David E. Kirkland

Master These Three Aspects of Love This Summer This summer, let’s treat ourselves to a different kind of professional development—one rooted in love. Informed by thirty years of research, I invite educators to grow in three essential practices: co...

This summer, I invite educators into a different kind of professional development—one rooted in 3 practices of love: communication, visualization, and community—that can transform how we teach and lead.

Read it here: www.forward-ed.com/post/master-...

#LoveIsPedagogy #EducationEquity #forwardED

Finish Well As doors close for the summer, I want to talk about how to end a school year, how to finish well. We talk about how to start strong, how to manage classrooms, how to plan standards-aligned units. But ...

There’s something sacred about a classroom in June. Not just how it ends—but how we end it. What if we didn’t just finish, but finished well?

Read the piece:
www.forward-ed.com/post/finish-...

#FinishWell #TeacherWisdom #forwardED #EndOfYear #Education

Freedom Teaching and the Pedagogy of Juneteenth Juneteenth is not merely a celebration of past emancipation but a reminder of our ongoing struggle for true freedom.

As we move through this season of celebration and rededication, let's remember: Freedom must be taught.

Read my article on Juneteenth and 'freedom teaching' here: www.forward-ed.com/post/freedom...

#FreedomTeaching #Juneteenth #forwardED #EducationForLiberation #FreedomAsProcess

Pedagogy of the Black Child In Pedagogy of the Black Child, David E. Kirkland invites readers into an urgent conversation about race, education, and the future of Black childhoods. Through the lens of his own experiences as a Bl...

My new book, 'Pedagogy of the Black Child,' is my love letter to possibility, rooted in a radical idea that Black children are beautiful and brilliant. When we build schools that see them, everything changes. Preorder now using code 25AFLY2 for 20% off at www.routledge.com/9781032948935.

The Practice of Trust The hardest part of equity work isn’t data analysis. It isn’t professional development. It isn’t political backlash. It’s trust—not just gaining it but deserving it.

Everyone says trust is the first step in equity work.
But trust isn’t built—it’s practiced.
Through presence. Through pressure. Through proof.

Read more: www.forward-ed.com/post/the-pra...

#equity #trust #forwardED

Parenting Style and Student Performance: Why Home-School Alignment Matters This research brief explores how alignment between parenting styles and teaching approaches impacts student performance, belonging, and emotional well-being. Drawing on a 12-month study in vulnerable ...

Kids don’t just bring backpacks to school. They bring the way they’ve been loved. When teaching mirrors parenting, they rise. When it doesn’t, they retreat. Our latest study asks: what if success is about alignment, not ability?
www.forward-ed.com/post/the-mir...

The cure for collapse isn’t control. It’s care. Care rebuilds trust. Care rewires the brain. Care makes the future possible.

We don’t need more charisma. We need more connection.

Out-love the fear. That’s the work.

#CareIsStrategy #Trust #Hope #Belonging #Leadership

I choose the work. Not the job. Not the performance.
The work. The soul work. Of building a world where justice isn’t a trend, but a practice. Where equity isn’t a slogan, but a way of being. The future is watching, and we owe it more than silence.

#TheWork #EquityEveryDay #Belonging #BuildForward

Rethinking “Kindergarten Readiness” Blaming 5-year-olds for not being “ready” is how broken systems excuse themselves. What if the real test isn’t whether our children are school-ready—but whether our schools are child-ready?

They say our kids must be “ready” for school. But why aren’t schools expected to be ready for our kids? We don’t need school-ready children—we need child-ready schools.

Read more here: www.forward-ed.com/post/rethink...
#education #equity

Black Boys Matter: Why Are They Disappearing From Schools? Despite rising attention to college and workforce gaps, Black male students continue to be pushed out of K-12 schools.

Outstanding article on Black boys and schooling: wordinblack.com/2025/04/blac...

Curriculum as Covenant We don’t have a curriculum problem—we have a trust problem. Teachers don’t teach what they’re told; they teach what they believe.

Curriculum keeps failing not because it’s bad—but because teachers don’t believe in it. In Detroit, we tried something different: we built it with them.

Read more: www.forward-ed.com/post/curricu...

#Education #Equity #CRSE #Detroit

DEI: A Brief and Definitive History Some want to “save” America from DEI—but if DEI were saving America? History suggests that it has.

"DEI does not oppose merit—it reveals the myth of meritocracy in a society structured by inherited advantage. To reject DEI is not to choose neutrality; it is to choose inequity." — @davidekirkland.bsky.social
www.forward-ed.com/post/dei-a-b...
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DEI: A Brief and Definitive History Some want to “save” America from DEI—but if DEI were saving America? History suggests that it has.

From the Constitution to Civil Rights, DEI is how America’s tried to make good on its promises. Erasing it won’t move us forward—it’ll drag us back.

