We Didn't Walk at Graduation, But That's the Least of the Challenges We've Overcome

We Didn’t Walk at Graduation, But That’s the Least of the Challenges We’ve Overcome

On May 28th, my fellow classmates and I graduated from KIPP Academy Lynn Collegiate, part of a K-12 charter public school network in Lynn, Massachusetts. I

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From West Philly to the Jersey Suburbs, We Can All Take Steps to Change the World

I remember my years at The University of Vermont (UVM) in the early 2000s as days of idealism—passionate people driven with passionate resolve to change th

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Our Students Have Strong Emotions Right Now, And That's Not a Disability

Our Students Have Strong Emotions Right Now, And That’s Not a Disability

When a local newspaper featured a picture of one of our students at a peaceful protest against police brutality, the staff at the small special education p

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COVID-19's Impact on First-Generation College Students Is Complicated

COVID-19’s Impact on First-Generation College Students Is Complicated

As a nonprofit leader and educator who works with college students of African descent, I am intimately aware of how challenging getting through college can

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I’m a Black Woman on My Way to Becoming a Doctor Because I Never Gave Up

I’m a Black Woman on My Way to Becoming a Doctor Because I Never Gave Up

I grew up believing that excellence is not an option, but rather an obligation.  I breezed through high school. I didn’t have to study hard to do well on a

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For My Family, Seeing Their First-Gen Latina Daughter Walk Across the Stage Would Have Been Everything

For My Family, Seeing Their First-Gen Latina Daughter Walk Across the Stage Would Have Been Everything

If I were a magician for a day, I would strike my wand and eliminate the memory of the coronavirus as well as its impact. Instead, I am a high school senio

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Schools Must Prepare Now to Address Student and Teacher Trauma

Schools Must Prepare Now to Address Student and Teacher Trauma

My students and I are entering our tenth week of remote learning, all of us isolated from one another and from our shared classroom space. I know that each

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KIPP Schools’ Response to COVID-19 Went Way Beyond Academics

KIPP Schools’ Response to COVID-19 Went Way Beyond Academics

You often hear that a crisis usually brings out the best in people, and it was certainly the case at KIPP Schools around the country. I am certain countles

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Literacy Needs to Be at the Forefront of Instruction When Schools Reopen

According to the most recent report by the National Association for Educational Progress, 64% of all fourth grade students in America are unable to read pr

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