How This Music Program Is Helping Incarcerated Youth Tell Their Stories

More than 60,000 young people are incarcerated in secure facilities, residences and group homes, learning in alternative education settings designed to keep them in school…

When It Comes to College Graduation and Finding a Job, Mentors Make a Difference

I am living proof of the OneGoal motto: “College graduation. Period.” I’m a recent graduate of Southern Illinois University (SIU) of Carbondale where I studied…

To Defeat Implicit Bias, Try Project-Based Learning

Project-based learning is a very powerful practice for accelerating important learning for Black, Brown, and low-income kids. It provides “voice and choice” for the students…

Every Student Wants to Learn, We Just Need to Teach Them

Anyone who has spent time around young children knows how curious and wonder-filled they are. When my son was 5, we’d drive around and he…

We Don’t Need Saviors, We Need Leaders Who Are Ready to Form True Partnerships With Families and Communities

I’ve traveled a lot for work this year, and as I’ve gone from the mountains of Peru to the rural regions of Haiti to the…

This School Used to Be a Kmart

In early August, Entrepreneur High School—a state of the art charter school in Highland, California—opened its doors in what was once a Kmart store. Completely…

You Won’t Believe How This School Started the Year

At Phoenix Charter Academy in Chelsea, Massachusetts, our culture of continuous learning is centered around a strong community. In preparing for this new school year,…

Maybe We Should Stop Telling Kids to Be Quiet

A week ago, I sat with a group of students and asked them what the number one rule of the school was. Without hesitation, they…

Students Don’t Just Have a Voice at This School, They’re Calling the Shots

I recently had the privilege of spending a couple of days at One Stone, a tuition-free independent high school in Boise, Idaho. I’ve visited countless…

I Almost Quit Teaching on My Third Day. Here’s 10 Things I Wish I’d Known.

Dear Mark, You called out sick today (Thursday, September 6, 2007). Only your third day of school—ever!—and you lied about having a family emergency in…