I’m a sixth grade teacher grappling with the reality of teaching kids who may not have darkened a school door in over a year. Many of their students haven’t been in an actual classroom since their elementary days. And while the pressure is mounting to accelerate student learning and make academics a priority, that won’t happen without also striving to…
Category: Equity
What If Remediation Isn’t The Best Approach For Addressing Learning Loss?
Learning loss. The COVID Slide. No matter what you call it, the debate about how to address last school year’s unfinished business is sure to be contentious. As thousands of students make their way back to classrooms this fall for the first time in months, school leaders and educators have to be on the same page when it comes to…
Kentucky’s potential ban on critical race theory sparks debate
Critical race theory has become quite a conversation topic around the country. Currently, there are efforts in 20 states to ban teachers from discussing issues like racism, sexism, and gender equality in the classroom, and Kentucky is one of the latest ones. But what is critical race theory, anyway? As EdWeek puts it, critical race theory (or CRT) is an…
Can “grow-your-own” programs help end rural teacher shortages?
“Why don’t people who live there, teach there?” That question, posed by this recent Hechinger Report story, is a troubling reminder of the unique, persistent challenges that rural communities face in staffing schools. Like rural America itself, teacher shortages are often discussed but seldom understood. Shortages occur less frequently than the average observer may speculate, and when they do, it…
Digital Equity for All Students Has Never Been a More Attainable Goal
With the American Rescue Plan (ARP) officially signed into law, the nation’s public school systems will soon have an additional $126 billion to navigate challenges brought on by the pandemic. That leaves state education leaders with a burning question: How can that funding be used to address the most pressing issues that the COVID-19 crisis has created for schools? With nearly 12…
It’s Not Enough to Denounce Racism, We Have to Own Our Part in It
I often think about the 16-year-old Black girl who took my honors English class a few years ago. She was the only person of color in the class, and I allowed myself to believe over the course of the year that her writing skills were not on par with the other students. Objectively, I can see now that though she…
We Know That Education Data Matters, So Here’s How You Can Make It Easier For Activists To Use
By now, “follow the science” is in contention for the most popular phrase of 2020. But research and data aren’t just relevant for communities trying to stay safe during a pandemic. In education, advancing research-based practices can be the difference between a student falling through the cracks or beating the odds to get a great education. Grassroots education activists rely…
Making teacher diversity a priority in Kentucky
In the wake of the pandemic, a potential budget crisis and civil unrest in Louisville and beyond, there’s one unassailable investment that should be on every leader’s mind right now: Recruiting more teachers of color to Kentucky’s classrooms. The research is clear. Educators of color are more likely to use effective, culturally relevant teaching methods in their classrooms, leading to…
Citizen voices are speaking out on education during COVID-19
Citizen voices are key to COVID response in education and beyond Add to Kentucky’s groundswell of education influencers some innovative, if earnest, laypeople. We are part of a citizen research team of school stakeholders. We call ourselves the “Intergen 9,” and we comprise three parents, three teachers, and three students representing eight districts across the Commonwealth, including five people of…
This teacher has the best explanation for why we need more Black male teachers in rural schools
Devonte Wilson is a teacher in rural North Carolina and co-chair of the New Leaders Council. He’s also insanely good at explaining how Black male teachers, whether they’re in urban schools, rural schools, or anywhere in between, have a significant impact on all of their students. Only 2% of America’s current teaching force is African American men. Like Wilson points…
KentuckyWired may not spell the end of students’ connection woes
KentuckyWired was once considered an answered prayer for families across the Bluegrass, where broadband Internet access is among the worst in the nation. No one told us that prayer would turn out to be a Hail Mary. More than a third of Kentucky students lack adequate Internet access, a major reason why the KentuckyWired project was launched in 2015. The…
How should Kentucky’s CARES funding be used? With equity, we hope
Thanks to Congress’ approval of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, states are now set to receive over $30 billion of emergency education funding to help offset any impending budget crunches on the horizon. Kentucky’s K-12 public schools are slated to receive roughly $193 million of CARES funds, which the Department of Education says can be used…
Louisville Teacher Residency Program sets standard for teacher recruitment
Last week, Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) and the University of Louisville announced a joint initiative to bolster teacher diversity in Louisville. The Louisville Teacher Residency Program, which is setting its sights on bringing diverse, highly-skilled teachers into low-income communities, will provide participants with a Masters degree and a teaching certificate all in one year. In return, participants agree to…
Go Teach KY aims to recruit new teachers to the Bluegrass—here’s how it will (and won’t) succeed
Back in the fall, the Kentucky Department of Education officially announced the launch of Go Teach KY, an initiative aiming to recruit new teachers to the Bluegrass. In tandem, KDE also announced plans for a new loan forgiveness program called the Kentucky Academy for Equity in Teaching (KAET) in hopes of diversifying Kentucky’s teaching force. “Ensuring that Kentucky students have…
#NatGeoEdSummit 2019 | Kentucky School Talk Goes To Washington
“Why can’t school be like this?”That’s the question I’ve overheard more times than I care to admit this past weekend. It may be fall break across most school districts in Kentucky, but I’ve had the incredible opportunity to spend part of my week here in DC for the 2019 National Geographic Education Summit. You’re familiar with National Geographic, of course…
This Hispanic Heritage Month, Let’s Give English Language Learners The Support They Need
Your first year of teaching isn’t usually filled with victories, but I’ll never forget the brightest moment of mine. It was a Friday in early May, right around state testing time, when a student brought me a recommendation letter for Teacher of the Year written proudly in Spanish. Let me explain. The student had moved to our school earlier in…
Could early graduation in Kentucky lead to more equitable outcomes for students?
