In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic shifted learning in schools overnight. What was clear is that online learning was not the best way for some students to learn. Additionally, due to online learning, parents were able to get a closer glimpse into what instruction was really like at their children’s school. This led parents across the…
This week, a school shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas ended the lives of 2 adults and 19 children. As a Black woman, I am still feeling despair in my heart over the shooting in Buffalo, New York where Black people were targeted and killed. As I work to find a way to…
Last weekend, I facilitated a training about embedding diversity, equity, inclusion, and access into all that an organization does to move beyond checklist actions. Whenever I facilitate a training or a professional development, I share stories of my experiences and where I have failed to hit the mark. After the training, a participant thanked me…
The Indiana General Assembly has overridden Gov. Eric Holcomb’s veto of House Bill 1041. The bill was designed to prohibit male to female transgender students from participating in all-female sports. Similar bills have been passed across the country in states with enough conservatives to push it through. The override passed the House 67-28 and the…
Last Thursday, my sons attended a fifth grade field trip to Kings Island. Fifth grade is the final elementary grade at their school. In addition to being an end-of-the-year field trip, it was also an end-of-elementary school field trip. Mr. Barnes and I were two of the field trip chaperones. After the trip, I shared…
A committee of Indiana educators, stakeholders, and lawmakers are sitting down to craft the guidelines of what will become a mandatory civics course for sixth graders. This course is long overdue and had bi-partisan support. In complete transparency, I actually in my testimony in support of the initiative when it was making its way through…
The old proverb says, “It takes a village to raise the child.” Here lately, it is not clear where the village is and if the village members still believe they have this duty. My fellow Indy K12 colleague, Andrew Pillow, shared the following earlier this month on Twitter: A school can fail students for years…
The off season is in full swing. Players are on the move. New multimillion dollar contracts are being signed, but we aren’t talking about the NFL or NBA. We are talking about the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association). College sports isn’t usually in the headlines this much during the summer, but that is all changing…
This past weekend a teenage gunman drove three hours to a Buffalo, New York grocery specifically to carry out a mass shooting against Black people. We know this because he said as much and recorded it. It was not an “apparent hate-crime” as we often hear said. It was a confirmed one. Unfortunately, the attack…
This past week was National Charter Schools Week. During this week charter school proponents rally, and advocate in support of charter schools. One has to ask the question: Why does such a thing require an advocacy week. Who is against them? Quick refresher: Charter schools are publicly funded privately ran educational institutions that cater to…