Growing up in Washington, D.C., I wandered the museums of the National Mall searching for something familiar, somewhere in the glass cases and solemn wall texts where my history might be acknowledged. Instead, I often found my heritage simplified, misrepresented, or entirely absent. It wasn’t until the opening of the National Museum of African American […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education
Report: The January Blues: A crisis among the nation’s new teachers
January Blues: The New Teacher Conundrum It was January. A month that, in the education world, is full of the mid-year blues, especially for new teachers. To those in the elementary world, it was a month of goal setting and getting the kids back into the swing of school after a long break with their […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
The Price of Honor: Would you leave your school to raise your teaching salary?
The final bell echoed through the halls of Lakeview Elementary, followed by the usual stampede of feet and the buzz of excited chatter. Emily James* stood by her classroom window, watching the buses roll out. Her fourth-grade room—still humming with the ghosts of laughter and spelling tests—had never felt so still. On her desk sat […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Judge dismisses parents’ lawsuit over popular reading curricula
BOSTON — A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit brought by a group of Massachusetts parents who argued that their children were negatively affected by three reading programs, including Units of Study and Fountas and Pinnell, developed by three well-known literacy experts. The suit, filed by Boston-area mothers Karrie Conley and Michele Hudak on behalf […]
Posted inCharter Schools
Dystopian Teacher Tales: The La Jollan Educational Missionary Society
Last week, the US Supreme Court was deadlocked 4-4 on a ruling that would have allowed a Catholic charter school in Oklahoma to receive public funding. In the decision, Amy Coney-Barrett recused herself. Although this decision at first might seem like a victory for public and secular schools, it may just lead to some dystopian […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
The Daily Digest: May 29, 2025
The Daily Dispatch is our quick bites of real talk in education, every weekday. We publish every morning at 5:00 a.m., just in time for your daily coffee. Federal NewsSupreme Court declines case about T-shirt declaring ‘only two genders’(Justin Jouvenal, The Washington Post) Supreme Court’s Free Speech v. Paxton Decision Could Protect Kids Online (Clare Morell, Newsweek) […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Instructional Coaching: Job-Embedded professional learning and compensation
If you’ve been in education longer than a decade, you likely experienced (or heard legends of) the teacher compensation model that encouraged continuous learning at post-secondary institutions. This paralleled state licensing that required graduate credits as part of the license renewal process. The “steps and lanes” approach provided teachers with periodic raises based on years […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
How I am Teaching My Elementary School Students About AI and Why You Should Too
As a classroom teacher, I have seen firsthand how AI can spark student curiosity. Students are hearing about AI and are excited about the future of technology. But with that flame of curiosity comes a spark of concern. “How can I tell if an image is AI?” “Why do I need to learn how to […]