I joined the staff of the Learning First Alliance (LFA) in September 2007. LFA is a partnership of 16 education organizations representing more than 10 million members dedicated to improving student learning in America's public schools. We share examples of success, encourage collaboration at every level, and work toward the continual and long-term improvement of public education based on solid research.
I come to this work from a classroom perspective. I taught high school physical science, biology and remedial math in Reserve, Louisiana, for two years as a Teach For America corps member. I've also worked on both school- and community-based mentoring programs.
Blog Posts
Last week marked the 58th anniversary of Brown versus the Board of Education of Topeka, arguably the most important Supreme Court decision of the 20th century. With the declaration that "separate educational...
Read More.As we close in on Earth Day 2012, it seems fitting to reflect on the school's dual role in environmental protection.
Like all entities, schools have an environmental footprint. Those in the school generate trash. They use energy for heating, lighting, photocopying and so on. Schools are...
Read More.According to the recent MetLife Survey of the American Teacher, teachers, parents and students all agree that parent engagement in schools has...
Read More.In That Used to Be Us, Tom Friedman and Michael Mandelbaum call the flattening of the world "the most profound inflection point for communication, innovation, and commerce since the Gutenberg...
Read More.The importance of "digital literacy" for all citizens in the 21st century seems to be universally accepted. The Obama administration has launched DigitalLiteracy. Microsoft...
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As 2011 winds to a close, we are about to turn the page on a year that saw new evidence suggesting that the education reform policies du jour aren't really working. Most charter schools perform no better than traditional public schools (at least in...
Read More.Most people acknowledge that their stress level goes up around the winter holidays. Crowded shopping malls, financial pressures, and additional responsibilities at home, work and in the community can all contribute. Educators can also experience another level of stress: addressing the December...
Read More.According to a recent study, U.S. governors talk predominantly about one role for education in our society -- an economic one. In analyzing "state of the state" speeches from 2001 to 2008, governors...
Read More.Approximately 32 percent of students report being bullied at school. Bullied students are more likely to take a weapon to school, get involved in physical fights, and suffer from anxiety and depression, health problems,...
Read More.For about 10 years of my childhood, I was a Girl Scout. I loved earning badges; it was always my goal to have the most of anyone in my troop. I earned them anyway I could, from selling cookies to riding horses to creating a "secret language" with my brother (communications).
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