California
For Too Many Parents, 'Good Schools' Still Mean 'White Schools'
This post is part of a two-part series on what it means to be in a "good school." Read the second part here on how "good schools" should reflect the diversity of our country. When my family moved...
Achievement Gap
Trying to Talk About the Achievement Gap? Try This.
Politics and education are two of my favorite subjects. It’s neat when I have an opportunity to combine them. I recently listened to a speech by Gloria Ladson-Billings that did just that. I recommend...
student achievement
I’ve Taught in a School With Zero Accountability, It’s Terrible
By last December, the fall of my ninth year of teaching high school, I had been observed by teacher coaches, visitors from educational non-profit organizations, principals and assistant principals,...
Achievement Gap
Sometimes Giving a Failing Grade Is the Compassionate Thing to Do
I am not a teacher. I am not a principal. I am not a school board member. I am not a district administrator (anymore). What I am is a mother of two, a high schooler and middle schooler. I expect them...
student achievement
The US Is Falling Way Behind in STEM But Kentucky's Powering the Comeback
Maybe you’re already aware, but the United States isn’t exactly globally competitive in science education. As of 2015, we ranked 24th out of 71 countries included in a major international study. If...
Poverty
New Mexico’s Kids Deserve Great Public Schools So We're Launching NewMexicoKidsCAN
So many things make New Mexico enchanting. There are sunsets over the Sandia Mountains, adobe buildings with hundred-year histories, lush green bosque surrounding our life-giving Rio Grande and...