I Believe in School Choice, But Only When Those Choices Are Available to Everyone

Two weeks ago, the governor of my state directed $32 million dollars in funds from the federal Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) fund to create…

School Choice Systems Must Prioritize Youth in Foster Care

Nearly half a million children in the United States are in foster care, many in non-relative settings or group homes, and spend an average of…

Black Lawmakers Must Prioritize Educational Opportunity for Black Families

For millions of K-12 students, the pandemic has led to unprecedented interruptions of critical education and services. Many students will continue to fall behind and…

Now That Trump Is Abandoning Charter Schools, Democrats Are Free to Champion a Truly Progressive Education Platform

I could be Bernie Sanders’ daughter. After all, my parents were much like him, children of Eastern European Jewish immigrants who settled in New York…

There Are So Many Things Wrong With This Piece in ‘The Nation.’ Here Are My Top 4.

On New Year’s Eve “The Nation” published an analysis by Jennifer Berkshire called “The Democrats’ School Choice Problem.” Her piece is instructive because it illustrates a strategy…

School Choice Is Progressive

“Progressive” is a slippery word. The very term denotes improvement, progress, and thus is by nature a desirable term with which to self-apply. But “progress”…

Don’t Forget, Not Every Student Had Opportunities for Enrichment This Summer

This summer, my students and I learned that blue crabs are really feisty, but mosquitos are even feistier.  For two weeks in June, I chaperoned…

What If Black People Had a ‘Green Book’ for Finding the Schools Our Kids Deserve?

Black families should not be forced to choose between schools that challenge them academically and schools that nurture and love them for who they are.…

How ‘Oprah’ Reruns Helped My Dad Find the Right School for Me

I grew up in El Sereno, a low-income neighborhood near Los Angeles, and faced a difficult childhood. My mother was murdered when I was 6…

I Took a Year Off Work to Learn About Dyslexia Because My Son’s Teachers Couldn’t Teach Him How to Read

Why, for so many, is access to an education that recognizes the science of reading limited to private programs? My son experienced this as a…