Educational leaders are facing unprecedented challenges that many do not feel prepared for, especially when it comes to promoting equity. Ann Ishimaru explains that an expansive view of leadership that incorporates historically marginalized youth, families, and communities will enable schools to better serve all students. Schools have a history of…

True reimaging of education requires us to first look back to understand why schools are the way they are, says Deborah Ball. She focuses specifically on the teaching profession and how it has become grounded in whiteness, leaving out the wisdom available among people of color. From this, she draws three lessons to take into the future: (1) The…

The American Library Association reported an "unprecedented spike" in the number of book removal requests in the final months of 2021, and most of these challenges focus on books about people from marginalized communities. Robert Kim asks whether such removals violate the First Amendment and explores how much discretion court have…

The question of achieving equity remains an enduring concern for K-12 teachers and school leaders. Work toward equity and social justice in K-12 schools requires the authentic participation and engagement of racially marginalized students and families. Van Lac, Érica Fernández, and Katherine Cumings Mansfield offer real-life examples of what it…

Today, millions of teachers search online to locate ideas and activities for classroom use. While some may visit established curricular sites with vetted classroom materials, many others turn to online educational marketplaces such as TeachersPayTeachers. However, issues of quality on these sites remain in question -- particularly when it comes to…

Literature in the field of minority parent participation has focused on cultural differences and cultural mismatch as reasons for the difficulties that minority parents face in schools and has relied on a framework of cultural sensitivity in exploring the issues. Soyoung Lee proposes that the real issue underlying the dynamics between minority…

Beverly Daniel Tatum, author of "Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?", talks about race with "Kappan" editor-in-chief Joan Richardson. Tatum advises more conversations about race and racial identities as a way to bridge the divide between the races. Silence, she says, is not an effective strategy for…

As transgender people have received greater visibility and acceptance, as well as increased legal protections, educators have begun to examine their school policies and practices with an eye toward legal compliance and a desire to be welcoming to all students. Melinda Mangin shares insights from interviews with educators who have sought to improve…

Even though public schools maintain a separation between church and state, non-Christians face social and logistical challenges that threaten their development and academic performance. The challenges may be inadvertent or intentional, observable or discreet, or introduced by students, educators, school policies, or broader society. Educators have…

About 15% of the nation's high schools produce more than "half of its dropouts" and close to "75% of its minority dropouts." Half of these schools are found primarily in the cities of the North, Midwest, and West. The other half are found throughout the South and Southwest in urban, suburban, and rural areas. If only a very few students were not…

Empirical research on the supply and demand of math and science teachers finds some surprising results. The employment of qualified math and science teachers has more than kept pace with the demand, and most schools find qualified teachers for those positions. However, about a third of public schools--particularly high-poverty, high-minority, and…

Schools that have been successful teaching classrooms of high-poverty, high-minority students share a number of common qualities. One of their most significant characteristics is that they organize their schools in ways that support student learning. For example, they provide time for teachers to learn with and collaborate with each other which…

Unconscious biases affect one's relationships, whether they are fleeting relationships in airports or longer term relationships between teachers and students, teachers and parents, teachers and other educators. In this article, the author argues that understanding one's possible biases is essential for developing community in schools.…

By the end of fourth grade, African American and Latino students, are two years behind their wealthier, predominantly white peers in reading and math. By eighth grade, they have slipped three years behind, and by 12th grade, the gap is full four years. These are just two examples of the most alarming figures that threaten the educational equity of…

Puts forth four hypotheses on the causes of declining Scholastic Aptitude Test scores. They are student drug use, the integration of ethnic minorities into the schools, teacher participation in collective bargaining, and humanistic education. (IRT)