Voice: Sharif El-Mekki
Building a New Social Contract for Teachers
The founder and CEO of the Center for Black Educator Development says now, more than ever, our school teachers need support that’s financial, cultural and structural
By Sharif El-MekkiIt’s Black Male Educator October
Thirty years ago, Philly led a groundbreaking effort to recruit more Black men into classrooms. A local educator is leading the charge to revive that campaign because #WeNeedBlackTeachers for the sake of our students
By Sharif El-MekkiA Different Kind of Education Promise
The founder of a Black teacher pipeline wonders: Isn’t it time to make a long-term investment in our public school children’s futures?
By Sharif El-MekkiBelieve in Black Students
Here are some ways schools can take action and demonstrate a commitment to anti-racism that is essential for reducing pandemic learning loss
By Sharif El-MekkiTackling Illiteracy
The first-ever virtual Freedom Schools Literacy Academy models liberation education — and gets results
By Sharif El-MekkiTeaching Black Children is a Revolutionary Act
The director of a Black teacher training program pens an open letter to new educators for their “subversive act of hope”
By Sharif El-MekkiIs Progressivism Letting Down Our Kids?
A longtime educator/activist bemoans the dilemma of progressive cities like Philly, where everyone progresses, except for Black and Brown children.
By Sharif El-MekkiBlack Teachers Are Not Enough
A Mastery principal notes that schools also need support to keep those—and all—teachers in their jobs
By Sharif El-MekkiNasihah Thompson-King
As her Mastery-Shoemaker principal attests, the high schooler benched from basketball because of her hijab is a freedom fighter for our times
By Sharif El-MekkiI’ve Known Gun Violence
A Mastery high school principal who is both a gun owner and gunshot victim on why guns in schools makes kids less safe
By Sharif El-Mekki