We Learned a Lot About What Our Students Actually Need This Year. Now We Must Do Better.

We have all been steeped in the vivid, traumatic consequences of the deadly COVID-19 pandemic, particularly with regard to a year of disrupted learning for…

Oklahoma Parents Dreamed Big and Built Their Own School

What would happen if you sat a group of parents down and asked them, “In an ideal world, what would education look like for our…

Karega Rausch Says Charter Schools Get Better Outcomes for Kids When They Listen to Communities

With all the ruckus around charter schools, it’s easy to forget they can’t be painted with a broad brush. Each state has its own charter…

Here’s How We Helped Hundreds of Low-Income Students Achieve This Summer, Despite the Pandemic

This spring, as schools limped across the virtual learning finish line, the consensus on virtual learning amongst educators was that this form of schooling could…

A Calendar, a Plan and Friends Can Make Unexpected School Closures Rewarding and Productive for Your Kids

Although only a handful of schools and districts have so far closed in the U.S. due to COVID-19, other countries—like Ireland and El Salvador—have closed their entire national school systems in an effort to slow the spread of the virus. If more states and districts here take that step, how can parents manage?…

We Can Unify and Win Better Schools for Our Kids. Here’s How.

During my 33-year journey in public education, I’ve repeatedly experienced the power of unity in achieving desired student outcomes, especially since founding a charter public…

Lakisha Young Talks About How Oakland Is Tackling the Reading Crisis

Lakisha Young is the executive director of The Oakland REACH. Her work began through witnessing the disparities faced by Black and Brown students, including members…

This Mom and Her Three Kids Graduated College With Support From Their Charter School

When my oldest daughter, Nayeri, started at YES Prep Southeast in Houston, it was hard to leave her old school and her friends. It was…

National Parents Union Emerges to Disrupt Education Conversation

When it comes to education news and policy, we are used to hearing about the involvement of a union. However, typically the unions only represent…

In a Season of Gratitude, I’m Thankful for Our ‘Village’

It was late August, and suddenly, the moment I’d been anticipating for years had arrived. My husband and I were dropping off our baby, Nyanja,…