For thousands of students across America, high school follows the same path of four years, full of classes, courses, and conversations, all to prepare for what we call “the real world.” For some students, however, this traditional path is not what they need or want. Differing circumstances create an environment where the traditional high school system can become inconvenient or…
New JCPS girls’ academy is a win for educational equity in Louisville
Louisville’s W.E.B. DuBois Academy has just opened back up for its second year of operation. In case you’ve missed out on all the exciting video clips, the DuBois Academy is a new, innovative middle school with a mission of empowering young boys of color. It’s been so successful that for the past year, the conversation about opening a similar school…
145,000 Kentucky kids are coping with parental incarceration. Could programs like this give them the lift they need?
I have long believed that the power of a quality education can transcend the four walls of any classroom. However, after recently learning about a crisis affecting 15% of all Kentucky children, I am more convinced than ever that education must transcend brick and mortar to truly render positive change within our communities. That crisis? Parental incarceration. As it stands, roughly…
I’m Not Down With Adversity Scores Because All Kids Can Excel
Many moons ago, the late rap genius Tupac spoke about “the rose that grew from concrete.” It’s a metaphor of course, and as a teacher, I’ve seen lots of roses (students) that must blossom in spite of harsh environments. Difficult family and home situations make it tough for kids to persevere, and in some areas, incessant crime and drug abuse…
Afi Tagnedji’s Making Sure Students’ Voices Are Heard in the Equity Conversation
Everyone is talking about how schools should care about equity for their students, but that can’t be the whole conversation. Equity has to mean more than just policies or decisions made for students—it also has to mean the process of fighting for fairness along with students. That’s the message that Afi Tagnedji, a senior at Louisville’s Iroquois High School, has been spreading far and…
Students Need Diverse Educators
Growing up in a hollow (pronounced “holler”) in southeastern Kentucky, I never considered if I I was getting equitable access to effective, experienced, and diverse educators. In fact, most of my teachers were a lot like me: white, low/middle class, hillbillies. When I came to Eastern Kentucky University for my undergraduate studies, my exposure to a more diverse pool of…
In the Wake of Christchurch, Sanaa Kahloon Refuses to Let Hatred Win
After the recent mass shooting at a mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand, new attention has been called to the fears that Muslims experience every day. Just ask Sanaa Kahloon, a first-generation Pakistani-American from Lexington. Sanaa points out that while the Christchurch shooting was gutting, persecution isn’t exactly new to the Muslim community. For her, no Friday prayer passes without a…
Don’t Like Who’s on the School Board Ballot? Run.
With headlines dominated by news of 2020 presidential candidates, it’s easy to forget that there are elections happening across the country in 2019. But in fact, 47 states will hold elections this year for 85,000 different positions from governor to city council. To take one example: school board. Thirty nine states have school board elections in 2019, electing leaders for…
He Never Dreamed Of Being A Teacher. Programs Like This Changed His Entire Career.
