About the Contributors

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  Alison Crowley

  Ali Crowley teaches Algebra 2 and AP Calculus at Lafayette High School in Lexington, Kent. A National Board-certified teacher with 11 years of experience, she is also a member of the Center for Teaching Quality’s Implementing Common Core Standards team.

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  Anna Martin

  Anna L. Martin is the resource teacher at Lee Mathson Middle School, a public school in an urban high-needs district in San Jose, Calif. A National Board-certified teacher, Anna began her career through Teach For America as a core teacher for 7th and 8th grades. Upon completing her two-year placement, she continued to work at the school as a teacher, mentor, and teacher leader. Anna is a Teacher Leaders Network member and part of the Bay Area New Millennium Initiative team.

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  Ariel Sacks

  Ariel Sacks teaches 8th grade English at a middle school in Brooklyn, N.Y. An alumna of Bank Street College of Education, she is a co-author of TEACHING 2030: What We Must Do For Our Students and Our Public Schools… Now and in the Future. Ariel, a member of the Teacher Leaders Network, has published articles about her work in Education Week Teacher. Her blog "On the Shoulders of Giants" is part of transformED.

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  Bill Farmer

  Bill Farmer has been teaching biology and chemistry for nine years at Evanston Township High School in Evanston, Ill. He is currently serving his third year as president of an IEA/NEA local affiliate. Bill is a mentor teacher, co-chair of several district committees, and a virtual community organizer for the Illinois New Millennium Initiative team.

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  Bill Ferriter

  Bill Ferriter (@plugusin on Twitter) carries about a dozen different titles around with him each day. He's a member of the Teacher Leaders Network, a noted education blogger, a Solution Tree author and professional development associate on professional learning communities and teaching with technology, and a former columnist for ASCD and Learning Forward/NSDC. What he's proudest of, however, is that he checks all of those titles at the door each morning when he walks into his 6th grade science classroom!

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  Bill Ivey

  Bill Ivey teaches 7th grade Humanities, French, and music at Stoneleigh-Burnham School in Western Massachusetts. He is a member of the Teacher Leaders Network.

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  Carrie Kamm

  Carrie Kamm is a mentor-resident coach with the Academy for Urban School Leadership's Chicago Teacher Residency Program. She is also a co-author of TEACHING 2030: What We Must Do for Our Students and Our Public Schools...Now and in the Future and a member of the Center for Teaching Quality's Illinois New Millennium Initiative.

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  Cheryl Suliteanu

  Cheryl Suliteanu has taught elementary school students in Oceanside, Calif. for 15 years. She is a National Board-certified teacher with certification in English as a New Language, a Teacher Leaders Network member, and a virtual coach/facilitator for the NEA-Priority Schools Campaign online community on Home-School Connections.

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  Dan Brown

  Dan Brown teaches high school English in Washington, D.C. He is the author of The Great Expectations School: A Rookie Year in the New Blackboard Jungle, which was recently released in an expanded edition. Dan blogs regularly for transformEd and contributed to TEACHING 2030: What We Must Do for Our Students and Our Public Schools—Now and in the Future. Follow him on Twitter: @danbrownteacher.

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  Dave Orphal

  Dave Orphal is a teacher and small learning communities coordinator at Skyline High School in Oakland, Calif. In his free time, he serves as a member of the Center for Teaching Quality's Bay Area New Millennium Initiative and TEACHING 2030 teams. He blogs at transformED, and works with the California Teachers' Association's Institute for Teaching.

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  David Ruenzel

  David Ruenzel is an English teacher at the Athenian School in Danville, Calif. From 1992-2001 he was a senior writer at Teacher Magazine and contributing editor at Education Week; in 1995, he was a finalist for the National Magazine Award in public affairs reporting.

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  Delonna Halliday

  Delonna Halliday is a 4th Grade teacher at Grant Center for the Expressive Arts in Tacoma, Wash. She has a background in TV/movie production, spent a year teaching in China, and earned a master's degree in education before launching her classroom career in the U.S. A National Board-certified teacher, Delonna is a member of the Washington New Millennium Initiative team.

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  Ilana Garon

  Ilana Garon has been teaching high school English (and math, in emergency situations) in the Bronx since she graduated from Barnard College in 2003. She is a regular contributor to The Huffington Post and Dissent Magazine, and has also been published in PresenTense Magazine, Sunday Salon, and Miranda Literary Magazine. Ilana received her MA from City College in 2005, and her MFA from Sarah Lawrence College in 2009. She lives in New York City.

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  Jennie Magiera

  Jennie Magiera is a 4th and 5th grade math teacher and a technology and mathematics curriculum coach in Chicago Public Schools. A Teacher Leaders Network member, 2012 Chicago Public Schools Tech Innovator of the Year, Golden Apple Teacher of Distinction, and Apple Distinguished Educator, she explores best practices in math pedagogy and technology in her blog, Teaching Like It's 2999, and on Twitter @msmagiera.

