Three Things You Should Think About When Choosing a School for Your Kid

I am a first-generation college graduate who wants my daughter to be successful. Growing up in the Englewood community in Chicago, I was exposed to…

My Name Is Chyrise Harris and This Is Why I’m Fighting for Better Public Schools

Three years ago this month, my dad passed away. Growing up in Indiana, he attended both the segregated and integrated schools of the Gary Community…

Chicago’s Schools Are ‘Pretty Good,’ But That’s Not Good Enough

I have spent the last 15 years of my life committed to serving students across Chicago as a teacher and a leader. But today, I…

Our Private School Didn’t Fight For My Son or Daughter, But Chicago Public Schools Did

Come January 2018, Illinois parents will have the chance to apply for tax credits when they donate to scholarship funds for private schools. But I…

Whether You Call It ‘Vouchers’ or Not, It’s Time to Ask Some Tough Questions in Illinois

Recently, the negatively-charged term “voucher” has been morphing into the more positive term “scholarship program.” In the case of my home state of Illinois, before…

Don’t Get Angry, Get Eva

Somehow, while managing a sprawling network of public charter schools serving 15,000 children, engaging in the day-to-day political combat of New York, and raising three…

Just Because Trump and DeVos Like Charter Schools Doesn’t Mean You Can’t, Too

A while ago school choice policies were gaining steam across the country. Charter schools and vouchers were still somewhat controversial, but more and more people…

Education, Politics, Media and Chicago

Paraphrasing Yogi Berra, education in Chicago is 50 percent teaching and learning and 90 percent money and politics. No matter how much we emphasize the…

It Doesn’t Take Millions to Support Students’ Mental Health

Brand-new charter school Washington Leadership Academy (WLA) has already drawn national attention for its commitment to incorporating the latest in tech, including virtual reality, into…

These Two Sisters Aren’t Afraid to Get Messy If It Means Better Schools for Philadelphia’s Kids

“Don’t mess it up.” Those words rode the bus with Quibila Divine in the late 1960s and early ’70s from North Philadelphia to the predominantly…