I Know I’ve Made the Best Choice for My Son When School Feels Like Family

Gifts come in all different shapes and sizes—a family vacation, a surprise birthday party, or flowers on Valentine’s Day. But I have received one of…

Help Other Parents Find the Best Schools for Their Kids by Sharing Your Story

When we want to improve things, we often talk about what is broken. But if we truly want to find solutions, we need to pay…

Three Things I Learned in My First Year as a Principal and a New Year’s Resolution

If you ask an educator to think back to their first year of teaching, you will probably get a wide range of reactions, but the…

If We Really Want to Change Our Schools, We Need to Get Real About What’s Happening in Them

Thirteen years after Hurricane Katrina and the reunification of all schools under the governing of Orleans Parish School Board (OPSB), we are still having conversations…

We Don’t Need Saviors, We Need Leaders Who Are Ready to Form True Partnerships With Families and Communities

I’ve traveled a lot for work this year, and as I’ve gone from the mountains of Peru to the rural regions of Haiti to the…

How Kentucky’s Superintendent of the Year Got Autonomous Schools to Adopt the Same Curriculum

Understanding that the content we put in front of children matters, 50CAN, a nonprofit network of citizen advocates, recently held a session on the importance…

‘Twas the Night Before the IEP Meeting

November is IEP (Individualized Education Plan) meeting time for most parents. This is dedicated to all of the parents preparing for their yearly IEP meetings.…

None of These Politicians Who Are Running for Office Are For Real Talking About Education

Outrage: You Want Our Vote, We Demand Your Plan I was at a community meeting the other night and an eighth-grader stood up and said,…

Episode 19: Football and Literacy (feat. Vesia Wilson-Hawkins)

In this episode, we sit down with our colleague Vesia Wilson-Hawkins to discuss what it would be like if parents got as fired up about…

If You Want to Keep Kids in Your School, Parents Need to Buy What You’re Selling

No matter the school, the goal is to ensure students know and feel that they are welcomed, valued and that the staff appreciates students attending…