7 Steps to Help You Implement Trauma-Informed Practices at Your School

The only way to implement something well is through trial and error. In 2017, I proposed to my principal that teachers should adapt to trauma-informed…

Teachers Legally Hitting Students as a Disciplinary Measure Has to Stop

Here’s a familiar scene: You are attending a professional workshop about America’s school-to-prison pipeline. The gray-suited speaker concludes his presentation to thunderous applause, and yet,…

Don’t Buy Into the Hype Around Learning Loss

I get it: “learning loss” is scary. Considering the unprecedented overuse of the word “unprecedented” to describe what our nation’s K-12 education system has faced…

We Can Unleash the Genius of Our Students by Putting the Arts at the Center

This essay is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Patrick Pritchard from Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia, who recently passed away on March 6, 2021.…

Oakland’s School Board Cares More About Politics Than It Does About Kids and Families

Reyna Morales lives in Oakland, California, and is the parent of two students at a high-performing charter school located in an area with a dearth…

Educators Who Consider Themselves ‘White Allies’ Are Dangerous When It Comes To Developing Anti-Racist Classrooms

“I am a white ally,” the 30 something-year-old white teacher declared emphatically in the diversity and inclusion professional development session. She snapped her fingers to…

Will Your Black Teachers Still Matter When Black History Month Is Over?

The protests and activism that took place last year had an impact on schools. School districts are adding diversity, equity, and inclusion roles and stating…

Cardona Matters, But the Most Important Decisions Will Happen at the Local Level

President Joe Biden has certainly kept busy during his first days in the Oval Office. He has issued a call for national unity, doubled down…

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…

3 Tips for Schools Hiring New Teachers to Teach Remotely

When schools across the nation shuttered their facilities to safeguard against the spread of COVID-19, all teachers were forced to make an immediate pivot to…