STRUCTURAL RACISM, he says, is a school system that winks at 27 U.S. urban school districts, of which according to 2019 NAEP scores, not a single one can say more than 25% of the black eighth-graders in their care are proficient in either math or reading, despite funding as high as $28,000 in districts like NYC. So the question is….

RURAL DISTRICTS STRUGGLE, TOO.  It isn’t just a city problem.  Unimaginable as it is, the New York Times points out that many rural districts are giving a  substandard education – even compared to urban districts – to their students of all colors and economic backgrounds. Answers are not rocket science but require new thinking, about expanding education innovation and opportunity in rural America. 

WHAT WILL YOU DO ABOUT IT? “When we focus on students first, everything else has a way of falling into place,” says the Honorable Kevin Chavous, author, former D.C. City Councilmember and president of Stride K12 in his salient piece, “The case for student first curricula” on how student learning succeeds when it is highly personalized.  But how does one do that when systems and policymakers protect the system? Easy – #FUNDFAMILIES, not failure, #STUDENTS, not systems. That’s how you start innovating. 

SOME ARE CHEERING at schools getting back to “normal,” even though many reports indicate that most districts don’t have quality options for students who will inevitably face shutdowns. Why isn’t Massachusetts encouraging alternatives to traditional in-person school? Well, one reason could be that the unions last year took full advantage of the pandemic, remaining closed long after their own private schools had gone back, not to mention public schools across the country. So if you can’t trust those who are in power, it’s hard to give a green light to virtual options. Still, the well-respected Governor Charlie Baker could make the case that now is the time for more school choice in the Bay state. He is a fan. If he just didn’t have to contend with a dominant union and compliant legislature…

A LOOMING CRISIS, is what Lauren Camera of U.S News and World Report calls it.  She says, “More than 1,400 schools across 278 districts in 35 states that began the academic year in person have closed, according to Burbio, an organization that’s tracking how schools respond to the ongoing pandemic. The figures are up from 698 schools across 158 districts in 25 states….In more than half of the closures, the schools pivoted to virtual instruction, but roughly 40% of schools that closed for a period of time did so without any remote learning plan in place…”  After billions of dollars and months to prepare, there’s only one word for it. Pathetic.

STOP. Thousands of educators overcame the challenges, the losses and unprecedented health threats to educate students each and every day. They stopped the nonsense, they stopped the noise, and they stopped listening to the status quo. Where are they? What’s their story? And do you want to help ensure their success is recognized? The STOP Award for Education, for Sustainable, Transformational, Outstanding and Permissionless education is a big deal – a $1 million prize to the best that performed for underserved communities during Covid. So take a minute and send this along to any educator or provider you know and tell them to apply. They only have a month to do so!