Charter Schools
Coffee Break: Why Ramon Griffin Left Law to Change School Discipline
As a youth in Ford Heights, Illinois, Ramon Griffin grew up asking hard questions. Why did his ZIP code have so many schools on the academic watch list? Why did his community have so few resources,...
Charter Schools
Classroom Jobs Let Students Take Control of Their Own Learning
Is there anyone happier than a 6-year-old who has been entrusted with an important task? Kiddos, in my experience, like almost nothing better than to be taken seriously. They’re smart and capable and...
Teaching
First Day Jitters? Teachers Get Them Too!
As I embark on my 15th year in public education, I’m baffled that it still happens to me. After all, this is my 15th “first day”! I have my first-day handouts copied and I’ve spent the last two weeks...
bias
The Suffragettes Were Not Allies to Black Women, They Were Racist
This week America celebrated the 99th anniversary of the 19th Amendment's passage, which granted women the right to vote. However, like much of American history, the words in our Constitution don’t...
equity
To Support Your LGBTQ+ Students, Love Them and Give Them Someone to Look Up To
Every student deserves a role model with whom they can relate. For many students, literature and curriculum are resources they can use to find role models at school. However, many LGBTQ+ students...
Parents
White Teacher, Here’s How You Can Successfully Partner With Black Families
The show was going really well. We were in Pittsburgh, taping a live 8 Black Hands podcast episode at the State of Black Learning Conference, and we were just wrapping up the Q&A. Then, a White woman...