Educational Opportunity

Last week I attended a community town hall in Nashville organized by my friend Vesia Hawkins, a relentless and faithful community servant who brought toget

“So you’re just going to let anyone into your AP English class?” she quipped with sarcasm and snark.  “Uhm … yeah,” I responded with cool decisiveness. The

This week marks the 40th anniversary of President Jimmy Carter signing the legislation that authorized him to create the U.S. Department of Education (ED).

“We’re in the fight of our lives,” according to a number of chartered public school educators with whom I met at the recent National Alliance for Public Ch

Dear parents, Guess what? If you hate your child’s school or aren’t satisfied with the quality of education they’re receiving, you shouldn’t expect anyone

We complain about what’s wrong with the public education system all the time. Admittedly, I’m probably on the long list of tough critics.  Some of our comp

When I taught first grade on the Navajo Nation, I’ll never forget when one of my fellow teachers—now my wife—wanted to host an event that welcomed our fami

It’s silent but deadly—and I’m not talking about heart disease. I’m talking about this assault on charter schools that has flown under the radar, is spread

This summer, my students and I learned that blue crabs are really feisty, but mosquitos are even feistier.  For two weeks in June, I chaperoned a student f