Here’s Why We Must Open Schools to Authentic Parent Partnership

When I taught first grade on the Navajo Nation, I’ll never forget when one of my fellow teachers—now my wife—wanted to host an event that…

Here’s How a Once-Bullied Kid Became a Fierce Advocate for Students and Education Freedom

As a kid, I was surrounded by people who were making awful choices—choices that led to many of my friends and family members being in…

Here’s How Trump Is Making It Harder to Integrate Schools

This summer, integrated schools heated up as a campaign issue when Kamala Harris called out Joe Biden for his 1970s stance on mandated busing as…

Don’t Forget, Not Every Student Had Opportunities for Enrichment This Summer

This summer, my students and I learned that blue crabs are really feisty, but mosquitos are even feistier.  For two weeks in June, I chaperoned…

There’s Room in the NAACP to Talk About the Importance of School Choice for Black Parents

I was recently the subject of a hit piece in the Huffington Post, which tried to connect me to the Koch brothers because, as a…

Do I Really Have to Defend Civil Rights Activists From the NAACP?

For months, I’ve struggled internally with blasting the NAACP for its stance on charter schools. To chastise an advocacy organization that has been instrumental in…

If You’re Not Talking About Actively Disrupting Racism and Inequity in Education, You Can Kick Rocks

I watched the second round of the 2020 democratic presidential debates and I wasn’t as disappointed in the talking points as I was during the…

What If Black People Had a ‘Green Book’ for Finding the Schools Our Kids Deserve?

Black families should not be forced to choose between schools that challenge them academically and schools that nurture and love them for who they are.…

You Won’t Fix Providence’s Public Schools Until You Tackle the Root of the Problem

The recently-published report on Providence public schools, where I teach and where my children learn, contained just one major finding. That finding didn’t have to…

School Choice and High Standards Aren’t Enough, Here’s How We Focus on What Each Student Needs

On an early fall day a few years ago at a local playground, my friend Sarah and I watched as her three children reveled in…