Stories

Poverty

The High School Play Everyone’s Talking About Shows Why We Need More Arts Funding in Schools

The sun can’t reach you but face-hugging and acid-spewing aliens can. Welcome, you’ve arrived at LV-426. Or have you? [pullquote]The drama club at New Jersey’s North Bergen High School have been...

Teen Poet Hannah Parker Built Her School's First Black Student Union

The AC was on but the gym was still hot during KIPP Academy Lynn Collegiate (KALC) High School’s Senior Signing Day. Once the final member of the class of 2018 proudly stepped off the stage, the...

Achievement Gap

It’s Time to Call American Public Education What It Is: A Caste System

A super selective public high school in New York handed out acceptance letters to 895 kids like how Oprah was handing out cars to her audience members back in 2004. Out of that group of almost 900...

STEM

Can America Follow Nevada's Lead in Giving Students Recession-Proof Job Skills?

Nevada was the fastest growing state for decades. Jobs were plentiful, housing affordable and taxes low. Tourists streamed to the entertainment capital of the United States. But things changed....

student achievement

Going to a Women’s HBCU Inspired Me to Fight for College Access for Everyone

At my small high school in East St. Louis, Illinois, going away to college was not accessible to all. The few most promising students were pushed toward an academic career beyond graduation, but the...

Don’t Like Who’s on the School Board Ballot? Run.

With headlines dominated by news of 2020 presidential candidates, it’s easy to forget that there are elections happening across the country in 2019. But in fact, 47 states will hold elections this...