Schools Need Resources to Help Us Get Through This Tough Time

In 1967, Elvis Presley released “Run On,” his version of the old folk song, “God’s Gonna Cut You Down.” Recorded years earlier by Civil Rights…

This School Really Called the Police on a Black Child for Playing With a Toy Gun on Camera

Recently, I saw a mother post on Facebook about how her son’s school called the cops on her child. In the post, the mother details…

In the Face of the COVID Crisis, Michigan Districts and Charters Came Together to Innovate

Eighteen years ago, right before Michigan’s charter school boom began, I accepted my first teaching job at a Detroit based Big Picture Learning school. Built…

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…

3 Questions Every Educator Should Ask to Prepare for School This Year

There are some things we understand much better today than we did four months ago. Leading school districts and schools of all grade levels during…

Will We Still Fight for Racial Justice in Schools This Fall?

Parents, I can say with confidence the classrooms your children left in the spring will not be the same one they will return to this…

If Keeping Great Teachers in the Classroom Is Important, Invest in Teacher Development

After eight years as a New York City high school social studies teacher, I thought my love of teaching and leadership would naturally lead me…

5 Ways School Leaders Can Respond to the Challenges Ahead and Open Stronger

There is no doubt educators are exhausted from a trial-by-fire school year. As a virulent pathogen spread, we were forced to abandon brick and mortar…

Pandemic or Not, Students Need Great Content Paired With Strong Teaching

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…

Schools Are Essential, So Let’s Reopen the Right Way This Fall

This afternoon, President Donald Trump said, “We want to get our schools open. We want to get them open, quickly, beautifully in the fall.” I…