The juvenile justice and criminal justice systems ensnare far too many black and brown boys and men. Increasingly, women are caught in this dangerous web too. On this episode of Know-It-All, we are exploring the contours of some of the barriers to mental health and developmental wellness for communities of color that can lead to mass incarceration. Dr. Troy Waller is a licensed professional counselor with 15 years of counseling experience. He explains the implications of the breaks in...

There is much discussion about the role that mental health issues have played in schools and communities that have been impacted by recent college campus shootings and other school shootings. On this week's Know-It-All: The ABCs of Education, join us for an informative conversation with George Washington University Associate Professor of Counseling, Dr. Sam Steen. School counselors address mental health issues that arise and also support students' healthy social, emotional, and academic...

Eighty-two people were shot in Chicago over the July 4th weekend. Fourteen of those people died. Most of the victims were Black and Latino men. Dr. Roger A. Mitchell has made it his personal crusade to put an end to the senseless violence that consumes far too many sons and brothers, daughters and sisters, and that lays waste to entire communities. Named by Mayor Vincent Gray in Washington, DC as Chief Medical Examiner earlier this year after a stint as Regional Medical Examiner in New...

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a puzzle. While the number of people diagnosed with ADHD is on the rise, there is still debate about whether ADHD is a real disorder, and debate about whether people, children especially, with ADHD should be prescribed medication to treat their symptoms. Despite the debates, there does seem to be a link between the symptoms of ADHD and mass-produced foods with lots of sodium, sugar, chemicals, and other additives. Dr. Rachel V. Gow is a...

Research has demonstrated that diversity among academic researchers, who typically have Ph.D.s, is much needed in order to ensure success and progress in the scholarship they produce. Recent collaborations between academic researchers and practitioners have brought that need to bear.  Dr. Shireen Lewis founded SisterMentors because of her own arduous journey to get a Ph.D. and her determination that other women of color would not have to travel that road alone. She talks with us about the...

As we approach the 60th anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education decision, an important new study reveals a separate and unequal system of education in this country. This new research indicates that the proliferation of charter schools is not benefiting our nation's most vulnerable children and is potentially detrimental to them. Not only that, but the current motivations behind the charter movement are not entirely altruistic. Dr. Gordon Lafer is the author of that study, and he joins...

In a groundbreaking new study - The Broken Compass: Parental Involvement with Children's Education, Dr. Angel Harris and Dr. Keith Robinson have discovered that parental involvement, at least the way it is currently envisioned, doesn't quite work the way we think it does to ensure students' academic success. They will talk to us about their research, what it means for the future of parent engagement, what schools should focus on instead, and what parents can and should do to support their...

For parents and educators, talking with children about sex can be awkward and uncomfortable. Especially today when so much of the wrong information is readily accessible to kids, talking to them about sex has never been more critical. My guest, Deborah Roffman, is a human sexuality expert and the author of several books, including the most recent Talk to Me First: Everything You Need to Know to Become Your Kids' "Go-To" Person About Sex. She'll discuss how and when adults should talk with...

High-poverty schools require considerable resources and deliberate action to adequately support children and families, to address the institutional barriers to opportunity children face, and to ensure students' academic and life success. While the challenges are many, there is a blueprint for what works. Turnaround for Children, Inc. Founder, President, and CEO Pamela Cantor, M.D. talks to us about school turnaround and about why it is necessary, especially in high-poverty schools, for...

Ensuring access to educational opportunity for children who are incarcerated is critical to ensuring their life success. Successfully delivering high-quality academic programming to students in juvenile detention facilities while also supporting their social and emotional needs is incredibly important and also can provide valuable lessons for all educators about what works well for any child. Barbara Paz Cornejo is Vice Principal at the Maya Angelou Academy located at the New Beginnings...

Maria Montessori believed in children's instinctual ability to teach themselves. My guest, Dr. Jessica Phillips-Silver, shares that belief. Dr. Phillips-Silver is a neuroscientist and expert on healthy brain development in children. She has also studied Montessori education extensively. On this episode of Know-It-All, Dr. Phillips-Silver shares with us how parents and educators can adopt the Montessori mindset to let children lead the way to their own academic, social, and emotional...

Kimberlé Crenshaw is the creator of, and the nation's pre-eminent legal scholar on, Critical Race Theory. As co-founder of the African American Policy Forum, she also has focused national attention on the role of gender in the struggle for racial justice. On this episode of Know-It-All: The ABCs of Education, Professor Crenshaw will talk us through the gender dynamics of My Brother's Keeper. On February 27, President Obama stood for and with some of this country's most undervalued and...

