Here’s One Way to Talk With Teachers About Race in Schools

I’m five hours into facilitating a professional development on race for a group of teachers.  Overall, the morning was positive: everyone has remained engaged in…

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.…

27 Mistakes White Teachers of Black Students Make and How to Fix Them

A few years back, I was in my room meeting parents during an open house, just days before the school year started. A woman walked…

I’m Waiting for Democrats to Stop Using Progressive Talking Points and Start Listening to Parents

When eight Democratic presidential candidates appear on stage in Pittsburgh this Saturday, most—if not all—will echo teachers unions’ animus towards charter schools and school choice,…

White Students Can Fight for Racial Justice, But Only If Teachers Are Willing to Give Them the Tools

I teach a class in which my predominantly White juniors and seniors teach all of the predominantly White freshmen and sophomores about racial literacy and…

White Teacher, Here’s How You Can Successfully Partner With Black Families

The show was going really well. We were in Pittsburgh, taping a live 8 Black Hands podcast episode at the State of Black Learning Conference,…

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…

Borders Shouldn’t Keep Refugee Children Out of America, Nor Should They Keep Black and Brown Children Out of Good Schools

A growing number of people are outraged by our current immigration debacle involving refugees on the southern border of the United States: children in concentration…

Here’s Why President Trump’s Tweets About ‘The Squad’ Are Nothing New for Black Women in Education

On Sunday, the 45th president of the United States told four congresswomen of color to “go back” to the countries from which they came.  ….and…

There’s a Difference Between a ‘Good’ School and Choosing Whiteness and Wealth

It’s nearly summer, and while for most that means the end of a school year, for many it also means transition. Preschoolers transition to kindergarten,…