Poverty
Here’s How We’re Giving Rich, White Families a Stealth School Voucher
Rich, mostly White homeowners are officially on welfare. I know. I was as surprised as you are. But millions of affluent homeowners filed their taxes this week and took advantage of changes to the...
student achievement
Coffee Break: District Turnaround Expert Karen Hawley Miles Wants No Nonsense in Her Coffee and No Nonsense in Our Schools
Karen Hawley Miles is the president and executive director of Education Resource Strategies, Inc. (ERS), a Massachusetts-based nonprofit that helps turn around low-performing school districts. She is...
California
71 Years Ago This Case Ended Segregation in California and Made Brown v. Board of Education Possible
In September 1943, Gonzalo Jr., Sylvia and Jerome Mendez went with their aunt, Soledad Vidaurri, and three cousins to enroll at the local elementary school, 17th Street School, in Westminster,...
Parents
I Fought Like Hell to Find the Right School for My Blind Daughter and Now I Want to Help Others Do the Same
“Twalet, mama.” This was my daughter’s way of telling me she needed to use the potty. She was 4 1/2 years old, couldn't speak English, newly adopted and blind. The technical term for her condition is...
Charter Schools
This Is What a Movement to Improve Education for All Students Looks Like
I've struggled with a particular notion for many years: Do the education reform efforts of the last 25 years constitute a "movement"? How do the efforts of so many dedicated, passionate individuals...
IEP
My Son Has Autism and This School Taught Him to Say ‘Mom’
At 5, my son, Niko, was still in diapers. He didn’t know how to communicate. He wouldn’t let anyone touch him. I was afraid for him to learn new skills because he threw fits and cried out in...