The Equity Backlash Is Real. Resist It.

A Movement, a Buzzword, but not a Fad. For all its problems, No Child Left Behind illustrated a whole lot of problems that we still…

Here’s How You Can Talk About Christopher Columbus in Your Classroom

When I invite teachers to rethink how they teach Columbus at our semiannual UnColumbus Day Symposium in Philadelphia, many teachers think it’s not for them.…

Teaching About Race Does Not Make You Un-American

“The Holocaust was an atrocity.” This was the example I gave my eighth graders as we were learning our words of the week. And with…

Cardi B Is Teaching Us the Black History We Didn’t Get in Schools

The media is all over Cardi B for making a video with democratic socialist candidate Bernie Sanders. People who don’t know her are quick to…

Here’s What I Wish White Teachers Knew When Teaching My Black Children

Dear White Teachers of My Black Children: I am a Black mom and I have two children who are now in high school. Raising them…

White Teachers Working to Create Equitable Schools Must Accept That Race Impacts How We Teach

I remember the moment clearly. It was my sophomore year of college and we were in a crowded cafeteria. A friend asked me to identify…

How We Build a Pipeline of Teachers That Know How to Talk About Race and Social Justice

Nearly 60 years ago, our nation’s students watched as leaders of the civil rights movement pushed back against entrenched Jim Crow laws and re-defined American…

I Am So Tired of Talking About Racism in Schools But America Won’t Let Me Live

Outrage: Racism, 101 Believe it or not, I get tired of talking about race. But unfortunately, there’s not a day that goes by where I’m…

Arne Duncan’s New Book Made Me Feel Awful But You Should Totally Read It

I just finished hate-reading Arne Duncan’s book, “How Schools Work.” I didn’t hate the book, but for so many reasons, I really hated reading it.…

‘America to Me’ Director Steve James on Having a Real Conversation About Race in Schools

Two summers ago, I wrote an essay called “The challenges of being a black Principal in today’s racial and political climate.” It was a reflection…