In These Uncertain Times, Schools Must Focus on Mental Health First

After 20 months of the pandemic, students are burnt out. The result is increasing mental health struggles among many, which has schools around the country…

We’ll Never Agree on CRT, but We Can All Agree We Want to Produce Students Who Do Good

Our world has been forever changed as a result of the pandemic as well as the racial unrest of 2020. We learned new ways of…

Q&A: Selma’s Superintendent Keeps Kids Learning, Even as COVID Rages

In 2017 Dr. Avis Williams came to Selma City Schools as its new superintendent, taking over an urban district where almost all students are economically…

Relationships Don’t Come Before Rigor, They Go Hand in Hand

I’m a sixth grade teacher grappling with the reality of teaching kids who may not have darkened a school door in over a year. Many…

Can We All Agree That Our Kids’ Health Must Come First?

Teachers across the country are anxiously awaiting the start of the school year and, although they are not technically “back on contract,” many have been…

Now Is Not the Time to Let Down the Students Who Need Us the Most

After the unprecedented global pandemic that disrupted — not one — but two separate school years, educators are finally preparing to welcome students back to…

3 Strategies To Make Your Classroom a Community

We are halfway through summer and the 2021-22 school year is only a few weeks away in some communities. After countless disruptions caused by the…

Teachers Can’t Expect to Be Held to the Whims of Every Parent

Should we teach about the Civil War anymore? This was a question I was asked by a concerned teacher who feared potential pushback from parents.…

Expert Q&A: Focusing on Teacher Well-Being Benefits Students

For more than 35 years, Donna Housman has been helping young children, their teachers and their caregivers build their emotional intelligence. At the Housman Institute,…

15 Questions That Predominantly White Schools Should Ask When Engaging in Non-Performative Anti-Racist Work

Last week, I had a consulting call with a potential client (a white teacher), who teaches in a predominantly white school/neighborhood and wants to engage…