Rigorous Curriculum Matters More Than Ever. Here Are 3 Steps We Should Take Now.

When teachers welcomed their students on the first day of school last September, they never imagined ending the year on Zoom. Now, as the new…

How I Navigate the Principal’s Gambit to Keep Everyone on the Board

This ain’t checkers. It’s chess.  It was guidance offered to me by Wayne Greer, a veteran principal and mentor, as I joined the ranks of school leadership…

The Emergency Broadband Benefit and How to Make Sure It Reaches Families Who Need It

What is the FCC’s Emergency Broadband Benefit program? On May 12, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) launched the Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) program to help…

5 Steps to Help Students With Special Needs Make a Smooth Transition to In-Person Learning

With the end of the pandemic in sight and some communities already reopening, it is time to understand what it will take for special education…

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…

Reopening Schools Requires More Than Vaccines, Students Need Trauma-Informed Education

Why is trauma-informed education not on the agenda at today’s National Safe School Reopening Summit? U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona plans to host panels…

Here’s Why Putting the Brakes on Charter Schools Is So 2020

Prior to COVID-19 upending American education, some state legislatures around the country considered moratoriums or “pauses” on public charter schools; while others, like in California,…

What AP Classes Can Teach Us About Building Stronger Curriculum for All Students

When millions of parents became de facto teachers during COVID-19, they saw firsthand a deep-seeded, widespread problem in American education: lackluster content and curricula that…

I’m Glad To Be Back in the Classroom. My Students Need Me.

November 12th was our first day of school in-person since March of last year. On my drive to school, I was excited and grateful—thinking about…

As Grown-Ups Argue Over Reopening Schools, Chicago’s Kids Lose

Chicago Public Schools students are back in school.  Well, some of them are. It’s complicated, and getting messier by the minute.  WBEZ Chicago has more…