When Toni Morrison famously said, “If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it,” Michele Lamons-Raiford took it personally—and literally. Inspired by her journey as a mother of a Black son with autism, the veteran educator, writer, and advocate, Michele Lamons-Raiford, created Amplify Our […]
Franchesca Warren
For fifteen years Franchesca taught English/Language Arts in two urban districts in Atlanta, Georgia, and Memphis, Tennessee. Increasingly frustrated with decisions being made about public education from people who were not in the classroom, in 2012 she decided to start a blog about what it was really like to teach in public schools. In the last four years, The Educator's Room has grown to become the premiere source for resources, tools, and strategies for all things teaching and learning. To learn more about Franchesca Warren's work, please visit www.franchescalanewarren.com.
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Major Shakeup on Abbott Elementary: Ava is fired
In a major shake-up at Abbott Elementary, Principal Ava Coleman (Janelle James) finally faces the repercussions of her questionable leadership in the episode “Audit.” After an audit reveals she accepted bribes from a local golf course, Ava is abruptly fired, marking a significant turning point for the show and causing Twitter users to be in […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
U.S. Department of Education Cancels Over $350 Million in Contracts and Grants
Today, the U.S. Department of Education canceled over $350 million in contracts and grants to several Regional Educational Laboratories and Equity Assistance Centers, claiming the review of the contracts uncovered “wasteful and ideologically driven spending not in the interest of students and taxpayers.” The Department of Education terminated 10 contracts totaling $336 million with the […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
2024 NAEP reading scores show declines, Highlighting challenges in student achievement
The latest results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), also known as The Nation’s Report Card, reveal that the nation’s fourth- and eighth-graders continue to struggle to regain academic ground lost during the pandemic. While there are some encouraging signs in mathematics, reading scores have declined further, raising concerns among education experts. The […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
After Trump Bans DEI, Air Force pulls class with Tuskegee Airmen video
Update: On Sunday, the U.S. Air Force said it will resume instruction of trainees using a video about the first Black airmen in the U.S. military, known as the Tuskegee Airmen, which has passed a review to ensure compliance with President Donald Trump’s ban on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. The Air Force has temporarily […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education
U.S. Department of Education Dismisses Complaints on “Book Bans” and Ends Related Oversight
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced on Friday that it has dismissed 11 complaints about removing certain books from school libraries. The complaints alleged that local school districts created a hostile environment for students by eliminating materials deemed age-inappropriate, sexually explicit, or obscene. OCR also announced it has rescinded department […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education
President-elect Trump appoints Penny Schwinn as United States Deputy Secretary of Education
President-elect Trump appointed Penny Schwinn as the next United States Deputy Secretary of Education. Schwinn previously served as the Tennessee Department of Education Commissioner and vice President for PK-12 and pre-bachelor programs at the University of Florida and the Texas Education Agency. On late Friday, Trump announced the pick on Truth Social but initially misspelled […]
Posted inAsk the Educator's Room
Massive PowerSchool Data Breach Exposes Historical Student and Teacher Records Across U.S. Schools
School districts across the United States are grappling with the fallout of a cyberattack on edtech giant PowerSchool, which resulted in the unauthorized access of personal data from millions of current and former students and teachers. The breach, first detected on December 28, 2024, compromised PowerSchool’s customer support portal and provided attackers access to the […]