Chris Stunson never dreamed of going into education. He wanted to be an engineer, and teaching was the furthest thing from his mind. But in a message he wrote to the Bowling Green Daily News earlier this month, Stunson credited loan forgiveness programs for his surprising start in the classroom. “The minority education scholarships, loan forgiveness programs and positive role models…
How Our Rural School Is Closing the Opportunity Gap and Preparing the Next Generation of Teachers
This piece by Leah Luke originally appeared on Education Post. While Leah’s experiences take place in Wisconsin, my hope is that Kentucky’s rural schools and districts will find value and relevancy in her work as well. Teacher shortages in Wisconsin, and across the country, have a stranglehold on the profession. Enrollment in educator prep programs in Wisconsin is down 30 percent. Teachers are retiring in…
These Students’ Black Panther Reactions Show Us Why Black History Matters Every Month
Most of us are familiar with the Ron Clark Academy in Atlanta. It’s an insanely awesome, student-centered school that has an intense commitment to students’ cultures. Teachers at RCA use highly-engaging, culturally responsive teaching methods to reach their students. Their lessons are so engaging, in fact, that many of their students’ projects end up going viral on social media. Like…
Why We Need to Stop Thinking About Students in Terms of Strengths and Weaknesses
My son is a freshman in high school and this felt like my first report card pick up all over again. While I have access to all his grades and consistent progress electronically, I was nervous to go and hear about how he is performing at the parent-teacher conference. I knew that what his teachers would have to say about his learning…
Surprising Things Happen When Schools Have More Minority Teachers
My 7th graders have finally reached that point in the year where I get to teach one of my favorite topics: the wolves of Yellowstone National Park. While many picture Yellowstone as a lush landscape filled with natural wonders, it didn’t used to be that way. In fact, without help from a small group of gray wolves, Yellowstone as we…
After A Year Like 2018, Teachers Can No Longer Stay Silent About Injustice
After a year like this one, I’ve spent a lot of time reflecting and questioning how so many injustices can still exist in our nation today. Just think about it. In 2018, we saw two Black men get arrested in Philly for simply waiting up for their friend at a Starbucks. We followed the fallout from Charlottesville, gawked over a…
Hey Teachers, Answer These 2 Questions And We’ll See Just How High Your Expectations Are
The first question is easy. Do you agree that all teachers should set high expectations for their students? The answer seems obvious. Of course, teachers should set the bar high for the kids they work with every day. It’s the second question that seems to really trip teachers up. Do you honestly believe that all students can meet those expectations?…
Educators & Diversity: How Teachers Can Tackle Implicit Bias & Create More Equitable Learning Environments
Some studies suggest white teachers have lower expectations of students of color, and it has been well documented in Kentucky and across the nation that students of color receive disciplinary remediation from school administration at higher rates, sometimes 3 to 4 times more on average, than their white counterparts. As a white former assistant principal, this statistic really hits me…
Finding Purpose In My Eastern Kentucky Roots
Growing up in Eastern Kentucky, I was often bored with small-town life. I was a rather shy and bookish girl of few words and many thoughts: thoughts about my family, my community, and more than anything, my future. I spent many days studying hard and dreaming about big cities with plenty of room for my most ambitious aspirations. By the…
Trying to Build A Great Classroom Culture For All Students? Here Are 5 Things Anyone Can Do.
I just got back from an amazing professional learning session delivered by Kentucky State University’s Dr. Roger Cleveland. In the session, he had us do an equity activity that absolutely made my jaw drop. Here’s how it worked. We were each given five index cards and were instructed to write different labels that identify ourselves, like race, faith, sexual orientation,…
Rural Schools Need Equity Too
I just got home from a convening with the rest of the Kentucky State Teacher Fellows, where we had some long, tough conversations on equity in our schools. We’re preparing for later this fall, when schools across the Bluegrass are going to witness a major data collection blast from education groups and teacher leaders. The reason is simple: Kentucky is…
Move Over Boomers, Millennials Are Here And We Want Equity In Schools
Millennial life is like being a responsible teenager. You do all your homework, you hold down a couple part-time jobs, and you only have friends over late on the weekends. Yet the elderly neighbors down the street still complain about having to live next to a bunch of kids. (“Hey punks, get off our yard!”) Because no matter how you…
Want More Rural Students To Be Lifelong Learners? Give Them More Opportunities.
One of the best baseball movies I’ve seen is Moneyball with Brad Pitt. There’s this scene where Pitt’s character had just brought in an economics wiz and baseball fanatic from Yale, played by Jonah Hill. Using statistics, they were going to build a winning team. It was unconventional at the time. During a tense conversation, one of Pitt’s employees, a…
In Rural Areas, Education Means More
What’s white and red and would have been worth thousands in the 18th century? Yep, a Coke can. As it turns out, pure aluminum used to be one of the most prized metals in the world. Aluminum was once so valuable, in fact, that the government of France used to display Fort Knox-style bars of aluminum next to the French…
It’s Not Enough To Talk About Equity. You Have To Do Something, Too.
