Blog

On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina made landfall over southeast Louisiana and Mississippi, unleashing unprecedented devastation. Flood waters eventually covered 80 percent of New Orleans and caused more than $125 billion in damages across the South. Today, fifteen years later, the Gulf states are facing not one, but three unprecedented challenges—the devastation of eerily similar Hurricane Laura, a national reckoning...
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As a parent of a school-aged child, I have spent most of this summer overwhelmed with worry about my son’s academic, mental and social-emotional well-being in the upcoming school year given school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to safety concerns, I am worried about how my son’s needs will be met this year as our district struggles to...
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With all the changes due to the pandemic, it is understandable that most teachers and staff already feel stressed and burnt out. A decade ago, self-care was about getting a massage, playing golf, or splurging on a vacation. However, in this time of isolation, illness and inequity self-care is no longer a luxury.  Schools have a new face now. Teachers...
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Across the country, education systems leaders are in the middle of an unusually complex summer. Between ongoing pandemic response and the recent groundswell of interest and attention on issues of racial justice, they are dealing with monumental challenges ranging from housing, to food, to safety and to wellbeing. We sat down with Dr. Debra Duardo, Superintendent of the Los Angeles...
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Education First is dedicated to amplifying and elevating the voices and unique lived experiences of students, families and educators across the country. This guest blog is authored by Gabby Pelosi, a rising high school senior from North Salem High School, a small public school in Westchester County, New York. Growing up, I have always aspired to be politically progressive. I...
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Across the country, education systems leaders are in the middle of an unusually complex summer. Between ongoing pandemic response and the recent groundswell of interest and attention on issues of racial justice, they are dealing with monumental challenges ranging from housing, to food, to safety, to addressing the digital divide—all while trying to ensure that all students receive the education...
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After several weeks of Black-led organized demonstrations since the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, education agencies and organizations across the nation scrambled to make statements condemning racism and affirming that Black Lives Matter. While reading these statements, I couldn’t help but wonder, “But where are all the Black teachers in your schools or Black representation in your organization...
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As the 2020-21 school year begins, state and district leaders are working closely with teachers, families and other stakeholders to map out a plan that meets the needs of all learners. They are taking lessons learned from the abrupt and often messy transition to remote and blended learning this spring and are asking themselves what it will take to make...
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As states and districts develop their plans for reopening schools in the fall, one key question is on the minds of many systems leaders: How can we best serve our English Learners if public health guidance requires instruction to be delivered virtually? In response to this question, the English Learners Success Forum pulled together a team of experts and practitioners...
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This spring, Brooklyn Laboratory Charter Schools (Brooklyn Lab) launched a series of two-week design charettes to determine the school’s plans for reopening in the fall. The product of the second charette, the Brooklyn Laboratory Charter Schools’ Back to School Instructional Program Scheduling Map, is intended to help Brooklyn Lab and other school communities think about the who, what, when, where...
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