This week, Dr. Grauer celebrates National Banjo Day, honoring the joy of the old-time tradition of making music by hand, and keeping this heritage alive. To study our heritage is fundamental to what educators and schools are charged with doing with a rising generation.

What happens when school leaders feel they can’t speak their passionate beliefs freely—even while teaching banned books? In an age of political tension and self-censorship, this piece explores the quiet dilemmas facing educators.

At The Grauer School, and any great school, dance and exercise isn’t just art—it’s a powerful form of learning even if it often stays in the shadows. Learn not just how dance is transforming students’ minds, bodies, and spirits—but why joy might be the most radical lesson of all.

Our strongest memories of school often aren’t about tests or class lessons—they're about the moments and encounters that shaped us: a teacher who saw something in us before we did, or the unspoken codes of status and survival. What do you remember?

On a trip to the grocery store, Dr. Grauer spotted a small fitness studio named The Exercise Coach. Their pitch: "20-minute strength workouts, twice a week." When he tried out a lesson, the last thing he expected was to be re-taught his own educational philosophy.

With new laws in most states in the union, a debate is heating up. Is school choice a personal decision—or a national movement? If you love education, don’t miss this debate. And let us hear from you.

The latest nationwide findings from Challenge Success paint what could look like a grim picture of high school in America, namely that students are struggling under the weight of unhealthy stress, chronic sleep deprivation, and a lack of belonging. The purpose of this column is to try to find a more joyful way forward. 

Here’s a Valentine’s Day love letter from a collective including Albert Einstein, Leonardo da Vinci, and Willy Wonka. In a world where many schools showcase dazzling programs that most students never get to join, small schools can engage every voice, brushstroke, and song to bring out great education.