On the Blog
An Open Letter to the Educators of Charlottesville
By David McGuire To my fellow educators in Charlottesville, VA, my heart is with you. We do not know why your city was chosen for this tragedy, but let’s not harp on the negative. Let’s instead say your city was chosen to be a beacon of hope. The same way that Watts, Ferguson, and Detroit was chosen before you. The events in those cities, tragic as they were, opened our eyes. Now, it… Read More
Open Letter to James Alex Fields Jr.
Dear James, I resisted my own idea of writing to you, but you are the key to the questions that are circulating in my mind: How could this have happened? How did we find ourselves in such an ugly place in 2017? How did you find yourself at this place, as the perpetrator of this horrific event this weekend in Charlottesville? As a person of color, I know the answer to… Read More
ACT Scores Remain Level
The ACT scores for New Orleans are in, and the average score of 18.9 among the schools remains primarily the same as 2016. This score allows for students to gain college entrance. “Louisiana’s public high schools are judged in part on ACT scores. Students also get into colleges and receive TOPS scholarships based partly on those scores.” Read more here
We’re Not Here for the Placebo Effect
While attending a panel discussion on educational leadership given by the Alliance for Diversity & Excellence earlier this year, I had the distinct pleasure of hearing thoughts about the charter school movement from Dr. Howard Fuller. He said the charter movement wasn’t designed to be what it is shaping up to be in my city of New Orleans. He spoke of a charter movement that was intended to empower parents who were… Read More
A New School Year – Tips for Teachers
By Shawnta Barnes Summer vacations are a time for teachers to relax, attend professional development, and prepare for the upcoming school year. Summer should also be a time of reflection to identify what changes to make to ensure the upcoming school year is better than the last. Here are five tips for teachers returning to the classroom this school year. 1. Put your cape away. Times are hard, and many educators teach students… Read More