Race and class alike factored into how teachers treated me when I attended Evanston schools, and I’m sure they continue to factor into how teachers treat students today. While giving families the support they need to help their children succeed in Evanston schools is commendable, placing the onus mostly on black families to close the achievement gap misses the point.… Read more →
This is the second part of a four-part series on the writer’s experience and research on the achievement gap in her hometown of Evanston, Illinois, a diverse suburb north of Chicago and home to Northwestern University. Read Part 1 here. Evanston formally and voluntarily desegregated its schools in 1966, but a persistent achievement gap has divided black and white students… Read more →
This is the first part of a four-part series on the writer’s experience and research on the achievement gap in her hometown of Evanston, Illinois, a diverse suburb north of Chicago and home to Northwestern University. One day when I was in second grade, my mother approached me with an envelope in hand. Wordless, she glared at me, and I… Read more →
Errare humanum est. Seneca, a Roman Philosopher, spoke these words (“to err is human”) because he too knew the importance of mistakes. Even 2,000 years ago, people forgave humans for the inevitable mistakes they made. We all know humans live and breathe mistakes. Some students will forget to study for their math exam; while others, in the midst of repaying… Read more →