Author: Dr. Julian Vasquez Heilig
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Peter Drucker’s old maxim still rings true: “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” But in the realm of K–12 and higher education equity work, that truth doesn’t just ring — it roars. Over the years, I’ve watched countless schools, districts, and universities launch well-intentioned equity initiatives, only to watch them crash into a brick wall of…
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Let’s be honest. The people who most need this post probably won’t read it. And if they do, they’ll assume it’s about someone else. They’ll skim, nod, and keep on quietly dodging the accountability their position demands. But this post isn’t meant to be polite. Because across education—in K–12 districts and college campuses alike—weak middle…
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Maria Ressa doesn’t flinch. She’s a Nobel Peace Prize winner who has faced arrest, harassment, and relentless attacks by an authoritarian regime. She’s been put on trial for doing what journalists are supposed to do—telling the truth. But when I watched her appear on the recent episode of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, she wasn’t…
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They’ll shake your hand at the press conference. Applaud your credentials. Post your photo across their websites and diversity brochures. You’ll be celebrated as a historic first—until you act like more than a figurehead. Then they’ll come for you. They’ll call it a “personnel matter.” A “leadership transition.” A “mutual decision.” But what it really…
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“Roads? Where we’re going, we don’t need roads.” — Dr. Emmett Brown, Back to the Future The year is now. But the stakes? They’re from the future. Imagine stepping into a souped-up DeLorean, gunning it to 88 miles per hour, and landing not in 1955, but in the school district of tomorrow. What do you…




