By Michael Prihoda “I didn’t come here to teach those kinds of kids.” It’s alarming to think that adults charged with helping students of color succeed in school would hold such thoughts, much less say it aloud. But the fact is that many of us as educators have heard this and worse from some of…
By Guest Writer – John Cooper I am an IPS parent. I have four daughters and three attend URBAN ACT Academy, an IPS innovation school. My youngest daughter will join them next year for kindergarten. As a father, I support Aleesia Johnson becoming the permanent IPS superintendent. I believe in her, and I believe she…
Picture it. It’s 1607; America and the slave ships have just come ashore. Hundreds of slaves disembark the Middle Passage ships they have been on for months. They step off onto an unfamiliar land. They cannot communicate with the white people that brought them there because they cannot speak English. They cannot communicate with each…
The time is approaching. Kindergarten. This is an exciting day though it might be filled with tears. Even if your child attended preschool, kindergarten is seen as the official beginning of the academic journey. This is the most critical time in your child’s academic journey because you don’t want your child to start out behind….
Share When it comes to our children reading, we are hypocrites. We send children home with homework and stress to them the importance of reading at home. We put all this pressure on them, but then do we model that behavior? Parents and educators, are we reading in front of children? Parents, do your children…
Share I had the opportunity to spend this week in Philadelphia at the Relay Graduate School Principal Academy Fellowship. I am here learning and sitting among some of the highest performing schools in the country. There are schools here that are doing exceptional work closing the achievement gap. Many of these schools are located in…
Share Parents and educators share a common desire, that our children receive the very best. Whether a child attends public school, charter, or private school, these tips, if used by parents, will help educators as we educate our nation’s future. It is important that parents utilize these tips to help drive home the teaching and…
Share Today I find myself between a rock and a hard place. Where do I stand on the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court? I have two perspectives – that of a black man and that of a school principal. Both equally critical and both very different views. As an incredibly proud black…
Black Panther is the gift that keeps on giving. It gave us the best movie of the year and quite possibly the best film of all time. In an era where many black people are feeling defeated, that film reminded us just how exceptional we are. The one gift that often does not get talked about is Black Panther’s impact on the STEM, specifically, the effect it had on black students. Move over Bill Nye the Science Guy and Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson; there is a new face of science and STEM, and it is Princess Shuri.
Share “Take chances, make mistakes, and get messy!” I enjoyed watching television growing up especially television shows that took me on an adventure. One of my favorite shows was The Magic School Bus. At the time, I did not realize how much I was learning; I most enjoyed the adventures the students would embark on…