Q&A With Paige Kowalski: Getting Transparent About Student Data

Student data. Standardized testing. Accountability. These words set off a lot of big feelings among parents, educators and policymakers — especially fear and anger. Controversies…

EXPLAINED: What Are Standardized Tests and Why Do We Need Them?

Few education topics get parents, teachers, and school leaders more riled up than discussions about using results from student tests to measure the quality of…

We Know Mississippi Can Improve Its Schools, If Only Our Leaders Would Get On Board

The state of Mississippi is often the butt of many jokes revolving around intelligence and education—or lack thereof. These jokes don’t happen for no reason;…

Don’t Like Who’s on the School Board Ballot? Run.

With headlines dominated by news of 2020 presidential candidates, it’s easy to forget that there are elections happening across the country in 2019. But in…

Here’s the One Thing We Just Can’t Agree on When It Comes to Schools

Ask any parent and they’ll tell you they want their child to go to a good school. But ask them what makes a good school,…

What If Students Were Walking Out for Better Schools?

Student walkouts have been a hot topic lately and the media has been quick to swoon with round-the-clock coverage. There is no doubt that an…

Is This Education Reform’s ‘E Pluribus Unum’ Moment?

Everyone trying to influence policy dreams of leading “an organized whole that acts as a single, unified, powerful or influential force.” Merriam-Webster’s dictionary will tell…

The Possibilities for Our Black and Brown Students Are Unlimited. We Just Need to Change Our Approach.

I grew up in Chicago, attending all-Black public schools. My parents and most of the adults in my extended family were educators. My dad grew…

New Jersey Skated by for Years on Misleading Graduation Rates, But Now It’s Closing the ‘Honesty Gap’

Does it seem odd to you that we’re celebrating the fact that half of New Jersey’s third-graders are at or above grade level in language…

Reject the Soft Bigotry of Low Expectations

(Trigger warning: This essay contains a bleeped, profanity-laced rant that may cause you to question your most deeply held beliefs.) It’s not often I cite…