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…
Tag: Diversity
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,…
You Think Racial Bias Is Worrisome At Starbucks? Try the Classroom.
I have fond memories of my first trip to New York City, which I took with my family one summer back in high school. We were sweltering from the Manhattan heat and couldn’t find a taxi to save our lives. Remember, this was back before all of those ridesharing apps became popular, so I think we walked around the same…
Taking A Page From Elaine Farris, Kentucky’s First Black Superintendent
We’ve just celebrated International Women’s Day, and goodness, do we have a lot to celebrate. People from around the world are recognizing the tremendous power and potential of women from all sorts of backgrounds, and with it being Women’s History Month, what better place to start than with the inspiring women of our own Commonwealth? Elaine Farris, Kentucky’s first Black…
#ArmMeWith What Makes A Real Difference
On January 23rd, 2018, students and teachers across the state were horrified when the Marshall County High School shooting occurred in Benton, Kentucky. The effects of the tragedy were felt statewide. Classroom educators watched and waited as fear and trepidation fell over our classrooms like dominoes knocked loose in a hectic array of patterns as politicians began arguing whether or…
Education Is a Civil Rights Issue. Sorry, Not Sorry.
I’m just going to go ahead and say it. Education is a civil rights issue, and it’s one that we can’t be moderate about. Sorry, not sorry. I’m referring here to a group of people that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. liked to talk about: the “moderates.” This isn’t the “I Have a Dream” Dr. King that we hear every…