Jennifer! I am so pleased and surprised our gala has brought you out into the light. I was, however, surprised to see your reservation to this event and to know that we share this agenda and a desire to celebrate with others whose life’s work has been about advancing the needs of students first, foremost…

I’ve gone back to school. For the first time in 25 years, I am in a classroom with people and a teacher/leader, getting used to the newness of the people, the lessons and the purpose of it all and anticipating papers, projects and much homework to achieve the doctorate I have set out to pursue…

Once upon a time, in this country, early in the last century hoards of Italians, (like me!), Irish, German, Jewish peoples and more descended on this land in search of something better. From the schools to the sweatshops, they took jobs that paid little and demanded much. Haste, greed and neglect soon became the norm…

This week marks my second week being in Washington, DC and the first week of my senior year of college. After being at Arizona State University for three years, this cross-country trip to the nation’s capitol marks the first semester I will not be returning to Arizona. As part of ASU’s McCain Institute Policy &…

There is a broad consensus on “if” student achievement should be used in teacher evaluations. It should – and a majority of states include it as the main factor in evaluating educators. 24 states, in fact, require student achievement to inform accountability for teachers, and 12 more include it with a number of other factors.…

The commemoration of the March on Washington (Aug 28,1963) this weekend is cause to remember that while struggles in economic and educational equity did and do exist, there were people who for years had been working to integrate schools, even before the Brown v Board of Education ruling in 1954. One such person was DC…

Education Next has a new report that details the positive role charter schools play in improving other public schools around them. The report compiled media accounts and school district initiatives that indicate traditional public school officials not only take notice of charter schools in their districts, but also become motivated to improve their own schools…

After taking my final morning commute, I sat down at my computer one last time with the daunting task of putting words to my DC experience. This morning’s rare but refreshing cool breeze was a faint reminder of home, almost as if it intended to make today’s finality more vivid. The California sun was soon…

This week I had the pleasure of sitting down with my home district’s Congresswoman, Lois Capps, in my first ever encounter with a federal politician. I was prepared to be rushed in and out of her office just to shake her hand and get a quick picture taken, knowing the endless demand and limited supply…

I shoved my annotated, well-used copy of Pedagogy of the Oppressed into my book bag as class ended and I approached my professor, Dr. Carrillo. I told Dr. Carrillo, an education professor, that I had finalized my summer plans: I would be interning with The Center for Education Reform in Washington, DC. I joked that…