What does a kid do when her elite college dreams are being suffocated by a school system best suited to stifle mobility? How does she erase the seemingly indelible signs of inequitable schooling and resources from her record and etch her name on the registries of colleges meant for the affluent? She cheats. But she … Continue reading How a low-income Delaware student found the “cheat code” to top college admissions
What we don’t know about school boards can hurt us
On Tuesday, May 9th, with minimal vetting and less than 2% of eligible voters casting a ballot, Delaware's slate of school board members will be elected and granted the right to make decisions affecting students and families across the state. With the right smile, slogan, and signs a well-intentioned but eminently unqualified person could assume … Continue reading What we don’t know about school boards can hurt us
Why Carney’s administration should stay the course on school report cards
Governor Carney and Delaware’s Department of Education are about to make it easier for Delaware families to know how their schools are performing. But only if groups such as Delaware’s teachers’ union (DSEA) are not able to impose their will behind the scenes. The Delaware Department of Education recently sided with parents in its final draft … Continue reading Why Carney’s administration should stay the course on school report cards
DeVos can’t destroy public education, but our hypocrisy can
Amid the hullabaloo surrounding Betsy DeVos’ confirmation hearings for U.S.Secretary of Education, there was also a force at work with the potential to destroy American public education---and we missed it. Some of history’s greatest activists and thinkers warned of the need to see even the stealthiest of threats to progress. Malcolm X challenged that liberals … Continue reading DeVos can’t destroy public education, but our hypocrisy can
Why Susan Bunting as Delaware’s next Secretary of Education will mean progress for kids
A few weeks ago I sounded the alarm about the need for Delaware’s incoming Governor John Carney to stand with students and avoid the “old boys club” in his pick for Secretary of Education. As 2016 drew to a close, Carney selected substance over status quo and nominated Indian River School District (IRSD) Superintendent Dr. … Continue reading Why Susan Bunting as Delaware’s next Secretary of Education will mean progress for kids
Kids Deserve More Than the Good Old Boys’ Club in 2017
Word on the street is that some of Delaware’s most entrenched “good old boys” are being considered for Delaware’s Secretary of Education role. And I know there is a well-connected group of education insiders who would applaud Governor-elect Carney for such a pick. But in 2017, I think Delaware kids and schools deserve more than the … Continue reading Kids Deserve More Than the Good Old Boys’ Club in 2017
Students Need us to Quit “Adulting” and Start Acting
One of my 20-month-old daughter’s quirks is that she does not like getting her hands dirty. If she falls outside, she quickly glances at her hands, and then at her parents, expecting us to dust her off with haste. Her teachers tell us she enjoys painting at school, but not the colorful residue it leaves … Continue reading Students Need us to Quit “Adulting” and Start Acting
The Segregated, Stealthy Spaces of Education Policy
As sure as the campaign signs and billboards will soon be removed across our state, the image of diverse, broad-based support and engagement presented by vote-seeking politicians will be replaced with an all-too-familiar reality: folks are most comfortable doing the business of public policy in segregated, stealthy spaces hand-in-hand with special interest groups. In the … Continue reading The Segregated, Stealthy Spaces of Education Policy
All Who Can’t Hear Must Feel
This post is adapted from a speech I delivered to students at the University of Delaware Political Science and International Relations Convocation in May 2015. I’m the last of my mother’s 5 kids, she had me at 40 years old, and she named me Atnreakn Siahyonkron Babatunde Alleyne. Atnreakn is an ancient Egyptian name derived … Continue reading All Who Can’t Hear Must Feel
Should Delaware’s teachers’ union have endorsed Lisa Blunt Rochester on her historic run for Congress?
Photo credit: Doug Curran, Special to News Journal Lisa Blunt Rochester is poised to make history this fall. The former Delaware Labor Secretary and current Democratic candidate for Congress is super-qualified and would be the first woman and person of color The First State sent to Congress. Delaware is one of only three states that has … Continue reading Should Delaware’s teachers’ union have endorsed Lisa Blunt Rochester on her historic run for Congress?
Urgency of Now 