Teachers, Why Are We Quicker to Call Parents About Kids’ Behavior Than About Their Academic Performance?

Recently, I came across a tweet that resonated with my beliefs: This is problematic. As an educator, I know behavior and academics are linked. Sometimes…

A Teacher Asked About My Child’s Hopes and Dreams and It Changed Everything

As a child in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, I did not have a good experience in school. My teachers did not understand my ADHD, and I…

This School Hired the ‘Best Person’ for the Job and Ended Up With a 75% Black Male Teaching Staff

As he moves around his seventh grade math classroom, Aurum Preparatory Academy (“Aurum Prep”) teacher, Salif Doubare, is crackling with energy. He’s tall, thin, wearing…

Here’s How Cutting-Edge Charter School Leaders of Color Engage Families for Student Success

For decades, parents and charter school administrators have cultivated best practices to build inclusive, welcoming and student-centered school communities across the country. From single-site schools…

Parent-Teacher Conferences Might Suck, But We Still Have to Show Up

David McGuire, a school leader in Indianapolis, asked the Twitterati this week what does it take to get parents to attend conferences with their children’s’ teachers? I…

Every Parent-Teacher Conference Should Look Like This

I have a confession to make. I am an educator who doesn’t enjoy participating in parent-teacher conferences as a parent. Our son is a junior…

4 Tips for Parents to Get the Most out of Parent-Teacher Conferences

Many schools are preparing for their first conferences with parents. Unlike Back-to-School Night where parents receive general information about the school, a conference with your…

These Parent-Teacher Conferences Are Harder to Get Into Than a Jimmy Buffett Concert

First, a 30-minute student-led parent-teacher conference with one child’s homeroom teacher. Then, six five-minute conferences with another son’s individual subject teachers. And lastly, a 10-minute…

The First Weeks of School Matter for Your Child. Here’s How to Get It Right.

The back to school season is now in full swing. This time of year often causes a jumble of excitement and nerves for both students…

Want to Help All Students Succeed? Here Are 6 Ways to Walk a Mile in Their Shoes

I recently learned that our building had something really cool happen this school year. A local shoe company donated shoes for students in our building.…