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…

School Leadership After COVID Starts With Grace, Patience, Empathy and Flexibility

It was Friday, March 13, 2020, and I was sitting in my office, after the building had cleared, in disbelief at how everything had changed…

Our Schools Need to Do More. They Should Look to Charters and Early Childhood for Answers.

Confronted with a pandemic unprecedented in modern life, schools began delivering meals at home, providing free internet and devices, offering mental health supports and developing…

How to Help Beginning Readers During the Pandemic

Before the pandemic, many American children struggled to read well. Now, the pandemic has thrown early elementary teachers a curve ball in teaching reading; they…

There Are Actually a Few Things I’ll Bring Into My Real Classroom Once This Is Over

For families, students and staff, the start of this year was markedly different from past years. In place of student schedules and bus routes, our…

Why Can We Have Halloween But Not Homeroom?

Upset parents are demanding answers about reopening schools as they watch COVID-19 case counts ramp back up while unmasked groups convene for sport and fun.…

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…

Supt. Susan Enfield on Her Commitment to Feed, Connect and Educate Every Student

The reality is if our students are hungry, they’re not going to learn. If they can’t access the internet, they’re not going to learn. And…

Creating Equitable Learning Environments Doesn’t Mean Reinventing the Wheel

The dueling crises of COVID-19 and systemic racial injustice have created a pivotal moment that not only demands a transformation of our school system, but…

How I’m Helping My Child With Special Needs Navigate Remote Learning

My children always start school two weeks before everyone else. So after two weeks of e-learning—or what I am calling two-weeks “in the trenches”—I feel…