Shaka Mitchell

More light than heat. Music on Mondays. Education everyday. Substack for longish thoughts. Founded - DM me for booking.

[Shaka Mitchell @shakamitchell]

Basically my entire life @Jeopardy

[Shaka Mitchell @shakamitchell]

20 years after his mom's cancer diagnosis, the only thing @ScottHamilton wanted was to stand center ice again. He reached out to a friend and asked him to sing "With One More Look At You" for his return. @shakamitchell #ComeTogetherMusic #IceandSpice

[Shaka Mitchell @shakamitchell]

Application and more information can be found here: https://t.co/u9bOo5uaPb

[Shaka Mitchell @shakamitchell]

Hey #NewHampshire 👋

It's summer and if you're looking at next year thinking “This school just wasn’t the right fit… now what?” - you have other options.

Applications for Education Freedom Accounts (EFAs) for the 2026–27 school year are still open. Families can use EFA funds for things like private school tuition, tutoring, curriculum, online learning, and more.

If you’ve been waiting for permission to explore something different for your child… this is it.

Apply early 👇
@CSF_NH @NHDeptEd @schoolchoicenow

[Shaka Mitchell @shakamitchell]

I was privileged to sit down with @ManeetChauhan and her positivity is infectious. It largely comes from her parents who supported her in ways that were absolutely counter cultural. The full #ComeTogetherMusic episode is live now wherever you get your podcasts.

[Shaka Mitchell @shakamitchell]

One Philly radio station's dive into rock format ignited a passion in @JohnOates that began a lifelong journey. The sound that changed everything was none other than Chuck Berry. #ComeTogetherMusic #RockAndRoll #MusicHistory

[Shaka Mitchell @shakamitchell]

My take on the world song is Led Zepplin's "Black Dog."

[Shaka Mitchell @shakamitchell]

What song instantly takes you back to 6th grade?

What’s your “I can take on the world” anthem?

What song carried you through a breakup?

And after a brutal day at work…what do you put on first?

I joined TJ Bennett on his "Desuckify Work" podcast to talk about the soundtrack of our lives as part of his @Prohuman_org’s series.

Drop your songs below 👇

[Shaka Mitchell @shakamitchell]

🎧️ Listen to the full conversation to hear others' responses: https://t.co/FhBfXh0OcS

[Shaka Mitchell @shakamitchell]

@SchoolChoiceNow Finally, SGOs should expect to conduct annual audits (with a streamlined process for small orgs). IRS is planning a reporting portal to ensure oversight and reduce fraud.

Stay tuned for more. https://t.co/W8G4Y771x7

[Shaka Mitchell @shakamitchell]

🧵 States are opting in as we get more clarity.

Last week, @schoolchoicenow attended a U.S. Treasury roundtable on implementation of the Education Freedom Tax Credit and got several regulatory updates included below. These are key as a few states are still on the fence about letting students receive scholarships. First, proposed rules now expected around Sept. → likely issued as an Interim Final Rule (IFR) with force of law

Check out the thread for more details 👇

[Shaka Mitchell @shakamitchell]

Homeschool students should expect to be eligibile in states that treat homeschooling as private school. I believe that accounts for 22 states.

Public school students are also eligible to receive scholarships. Again, a plain-language reading of the law already indicated this but it's nice to have the confirmation.

[Shaka Mitchell @shakamitchell]

@chrispapst Hear all about this finding and more on @QMCast: https://t.co/o5Eyq8D8Pu

[Shaka Mitchell @shakamitchell]

In 2016, @ChrisPapst found six schools—serving hundreds of students—where not a single student was proficient in any subject based on state testing.

Hundreds of kids. Zero proficiency.

That’s the kind of result that should force hard questions about what’s going on in those schools. @schoolchoicenow @QMCast

[Shaka Mitchell @shakamitchell]

As I brought up previously in my myth-busting series, one of the most common criticisms of school choice is that it mainly benefits affluent families.

But in North Carolina, newly released data shows 66% of Opportunity Scholarship dollars go to lower-income families.

States have choices in how they structure these programs—and they can move the needle on educational access and equity.

@CarolinaJournal

https://t.co/V3MRzn6G0B

[Shaka Mitchell @shakamitchell]

Monday Music - In the words of @digableplanets, "N.Y. is Red Hot!" Multiple come-from-behind wins, including bouncing back from the largest deficit in NBA Finals history, resulted in the New York Knickerbockers claiming basketball's grandest prize. Seeing the celebrations online make this original New Yorker nostalgic. A sample of the lyrics: "Wake up, prayin' that a game's on. Maybe it's the Runnin' Rebs, maybe it's the Knicks." Yeah, it's the Knicks alright. #Knicksinfive

https://t.co/Q47f02j6Bo

[Shaka Mitchell @shakamitchell]

This was a fun song and memory from the April Mixtape with MORIAH and John Oates. She talks about #Suavemente and the effect it has at fiestas of all types. #PartyMusic

[Shaka Mitchell @shakamitchell]

How did a Baltimore Co. police chief deal with intense stress? Music helped, in particular, "Free Fallin'" by TomPetty. #LawEnforcement #Coping #Resilience

[Shaka Mitchell @shakamitchell]

ICYMI - the ESA program in North Carolina now has more than 100k students participating. And the majority are from the bottom two income brackets. Get the full scoop from David Bass below 👇 @carolinajournal @afcpress https://t.co/IIoGNBl0dY

[Shaka Mitchell @shakamitchell]

This week the U.S. Treasury gave a good deal of direction for how the EFTC will operate in 2027. Governors have plenty of information to opt-in and allow scholarship orgs to develop and prep to support students. @Tommy_USA @schoolchoicenow @wsj

https://t.co/VysQmyBYr8