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  Jennifer Barnett

  Jennifer Barnett is an English and social studies teacher and technology specialist in Talladega County, Ala. She is a co-author of Teaching 2030: What We Must Do for Our Students and Our Public Schools, Now and in the Future.

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  Jessica Hahn

  Jessica Hahn has taught elementary grade children for six years in Phoenix and New York City. She has a master’s degree in literacy from Teachers College and began doctoral work in curriculum and teaching there as well. She currently teaches 1st grade in Brooklyn.

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  Jessica Keigan

  As a teacherpreneur, Jessica divides her time evenly between teaching English at Horizon High School in Denver and supporting results-oriented efforts to improve Colorado's schools. She is a member of the Denver New Millennium Initiative team. A Colorado native who has taught for nine years, Jessica earned her bachelor's degree in English literature from Seattle Pacific University. She earned certification and a master's degree in curriculum and instruction from the University of Colorado at Denver's Initial Professional Teacher Education program.

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  Jessica Shyu

  Jessica Shyu is Vice President of Regional Affairs and Training & Support at Teach For China, a part of the Teach For All global network. In this role, she manages a team that supports about 150 first- and second-year teachers from China and the United States to teach and close the achievement gap in under-served communities in China. Prior to joining Teach For China, Jessica was a special education teacher and staff member with Teach For America.

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  Joel Malley

  Joel Malley teaches AP literature, along with mass media and film production, at Cheektowaga Central High School outside Buffalo, NY. He is an active member of the Western New York Writing Project and City Voices/City Visions, a program exploring the impact of digital composition on student learning.

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  José Vilson

  José Vilson is a math teacher, coach, and data analyst for a middle school in the Inwood/Washington Heights neighborhood of New York. A poet, web developer, and mentor to new teachers, he blogs about teaching and life in his spare time. Jose is a member of the Teacher Leaders Network and a coauthor of TEACHING 2030.

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  Karl Ochsner

  Karl Ochsner is a 7th and 8th grade science teacher at Blessed Pope John XXIII Catholic School in Scottsdale, Arizona, and teaches classes on K-12 technology integration at Arizona State University. A Teacher Leaders Network member, Karl is involved is part of the Arizona TeacherSolutions 2030 team, the NASA/ISTE Learning Laboratory: Magnetic Space Project team, and the Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate FIPSE team.

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  Kate Mulcahy

  Kate Mulcahy, a Boettcher Teachers Program graduate, has taught for five years as an English & English Language Learner teacher at Northglenn High School in Adams 12. Kate presented at conferences including Colorado Council of the International Reading Association and Colorado Language Arts Society and has received the National Council of Teachers of English sponsored High School Teacher of Excellence award. A member of the Teacher Leaders Network, Kate is part of the Denver New Millennium Initiative team.

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  Larry Ferlazzo

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  Lauren Hill

  Lauren Hill teaches AP Language and Composition and 9th grade English at Western Hills High School in Frankfort, Kentucky. A National Board Certified Teacher, Lauren works with the Implementing Common Core Standards team at the Center for Teaching Quality. Lauren earned a B.A. from Barnard College at Columbia University, an M.Ed. from Peabody College at Vanderbilt University, and her Rank I from the University of Kentucky.

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  Liana Heitin

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  Linda Yaron

  As an English teacher in an inner-city high school in Los Angeles, Linda Yaron has spent the last nine years working to increase opportunities for students to succeed. She holds National Board Certification in English Language Arts, CA Single Subject Credentials in Physical Education and Health, and a Tier 1 Administrative Credential. Last school year, she was a Teaching Ambassador Fellow at the U.S. Department of Education, and she is currently taking part in the Teachers for Global Classrooms program.

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  Lori Nazareno

  Lori is in her 24th year of teaching and is a dually certified National Board Certified Teacher in Science. She is currently the co-lead teacher at the Mathematics and Science Leadership Academy in Denver, Colorado. Lori designed the teacher-led school, taking it from concept to reality. Her teacher leadership activities have included membership in CTQ's Teacher Leaders Network, the NEA Commission for Effective Teachers and Teaching, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation's Innovative Professional Development Advisory Board, and the NBPTS Board of Directors.

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  Marsha Ratzel

  Marsha Ratzel is a National Board-certified teacher in the Blue Valley School District in Kansas, where she teaches middle school math and science. Marsha is a member of the Teacher Leaders Network and blogs about her professional practice at Reflections of a Techie.

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  Meenoo Rami

  Meenoo Rami, a National Board-certified teacher, teaches her students English at Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphiia. She also runs a weekly Twitter chat for English teachers called #engchat, and you can follow her on Twitter @mrami2. Her teaching has been strengthened through her involvement in the National Writing Project, and she has shared her practice at NCTE, ISTE, ASCD, EduCon, Urban Sites Conference, and #140edu.

