Black Lawmakers Must Prioritize Educational Opportunity for Black Families

For millions of K-12 students, the pandemic has led to unprecedented interruptions of critical education and services. Many students will continue to fall behind and…

Biden’s Unity Task Force Isn’t Building Education Back Better, It’s Holding Back Progress

I am a quintessential American Democrat, a New York Jew raised by teachers union members whose own parents endured brutal bigotry before they escaped Eastern…

Leveled Texts Are ‘Exhibit A’ for the Soft Bigotry of Low Expectations

The scene occurs daily in classrooms across the United States. Students, grouped by reading ability, come to the teacher’s table to read their leveled readers—books…

5 Ways School Leaders Can Respond to the Challenges Ahead and Open Stronger

There is no doubt educators are exhausted from a trial-by-fire school year. As a virulent pathogen spread, we were forced to abandon brick and mortar…

Pandemic or Not, Students Need Great Content Paired With Strong Teaching

When teachers welcomed their students on the first day of school last September, they never imagined ending the year on Zoom. Now, as the new…

City Year Offers Schools a Research-Backed Guide to Plan for Next Year

When our students return to school this fall, it won’t be “business as usual” for them—or for any of us. Student success—particularly during this disruptive…

We Didn’t Walk at Graduation, But That’s the Least of the Challenges We’ve Overcome

On May 28th, my fellow classmates and I graduated from KIPP Academy Lynn Collegiate, part of a K-12 charter public school network in Lynn, Massachusetts.…

First-Gen Students, The World Needs Us Now More Than Ever

Dear High School and Undergraduate Seniors,  I am no expert. This my story, and I hope it is one many of you can relate to…

I’m a Black Woman on My Way to Becoming a Doctor Because I Never Gave Up

I grew up believing that excellence is not an option, but rather an obligation.  I breezed through high school. I didn’t have to study hard…

We Know Mississippi Can Improve Its Schools, If Only Our Leaders Would Get On Board

The state of Mississippi is often the butt of many jokes revolving around intelligence and education—or lack thereof. These jokes don’t happen for no reason;…