Everyone Keeps Talking About Implicit Racial Bias But What Is It?

Over the last few days, I’ve been tackling implicit bias with my eighth-graders. I mean, if Starbucks can shut down for a day to learn…

If You’re Justifying Higher Suspension Rates for Black Kids Then You’re Not Facing Up to Racism in America

Many people of privilege, myself included, have a hard time looking in the mirror and confronting their own racism. They will do anything to justify…

He Was Tortured by Police and Sent to Prison for 24 Years for a Crime He Didn’t Commit. Now He’s Telling His Story to Students.

As a teenager on the streets of Chicago’s South Side, Darrell Cannon learned not to trust the police—a lesson that continues to resonate for young…

Turns Out Arresting Kids in School Is Totally a Race Thing

I was in my sophomore year at an all-boys’ Catholic high school in the Bronx the first time I saw a school administrator lay hands…

Forget the White House, the Eagles Should Celebrate Black Lives Matter Week at My School

This week we don’t have the luxury of silence. The Black Lives Matter (BLM) at Schools Week of Action kicks off this week, the same…

My Grandmother Who Escaped Nazis Told Me to Always Speak Up. So, I’m Calling Out Racist Teachers.

My grandmother escaped the Nazis three days before they invaded Prague while much of her family did not. En route to America she and her…

I’m a White Male Teacher Teaching Black Kids and We Have to Talk About That

It happens every year. One day, in my classroom in a school that serves a nearly 100 percent African-American population, perhaps after we analyze a…

Every Single Educator Has to Stand Up and Recognize Racism in This Country

How many men and women of color have to die for White educators of goodwill to help eradicate bias in our schools and nation? Like…

I Was a Principal in Southwest Philly and That Didn’t Stop These Black Cops From Pulling Me Over

All year our eighth-grade students have been grappling with social justice issues and how to address them. They’ve closely analyzed past movements in America and…

Founders, Eggs and Fists: How the NewSchools Summit Proved That the Fight Over Education Is Spiritual

When the NewSchools Summit in San Francisco ended last week, Black attendees were asking me what I would write about it. They were curious because…