Without the Office for Civil Rights, My High School Would Have Continued to Discriminate Against Students Like Me

You may have seen the news. On July 11, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos responded to a letter written by Senator Patty Murray, which questioned the…

Students With Reading Disabilities Deserve the Magic of Books Too

Exciting. Delightful. A joyful experience for the mind and soul, escaping into other worlds. This is the power of reading. Frustrated. Discouraged. Feeling like a…

Coffee Break: Denver Charter School Leader Bill Kurtz on Finding the Right Brew of Quality, Access and Integration

Denver’s DSST charter schools are one of the nation’s premiere secondary school networks. Led by longtime CEO Bill Kurtz, DSST has expanded steadily in Denver…

I Almost Didn’t Graduate High School Because My School Wouldn’t Change a Light Bulb

Recently, Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos said she believes local and state governments should be allowed to set their own rules when it comes to…

Special Education Was Created to Push Students Forward But It’s Been Used to Hold Them Back

I was a special education teacher for six years in the resource and co-teaching setting. Though I could not be more proud to be an…

Jared’s Got Something Special and KIPP’s ‘Pathways’ Is Helping Him Show It

Eight-year-old Jared Teel-Drayton hops into the room, hands flapping, eyes darting, smile alight. He’s been painting—his class went to the art room today—and his teacher,…

How States Are Approaching School Accountability

For the most part, what states measure for school quality has already been decided by federal law under the Every Student Succeeds Act. Every state,…

Betsy DeVos Says Discrimination Isn’t Her Problem. And She’s Dead Wrong.

Give Education Secretary Betsy DeVos points for ideological consistency. In a budget hearing yesterday, Rep. Katherine Clark (D-MA) pressed DeVos on whether her plan for…

Let’s Stop With the Handcuffs and Train Teachers to Deal With Special Needs

I couldn’t watch the video of the Florida child being handcuffed in the principal’s office. As a writer and a policy wonk, I am not supposed…

Opting Out of a Third-Grade Test Is Bad But Passing Third-Graders Who Can’t Read Is Worse

If there’s one thing that everyone can agree on in the case of the opt-out moms versus the state of Florida, it’s that Michelle Rhea’s…