Posts by aajjmsnaba

You have been called to lead during such a time as this. Pushing the needle for public education. If you have had an opportunity to listen, then you are aware that in my podcast entitled, “The Sonya Whitaker Podcast 2.0: Gracefully Broken,” you are aware of an experience I had several weeks ago in which…

It’s cold out outside and teachers are feeling the chilling effect from state laws being passed to curb teaching about systemic racism, according to a recent article published by Education Week. More specifically, thirteen states now have passed into law similarly but loosely worded bills that their authors say are intended to prevent teachers from indoctrinating students…

Out of great concern for the inaccurate level of information being shared across the nation about how race and culture are being addressed in the classroom (or instructional levels), I have found it very much necessary for me to speak out about this topic directly and regularly. Relevant to this blog post, my interest is…

During these times (out of an abundance of caution), we must maintain social distancing. In order to maintain our sanity we must connect to a higher being in a way that lifts our spirits, we must exercise so that we can continue to take care of ourselves and those that we love and must remain…

I want to take this opportunity to share with you information about what is occupying the greatest majority of my thinking at the start of this new year. I’ll begin by referring to a quote by Gloria Larson Billings. Dr. Billings shares with us that the goal of equitable education is not to help students…

Students across the entire country are in the process of meeting their final standardized testing requirements for the school year. The intent of this blog post is to cause you to examine the extent to which you believe that requiring students to take more tests, has actually caused for statistically significant improvements in student achievement. My…

I am thrilled to share with you information about this week’s upcoming guest for my Podcast show entitled What’s Really Going On: A Spotlight on Solutions for Improving Student Achievement in America Schools. The Podcast will be released Monday, April 15th and shared on my website http://Sonyawhitaker.com as well as via social media. Dr. Wahl…

Just over a week ago I had the very distinct honor of delivering a keynote presentation to over 60 School Boards in the great state of Illinois. The topic of the presentation was Empowerment Through STEM. The angle that I took as it relates to addressing the topic is one rarely taken, although there is…

If you’ve been following me lately, you may be wondering “where in the world is Sonya’s energy coming from?” I wake up daily fully charged like my I-phone after being on the charger all night. I stay so charged that I do not drink caffeinated coffee because I wake up on “ten.” The waiters at…

On this day, I am asking that we bury the use of the term academic achievement gap, or at the very least, use it in a more appropriate context. Like many, I have engaged in the process of discussing the difference in the achievement levels between students of color (which includes students from various linguistic backgrounds) and students experiencing…