Charter Schools May Be Leading the Way During Covid-19

Last week I looked at the stark disparities in the quality of online instruction offered to children during the COVID-19 school closures, comparing Princeton Regional Public…

Kids Who Aren’t Well-Served in Traditional Settings Aren’t Troublemakers, They’re the Key to Real Change

Too often, education leaders think of schools and programs serving students who have gaps in their education, who are early parents, who are incarcerated or…

Let’s Help Our Young People Unlearn What White Supremacy Taught Them

True story. The other day I was recording an episode of my podcast with 11th graders at a school on the far south-side of Chicago.…

Think Education Is a Public Good? Think Again.

Education ought to be a public good. And it never has been. Most Americans want education to be a public good, an inherent right guaranteed…

Democrats, This Is Your Moment to Make Equity More Than a Slogan

Where do Democratic candidates stand on public education? After last month’s Forum on Education, we know that the candidates are committed to increasing the federal…

There Are So Many Things Wrong With This Piece in ‘The Nation.’ Here Are My Top 4.

On New Year’s Eve “The Nation” published an analysis by Jennifer Berkshire called “The Democrats’ School Choice Problem.” Her piece is instructive because it illustrates a strategy…

Native Families Have Used School Choice to Save Their Children for More Than 50 Years

When their sons were told they’d have to cut their hair to continue attending the local public school, Jerry and Pat Roy began homeschooling their…

There’s a Face Off Between Parents and Presidential Candidates, And It’s Way Bigger Than Charter Schools

In the words of the late, great Notorious B.I.G., “I’m going, going, back, back to Cali, Cali.” A year ago I told y’all a national…

Black Families, These Are Not the Democrats Who Will Save Us

While watching the Public Education Forum 2020 on Saturday, one phrase caught my attention: Democratic “hopefuls,” referring to the presidential candidates in attendance. Given that…

Democrats Are Finally Talking Public Education, But You Probably Won’t Be Invited to the Table

I couldn’t believe it. Finally, education was going to take center stage at the 2020 Public Education Forum. All the major Democratic candidates (and some…