Read my latest: “DEI: A Brief and Definitive History”
🔗 www.forward-ed.com/post/dei-a-b...

#DEI #Equity #Inclusion #AmericanHistory #Justice #TheWork

Was DEI Worth It? Before you walk away from DEI, you might want to know what actually worked—and how it can still work for you.

Before you abandon DEI, ask yourself: Did it actually work? The answer isn’t simple, but it’s there—and it’s fixable. Here’s how DEI can still work for you.

Read more here: www.forward-ed.com/post/was-dei...

The dream is for you; it is for everyone, and it will change everything. Happy MLK Day, everybody!

Who’s Teaching Our Kids? The Struggle for More Diverse Teacher Workforce Schools are meant to reflect the communities they serve, fostering opportunity and fairness for all students. But what happens when efforts

Although classrooms are more diverse, teachers remain relatively white. How can we embrace an inclusive vision of teaching as the cornerstone of educational excellence?

www.forward-ed.com/post/who-s-t...

#EducationEquity #DiversityInTeaching #InclusiveSchools

Black men comprise 6.1% of the U.S. population but only 1.3% of public school teachers. This gap isn’t accidental but systemic. It’s time to ask why. Read my take here and why representation matters: www.forward-ed.com/post/why-bla....

#BlackMaleTeachers #RepresentationMatters #DiversityInTeaching

Black men comprise 6.1% of the U.S. population but only 1.3% of public school teachers. This gap isn’t accidental but systemic. It’s time to ask why. Read my take here and why representation matters: www.forward-ed.com/post/why-bla....

#BlackMaleTeachers #RepresentationMatters #DiversityInTeaching

MT4S and the Power of Strengths-based Design — Grow Beyond Grades Dr. David E. Kirkland discusses the Multi-Tier System of Sustaining Strengths and Support (MT4S) model, which underscores a critical shift from remediation to celebration, from merely navigating learn...

The traditional approach to MTSS draws lines between students, categorizing them by their perceived needs and inadvertently fostering a deficit-based mindset that opposed the district’s desired focus on equity. @davidekirkland.bsky.social
www.growbeyondgrades.org/blog/mt4s-st...

Happy New Year, everybody 🎈

The Multilingual Child: Toward a Pedagogy of Linguistic Belonging What if education stopped asking multilingual children to fit into a ready-made world and started building a world ready for them?

What if we stopped asking multilingual children to change who they are and started designing schools celebrating their full humanity?

Please read my article on the pedagogy of linguistic belonging, and let’s reimagine education together.

www.forward-ed.com/post/the-mul...

#TheMultilingualChild

Rest well, Queen 🙏🏾

So I urge you: Dig in. Hold your ground. Push where you can, and refuse to give up. We are shaping the future with every step we take.

#EquityMatters #Belonging #EducationForAll #StayTheCourse

This work—our work—is about building a future that reflects those ideals. That’s not a vision to abandon. It’s a promise to fulfill. Let's fulfill it!

Let’s be clear: This election wasn’t the overwhelming rejection of equity some claim. Thus, the mandate isn’t as sweeping as it might seem. The Senate and House remain closely contested, as was the election. This is no time to let narratives of defeat take root.

This is a moment to dig in, push forward, and hold fast to the work we’ve dedicated ourselves to—the work that matters.

Yes, the political landscape may shift, but that doesn’t mean the fight for equity is over—quite the opposite.

I’ve heard from many of you—teachers, leaders, allies—who are worried about what this past election means for our work. Some are even considering stepping back, afraid of the consequences. Let me tell you: Now is not the time to retreat.

Stay the course.

Who Gets In: The New Politics of College Admissions The Supreme Court banned affirmative action, and universities claimed standardized tests would expand equity—why does it all feel like a lie

The inequities in college admissions ripple far beyond the classroom. They shape who gets to own homes, access good jobs, and even who gets to live.

Let's stop pretending the gates are open and rethink who education is really for.

Read my take here:

www.forward-ed.com/post/who-get...

Does Testing Miss the Mark? w/Akil Bello — Grow Beyond Grades Our guest on the Grow Beyond Grades podcast is Akil Bello, an expert in educational access with over 30 years of experience. Akil began his career as a test proctor in 1990 and has since held roles fr...

Largely, K-12 testing is not beneficial to students and families. They don't get back any level of specificity that allows for study, development, and improvement…But that should be the goal of a test, right? @akilbello.bsky.social #ungrading growbeyondgrades.org/blog/akil-be...

After the 2024 election, many people asked me what to do next. I told them, "Until we have achieved it, advancing equity is our job!" Read more in our latest weekly perspective piece: www.forward-ed.com/post/equity-....
#EquityInEducation #Innovation #EquityNow #EducationalExcellence #forwardED