In Thursday’s post, I indicated that racism, bias, and discrimination are as much a part of our educational system in New York as they are in any other formal institution. Although some would like to quench the thirst of those — like me — who are eager to expose and eradicate the misery of this… Continue reading Lean In. The Disruption Has Begun.
City kids are struggling with basic math and English — but a new Department of Education curricular initiative focuses instead on racial privilege and activism, The Post has learned. As soon as I read this opening sentence of this NY Post article, I was completely taken aback. Racial privilege? Activism? What — you mean activating… Continue reading The NYC DOE Has Racism Coursing Through Its Veins and Carranza Is Trying To Do Something About It. Why the Pushback?: Part 1.
“What if kids who look like me didn’t have to work so hard to navigate an inequitable school system? What if adults were invested in making that navigation possible?” That’s Tracy Fray-Oliver, Associate Vice President of Bank Street Education Center (part of the Bank Street College of Education in New York City) speaking to a… Continue reading In Yonkers, Teachers Leaders Are “The Unit Of Change”: A Report From the Field.
I met Xavier at the EDXEDNYC conference on my birthday last year. As the shirt he’s wearing in his photo illustrates, he was a student volunteer and his true spirit of service shone bright. He helped me set up for my conference, showed me where lunch was being held, and answered all of my questions.… Continue reading I’m Afraid I Will Have To Abandon My Educational Journey: A Student Speaks.
This is a guest post by Dwayne Dinkins, a senior at Uncommon Collegiate Charter High School. He will graduate next month having taken 7 AP exams. When I first came to high school four years ago, I wasn’t confident in my potential success because of a number of really difficult circumstances at home. But yesterday… Continue reading Dwayne Dinkins’ Story of Struggle and Perseverance As, Against All Odds, He Makes It To College.
One of the most difficult challenges we face as educators is preparing our students for life after they leave “the bubble”. What I mean by “the bubble” is the exclusive Black and Brown world my students currently inhabit and navigate. They are almost exclusively Black, Latino, or Muslim. In school, most, but not all, of… Continue reading How Does This Harlem Teacher Help His Black and Brown Students Navigate Life “Outside the Bubble?”
A year ago, I wrote about Letting My 14 Year Old Make His Own Educational Decisions in choosing which high school he’d go to. I did it. It wasn’t easy. But I did it. The problem with high school is that my middle child never wanted to go in the first place. He wanted to go… Continue reading Who’s the Boss? Should Kids Be In Charge Of Their Own Education?
About a year ago, I asked: Is an ‘Unenriched’ Spring Break Worth Living? I confessed that, despite offers flooding my inbox to sign my kids up for coding camp or a writing workshop or test prep, I was tired. So, over Spring Break, we did… nothing. In New York City, admitting you let a child… Continue reading The Privilege (and Cost) Of Being “Well-Rounded.”
(Photo credit: The TMezz Creative Group) Back in October of 2016, I asked: Do Single Sex Schools Hurt Or Help Students? I shared recent research on the subject which, like the majority of educational research, came down to… we’re not sure. In this interview, Janelle Bradshaw, Superintendent of Public Prep Academies, explains what she believes… Continue reading Can Single Sex Schools Shrink the Achievement Gap?
We haven’t heard much about the undocumented children being detained in U.S. concentration camps on the news any more, but I haven’t forgotten about them. I hope you haven’t either. We cannot afford to forget about or neglect our children — all children. All of them have value. All of them have futures. All of… Continue reading In a Sanctuary City Like NYC, Are Our Most Vulnerable Students Safe from Harm?
