students

By Mya Wells As part of a proud military family, I’ve moved to several new places—Florida, Louisiana, and Texas—and each time my family moved, I faced the challenge of transitioning to a new school. It’s never easy for military kids like me to adapt to a new school—everything from understanding…

Both of us were first-generation college students. Like many others who fit this description, we started college at broad-access postsecondary institutions close to home – a California community college and a California state university. Our privileged fates as graduates unfortunately was and remains far from the norm for others of…

Ten years ago, Washington High School (WHS) in Tacoma, Washington, was deemed a dropout factory: Only 57 percent of freshmen students graduated in four years. Over the past decade, however, the graduation rate at WHS has increased by 30 percentage points, to an impressive 87 percent. And importantly, this rate…

As a principal of Luella Middle School, I’ve seen the difference it makes when students are the drivers of their own learning. Our school district in Henry County, Georgia, is implementing student-centered learning across the district with a strong focus on student agency. At Luella, student-centered learning means students choose…

Schools around the country are using key data on students’ performance in the classroom to inform how they can better meet the needs of individual students. In Nashville, data are also improving how students are served beyond the classroom and in the community, thanks to the Nashville After Zone Alliance…

Sydney Chaffee recently was named National Teacher of the Year, but she doesn’t think she’s peaked yet. “As teachers, we always want to be better,” she says. And one way Chaffee does that is by taking on leadership roles that allow her to collaborate closely with her peers. In the…

Great teachers are a critical support in the bridge to opportunity that is public education. For these students from Manassas High School in Memphis, their favorite teachers support and motivate them with high expectations, and encourage them to be the best version of themselves they can be—both in and outside…

Great teachers know that all students deserve an excellent education. That’s why the Tennessee Educational Equity Coalition, a network of education advocates led by Conexión Américas, is celebrating Teacher Appreciation Week by honoring five Tennessee teachers who believe in educational equity for all students. One of those teachers is Diarese…