Karega Rausch Says Charter Schools Get Better Outcomes for Kids When They Listen to Communities

With all the ruckus around charter schools, it’s easy to forget they can’t be painted with a broad brush. Each state has its own charter…

‘Black Boys’ Can Help You Reach African American Males in Your Classroom

The week that it was Black History Month, I grabbed two assignments. One from a district that was serving mostly white kids, and they were…

After a Decade of Opposing Voucher Programs, I’m Wondering If I Was Wrong

I smiled at the two little girls seated across the table in the school board conference room but only six-year-old Kayla, wriggling in her pink…

Here’s How We Helped Hundreds of Low-Income Students Achieve This Summer, Despite the Pandemic

This spring, as schools limped across the virtual learning finish line, the consensus on virtual learning amongst educators was that this form of schooling could…

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…