus
As much as we want to put on a brave face and continue living our life like “normal,” the underlying levels of anxiety continue to…
Half of NYC Public School Students Will Fail Their AP Exams, So Why Are We Spending Millions to Expand Access?
AP (advanced placement) classes are designed for students to fail. In 2018, just over 50% of New York City public school students who took one…
Believe It or Not, Trump and DeVos Have Done Some Good for American Education
WHAT WE GOT RIGHT: I’ve been leading Getting NYC Kindergarten and Getting Into NYC High School workshops for New York City parents for approximately 15 years. But only since the 2016 presidential elections has the question began popping up during the Q&A portion: How is (Education Secretary) Betsy DeVos going to affect my child’s education?…
How My School Blocked Me From Teaching ‘The Hate U Give’
While “The Hate U Give” is a best-selling book and top-rated film, I’m getting some real pushback from my administration about having my students read the…
What Happens When Even the ‘Best’ Neighborhood School Treats Its Students With Disabilities Horribly?
The New York Post recently profiled Wesley Clark, a 9-year-old fourth-grader at PS 8 in Brooklyn Heights. The article describes a “supposedly progressive Brooklyn Heights public school that talks…
White Families You’re Not Doing My Kids Any Favors By Sending Your Kids to Our School
The big buzz word in New York City education is: Diversity. On October 26, 2017, yet another plan was announced, this time promising to bring diversity…
VIDEO: I Fight Against the School-to-Prison Pipeline for My Students and for My Husband
Every day during the week I teach Black and Brown kids at a school in the ’hood. Then every Saturday or Sunday I visit my…
