High School Graduate Tatiana Amaya on Raising Student Voice and Claiming a Seat at the Table

Often, you hear about leaders, far earlier than you meet them. Sitting in a café near the school where I lead as principal, Mastery-Shoemaker, I…

Student Noor Bowman on Evening Out the Playing Field and Telling the Whole Story

A couple of years ago, Noor, a young high school student who was interning at a local radio station, reached out to me for an…

If You’re Still Wondering Why We Have to Teach Social Justice, Here’s Your Answer

If you’re not already aware, right before the new year a Black man was arrested at a Huntington Bank in Cleveland, Ohio, for cashing his…

After a Year Like 2018, Teachers Can No Longer Stay Silent About Injustice

After a year like this one, I’ve spent a lot of time reflecting and questioning how so many injustices can still exist in our nation…

Stop Trying to ‘All Lives Matter’ the Black Struggle for Educational Justice

Outrage: White People Won’t Be Satisfied Until We Make Our Struggle About Them I get tired of people trying to “All Lives Matter” my advocacy—especially White…

How We Build a Pipeline of Teachers That Know How to Talk About Race and Social Justice

Nearly 60 years ago, our nation’s students watched as leaders of the civil rights movement pushed back against entrenched Jim Crow laws and re-defined American…

A Second Listen to Student Voice

Common Core author David Coleman shocked a crowd of educators in 2011 when he declared, “…as you grow up in this world, you realize people…

Start the School Year With Equity in Mind

I’ve always liked the beginning of the school year much more than I like the ending. There is a mad rush at the end of…

What James Baldwin’s Activism Can Teach Schools About Social Justice

Every August 2, I spend nearly the entire day observing the birthday of the late James Baldwin, one of the 20th century’s most esteemed and…

I’m Really Damn Liberal, and My Students All Know It

Social justice teaching is not, or should not, be about teaching students what to think. We should teach critical thinking, teach about empathy and with…