“The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired labor. The freedmen are advised to remain quietly at their present homes and work for wages. They are informed that they will not be allowed to collect at military posts and that they will not be supported in idleness either there or elsewhere.” —General Orders, Number 3; Headquarters District of Texas, Galveston, June 19, 1865

June 16, 2021, the Unites States Congress overwhelmingly voted to make Juneteenth a federal holiday, which commemorates the independence of slaves in Texas on June 19, 1865, when the union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas, and announced that all 250,000 slaves were free by decree, two years after the Emancipation Proclamation took effect on January 1, 1863.

Unfortunately, Juneteenth, a very important and significant date for African Americans, and for all Americans to recognize and commemorate, is not taught in our schools, nor is it mentioned in many of text books, even though 47 states have officially recognized it, with Texas being the first to commemorate it as a state holiday in 1980.

In order to learn more about Juneteenth, below is a suggested reading list:

On Juneteenth by Annette Gordon-Reed

From the author of Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings: An American Controversy, which challenged Americans’ perception of the founding father because of his exploitive relationship with Sally Hemings, an enslaved woman on his plantation, comes a book that sheds light on the history of slavery in America, leading up to the events that culminated in Juneteeth. In this series of essays, Pulitzer Prize–winning historian Gordon-Reed weaves together American history and her own family history and eloquently pays tribute to the integral role of Blacks in shaping Texas.

Juneteenth Texas : Essays in African-American Folklore

Learn the origins of some of the cultural traditions and legends associated with this joyful occasion by exploring its Texan roots.

Envisioning Emancipation: Black Americans and the End of Slavery, by Deborah Willis  and Barbara Krauthamer

In their pioneering book, Envisioning Emancipation, renowned photographic historian Deborah Willis and historian of slavery Barbara Krauthamer have amassed 150 photographs–some never before published–from the antebellum days of the 1850s through the New Deal era of the 1930s. The authors vividly display the seismic impact of emancipation on African Americans born before and after the Proclamation, providing a perspective on freedom and slavery and a way to understand the photos as documents of engagement, action, struggle, and aspiration.

All Different Now: Juneteenth, the First Day of Freedom, Angela Johnson and E.B. Lewis

Through the eyes of one little girl, All Different Now tells the story of the first Juneteenth, the day freedom finally came to the last of the slaves in the South. Since then, the observance of June 19 as African American Emancipation Day has spread across the United States and beyond. This stunning picture book includes notes from the author and illustrator, a timeline of important dates, and a glossary of relevant terms.

Juneteenth: A Celebration of Freedom, by Charles A. Taylor

JUNETEENTH: A Celebration of Freedom’ effectively conveys the jubilation that occurred on June 19, 1865 when African American people in Texas were the last to be freed from the horrors of U.S. slavery, a full two months after the end of the Civil War and more than two years after Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. Dr. Taylor’s 32-page book, full of colorful illustrations, archival photographs, and historical documents, makes the information about Juneteenth accessible for readers aged ten and up.

Juneteenth: Freedom Day, by Muriel Miller Branch

Provides the story of how this holiday, marking the Emancipation Proclamation, spontaneously began on June 19, 1865, in Galveston, Texas, and grew from there into a nationwide celebration of freedom among African Americans.

Shortly after graduating from college, I started a job at the Tax Foundation, a non-profit organization in Washington, DC, with a mission of educating lawmakers and the public about tax policy. Taxes sound boring to many people, but tax policy is actually really interesting: The tax code affects nearly everybody and everything, and tax policy is an important tool for building a strong economy and a fair society. I was lucky enough to be working in DC when the 2017 tax bill was being passed. It was a hectic but exciting time; we were publishing new reports every day to keep up with every development and having frequent meetings on Capitol Hill.

After the 2017 tax bill was passed, it seemed like things were quieting down on the tax policy front in Washington, so I decided to apply to law school. I was lucky enough to be admitted to NYU Law, where I’ve enjoyed studying for the last three years. Once I graduate, I plan to start work as a tax attorney at a DC law firm.

My biggest news since high school, though, is that I’m engaged to be married in May!

What is a favorite ������Ƶ/CDB memory?

