Two weeks ago, Gov. Wolf vetoed a bill that would have helped school principals ensure that our most effective teachers are in classrooms for the 128,000 students who attend the Philadelphia School District. This is a missed...
Archive - May 2016
Eight years ago, I became principal of Mastery Charter Schools’ Shoemaker Campus in West Philadelphia, to continue a turnaround at one the most oppressed schools in the city that had been plagued by low achievement and...
Saying the enslaved were happy is akin to saying Black communities are happy sending their children to persistently failing schools. Just as we needed an abolitionist movement then, we need one now-with the right mindset. I...
The other day, one of my colleagues on the recruitment team asked me about an applicant to the Teacher Residency program. I had to ask her to repeat the candidate’s name three times. I was stunned momentarily because I had...
“Community activists live inside of communities. Organizers come in from the outside.” There appears to be significant confusion about community activism, so let me shine a light on the inconsistencies that may be...
“With great power, comes great responsibility.” The conditions of our schools clearly communicate to us that we need authentic vanguards for our communities. Although many (vote hungry politicians, district employees...
“I don’t need to engage policy makers, I just need to figure out how to work around their policies.” As I reflect on the robust experiences I have had as a U.S. Department of Education Principal Ambassador Fellow (PAF) and...
On Feb. 10, NewsWorks published a letter from “area academics” (“SRC plan to privatize 3 Philly schools a gross overreach, inconsistent”). It is disappointing that these “area academics” selectively used data...
I wanted to weigh in on two recent articles about testing. As a current charter school principal, former Philadelphia School District teacher and principal, recent Principal Ambassador in the US Department of Education, and CEO...
“A teacher (principal) affects eternity; he (she) can never tell where his (her) influence stops.” – Henry Adams As a principal, I often find myself reflecting on the myriad experiences I’ve had learning...