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  Megan Allen

  Megan Allen is a National Board Certified Teacher who is the 2010 Florida Teacher of the Year and a finalist for 2010 National Teacher of the Year. She has taught for seven years, all at Title 1 schools, and now serves as the Educator in Residence at the University of Central Florida. She is an education geek who enjoys advocating as a member of the Teacher Leaders Network and the Hillsborough County New Millennium Initiative.

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  Michael Moran

  Michael Moran is a former sixth grade teacher currently pursuing a Master of Public Administration degree at the University of Washington's Evans School of Public Affairs. In addition to teaching, Michael has recruited, trained, and supported teachers through his work with Teach For America, Peace Corps, and Teachers Without Borders. He currently conducts research around college readiness and access to advanced courses for foundations and nonprofits in the Seattle area.

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  Nancy S. Gardner

  A renewed National Board Certified Teacher, Nancy Gardner teaches senior English at Mooresville High School in Mooresville, N.C. She is also chair of the English Department and the senior project coordinator. A member of the Teacher Leaders Network, Nancy works with the Center for Teaching Quality on its Implementing Common Core Standards project. In 2007, Mooresville Graded Schools began a digital 1:1 laptop conversion, so now teachers and students in grades 3-12 use laptops for instruction.

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  Noah Patel

  Noah Patel is a 7th-year middle school math teacher in the Boston Public School District. He received his bachelor of arts and master of education degrees at Boston College and is a two-time winner of the Sontag Prize for excellence in urban education. He has been a regular participant at NBC's Education Nation Summit. He was a 2007 Teach Plus policy fellow and is committed to bringing teacher voice into policy discussions at the district, state and national level.

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  Noah Zeichner

  As a teacherpreneur, Noah divides his time evenly between teaching social studies at Chief Sealth International High School (Seattle, WA) and supporting the New Millennium Initiative's efforts to improve Washington's schools. A National Board Certified Teacher, Noah currently teaches U.S. history, global leadership, and IB theory of knowledge. Noah has traveled with students to Guatemala and China and is a Teachers for Global Classrooms Fellow this year, learning about best practices in global education through virtual coursework and international travel.

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  Patrick Ledesma

  Patrick Ledesma is a middle school technology specialist and special education department chair with Fairfax County Public Schools in Virginia. A National Board Certified Teacher and doctoral candidate at George Mason University, Patrick also maintains the blog "Leading From the Classroom" on Education Week Teacher and was a 2010 US Department of Education Teacher Ambassador.

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  Rebecca Schmidt

  Rebecca Schmidt is in her fifth year of teaching in D.C. Public Schools. She is team leader of the 3rd grade at Bancroft Elementary, and also runs the after school drama club. She spent the summer helping to train pre-service teachers through the Center for Inspired Teaching. In her free time, Rebecca likes to visit farmers' markets, work on her Spanish, and play sports outside.

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  Renee Moore

  Renee has taught English and journalism for 20 years in the Mississippi Delta region at both high school and community college levels. She is National Board Certified, a former state Teacher of the Year, and a co-author of TEACHING 2030: What We Must Do for Our Students and Our Public Schools...Now and in the Future.

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  Robert Pronovost

  Robert Pronovost is a 2nd grade teacher and MOUSE Squad student tech advisor at Belle Haven Elementary in Menlo Park, CA. Robert has been a teacher in the Ravenswood City School District for five years since graduating from the Stanford Teacher Education Program (STEP) with his master’s degree in elementary education. His class has been featured in news articles and he has spoken at conferences around the nation about integrating technology into the elementary classroom.

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  Ryan Kinser

  Ryan Kinser is a 6th grade English teacher at Walker Middle Magnet School for International Studies in Tampa. He is a member of the Hillsborough County New Millennium Initiative.

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  Ryan Niman

  Ryan Niman teaches English and Social Studies in the Edmonds School District north of Seattle, Washington. Ryan is a member of the Washington New Millennium Initiative team. He sits on the Professional Excellence Committee, addressing compensation, evaluation, and professional support with district and union leaders. He is also part of the Teacher Evaluation Steering Committee, helping to adopt and integrate a new evaluation system. He blogs at transformED.

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  Sarah Brown Wessling

  Sarah Brown Wessling is a high school English teacher at Johnston High School in Johnston, Iowa. She is also serving as TCHr Laureate for the Teaching Channel and was the 2010 National Teacher of the Year.

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  Sarah Henchey

  Sarah Henchey is a 6th grade language arts teacher in Orange County, NC. This year she is collaborating on two initiatives with the Center for Teaching Quality. Sarah is serving as a virtual community organizer for the Implementing Common Core Standards project team and assisting in the development and launch of the Teacher Leader Model Standards website.

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  Todd Rackowitz

  Todd Rackowitz has been teaching math for 19 years in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school system, and for the past 11 years at Independence High School. A National Board Certified Teacher since 2001, Todd is a member of his district’s mathematics leadership team as well as the Center for Teaching Quality’s Implementing Common Core Standards team.