We May Finally Know What It Takes to Improve Schools

WHAT WE GOT RIGHT: When we think about school improvement efforts across the United States, it’s easy to tick off the spectacular, big-budget failures. Yet, while these boondoggles made headlines and dominated air time among policy wonks, a smaller, quieter and more sustainable set of successes began teaching the field some guiding principles for improving schools.…

Want More Student Activism? Be Ready to Listen.

The weeks preceding the holidays are busy for any school principal. There are evaluations to be completed and parent events that require attention. Yet, in…

Some Charter Schools Are Showing Us How to Teach Black Students, But We’re Ignoring Them

For educators, equity has become an industry. They are offered tons of data, research and training on how to build equity in district-run schools. But…

To See the Real Picture on NAEP, You Have to Know Where to Look

It would be all too easy to see the grim headlines about the most recent National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) scores as the whole…

Your Teacher Voice Is Strong. Use It.

Not everyone who talks about teacher voice really wants to hear it. Take a peek into many schools and this is what you might see.…

Don’t Just Invite Black Men to School on the First Day, We Need Them All Year Long

A tradition for many schools that educate predominately Black children involves welcoming the children back with scores of Black men cheering them on as they…

These 10 Leadership Moves Will Transform Relationships in Your School

I admire teachers who adopt an attitude best summed up by President Harry S Truman, who famously had a sign on his desk that said:…

When This Chicago School Was on the Verge of Closure, A Visionary Principal Built the Team That Turned It Around

Back in 2013, when Principal Aaron Rucker first came to Auburn Gresham’s Ryder Elementary, he said someone in the central office warned him: “You’re being…

Welcome to Dr. Howard Fuller Collegiate Academy

One of the great things about life is there are moments that can only be described as momentous or life-changing. Ask Dr. Howard Fuller, education…

Don’t Wait for the Summer, Start Dreaming Big for Your Students Now

“Being forward-looking—envisioning exciting possibilities and enlisting others in a shared view of the future—is the attribute that most distinguishes leaders from non-leaders.” That’s what Harvard…