Underdeveloped Theories of How People Learn & Change — In my essay Where “Diversity Training” Goes Wrong: 10 Essential Questions to Ask Before Engaging in Social Justice & DEI Work, I outlined important elements of DEI training that organizations and schools should consider. The ninth question on the list asks: “​​How does this training fit within your theory of…

Educators, schools, and families across the country are more committed than ever to preparing the children and youth in our care to live and work in a diverse, global society; to making sure all students see themselves in what they learn at school; and to living up to our founding…

For Parents, Schools, and Publishers Committed to Equity & Justice For years I have worked as a consultant to help educators, schools, and districts create environments that serve and support all students. …

Dissatisfied Families Opting Out, Covid, and Teacher Shortages Don’t Bode Well for the Future of Schooling. We Need a New Model. Last year when we were in the heights of panic about Covid, I told an educator colleague: “I think this might be the end of the school system as…

Over the past few months, schools across the country have been embroiled in controversy as far-right leaders attempt to ban the teaching of anything related to race and racism, which they have inaccurately grouped under the label “critical race theory.” White parents have flooded school board meetings in mostly white…

In the midst of an ongoing pandemic in which teachers have been incessantly asked to make changes on the fly, yet another wave of anti-Black police violence has broken into the national discourse. As with each time before, many justice-minded families and community members are demanding that our schools engage…

10 Essential Questions to Ask Before Engaging in Social Justice & DEI Work Over the past few years, there has been an explosion of DEI (Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion) work and “diversity training” in schools and organizations across the nation in response to the Black Lives Matter movement and the…

White Supremacy and the Crisis in our Education System Dear Teachers, School Administrators, School Board Members, Parents, and Anyone Concerned about the Future of Our Country and the Role of our Education System in Shaping that Future: On January 5, 2021, Rev. Raphael Warnock became the first Black person from…

(Or Families Will Opt Out) In the past three weeks, I have written three essays and been interviewed many times about how we should consider issues of equity and social justice in our efforts to educate students in the time of Covid-19. I’ve argued that we should do everything in…