Without the Office for Civil Rights, My High School Would Have Continued to Discriminate Against Students Like Me

You may have seen the news. On July 11, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos responded to a letter written by Senator Patty Murray, which questioned the…

Dear Betsy, You Need to Get Serious About Addressing Sexual Assault

Dear Betsy, I think you’re having kind of a tough time in your new role. You’ve got a non-existent relationship with the press, you were…

Trump and DeVos Are Sending Mixed Messages to Our Transgender Youth and It Is Deadly

It shouldn’t come as a shock to anyone that DeVos and Trump have placed transgender youth in a dangerous limbo. Almost everyone in the LGBTQIA…

We’ve Known for Years What Makes Teachers Better: It Isn’t Sexy or Controversial But It Works

As school reforms go, it’s not sexy, it’s not new, and it’s not at all controversial. So it probably won’t get as much attention as…

I Almost Didn’t Graduate High School Because My School Wouldn’t Change a Light Bulb

Recently, Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos said she believes local and state governments should be allowed to set their own rules when it comes to…

Education Reform Isn’t Just for Cities

School reform advocate Derrell Bradford and policy writer Andy Rotherham hit on it. Illinois education writer Tracy Dell’Angela has a blog focused on it. Teacher/education…

Betsy DeVos Says Discrimination Isn’t Her Problem. And She’s Dead Wrong.

Give Education Secretary Betsy DeVos points for ideological consistency. In a budget hearing yesterday, Rep. Katherine Clark (D-MA) pressed DeVos on whether her plan for…

Here’s Some Suggested Reading for Our Trash-Talking Secretary of Education

You hear a lot these days—especially in the Trump era—about how broken, antiquated and just generally messed up public education is in our country. Just…

A Letter to Betsy DeVos About My Student Loans

Dear Secretary DeVos, You and I have a lot in common. We’re both from the great state of Michigan and have the same Michigan accent.…

3 Ways We Can Start Counting High School Graduates Accurately and Raise Graduation Rates

This week, the GradNation campaign released a report allowing people to compare graduation rates among states and to the national average of 83.2 percent. If…