POLL: L.A. Families Want Equity and Accountability From Next Superintendent

Sometime this winter, a new superintendent will take the helm of the Los Angeles Unified School District. According to a new poll commissioned by Great…

Here’s How Mask Mandates Can Violate the Civil Rights of Students With Disabilities

This fall most parents celebrated the return to in-person instruction after witnessing their children struggle with remote learning. For parents of many students with disabilities,…

Here’s How Parents and Teachers Can Create Healthy Classroom Environments for Neurodiverse Kids

At five years old, our son Trey, now age 14, was diagnosed with Autism and mixed-expressive language disorder. Long before that, I had suspected something…

EXPLAINED: What Is an IEP and How to Make Sure Your Child’s Needs Are Met

If you have a child with disabilities, you’re not alone: According to the latest data, over 7 million American schoolchildren — 14% of all students…

Families Can’t Afford for Schools to Continue to Treat Students With Disabilities Like an Afterthought

Every single thing we do is challenging. My kids are being forgotten. That’s Keri Akkawi, a Philadelphia mom of two boys with Fragile X Syndrome,…

My Toxic but Open Relationship With Education Activism

Transparent moment. There have been at least 50 separate occasions throughout my adult life where I’ve contemplated leaving this rollercoaster of a relationship I have…

I’ve Been Fighting for My Daughters Since 23 Weeks’ Gestation, and I Won’t Stop Now

Why don’t I get to go to school, Mommy? That’s a hard question for a mom to have to answer for an 8-year-old. As I…

You Can and Must Foster Belonging, Acceptance, and Support for Your LGBTQIA+ Students. It’s a Matter of Life and Death.

Many young people see belonging as a quest to fit in, but it’s so much deeper than that. Belonging means accepting, celebrating, and including our…

A ‘Whole Child’ Approach Will Be More Important Than Ever This Fall

With summer here and life as we remember emerges, the open doors and public gatherings herald a return to normal. When it comes to schools…

Biden Pledged to Overturn Trump’s Education Policies. So, How’s It Going?

When the U.S. Senate confirmed Dr. Miguel Cardona as President Joe Biden’s Education Secretary in March 2021, legislators handed him a huge stinking mess, courtesy…