What’s So Hard About Telling Me How My Kid Is Doing in School?

Everyone agrees and research confirms that actively engaged parents produce more successful students. Nevertheless, school systems often conspire to deny p

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I Do Not Need My Freedom When I’m Dead

I Do Not Need My Freedom When I’m Dead

I wish I was a poet; Langston or Sonia Sanchez would know just what to say. They would be eloquent in their simplicity. Poignant. Powerful. I don’t possess

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It Is Our Righteous Duty to Say F— the Police

It Is Our Righteous Duty to Say F— the Police

I’m going to have to stand in a pulpit with the team of church leaders at my church in Englewood on Sunday. Our congregation is Black. Our community is Bla

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In Memphis, Teach For America Is More Diverse and Local Than Ever

In Memphis, Teach For America Is More Diverse and Local Than Ever

The Commercial Appeal in Memphis reported on the 10-year anniversary of Teach For America (TFA) in Memphis. It was fascinating to see how the demographics

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Coffee Break: Journalist Kavitha Cardoza on Slipping in the Wonk, Her ‘Mishmash’ Background and ‘Breaking Ground’

After covering education for eight years in the nation’s capital for NPR-affiliate WAMU, Kavitha Cardoza joins Education Week on Aug. 1, as a part of its v

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Thank You, Abner Mikva, for Being the ‘Somebody’ Nobody Sent

I heard Abner Mikva’s story before I ever met Abner Mikva. I was a seventh-grader on the West Side of Chicago, desperately addicted to Windy City politics,

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Can We Really Give a High School a 'Fair' Grade If Only 5% of Students Are Ready for College?

Can We Really Give a High School a ‘Fair’ Grade If Only 5% of Students Are Ready for College?

Many New York City parents are familiar with the “renewal school” program which, according to the Department of Education, represents a “call to action” to

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What to the Chicago Principal Is the Fourth of July?

What to the Chicago Principal Is the Fourth of July?

It’s time for the Fourth of July! A time for cook outs, pool parties, and family but to me it’s more than coordinating a “red, white, and blue” outfit and

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Here's What I Learned as the Token Latino Student in College

Here’s What I Learned as the Token Latino Student in College

Looking back at my experience as a first-generation college student, I admittedly had no clue what I was doing. I nodded my head and asked questions withou

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