Want a Winning High School? You’ll Need a Winning School Board.

In 2016, then-24-year-old Cipriano Vargas became the youngest person ever elected to the Vista Unified School Board in California. After graduating from California State University…

Don’t Like Who’s on the School Board Ballot? Run.

With headlines dominated by news of 2020 presidential candidates, it’s easy to forget that there are elections happening across the country in 2019. But in…

This County Made History and Elected Its First School Board Member of Color

On a cold December evening in Gwinnett County, Georgia, my mother and I rushed to find good seats in the auditorium of the J. Alvin…

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…

These Stories of School Boards Behaving Badly Will Drive You Nuts

A veteran education reporter recently revealed to me the one area he can’t get insiders to talk about: school boards. Administrators, teachers and others will…

3 Ways You Can Make an Impact on Your Kid’s School

The definition of “power” is the ability to act. Many times the word can be intimidating. I want you to stop and think of all the…

Public Education Is Shortchanging Students and Families in Favor of Politics

When I look at school districts around the country, I see public education becoming more about politics and less about students and families. Increasingly, parents…

Do Not Close My Daughter’s School

My daughter, Rileigh Jasper, is a first-grader at National Teachers Academy (NTA) in Chicago Public Schools. The school holds the district’s top rating, Level 1+.…

I’m 100% Here for a Parent’s Bill of Rights

In the world of public education that has now turned into a political arena for unions, school boards, state capitols, and ed reformers, parents often…

I’m Not From Nashville But I Can Tell Their Black and Brown Kids Are Getting Cheated Out of Good Schools

“You’re from Chicago—you can’t tell us anything about Nashville!” This is what I’m expecting to hear from the anti-reform people who read this blog. But…