On today's episode of Know-It-All: The ABCs of Education, we are replaying one of our most popular shows - The Superintendents' Roundtable. Superintendents all over the country are under mounting pressure to ensure high academic achievement for their students, provide safe and nurturing school environments, and treat students equitably.  Our guests, all superintendents, will divulge the insider secrets to keeping their heads under such pressures. Dr. Eugene White, Superintendent of Schools...

On January 8, the United States Department of Justice and Department of Education announced the release of the first-ever joint guidance on student discipline. The guidance provides information to schools and school districts about their obligations under the law to eliminate and prevent racial discrimination in the way that they discipline students. My guests, Shaheena Simons, Deputy Chief of the Educational Opportunities Section of the Civil Rights Division at the Department of Justice,...

College tuition and associated costs are rising, making it more and more difficult for students to enroll in college and stay there through graduation. On this episode, my guests and I will talk about scholarships - traditional and not - as tools for educational equity. Nkechi Taifa is the founder of SCHOLARgifts, a crowdfunding platform for educational opportunities. Felecia Hatcher is the co-owner of Feverish Ice Cream & Gourmet Pops. She is also the author of The "C" Student's Guide...

Teachers are the life force of any education system, which makes them easy targets. 2013 has been quite a year for teachers - from standardized testing protests to teacher evaluation showdowns and more.  This week's guest is Elizabeth Davis, an educator with 41 years experience as a classroom teacher and the new President of the Washington Teachers Union in Washington, D.C. She is lifting her own voice on behalf of teacher voices all over DC and the nation, and she'll talk to us about what...

It's our one-year anniversary! Know-It-All: The ABCs of Education is turning one. For this very special episode of Know-It-All, we are giving back the racial bribe, as Michelle Alexander implored us to do in The New Jim Crow, and as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was in the process of doing before he was assassinated. We have assembled an all-star cast to bridge the racial divide and tackle poverty. Dr. Deborah Hicks is the author of The Road Out: A Teacher's Odyssey in Poor America, in which...

Protest and resistance have been grassroots tools that communities use to create systemic change. Today, protests in education are demanding common-sense approaches to education and education reform. Students, parents and families, teachers are banding together in cities across the country in protest of, among other things, school discipline policies and practices, teacher evaluation rubrics, and standardized tests. My guest, Jesse Hagopian, is a history teacher at Garfield High School in...

Boys are in a state of crisis. At least, that's what my guest, Dr. Warren Farrell, argues. And his argument is compelling. Sixty percent of first-year college students are women. Boys are more likely to be suspended from school or labeled ADHD than their female counterparts. Dr. Farrell joins us to talk about the boy crisis and its origins - what he calls the Myth of Male Power, also the title of one of his books.  Host Allison R. Brown is a civil rights attorney and President of Allison...

It's our one-year anniversary! Know-It-All: The ABCs of Education is turning one. For this very special episode of Know-It-All, we are giving back the racial bribe, as Michelle Alexander implored us to do in The New Jim Crow, and as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was in the process of doing before he was assassinated. We have assembled an all-star cast to bridge the racial divide and tackle poverty. Dr. Deborah Hicks is the author of The Road Out: A Teacher's Odyssey in Poor America, in which...

Hip-hop music is ubiquitous. While it has been many things to many people over the years, it has consistently been a vehicle of artistic expression for people who otherwise might not have had such a prominent platform. Hip hop is poetry, music, sociology, even macroeconomics. It can be a viable educational tool, when used correctly. My guest, Larry "Lak" Henderson, CEO of SmartMusic Entertainment, will talk about hip hop music and how he uses hip hop to reach a generation. Host Allison R....

Arts instruction in school has taken a back seat to standardized tests, STEM programs, and a focus on college and career readiness. Yet there is a consistently vocal public lament over the loss of the arts in school. Many people know intuitively that this is devastating to our children and to our nation. Art Basel is the world's premier platform for Modern and contemporary art. With three annual art shows in Basel, Switzerland; Hong Kong; and Miami, Florida, Art Basel brings together artists...

President Obama visited Pathways in Technology Early College High School (P-TECH) last week to discuss his administration's education agenda. He called for high-quality pre-school for every 4-year-old in the country, access to high-speed Internet for all students, lower college costs, and schools that are redesigned to teach high-tech skills. My guests, Heather Hiles, Founder and CEO of PathBrite, and Dr. Debra Mahone, Director of State and Federal Programs for the Prince George's County...

I have invited some of my lawyer friends to Know-It-All to talk about the law and education and the work they do every day to ensure that children all over this nation receive a quality education. We'll talk about the school-to-prison pipeline, access to advanced courses, special education, charter schools, and more.  Join me; Shakti Belway, a civil rights attorney and expert; Timothy Riveria of the Advocates for Justice and Education, Inc.; and Stephen Chen, a civil rights attorney for the...