As the U.S. Department of Education Turns 40, the Real Battleground for Kids Lies in the States

This week marks the 40th anniversary of President Jimmy Carter signing the legislation that authorized him to create the U.S. Department of Education (ED). In…

Without Teach For America, I Wouldn’t Be Teaching in the Same Latinx Community Where I Grew Up

I have vivid memories of teachers joining my school communities and then saying goodbye to them only a few years later. As a young girl,…

I’ve Been Teaching for 12 Years and I Love My Job But We’ve Got to Change Some Things

This week, I had a conversation with a colleague about a common topic for teachers at this point in the school year—exhaustion. This is my…

It’s Not Enough to Know the Content, Teachers Also Need to Know the Context of Their Students’ Lives

The debate about how to best prepare K-12 teachers in the U.S. over the last 50 years has largely centered on whether theory- or practice-based…

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…

I Didn’t Just ‘Settle’ for Teaching, I Joined TFA Because I Wanted to Teach

It is no secret that teachers in the U.S. are underpaid for one of the hardest jobs available, if not the hardest. I remember telling…

Want to Know How to Get Minorities Into Teaching? Just Ask the Students.

I remembered Oscar from the previous year when he was a sixth-grade student assigned to the other sixth-grade social studies teacher. He was quiet when…

Bottom Line: District and Charter Schools Can Work Together to Improve All Public Schools

This week is National Charter Schools Week, a time to shine a light on public charter schools. In Washington, D.C., where I lead the sole…

Hey Charter Schools, If You Don’t Want a Union, Don’t Give Teachers a Reason to Organize

Within the last few weeks, efforts to unionize charter schools have seen two major new developments: the first-ever organizing drive in Washington, D.C. charter schools,…

I’m a Teacher of the Year and I Got Laid Off Because of Budget Cuts

I got my letter last week. My principal met me at my door. I knew it was coming. Still, it hurt. The formality of “terminate…