Many people in education have commented on the need for teachers of color. Anecdotally, it appeared to many that students of color benefit from having teachers who look like them every once in a while. The evidence for that sentiment is no longer just anecdotal. Research out of Johns Hopkins University has found that black students…
Teaching is a hard job. You are on your feet all day dealing with behavior and by the time the end of the day comes, you are ready to go home. Most teachers do just that, but there are a select few who don’t go straight home. Some teachers around the country do the exhausting…
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…
Sunday, December 2, Roland Martin hosted a town hall entitled “School Choice is the Black Choice.” As one would expect, the event was attended in large part by black people who were pro-school choice, a welcome change for a typically polarizing issue. I took my seat, and I prepared to hear an informative back and…
I had the pleasure of attending School Choice is the Black Choice town hall hosted by Roland Martin and The 74 on Sunday, December 1. It always feels good to see so many people, especially people of color, interested in improving education for our poor and minority students. My children’s K-12 years, thankfully, have been…
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…
A potential massacre was prevented Thursday in Richmond, Indiana. A school shooting was narrowly averted when someone called in a tip about a “potential violent act” at Dennis Intermediate School. As a result, Richmond Community Schools were placed on lockdown. The schools were on lockdown when the suspect arrived carrying a pistol and a rifle….
“The decisions we make today about education are going to affect these children’s children.” ~Roland Martin School choice – the two words that spark heated discussions and often arguments all around the country. They are the two words that everyone seems to have an opinion. Usually, there is no middle ground — you are either…
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…