Stories

public schools

DeVos Has a 'Heart' for DREAMers. But That's About It.

While President Trump took to his usual 140-characters Thursday to tip-toe around his support for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program his administration plans to “wind down,”...

equity

When 'Good Enough' Isn’t Good Enough at All for Our Students of Color

But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost... —Luke 14:28 The first time I tried to buy an extra value meal at...

I’m a Progressive Jew Who Wants to Give Chicago’s Cardinal a Shout-Out on School Funding

Between a three-year state budget battle and the long-term war for fair school funding in Illinois, times have been tough for a while for parents of school-age children in the Land of Lincoln. As the...

Chance the Rapper, Lupe Fiasco and 10 Other Songs That Inspire My Students

Some logic statements for the teachers out there: Your kids love music. You love your kids. Therefore, you love music. Even though this conclusion isn’t sound logically, it couldn’t be more accurate....

California

Undocumented People Aren’t a Threat to Communities. They Are Our Communities.

Teachers returning to the classroom across the country carry a heavy burden of explaining the unexplainable. Students will have hard questions about the horrific events of the summer, from the...

So You Want to Go to College? Send a Text.

In 2013, then-First Lady Michelle Obama approached then-Secretary of Education Arne Duncan with the goal of inspiring more young people to attend and graduate from college. As a first-generation...