Black Lives Matter in Schools This Month and Every Damn Month

On Wednesday, February 6, 2019, I had the honor of speaking at the Black Lives Matter in Schools Week of Action rally. The audience was…

Ninety-Six Percent of Pennsylvania’s Teachers Are White. That’s a Problem.

Imagine a doctor knowing vital, life-saving information about your health, but not sharing it with you. It would be not only unacceptable, it would be…

This Small Federal Investment in Principals Could Pay Off Big

Here’s the good news: The field of education has the knowledge to make schools better. Not just a little better. A lot better. I know…

We Could Have More Black Teachers If We Removed These Barriers

There is a growing body of evidence that Black students perform better when they have a Black teacher. It is a problem, then, that only…

Black Panther Proves That Our Kids Need More Black Superheroes, Both on the Screen and in the Classroom

I am looking forward to the premiere of “Black Panther” with the same excitement I bring to planning my birthday month. (Yes, I said month.)…

Teacher Shortages Demand More Rigorous Teacher Prep, Not Less

In the face of growing teacher shortages—especially in math and science—states are increasingly seeking shortcuts and workarounds, from emergency certification to abbreviated preparation, to get…

Here’s One Solution to Retaining Educators of Color That No One Is Talking About

Study after study confirms that all students benefit from teacher diversity. A diverse educator workforce prepares students to live and work in a multilingual, multiracial…

I Shouldn’t Have to Go to a Conference of Black Male Educators to Realize How Essential They Are for Our Schools

For the first time in my life, I found myself in a room of hundreds of people, and there was only a handful of White…

You Might Need to Check Your Assumptions on Teacher Turnover

Too often in education, policy wonks and researchers (like me) talk about an issue in ways that bear little resemblance to the way it plays…

7 Things I Think Every Principal Should Know

Education is the one thing that cannot be taken away from you and is the key to success. This is my 12th year as a…