anti-racism
Teaching English Language Learners Starts With Putting Yourself in Their Shoes
When teaching English Language Learners (ELLs), the most important and beneficial thing you can do is put yourself in their shoes. Imagine moving to a foreign country, one whose language you don’t...
Student Voice
To Defeat Implicit Bias, Try Project-Based Learning
Project-based learning is a very powerful practice for accelerating important learning for Black, Brown, and low-income kids. It provides “voice and choice” for the students and it encourages new...
Achievement Gap
This County Made History and Elected Its First School Board Member of Color
On a cold December evening in Gwinnett County, Georgia, my mother and I rushed to find good seats in the auditorium of the J. Alvin Wilbanks Instructional Support Center. I’d been here many times for...
opportunity gap
How Our Rural School Is Closing the Opportunity Gap and Preparing the Next Generation of Teachers
Teacher shortages in Wisconsin, and across the country, have a stranglehold on the profession. Enrollment in educator prep programs in Wisconsin is down 30 percent. Teachers are retiring in droves....
School Choice
Before a Child Can Learn They Need to Feel Safe and Cared For
The life of a high-powered literary agent in New York City seems about the farthest thing from my life as a teacher serving largely low-income students in southeast Nashville. It is certainly far...
Politics
Congratulations, Graduates! We Don’t Care About You at All.
Hello, class of 2018! Welcome to the last day of your K-12 education and the launch of your adult lives. I know that today is customarily a celebration of all you’ve accomplished. But these are not...