student achievement
We Can Make Middle School Less Awkward, Here's How
Many of us remember the uncertainties of being 12 or 13 years old; an evolving sense of self, increased prominence of peers and social dynamics and a dizzying pace of physical, cognitive and...
Charter Schools
Here’s a Breakdown on Why I Told My Students I Was Racist
“Mr. Wright, are you racist?” “Absolutely,” I said. “I’m a White man in America. What else could I be?” So began a piece I wrote recently that has garnered some fascinating, helpful and necessary...
Special Education
I Took a Year Off Work to Learn About Dyslexia Because My Son's Teachers Couldn't Teach Him How to Read
Why, for so many, is access to an education that recognizes the science of reading limited to private programs? My son experienced this as a reader struggling with dyslexia, and my sister experienced...
Teaching
How Racism in "A Christmas Story" Relates to My Process to Unlearn Anti-Blackness
(Ed Post note: This article was published in 2019; it has been updated because the topic remains relevant, and Rademacher's points should be read this Christmas.) Just before winter break, my various...
opportunity gap
Showing Up and Doing Well in School Should Lead to Better Opportunity But It’s Not Always True
Low-income and minority students are not being challenged nearly as much as their White peers in high school, according to a new study produced by TNTP, a national education nonprofit. They’ve dubbed...
Teaching
My Student Asked Me If I Was Racist So I Told the Truth and Said Yes
“Mr. Wright, are you racist?” My West Philadelphia classroom, which had been filled with the sounds of shuffling papers, squeaking chairs, and the quintessential high-paced chatter of teenagers, got...