I Was a Black Student in My Hometown’s Schools 20 Years Ago and They Still Haven’t Closed the Achievement Gap

This is the second part of a four-part series on the writer’s experience and research on the achievement gap in her hometown of Evanston, Illinois, a diver

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Public Charter Schools Are Not the Same as Private School Vouchers

There is no historian of American education I admire more than Diane Ravitch; her fair-minded scholarship has inspired me throughout my career. How painful

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It’s Never Been Harder to Be a Teacher and That’s Why We Need to Train Them Better

Teacher training in the U.S. has been a crapshoot. Because when you’re hiring first year teachers, sometimes you say “crap” and other times you say “shoot.

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Think Charter Schools Aren’t Held Accountable? Think Again.

One of the biggest misconceptions around charter schools is that they lack accountability. While I am a strong supporter of public schools and take pride i

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One Fight Almost Ruined My Chances of Going to College

“I’m sorry, Rikiyah, but we have to expel you. You can come back to Baker next school year.” My heart dropped out of my stomach; the room started to spin.

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Teachers, Here’s How You Can Make These Last Days Before Break Count

The gap between Thanksgiving and winter break can be one of the most challenging stretches in time any teacher experiences. It’s like trekking the Sahara D

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Stop Fetishizing Minority Students as Superhuman Poverty Survivors

Why must we always outperform White folks at elite institutions? Resilience. Grit. Strength. Resistance. Surviving, thriving and surpassing against all odd

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I Had to Prove to My White Teachers That I Did Not Have a Learning Disability

This is the first part of a four-part series on the Nadra’s experience and research on the achievement gap in her hometown of Evanston, Illinois, a diverse

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We Need to Start Telling the Truth About White Supremacy in Our Schools

“If we would start telling the truth in schools, we would not have racism. We could cure racism in this country” —Jane Elliott   These words by anti-racist

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