Meet Two Teachers Learning to Center Their Students’ Identities Without Losing Sight of Their Own

Lindsay Singer and Ashley McCall are both third grade teachers at Cesar Chavez Multicultural Academic Center in Chicago. Lindsay teaches mathematics and inquiry. And Ashley…

Here’s What We Need to Keep, Start and Stop Doing When We Return to School in the Fall

Across the country, teachers, families, and students have all had to adjust to a new way of teaching and learning over the past year. At…

We’re Not Just Doing Distance Learning, We’re Teaching Through a Crisis

When I last wrote about mentoring in January 2020, I discussed how it built stronger connections between myself and my students. That remains true, but…

In a Virtual Setting, Let Your Students Make the Rules on Cameras

Mention cameras during distance learning and you’ll instantly evoke passion, stress, and even fear, in teachers and students alike. Last month, I listened as a…

Everyone Is Talking About ‘Reinventing Education.’ Here Are 10 Schools Actually Doing It.

Today, all over the world, we see the power, commitment and wisdom of young people in action. For inspiration, just look at Chris Suggs, Malala…

Kids Need Remote Learning to Be Culturally Relevant, Too

Last spring, amidst the uprisings following the immediate failure to bring any sort of justice for George Floyd’s murder, I received a Google Hangout video…

Surrounded by COVID, Civil Unrest and Chaos, Our Students Need Hope

Anyone who has ever been in a strategic planning meeting has been told  that “hope is not a strategy.” We’re told instead to be clear-eyed…

Mental Health Should Be a Top Priority at Schools This Fall

As COVID-19 disrupted school for children statewide, many educators were focused on maintaining academic progress. That’s certainly important. But in my experience, as a public…

3 Questions Every Educator Should Ask to Prepare for School This Year

There are some things we understand much better today than we did four months ago. Leading school districts and schools of all grade levels during…

The Case for Keeping Students With the Same Teacher Next Year

The months after spring break are usually the time when teachers in every school across America look forward to crystallizing an entire year’s worth of…