We Don't Have to Choose Between Relationships and Rigor. Our Students Need Both.

We Don’t Have to Choose Between Relationships and Rigor. Our Students Need Both.

Know your why, and it will sustain you. Dr. Adam Saenz When I read this quote from Dr. Adam Saenz, licensed psychologist and author, it resonated deeply wi

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Q&A With Sharif El-Mekki and Shareefah Mason: You Won't Retain Black Teachers Without Transforming Your School Culture

Q&A With Sharif El-Mekki and Shareefah Mason: You Won’t Retain Black Teachers Without Transforming Your School Culture

Shareefah Mason of Teach Plus and Sharif El-Mekki of the Center for Black Educator Development (CBED) believe that schools can only recruit and retain Blac

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3 Reasons Why Principals Should Make Time to Teach

3 Reasons Why Principals Should Make Time to Teach

COVID-19 rocked our school the first week of our opening this school year. We started the year with three staff members out due to the COVID-19 protocol. U

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While We Debate Mandatory Vaccines for Teachers, It's the Kids Who Suffer

While We Debate Mandatory Vaccines for Teachers, It’s the Kids Who Suffer

I recently wrote a post urging us, as an educator community, to prioritize the health and safety of our students and fellow teaching colleagues as we think

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Times Are Tough. Asking Teachers to Get Tougher Isn't the Answer.

Times Are Tough. Asking Teachers to Get Tougher Isn’t the Answer.

Wednesday started out like any other; I left my house at 7:00 am to drive to my school campus, where I teach bilingual early childhood special education. O

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Here's How We Can Make Sure Every Latino Student Feels Like They Belong

Here’s How We Can Make Sure Every Latino Student Feels Like They Belong

During my freshman-year orientation in college, in the fall of 1997, several people asked me if I knew Selena Quintanilla-Pérez, the queen of Tejano music.

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6 Ways We Can Help Reverse COVID Learning Loss for English Learners

6 Ways We Can Help Reverse COVID Learning Loss for English Learners

Twenty-one months have passed since the COVID-19 pandemic was declared a national emergency. With a new school year underway, the United States (U.S.) publ

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Q&A With Paige Kowalski: Getting Transparent About Student Data

Q&A With Paige Kowalski: Getting Transparent About Student Data

Student data. Standardized testing. Accountability. These words set off a lot of big feelings among parents, educators and policymakers — especially fear a

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When My Struggling Readers Won't Read for School, but They Will for Squid Game

When My Struggling Readers Won’t Read for School, but They Will for Squid Game

“Squid Game” is graphic and not meant for young audiences. This is not an endorsement of using the show as teaching material. As a teacher, I typically fin

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