The Pandemic Is Exactly Why We Need Standardized Testing

In the next few weeks, nearly all school districts in the U.S. will offer at least some in-person instruction. The worst of the pandemic school…

Teachers Are Working So Hard This Year, But Students With Disabilities Need More

I am a special education teacher with 17 years of experience in the classroom and a parent of two children with dyslexia. Recently, I learned…

I’m Sorry (But Not Sorry) My Child Isn’t Going to Zoom Detention

Last week, social media was ablaze due to a parent’s frustration about a consequence her child received. Uju Anya went on to explain how the…

We Have No Idea What This Year Has Been Like for Our Kids

One year ago, my now-kindergartener left his bustling and diverse transitional kindergarten classroom with sensory learning areas designed for academic and social skills development to…

We Learned a Lot About What Our Students Actually Need This Year. Now We Must Do Better.

We have all been steeped in the vivid, traumatic consequences of the deadly COVID-19 pandemic, particularly with regard to a year of disrupted learning for…

Teachers, I Hate Feedback as Much as You, but Sometimes We Need to Hear It

Once, many years ago, I was arguing with a colleague. I have no idea what we were arguing about. I am sure, however, that I…

Storytelling and Restorative Practices Are Key to Social-Emotional Learning

When COVID-19 closed our schools almost a year ago, teachers—regardless of how many years we’d been in a classroom—suddenly became new teachers again. Distance learning…

After a Year of Teaching Dangerously, We Found a New Appreciation for School

This year has been the ultimate educational experiment. For years the question has loomed: Given a strong curriculum, can students learn just as effectively online…

Biden Is Right, We Need Kids to Go Back to School But Not Like Before

On March 13, 2020, when Governor Newsom shut down schools in California including in LAUSD where my son is now a senior, I held my…

Secretary Cardona Has Ambitious Goals. School Choice Could Help Us Meet Them.

On Monday, Dr. Miguel Cardona became the twelfth U.S. Secretary of Education. Despite the amiable support afforded him by both sides of the aisle, we…