Stories

School Funding

Advocating for My Students Requires Being Political on My Own Time

With election season upon us, like clockwork, the collective efforts to stifle the political opinions of educators has begun. Navigating this climate requires a nuanced dance, as we strive to...

Here’s How the Presidential Candidates Stack Up on Community Schools

When the families of Chicago’s Spry Elementary and I launched Spry Community Links High School, the city’s first community school serving students from pre-K through high school, we shared a vision...

Achievement Gap

Black Excellence Does Exist and It Lives in Our Kids

I’m guilty of saying Black boys and girls are failing in school—a good chunk of us are. Going forward, I’m committing to correcting that language and mindset because I’ve realized how dangerous and...

Diversity

Yes, White Teachers Still Need to Be Ready to Talk to Students About Race

“What’s the difference between a killing and a lynching?” The question popped up on my phone through the Google Hangouts app I installed in March. Since starting remote learning, my students Gchat me...

Diversity

How to Raise Children Who Celebrate Diversity

Nearly a century ago, Father Flanagan, the founder of Boys Town, said, It costs so little to teach a child to love, and so much to teach him to hate. Recent horrific events show how much racial...

student achievement

Here's How We Helped Hundreds of Low-Income Students Achieve This Summer, Despite the Pandemic

This spring, as schools limped across the virtual learning finish line, the consensus on virtual learning amongst educators was that this form of schooling could never match the quality of in-person...