I grew up in Queens (St. Albans), New York, and attended Andrew Jackson High School in the early ’90s. My family, who migrated to New York from the island
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All the Black Kids Are Still Sitting Together in the Cafeteria
I attended a predominantly Latino grammar school. We were all friends for the most part—the Black students, Mexican students and the few White students tha
Read MoreUp Until Ninth Grade, I Had Zero Male Teachers of Color. Here’s Why That Matters.
For 10 years—the first decade I was in school—all my teachers were White women. As a Mexican-American kid, I didn’t get the chance to have a man of color a
Read MoreChicago’s Solorio High School Showed Me Exactly the Kind of Teacher I Want to Be
What I loved about Solorio was that I really got to know the teachers. Teachers wouldn’t talk down to us. It wasn’t lecture style. We would learn as much a
Read MoreFounders, Eggs and Fists: How the NewSchools Summit Proved That the Fight Over Education Is Spiritual
When the NewSchools Summit in San Francisco ended last week, Black attendees were asking me what I would write about it. They were curious because this Sum
Read MoreRace, Reform and the Firestorm: Reflections on Our Progress a Year Later
One year ago, I excused myself from dinner with friends and returned to my hotel room to blog about my awe-inspiring experience at the NewSchools Summit in
Read MoreHow Teaching a Liberal Education Will Help Our Students Move Past Prejudice and Embrace Our Common Humanity
In 1952, as the world continued to take stock of the devastation wrought by authoritarian regimes, a coalition of prominent universities and preparatory sc
Read MoreYou Can’t Just Trust Your Instincts, You Actually Have to Go Ask the Parents What They Think
“In God we trust. All other bring data.” —W. Edward Demming Right now, our school, Nashville Classical Charter School, is planning to open a middle schoo
Read MoreHere’s Why One Charter School Believes Diversity Is the Future
There is a small but growing number of leaders engaging in intentionally diverse charter schools. To understand these schools and everything they are tryin
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