Teaching is one of my greatest gifts. Seeing my mother’s life’s work as a teacher in Dekalb County created my blueprint for what the life of a “game-changer” looks like, and the many influential teachers I experienced...
Tag - Black Students
Have you ever sat in a staff meeting where the tension was so thick you can cut it with a knife, where you were not sure if a comment would spark an all-out race riot amongst teachers? Well, three years ago I sat in...
From presidential candidates to affluent parents to public school principals, I am weary and wary of anyone trying to convince Black and Brown folks that fewer school options better serve their children’s advancement and...
Upper Dublin, a district outside of Philadelphia, recently settled a discrimination case that was filed with the U.S. Department of Education by Black families and the Public Interest Law Center four years ago. One more...
Years ago, my then-four-year-old son and I were watching Black-ish. As Junior, a character played by Marcus Scribner, was talking on the show, my son said to me, “Daddy, Junior is my favorite character...
There is no secret that Black students are subjected to some of the worst school funding formulas, least experienced teachers, and least rigorous courses. Black students are over-policed, subjected to the harshest discipline, and...
My first day in the classroom is one I’ll never forget. I was given a room of curious sophomore students — 43 of them. I could feel the lump in my throat and every drop of sweat on my body. I was used to public speaking...
Over the years, I have written ten books and about fifty articles and blog posts for educators. This is by far the shortest, but probably the most important piece that I have ever written. Black men comprise between 1.2 to...
In the current, at times, toxic educational debates, cancel culture is rampant. But, there is room, space, and precedence for cordial debates, fierce and persistent differences in outlooks and strategies, yet solidarity in the...
There is always much talk about integration, segregation, and desegregation. There is less talk of the power Black families hold and a blueprint Black parents can use to make demands that create seismic shifts for what they...