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Archive - May 2017

  • Let's Talk About It

We Must Lift As We Climb-How Some Black Male Educators Are Supporting Each Other

May 31, 2017
by Sharif El-Mekki
5 min read
1 Comment

“I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change. I am changing the things I cannot accept.”—Angela Davis Marilyn Anderson Rhames wrote a great piece recently, “It’s Hard to Get a Teaching Job When You’re Black”...

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  • Let's Talk About It
  • School Choice

Camden Principal Dr. William Hayes on Building Relationships, School Climate and Teamwork

May 24, 2017
by Sharif El-Mekki
7 min read
2 Comments

This is a guest post from Tre Johnson, deputy director for JerseyCAN and a leadership member of The Fellowship–Black Male Educators for Social Justice. It originally appeared on the JerseyCAN blog and was reproduced here with...

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  • Let's Talk About It

Every School, Especially Those That Serve Black Children, Should Have a Malcolm X Day

May 22, 2017
by Sharif El-Mekki
3 min read
1 Comment

On Friday, May 19 many Black communities celebrated Malcolm X’s birthday. A few years ago, Toure wrote an important piece entitled, We Need A Malcolm X Day. In the TIME article, Toure writes: “I wonder if there’ll ever be...

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  • Equity and Justice
  • Let's Talk About It

I Was a Principal in Southwest Philly and That Didn’t Stop These Black Cops From Pulling Me Over. Should It Have?

May 18, 2017
by Sharif El-Mekki
6 min read
2 Comments

All year our eighth-grade students have been grappling with social justice issues and how to address them. They’ve closely analyzed past movements in America and South Africa—especially those involving direct action of...

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  • Let's Talk About It

Every Day Black and Brown Students Start Their Days Like They Are Criminals

May 14, 2017
by Sharif El-Mekki
2 min read
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Look, No One Wants a Weapon in Their School, But We’re Treating Our Students of Color Like Criminals Adam Stumacher recently wrote an article sharing the seething cauldron of conflicts that many schools represent. He bemoaned...

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  • Let's Talk About It
  • Teacher & Principal Pathways

Why Would Anyone Stand Against Relay Graduate School of Education and the Opportunity for More Effective Teachers of Color?

May 10, 2017
by Sharif El-Mekki
7 min read
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This year at my school we’ve been proud to host two teacher residents. They are both Black and have worked under the guidance of master teachers, co-planning and observing expertly designed lessons, and then practicing them...

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  • Equity and Justice
  • Let's Talk About It
  • School Choice

More Black Political Power Should Mean Better Schools for Black Kids. It Hasn’t.

May 8, 2017
by Sharif El-Mekki
4 min read
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At times, Black people, like any group battered and oppressed by the state, may celebrate any perception of forward motion. Folks scour social media pages to see who has what appointment, what political power is being amassed...

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  • Equity and Justice
  • Let's Talk About It
  • School Choice

Celebrating Philadelphia’s Sen. Anthony Williams: A 2017 Champion for Charters and Choice for Families

May 4, 2017
by Sharif El-Mekki
4 min read
5 Comments

As an early-career teacher, there were people who made some real contributions to my classroom’s culture and instruction. Obviously, some were teacher coaches and mentors who I have written about previously. Others, were...

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  • Accountability
  • Equity and Justice
  • Let's Talk About It

We Must Be Vigilant and Vocal About Our Resistance to Decreasing Supports for Our Students

May 1, 2017
by Sharif El-Mekki
2 min read
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“As a teacher, as a parent and as a citizen, it’s distressing to see the department [of education] walking away from its core responsibility of advancing equity.” Former U.S. Secretary of Education Dr. John B. King...

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