School Choice
I'm Not From Nashville But I Can Tell Their Black and Brown Kids Are Getting Cheated Out of Good Schools
“You’re from Chicago—you can’t tell us anything about Nashville!” This is what I’m expecting to hear from the anti-reform people who read this blog. But they’re wrong. Because, first, if you’re Black...
Poverty
Stop Berating Black and Brown Parents Over Charters (and Give Your Twitter Fingers a Rest)
I read too many education arguments for my own good. It’s a known issue in my household. The argument I find most cringe-inducing is the fight over charter schools. With the news that Secretary DeVos...
Achievement Gap
SAT Scores Are Up But Only 46 Percent of Students Are Prepared for College
SAT scores are way up this year, the College Board reported this week. And that might be cause for celebration, if you wanted to ignore these three facts. The test is easier than it was a year ago....
Poverty
Accountability Doesn't Lie With a Number, It Lies With Our Students
Accountability is one of those words that means a million different things to a million different people. For many in my state (and even those in my community), it is about a test score—about meeting...
Achievement Gap
Reject the Soft Bigotry of Low Expectations
(Trigger warning: This essay contains a bleeped, profanity-laced rant that may cause you to question your most deeply held beliefs.) It's not often I cite vulgar, inappropriate humor to draw...
Teaching
Don't Like 'Take a Knee'? Take a Civics Class.
For the past month the news has been filled with a seemingly endless stream of topics that have sparked controversy and unrest in our nation, from Charlottesville to DACA to Puerto Rico to “take a...
