Fifty years ago today, one of the strongest advocates for equality in education and society at large was silenced. With the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968, African-Americans across the country mourned the loss of a man whose... Read More

I’ll just say it: As a teacher, I hated the “ed tech” conversation. Sure, I used basic technology in my classroom—maybe some iPads, or websites like Kahn Academy and Edublogs. But I hated #EdTech Twitter feeds and ed tech professional... Read More

“In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” —Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. For the past nine of my 14 years teaching, my students have been predominantly of Mexican descent.... Read More

I’m visiting my aunt and uncle in Los Angeles, and we decide to watch the movie “Hidden Figures,” about three little-known Black women whose mathematical calculations  were instrumental in helping NASA launch astronaut John Glenn into outer space and back.... Read More

What’s the right approach: Counsel all graduating seniors to go to college, including the students who can’t afford it or may be unprepared academically or socially, because it will pay off in the end: or  Tell students that “college is... Read More

I just completed my first season as a middle school debate team coach. Here are the basics: kids argue either the affirmative or the negative position of a general statement, called a resolution, and before the debate begins the key... Read More

Is it possible for a school to change the trajectory of low-income Black students’ lives while denying people who look like their aunts, uncles, mothers and fathers the opportunity to teach at the school? In other words, what is the... Read More

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 Summit was markedly different from the last one, which I had lauded for its... Read More

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 San Francisco. After two hours of intense writing, I went to sleep. But... Read More

Whenever you see a low-income, single Black mother, I challenge you not to judge. I challenge you to see greatness in her and her children. I challenge you to see my mother and me. My mother was born in rural... Read More