Commentary
I challenge my fellow immigrants to develop an understanding of oppression that Black Americans face in this country. I believe it starts with education.
To me, it isn’t very democratic when pretty much every level of government is trying to keep the oppression of marginalized Americans intact. Unfortunately, I had to wait until college to learn any of this real history.
Growing up in a community that has been and still is heavily affected by gang culture taught me two major realities about the condition of my people: We don’t care about our people’s lives, and we are at war.
I made multiple attempts at trying to make the best decisions for kids that look like me, and as you can imagine that did not last long. My pushback to do what’s right for kids was not accepted so I had to move on. Those experiences in St. Louis brought me to where I am now — Denver, Colorado.
It seems obvious that conducting scaled-back state testing this year is a good idea — until you consider the logistical hurdles.
The dialogue about school choice, traditional vs. innovation vs. charter, etc., rarely seems to be centered around how exactly students will be supported, but mainly where they will go to school. Quality of education and supporting our students needs to become the focal point of any conversation.
Boardhawk’s new community reporter, T. Michael Boddie, introduces himself. “People deserve the confidence that not just teachers, but districts and other community leaders are doing all they can to nurture students’ abilities and talents through education.”
Two educators from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Early College write: As challenging as the last year has been, we’re heartened that our students have had more questions about politics and current events than we’ve seen before in our careers.
Our teaching of The Dream and The Dreamer must begin here: In the uncomfortable space that affirms that this country continues to bounce the check of equality and justice issued to citizens of color.
This week’s Colorado Department of Education data release on 2020 graduation rates carries an unfortunate whiff of spin and happy-talk at a time when we should instead be trying to assess the impacts the pandemic has had on student learning.
Denver school consolidation: Facts and opportunities, not blame
From Brian Eschbacher: My goal with this post is to assert a set of facts and opportunities in the hopes it reduces finger-pointing and aligns us all towards making school consolidation decisions as supportive as possible for our students and community. I served as the Executive Director of Planning & Enrollment for DPS from 2011 through 2018, and have created long-term enrollment plans and analyses in more than 20 cities across the country since leaving DPS in 2018.