Am I Good Enough? The Burden of Privilege and Poverty
School reform is rooted in the belief that when it comes to children, privilege or poverty should not determine the quality of their education. Oh, but it does. Read Full Post >
Recently in Education reform Category
April 24, 2013
October 17, 2012
Chicago Public Schools: Change We Can't Believe In
Change is hard, especially for the Chicago Public Schools. We have had five CEOs of the school system in the past four years. Arne Duncan. Ron Huberman. Terry Mazany. Jean-Claude Brizard. And now, Barbara Byrd-Bennett, or B3 as her nickname goes. At least we finally got a woman in the top spot!... Read Full Post >
September 12, 2012
Honk If You Don't Support A Teacher Strike in Chicago
For the past three days my morning drive to work has become a bit awkward at two stop signs. As I inch closer to the intersections near two different schools, I am beckoned by a throng of teachers in red shirts holding picket signs, chanting, and banging on the metal guard rails that line the sidewa... Read Full Post >
August 08, 2012
Reforming the 'Myth' of America's Failing Schools (It's Actually True)
I recently read a Salon article by Michael Lind stating that the failure of the American public school system is just a myth perpetrated by education reformers to justify school vouchers and charter schools. I laughed—before realizing he was serious. The article asserts that white suburban c... Read Full Post >
July 18, 2012
Teachers Play A Mean Game of 'Would You Rather?'
Last year during a staff professional development, we played a fun little game called Would You Rather? A moderator asked a series of ridiculous questions and the staff had to choose between two distasteful options, indicating our choice by moving to either side of the room. Let's play a few rounds... Read Full Post >
June 20, 2012
Teachers: Heroes, Victims, or Somewhere in Between?
Teachers come in all shapes and sizes. Some of us are good teachers and some of us should have quit a long time ago. Some of us are excited about life while others tame thoughts of suicide with daily doses of Prozac. Some teachers are madly in love with their spouses while others enjoy illicit affai... Read Full Post >
June 13, 2012
Closing Argument: Chicago Must Finish What It Started in Education Reform
On May 23, Indiana school principal Faren D'Abell guest blogged about why he took his own child out of Chicago Public Schools and moved to another state. D'Abell had the resources to "get out" of a low-performing school system, but he understood that the average student in large urban districts have... Read Full Post >
May 23, 2012
This Way Out: Few Options for Average Students
A friend I used to work with nine years ago recently contacted me in response to my post Amber Alert: Teenage Boy Mentally Kidnapped by Gangs. He wondered if the 20-year-old man in the post who was killed in an apparent gang shooting was the same student he had taught in 2004 when the deceased was ... Read Full Post >
January 25, 2012
The State Of The Union is Bleeding Out
How do we stop the bleeding? The non-stop drip of one teenager dropping out of high school every 26 seconds? What would it take to keep 1.2 million teenagers in school who would otherwise walk out this year and never come back? At last night's State of the Union address, President Barack Obama pr... Read Full Post >
January 17, 2012
Wisdom From Dr. King Helps Center My Education Activism
Like many of you, I spent some time on the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday reflecting on his life and legacy. I attended a commemoration service with my two little girls, and I listened to a choir sing the old Negro spirituals. I sang along and shed some tears. Like many of you, Dr. King is my h... Read Full Post >
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