Urban Education

My interests in education stem from the two paths that brought me to Temple: First, a PhD in Critical and Cultural Studies with an emphasis on how social changes are connected to, and influenced by, narratives - be they political, historical, social or personal and; Secondly, a twenty year career in policy development and implementation from Special Assistant to three Pennsylvania Secretaries of Education to eight years as the Chief Education Officer for the City of Philadelphia setting the Mayor's policy agenda in K-12 and higher education. The courses I teach, the work I continue to do in the community and the mentoring I do with students is therefore centered around the theories which help us to explain how power, representation, constructions of social justice and community interact with the "lived experiences" and policy realities in specific historical junctions. I am currently working on building a collaborative of regional school leaders who are committed to working in collaboration across sectors ( district, charter, private) on increasing opportunities for success for all students through wholistic and project-based instruction. I remain committed to increasing the capacity of the schools and the non-profit sector in Philadelphia in order to bring about equity in educational opportunitiy in hopes of a more just city.