Make it Rain

Jarvis DeBerry with NOLA.COM writes about how Sen Bill Cassidy’s campaign received a nice amount of money from the DeVos family.  According to reporting from the Center for Responsive Politics, Betsy DeVos made three contributions of $2,600 each to Bill Cassidy’s 2014 senate campaign.  That’s a total of $7,800. The contributions were made June 26, 2014, September 25, 2014, and November 11, 2014. You can read the total amount here

The Supes Who Cried Wolf

Peter Cook of Petercook.com writes about last weeks Superintendent Advisory Council  meeting being more of a soap opera than an actual meeting. For three hours several district leaders used this time to attack State Superintendent John White over his plan to comply with the Every Student Succeeds Act. Things even got nasty when St. James Parish Schools head Ed Cancienne accused White of disregarding input from district leaders and manipulating them to… Read More

Talking Education with ‘Entertainment’ Tonight Reporter Nischelle Turner

I visited Los Angeles a few weeks ago and had the chance to sit down with Entertainment Tonight host Nischelle Turner. As we know, Los Angeles attracts people from all over the country and the world – which means we can learn a lot from the education experiences of others, if we’re willing to listen. Nischelle and I (Tracey Wiley) talked education, reminisced on teachers who make a difference, and explored Nischelle’s… Read More

To Charter Or Not To Charter:How Operators Lose and Confuse The Families They Say They Serve

    My conversations on the phone and recent meet up with parents and supporters of children who attend New Orleans’ last remaining district schools run by the Orleans Parish School Board left me concerned. My worry centers around the actions of those who are handling the parent and community engagement aspects of the OPSB. At their recent meeting, parents say they were told how to ask or state their questions. Their… Read More

We are Black Educators So Why Do You Only See Us as Disciplinarians?

By Shawnta Barnes and David McGuire In their article, “Decades after civil rights gains, black teachers a rarity in public schools” USA Today noted, “Because most white communities in the 1950s and 1960s preferred white teachers over black ones, court-ordered desegregation often ended the teaching careers of black educators.” Although Brown v. Board of Education led to the initial decrease of black educators in the classroom, it is not the reason the… Read More

Fighting for public funding

Laura Halleman of the Louisiana Record writes about how the Type 2 charter schools will not receive public funding due to the 1st Circuit Court of Appeal ruling against them. According to The Advocate, the court ruled in a 3-2 decision against the public funding for the Type 2 charter schools. These schools are not run by local school boards, but rather are overseen by the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education…. Read More

#MyBlackHistory: My Parents Decided to Go Back to College 30 Years Later. Here’s How My Story Inspired Them.

    Recently, the story of my parents, Renate and Charles Cole, went viral after I tweeted on social media: “My parents went back to college together and they graduated today. Together #salute.” After years of battling drug addiction, it wasn’t easy but from watching my own education journey they also knew it wasn’t impossible. HERE’S HOW MY STORY INSPIRED THEM TO GO BACK TO COLLEGE I attended more than 10 schools before… Read More

Turning Those Buzzwords into Meaningful Action

  Take it from me a parent. It is time for some unconventional measures that are colorful and as diverse as a rainbow yet work in a practical sense for everyone in the room. As I navigate the world of education on both sides of the spectrum I can’t help but to notice a mundane world of old habits instead of a space of fresh ideas and actions. One such course of… Read More