We’ve Known for Years What Makes Teachers Better: It Isn’t Sexy or Controversial But It Works

As school reforms go, it’s not sexy, it’s not new, and it’s not at all controversial. So it probably won’t get as much attention as…

The Genius in Every Black Family: Our ‘Hidden Figure’

I’m visiting my aunt and uncle in Los Angeles, and we decide to watch the movie “Hidden Figures,” about three little-known Black women whose mathematical…

Educators at This School Give Students a Choice and Voice in How They Want to Learn

Schools providing personalized learning integrate student interests and self-pacing into their curriculum by combining student-centered practices with technology. There are many approaches to personalized learning,…

How States Are Approaching School Accountability

For the most part, what states measure for school quality has already been decided by federal law under the Every Student Succeeds Act. Every state,…

Here’s Some Suggested Reading for Our Trash-Talking Secretary of Education

You hear a lot these days—especially in the Trump era—about how broken, antiquated and just generally messed up public education is in our country. Just…

Critics of the Obama administration's Department of Education repeatedly targeted what they saw as federal "overreach" into local districts. Now the Trump education budget guts funding for programs that are popular and effective at the local level, while only adding significant new funding to one area—trying to influence local decisions about school choice. This proposed budget is a greater assault on local control. It needs to be called…

A Letter to Betsy DeVos About My Student Loans

Dear Secretary DeVos, You and I have a lot in common. We’re both from the great state of Michigan and have the same Michigan accent.…

Parents Can’t Just Use Test Scores to Choose a School. They Need the Whole Story.

Whenever parents would get into a discussion about “good schools” and “bad schools,” I would urge them to look beyond the simple rankings of test…

Race, Reform and the Firestorm: Reflections on Our Progress a Year Later

One year ago, I excused myself from dinner with friends and returned to my hotel room to blog about my awe-inspiring experience at the NewSchools…

Power, Policy and Prayer: My Eye-Opening Phone Call With Betsy DeVos

A few weeks ago I wrote a blog expressing my exasperation with my children’s public school education and my attraction to school vouchers. To my…