By the time I graduated college, I was well-versed in all sorts of teacher talk about equity and social justice. I had gotten into books like Pedagogy of the Oppressed and The Dreamkeepers, and they were basically my law and gospel. I thought the wisdom they imparted alone would be all I needed to close the achievement gap by myself.…
‘Tough Kids’ Need Love Too
For twenty years I worked in traditional school settings — “normal” elementary and middle schools. Then it all changed. I was sent to work at our district’s alternative learning center. I had heard about the ALC. That’s where the “bad” kids were sent. The kids that bullied others. The kids that brought weapons to school. The kids that made bomb threats.…
Live From Rural Kentucky, It’s The Belief Gap!
Mass media has an unmistakable impact on our impressions of people and places. Take, for example, shows like Baywatch and 90210, which color our perceptions of Los Angeles. When I think of the City of Angels, I see endless sunshine, luxury, and Kardashian-esque mansions. When I think of The Big Apple, songs like Sinatra’s “New York, New York” and Alicia…
The Rural-Urban Divide: Responses To School Shootings Show Us Two Sides Of America
When then-candidate Barack Obama was still seeking the Democratic nomination back in 2008, one of his most notable gaffes of the primary campaign trail was an ill-worded assessment of blue-collar culture. Speaking to a wealthy fundraiser crowd, Obama suggested that rural residents of Pennsylvania were bitter, and that they were inclined to “cling to guns or religion” as a result…
Citing Low Performance and Student Abuse, Interim Commissioner Lewis Calls For JCPS Takeover
Jefferson County Public Schools is facing a takeover. Referencing the low performance of several Louisville schools as well as abuses in student discipline, Interim Commissioner of Education Dr. Wayne Lewis stated on Monday that he will attempt to give control over the JCPS district to the state. JCPS is one of the nation’s largest school districts, and the largest in…
We Don’t Just Need Diverse Teachers. We Need Teachers Who Care About Diversity.
I just read this piece from Education Post about recruiting teachers of color, and it’s been on my mind lately. The story basically describes how the number of minority students are on the rise across the country, yet the schools they’re attending have few – if any – teachers that look like them. I immediately thought back to my own…
Personalized Learning Could Help Save Rural Schools, If We Let it
Personalized learning is all the rage right now for those of us who speak education. The idea is basically that teachers can use educational technology to tailor a students’ learning experience to focus on their abilities, interests, or prior knowledge in ways that traditional teaching methods simply can’t. So, if a student already has a pretty solid understanding of a…
Trying to Talk About the Achievement Gap? Try This.
Politics and education are two of my favorite subjects. It’s neat when I have an opportunity to combine them. I recently listened to a speech by Gloria Ladson-Billings that did just that. I recommend you read or listen to it to catch all the specifics, but the premise is that, in many ways, our national debt and our national deficit can be…
We Need To Talk About Teacher Turnover in Rural America
I came across an article last week about the schools in rural McDowell County, West Virginia, where daily school life is grinding. Teacher and substitute shortages there are chronic and turnover is high nearly every year. Poverty is widespread, and it’s not uncommon for students to lose parents and loved ones to drug abuse. For the teachers who manage to…
Rural Kids Need Better Schools Too
I didn’t really think much about rural representation until I first got involved in educational leadership. For the first time, I learned that there was an entire world of organizations, social media campaigns and professional-development sessions all dedicated to improving schools and closing achievement gaps in Kentucky. “Wow!” I thought. “How awesome to see so many educators who had dedicated…
We Can’t Keep Doing The Same Thing In Schools And Expect Better Results
“School reform” is such a misunderstood concept in the education world. That misunderstanding, of course, leads many people to dismiss useful improvements. But we need those changes, and quick, because nothing can so profoundly impact our children’s lives as much as receiving a good education. Any parent could agree with that. Sometimes, though, I worry that our attempts to make…
If We’re Going to Have a Real Conversation About Education, We’ll Need A Few More Seats at This Table
Often when I let my students work in groups, I remind them of a favorite proverb of mine: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” They usually roll their eyes when I say that, but it’s true. Working alone can be efficient at times, but if we really want to push…