Charter Schools
How My School Helped Me Find My Way in America, Raise Two Children and Be the First in My Family to Graduate
I was born in Congo in 1994 in the war that killed 5 million people. My family migrated to Rwanda to a refugee camp where I spent the first 18 years of my life. At the end of my time there, I gave...
Special Education
Thank You to All the Teachers Who Know That We Can't Have Equity Without Love
I come from nothing. I was reminded of this at a tense board meeting in which a member from the community, upset with my opinion on something, shouted out, “Mr. Wright, I remember your interview. You...
School Choice
These Girls Are Crushing High School Debate Tournaments and Sprinkling Some #BlackGirlGenius Along the Way
Last week, the Super Bowl of high school policy debate competitions—the Tournament of Champions (TOC)—took place at the University of Kentucky. A team must win one of the nation’s other most...
Teaching
11 Teachers Who Aren't Afraid to Keep It Real
I have a confession to make. I used to hate the term “teacher voice.” Not only because it sounded like edu-jargon (Why only one “voice”? Isn’t there more than one?). It was also because so much of...
Charter Schools
I’m Concerned But Not Convinced by the NPR-Illinois Story on the Noble Charter Schools
I’m a fan of the Noble Charter School Network in Chicago because parents like the schools, they get good results for low-income kids and they are proving that poverty is not destiny. With a student...
Teaching
It Takes a Good School Leader to Know When a Teacher Is Struggling
Last year I went from managing students in the classroom to managing adults. That shift was just as hard as the one from managing myself in college to managing 150 students after I graduated and...
