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A high school teacher helps his students challenge their own racist beliefs.

A stunning revelation about one of his students led this educator to rethink his teaching practice.

John was in my eighth-grade class. He was a rascal and my favorite kind of student. He was rambunctious and smart as a whip. And he and his family lived in poverty. His favorite memory of middle school is when I gave him detention time after school. “Why’d I get this?” he exclaimed. “Because you’ve racked up four deductions for talking and disrupting class,” I calmly said. He looked down at the detention slip, “Well, OK then.” It’s one of our favorite stories.

During spring break, I was reminded of what a huge impact a small decision can make. I caught up on information about two former students: Richard and Patrick. They were quite similar when I had them as eighth-graders nearly four years ago. Both were over-age (16 years old) and received special education services. Both got into trouble regularly and were suspended multiple times. However, due mostly to a couple of seemingly small decisions, their lives changed in vastly different ways.

This teacher asked herself, “What do I need to know to better support this student?” The answer led to more questions.

The Supreme Court has upheld affirmative action but, one educator points out, we still have a long way to go to achieve equity in college admissions.

Critical literacy can expose the assumption that whiteness is “normal” and provide students support for talking about difficult topics.

Feast for 10, a children’s book by Cathryn Falwell, recently found its way into a lesson at Chicago’s Lincoln Park Cooperative Nursery School. The book, focusing on counting skills, follows a family through the

As we planned for Mix It Up at Lunch Day last year, I felt a deep sense of nervousness. I wasn’t worried about getting the kids to talk and chat. I teach at a small school, and the students are usually friendly with one another.

When faced with bullying, teachers, counselors and administrators often find it much easier to sympathize with bullied students than with students who bully. When interacting with youth who bully, keep in mind one of the