It’s official. With its ruling last week that effectively ended the role of affirmative action in college admissions, the U.S. Supreme Court has delivered a devastating blow to diversity efforts in America’s highly selective universities. So, what’s our next move as K-12 school leaders following this seismic shift in higher education? It is abundantly clear …
Most of us feel pressure to conform to the people around us throughout our lives. For some of us, this feeling can be compounded by a lack of acceptance from others. For Timothy R. Faust, a participant in Accelerate Institute’s Leadership Bridge program, the pressure to conform was foundational. “As a Black gay man in …
How Celebrating Pride is Helping Chicago-Area Students Embrace Their True Selves Read More »
As Founding Principal of KIPP Academy Chicago Primary (KACP), Jarell Lee was on track to help his students exceed their educational goals. “Our student culture was really strong, our family engagement was strong,” Lee shares of founding KACP in 2019. “Our teacher satisfaction was high. But the thing that we really hung our hat on was …
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, schools across the country collectively shifted to a remote learning model. Families found themselves wondering, Can my child receive an adequate education if they’re not in the classroom? Without question, the pandemic and the virtual landscape it called for spelled new territory for educators nationwide. However, for just as many …
Perspectives on Schools Today from Growth Accelerator Leaders Read More »
The most valuable lesson Melissa Jones Clarke ever received was from a friend she’d invited to work as a substitute at one of her schools. At the time, Clarke felt that something was off — not only at the school, but in her career — and she needed an outside perspective. So, she turned to …
It was just another seemingly ordinary day late in the school year at Uncommon Schools’ North Star Academy Clinton Hill in Newark, New Jersey the day that Principal Jody-Anne Jones was honored with the 2018 Ryan Award. Or so she thought. As Jody settled into her regular routine, little did she know that Accelerate Institute …
Catching up with Ryan Award Winner Jody-Anne Jones Read More »
In the mission of working to provide an equitable education for all students, the importance of giving students of color access to educators who look like them simply cannot be overstated. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, though, just 46% of public school students identify as white — while more than three-fourths of …
The new year is officially underway — and what a year 2023 is shaping up to be! Here at Accelerate Institute, we’ve been busy this month putting in the work to establish a strong foundation for achieving our goals throughout the rest of this year. Before we got started, though, the Accelerate team took some …
Watch as the Accelerate Institute Team Shares Our Resolutions for 2023 Read More »
As we head into the holiday season, I challenge school leaders to ask yourselves, “What is my most important focus right now?” Consider the singular most important objective you and your leadership team need to focus on in the next six months of the school year. The discipline of saying, “There is this one thing, …
By Dr. Catherine Burns, Chief Academic Officer When it comes to delivering equity in education, it’s imperative that the teacher and leadership representation of a school reflects the students that it serves. We simply must do more to increase interest and opportunities for young people of color to enter the teaching profession and then step …
Strengthening Representation in America’s Schools: How We’re Making it a Reality Read More »
