Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos rescinded discipline guidance issued under the Obama administration that was meant to curb discrimination. This guidance was meant to decrease and address the disproportionate rates of discipline between black students and their white classmates. In 2014, the U.S. Department of Education released data showing Indiana as one of eleven states…
Making a Christmas list is a dreaded task for me. My dad asked me to submit my Christmas list (yes, my dad still asks his daughters, who are all grown, for a list), and it took me three weeks to turn it in. When it comes to education, that’s a different story. I know exactly…
December 15 was the grand opening of the Michigan Road Branch library. Of course, my boys and I were there. We are avid readers, and we were excited this library would be the closest library to our home. Last year and this year, I have written about different options for families during winter break. The…
Yesterday, my fellow Indy K12 writer David McGuire Wrote, “Teacher Attendance Matters.” As a school principal, I know he is under pressure to ensure his students receive the best education. The heart of his piece was to emphasize how teacher absences can bring challenges to schools including student achievement. Teaching is one of the professions…
Being a parent is hard, but being a parent of a black child can be even harder. There are situations black parents have to navigate that white parents many times don’t. Don’t be fooled; having a middle class or high social-economic status won’t bring immunity from these situations. This week, a woman, whom I have…
I mentioned in my Monday Musings this week that some teachers I mentor are stressed out right now. Some of this stress is due to student behavior. Every day, I see on social media a meme or gif that reference teachers being in survival mode up until we say goodbye to students for two weeks…
In Indy, when you hear these three words, “It is May,” you know people are referring to the Indy 500. Now, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) wants us to say, “It is December!” Just like Winterlights is in its second year this holiday season, so is Lights at the Brickyard. My boys and I had…
On Monday, November 26, The 74 launched Keeping It 100, a publication focused on amplifying the voices of people of color about education issues facing children of color. This launch came a week before The 74 and Roland Martin kicked off School Choice is the Black Choice Town Hall series. On Sunday, December 2, at…
Back in April, it was revealed that Dr. Lewis Ferebee, Superintendent of Indianapolis Public Schools, was a finalist to lead the second largest school district in the United States in California. I remember reading comment after comment online about how Dr. Ferebee was running away. Other people suggested he damaged IPS and was leaving the…
Right now, teachers and students are enjoying the rest of Thanksgiving break. When school resumes on Monday, it is one of the biggest countdowns of the school year, the countdown to the start of winter break. I assert there is no need to become stressed and bent out of shape. You just need to be…