Black Boys and Men Need More Appreciation and Less Stereotyping

For those of us who’ve been educators for decades, social media can reveal the reverberating impact of our efforts, and sometimes the work that remains…

Are Teachers Leaving Because of Pandemic Stress? It’s Complicated.

Plenty of news stories have raised concerns about mass teacher shortages due to pandemic stress. And it’s true that teachers, principals and district leaders have…

How I Navigate the Principal’s Gambit to Keep Everyone on the Board

This ain’t checkers. It’s chess.  It was guidance offered to me by Wayne Greer, a veteran principal and mentor, as I joined the ranks of school leadership…

Black Principals Can Serve as a Bridge To Get More Black Teachers Into the Classroom

The research is clear on the impact of Black teachers on Black student achievement. Black students who have had at least one Black teacher are…

Great Principals Are Strong Instructional Leaders First

School principals must feel a lot like circus performers. Just as a performer is expected to juggle multiple balls, bowling pins, or torches while dangling…

If You’re Serious About Equity, Prove It by Including Leaders of Color at Your School

When I graduated from Harvard’s Graduate School of Education with a master’s degree in school leadership, I was confident I would quickly be hired as…

Black Principals Matter

As we embark on Black History Month, it is important to illuminate the salience of high-quality leaders of color in schools across the country. Nationwide,…

We May Finally Know What It Takes to Improve Schools

WHAT WE GOT RIGHT: When we think about school improvement efforts across the United States, it’s easy to tick off the spectacular, big-budget failures. Yet, while these boondoggles made headlines and dominated air time among policy wonks, a smaller, quieter and more sustainable set of successes began teaching the field some guiding principles for improving schools.…

Here Are 8 Things That Make a Good School

Educators have difficulty agreeing upon what makes a “good school.” My thoughts about this topic have continued to change as I progressed through K-12, earned…

Teacher Strikes Aren’t Just About Pay, They’re About Better Bosses

This past year, we have witnessed an historic number of teacher strikes across the country. The demands of picketing teachers in Arizona, Denver, Los Angeles,…