Civil Rights Groups Insist on Testing: ‘You Cannot Improve What You Do Not Measure.’

Even a broken clock is right twice a day. In this case, the clock is soon-to-be-Ex-Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, who has told states that…

I’m Empowering My Students to Lead Conversations About Race

In late September, I began my class with my usual prompt: Is there anything in the news you’d like to share? My students would generally…

We Can’t Avoid Politics. Here’s How to Bring Them Into the Classroom

Only days after the projected presidential results, a microphone unmutes with shuffling in the backdrop, and a doubtful guise on the face of a teenage,…

Students of Color Are Depending on You November 3. Don’t Throw Away Your Shot.

On the eve of America’s 244th birthday, the critically acclaimed play, “Hamilton,” debuted on Disney+, making the cultural touchstone available to millions in the midst…

Cultural Competence Only Goes So Far. Kids Need Teacher Diversity.

I am a middle school science teacher. When covering the laws of physics, I teach that “every action has an equal and opposite reaction.” This…

Breonna Taylor Didn’t Get Justice, But It’s Not Too Late to Save Our Kids From a Country Set Out to Kill Them

Before we even get started, I just wanna say that the Grand Jury ruling Breonna Taylor’s killing justified is bullshit.  Now that I’ve gotten that…

3 Questions Every Educator Should Ask to Prepare for School This Year

There are some things we understand much better today than we did four months ago. Leading school districts and schools of all grade levels during…

I Desperately Want to Get Back to School, But My Students’ Safety Is My First Priority Right Now

I desperately want to return to school in the fall and be with my kids. In the most non-melodramatic, non-trivial way possible—I am lost without…

James Baldwin’s ‘Talk to Teachers’ Is Just as Relevant Today

As I sit here, processing my thoughts on the severity of events that are currently grappling our nation, I reflect on the historical circumstances that…

White Teachers, Our Whiteness Is Getting in Our Way

Since the murder of George Floyd, teacher leaders across America have sought to prove the necessity of antiracism in public education. And rightly so: from…