Teaching is a profession that gets a lot of lip-service respect, but is generally dismissed as a career for academic lightweights–mediocre students who get easy As in lackluster education colleges and then struggle to pass basic skills tests. That’s why a credential that rewards excellence and intellectual rigor is an important recognition for accomplished teachers who deserve to be respected… Read more →
We’ve been telling students for years that a college education is the best path to the American Dream, but that path may soon get even rockier if Republicans controlling the U.S. House, Senate and Oval Office secure passage of a devastating tax bill that will not only saddle them with extraordinary national debt for the coming generation but also make… Read more →
“Are you fighting, or are you playing?” “Are you fighting, or are you playing?” “Are you fighting, or are you playing?” I had to ask the 7th grader this question three times before he stopped pushing his classmate, looked at me, and answered me with a smirk: “I’m playing.” Whatever was happening, or about to happen, was over, and the… Read more →
I found Illinois’ accountability plan woefully inadequate and full of holes–especially when it comes to protecting vulnerable groups of students–so imagine my surprise when my state was awarded a “perfect score” by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute. Fordham analyzed the plans submitted by all fifty states and the District of Columbia under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). and scored them… Read more →
Chris is a young man who struggles mightily with his academic work and has a reputation among teachers and students as a “discipline problem.” Needless to say, his suburban middle school is not his happy place. But Chris was relaxed and confident standing in front of his 7th grade English class, performing a spoken word piece he had written about… Read more →
I have a friend who was looking forward to her first and only parent-teacher conference of the school year. She had some concerns about her son’s academic focus and wanted to talk honestly with her son’s teacher about strategies. But it was not to be. Instead it was a parent PLUS student teacher conference. And while she appreciated watching her… Read more →
This is a letter written by a 17-year-old Oak Park student who set off a racial uproar after posting a selfie of himself in blackface. You can read details of the Incident in my earlier post here. I am reprinting it here in its entirety, with no edits. The student is underage, so his name is not being published. Hello,… Read more →
They marched this weekend in my hometown, a Chicago suburb we chose 18 years ago because it seemed the safest and most welcoming place for a Black dad and a White mom to raise two biracial children. On its face, the march was about the fate of a Black teacher, activist and political candidate who was punished by our high… Read more →
If you want to know what happens when you give school districts a chance to grade themselves on their own accountability report cards, look no farther than Texas. As the Houston Chronicle recently reported: All but one out of 1,201 Texas school districts say they’re successfully engaging their students and community, according to results of mandatory self-evaluations released Monday by… Read more →
SAT scores are way up this year, the College Board reported this week. And that might be cause for celebration, if you wanted to ignore these three facts. The test is easier than it was a year ago. The achievement gap between students of different races and parental education levels is just as entrenched as ever. And fewer than half… Read more →