Stories

Poverty

A Psychology Professor Explains How Racial Trauma Impacts Students of Color

Dr. Maryam Jernigan-Noesi has been thinking about and studying children’s mental health since she was a child herself. I recently talked to her about the racial trauma students of color experience in...

Read More

Mental Health

What 'Surviving R. Kelly' Means for My Black Daughters and the Schools They Attend

As the Black mother of two Black girls, I am always acutely aware of how Black girls are harmed in this society. However, there are some moments in America, when it is amplified that me and my girls,...

Read More

Mental Health

Excellence Is Not a 'White Thing'

“Mom, the kids at school said I act White,” my daughter told me one afternoon a few weeks ago. I asked her why. “Because I do my work, the way I talk and because of how I dress.” It saddened me as I...

Read More

Special Education

Being a School Principal and a Parent of a Special Needs Child Took Me Under, But I’m Coming Back

For five years, I was principal of one of the most difficult schools in my urban district. In those five years, I had eight supervisors. They varied from supportive, attentive and understanding of...

Read More

Special Education

Our Students Need Every Educator to Speak Up to Ensure DeVos Hears Our Support for Restorative Justice

In my decade in Chicago Public Schools as a social worker and currently as a behavioral health specialist, I’ve learned a great education goes beyond academics. Students can’t learn if they do not...

Read More

Parents

I Can’t Spare My Son His Struggles, But I Can Be There When He Triumphs

The other day, I had to drag my son kicking and screaming into kindergarten. His anxiety had taken over, his mind spinning in perseveration. Kindergarten was too fast. Recess was too short. The...

Read More
Prev 6 7 8 9 10 Next