7 Days Before Graduation My Student Disappeared, But That’s Not What Made Me Cry

I remember the first time I saw her walking down the school corridor like she owned the place. She did. She was known as the…

Chicago’s Schools Are ‘Pretty Good,’ But That’s Not Good Enough

I have spent the last 15 years of my life committed to serving students across Chicago as a teacher and a leader. But today, I…

I Got to Be a Fly on the Wall in a Room Full of Teachers

On a recent afternoon, I spent two hours listening to eight public school teachers talk about their work. All but one of them teaches in…

Hispanic Heritage Month Is Every Month for Latino Educators

Today marks the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month, an annual celebration of the histories and stories of the Latino diaspora. In most of the country,…

Whether You Call It ‘Vouchers’ or Not, It’s Time to Ask Some Tough Questions in Illinois

Recently, the negatively-charged term “voucher” has been morphing into the more positive term “scholarship program.” In the case of my home state of Illinois, before…

When ‘Good Enough’ Isn’t Good Enough at All for Our Students of Color

But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost… —Luke 14:28 The first…

Undocumented People Aren’t a Threat to Communities. They Are Our Communities.

Teachers returning to the classroom across the country carry a heavy burden of explaining the unexplainable. Students will have hard questions about the horrific events…

From Michael to Chloe, Sukriti to Rahim, Every Student’s Name Is Important

As teachers head back to school, and move from learning who students are on paper to who they are as people, we must make the…

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…

As Black and Brown Educators, We’re Coming Together to Support DACA and the American Dream

“The land flourished because it was fed from so many sources, because it was nourished by so many cultures and traditions and peoples.” —Lyndon B.…