(This is a guest post by Leah J. Burgess, a wife, mother, minister, trauma informed victim advocate, and blogger at saltlifeandlove.) We are not the first family and I know we will not be the last to transfer our children out of public school. This is our story; it may mirror yours or people you know. This is… Continue reading One Family’s Story: We Have Decided To Leave The Public School System
This is a guest post from Lashaya Johnson, a Crown Heights public school parent. It was originally posted in Medium. Earlier this month, Mayor de Blasio made a terrible decision that affects families across the city: He will force place unwanted teachers from the Absent Teacher Reserve pool into classrooms. That means any of my… Continue reading Mayor de Blasio is On The Run From Parents Protesting Placements of Subpar Teachers
(This is a guest post by Micia Mosely, PhD and Matthew Florence of the Black Teachers Project. Scroll to the end for their bios.) An article recently posted on New York School Talk, “A Parent’s Perspective on the Benefits of Teachers of Color,” posed the challenging question of how to make our schools more effective at… Continue reading Why Black Teachers Matter: A Response
Education activist Derrell Bradford recently argued that yes, we do–but mostly because it broadens the base of clout-heavy supporters and makes it more palatable for self-interested politicians to “do the right thing” on school choice. I would agree, but for a very different reason posited by Mr. Bradford: We need competition to rouse suburban schools… Continue reading A Political Play or Pushback Against Mediocrity? Why We Need Charter Schools in the Suburbs
There are certain cruel realities that are seen in schools everyday. Teachers see the multitude of barriers students face from bullying, to poverty, to learning difficulties. Schools offer various methods to help students cope with these issues, many of which are a part of policies like DASA (the Dignity for All Students Act) that offer… Continue reading NYC’s Plan “Isn’t Going to Cut it”: Striving toward Universal Literacy
(Damian Gaillard is the parent of a fifth-grader who attends public school in Harlem, N.Y. This piece was originally posted at The 74.) I think we all remember what it was like to be in school and wanting to be with the “cool kids.” It used to be that meant wearing the latest sneakers or… Continue reading Harlem Dad: Parents Who “Opt-Out” Their Kids Let The System Off the Hook
This is a guest post by Felecia Brown Butler. Felecia was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. She is a dedicated mother of three beautiful sons and a fierce advocate for her community and great schools for all children. When my son was in Kindergarten, he didn’t seem to be learning like the other children.… Continue reading Dear NAACP: This Charter School Embraced My Son After a Traditional School Tried To Push Him Out
“Museums are boring!” And, “at least we get to go to the park for lunch.” These are the refrains I have heard over the years from students before going on a field trip to a museum. While the middle school where I teach is in Manhattan and most of the students reside there, many have… Continue reading Day At The Museum? This Teacher Turns Boredom To Excitement
(The email copied in the post below was authored by Jean Holybrice, a public school parent in Fort Greene. It was originally posted in Medium and titled, “New Yorkers Opt In.”) If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it. That’s a rule many live by, but it rings especially true in our schools. That’s… Continue reading Update: NYC Parent Says, “Say Yes To The Test!”
It was my prayer that the NAACP hearing on their charter school moratorium that happened three weeks ago in Los Angeles would go far better than the ones I recently attended in Orlando, Florida and Memphis Tennessee. It would be an understatement to say that both were appalling experiences for me as a black woman… Continue reading NAACP: Who Exactly Are You Working to Advance When You Ignore Black Parents?