I remember fondly my first Bradley Seminar, which took place in Dallas. It was my first time meeting the other Bradley Scholars, and it was a really fun time. It was also my first time in the state of Texas!

What words of wisdom would you pass on to current ������Ƶ students?

Don’t be too busy. Find time to relax, to hang out with friends, and to read for fun. Some people feel pressure to do a million extracurricular activities, but you’ll have a better time if you pick just a few activities that you really enjoy and find meaningful.

Innovative schools are on the rise across the world and are transforming the way we think about K–12 education. These schools are no longer following the traditional model of education. They are not tied to a standardized curriculum, traditional methods of assessment, or even a single location. New models are beginning to provide students with opportunities to work on collaborative, real-world projects—students start non-profits, design robots, complete specialized science research, and work in maker spaces to cut, drill, and laser print. Increasingly, students at these schools also have opportunities to engage in individualized learning through tech-driven curriculum. Teachers provide support and counseling by helping students pave their own educational pathway, choose their own curricula, and move at their own pace. Students in new models often take on additional responsibilities, planning their own days, weeks, and semesters. And schools become collaborative environments—spaces where students can work together to tackle the “real world” while gaining the skills they will need to operate successfully in a 21st century workplace.��,��, and  are all examples of these schools.

For all their promise, however, innovative schools may still experience growing pains. In particular, students can face difficulties transitioning to a high school environment that departs from traditional designs. Rising high school freshmen just entering an innovative school have spent eight to eleven years in a traditional school. It can be extremely difficult to adjust to the new model of education, after being conditioned to learn through memorization, tests, and lectures.

To better understand the problems students face as they transition to innovative schools, I conducted research to document these challenges. I began my six-month intensive study by speaking with traditional middle schools across the United States to learn how they prepare eighth graders for high school. For the purpose of this research, I defined a traditional school as a school that utilizes lectures and whole-class, single-paced instruction as the primary learning approach, with little differentiation or project-based learning. For my interviews, I was careful to select a sample of parochial, private, and public traditional schools. I also spoke with several innovative high schools across the world, from Mumbai to Texas to Rabat, in order to become familiar with their programs and find out how their students adjust to a new model of education. Some of the schools I interviewed had just opened and had small inaugural classes, while others had been running for decades. I spoke with parents and administrators about each school’s educational philosophies, transition programs, admissions criteria (if applicable), academic and social challenges faced by students, and the ways each school addressed those problems.

Finally, I spoke with students. I talked with them about their middle school experiences, and their reasons for moving to an innovative model. We discussed the rewards and struggles associated with their new learning environments. Each student analyzed how their social relationships had changed, and how they had dealt with their new academic independence. I learned what students wished their schools had done to aid with the transition, and asked them to design their own transition programs.

Through my interviews, I discovered what students find appealing about innovative schools. For the most part, these students’ interest in innovative schools stemmed from their dissatisfaction with the traditional model. “[Traditional school] felt suffocating…” said one girl. “[They tried to] burn everything into my memory,” said another. “[They] always wanted us [to] move onto the next unit.” Students also choose to switch schools because of their excitement about how innovative schools can give them independence and freedom to follow their specific interests and passions.

Still, students may struggle socially. Innovative schools are often smaller than their traditional counterparts. As a result, they can fail to create the micro-communities seen at larger high schools. Individualized learning can also lead to isolation, since opportunities for collaboration within academic subjects becomes restricted. This can hinder the effectiveness of collaborative projects and leave students feeling lonely.

Some innovative high schools do not appear to have completely grasped the social and academic shifts students are dealing with, or the requirements they’ll need to succeed later in life. As a result, it can take significant time and effort for students to fully embrace and take advantage of all the opportunities an innovative model of education can have to offer.

Now, having spoken to educators and students from across the world, I have a better understanding of what is working and what can be improved upon in preparing students to thrive in new, innovative school environments. My research can provide a valuable student perspective to innovative schools as they consider how to better cater to their students’ interests and needs. The next three blog posts in this series will outline my findings and recommendations in the areas of , academics, and social experiences.

This post is part of a series originally published by the and has been reposted with permission. To read the originally published post or the rest of the series, visit the .��

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