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New evidence of the bullying crisis in our schools appears daily in news reports and blogs. For some students, verbal harassment, cyber-ostracism and physical abuse are as routine as turning in homework. That’s particularly true for students who are—or simply perceived to be—gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender (LGBT).

Teaching is a tough profession. We know it. It comes with a lot of responsibilities and challenges. Nevertheless, teaching is a very rewarding life path. Perhaps equally as tough is teaching teachers to be culturally competent. For the last six months, I’ve led a book study at my school on Gary Howard’s We Can’t Teach What We Don’t Know, which looks at cultural competency programs.

I recently confronted my prejudices. After teaching for many years in a low-income, high-violence area of Oakland, Calif., I decided to do some private tutoring. I sought to avoid the stress of politics in the district and the uncertainty of having a new principal every year for over eight years. Although I had outlasted all of the teachers I had started working with, I felt guilty because this was the population I wanted to serve.

It’s National Book Month—the perfect time to motivate readers by using YA literature in the classroom!

How does funding impact a day in the life of your students? Have them do the math!

March 10-14 is Brain Awareness Week. Help your students maximize their brain power by adding brain breaks to your bag of tricks.

How can educators and school leaders close the achievement gap for African-American girls?

TT answers your tough questions. This time, advice for making sure out-of-state field trips are inclusive of immigrant students and families.