Mission
So Educated was founded with a simple belief: We must empower every voice yearning to be heard in the debate on education reform, because no one can afford to sit in silence. If you believe, as we do, that “Education is a gift and a responsibility,” then we must all be responsible with the gift we've been given.
Advisory Board
Editorial Team
John S. Wilson
Areas of interest include health care reform and education reform, particularly: access to health care, health care exchanges, and Medicare and Medicaid; in addition, charter schools, K-12 funding, and educational equality.
John is wholeheartedly determined to contribute to the rapidly changing dialogue in the health care and education communities. He has made continuous contributions by conducting research, publishing articles, interviewing practitioners and professors, and engaging students through on-campus organizations.
John's publishings have also appeared in fora such as: The Orlando Sentinel, The Daily Voice, Wiretap magazine, Black Web 2.0, The Daily Californian, NewMajority.com, Club Relaford, HipHopRepublican.com and Policy Net.
Previously, he served as a legislative fellow in the offices of the Honorable David Englin (D) and David Bulova (D) of the Virginia House of Delegates, in the 2009 and 2010 legislative sessions, respectively. John also interned in the office of the State Attorney General of Virginia, and completed a Governor's Fellowship in the Office of Gov. Bob McDonnell where he worked with the deputy secretary of health on projects regarding aging, HIT and disability.
Marybeth Gasman, Ph.D.
After graduating from the Benjamin E. Mays High School and Academy of Math and Science in Atlanta as the Salutatorian and Student Body President, Dr. Kimbrough earned a Bachelor's Degree from the University of Georgia in 1989. He continued his education at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, completing a Master of Science Degree in College Student Personnel Services in 1991, and in 1996 he earned a Ph.D. in Higher Education from Georgia State University.
Dr. Kimbrough has forged a national reputation as an expert on historically Black fraternities and sororities. He has conducted interviews with national publications including the Washington Post and The Chronicle of Higher Education.
He has also been a guest on the National Public Radio show, “Talk of the Nation.” Dr. Kimbrough has given over 350 presentations on Black Greek life at numerous campuses and conferences. He is the author of the book, Black Greek 101: The Culture, Customs and Challenges of Black Fraternities and Sororities. After five months, the book was an Essence magazine top 10 best seller, and is currently in its eighth printing. In 2009, he was named by Diverse Issues in Higher Education as one of 25 To Watch.
Adriel Hilton, Ph.D.
Contributor
Dr. Adriel Hilton is currently Chief Diversity Officer and Executive Assistant to the President of Upper Iowa University. Dr. Hilton earned his Ph.D. in the Higher Education at Morgan State University. He has left an indelible mark on the campus of the institutions he has attended. While a doctoral student at Morgan, Hilton served as president of the graduate student association, a member of the University Council and the Graduate Student Concerns Advisory Committee. In 2004, Dr. Hilton earned his Master’s degree in Applied Social Science with a concentration in public administration from Florida A&M University.
As a student at Morehouse College, where he completed his undergraduate degree as a cum laude graduate in Business Administration with a concentration in finance, Dr. Hilton served as vice president of the NAACP chapter, interned with the southeastern regional office of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and Coca-Cola Enterprises, Inc., and was a United Negro College Fund (UNCF) Corporate Scholar. He helped organize the Atlanta University Center’s (AUC) “Get Out to Vote in the 2000s” campaign and served as a student representative for the Emma Joe Adams Public Service Institute, which allowed him to work with the revitalization task force committee surrounding the AUC community.
Today, he serves on the National African American Student Leadership Conference Advisory Board and the National Black Graduate Student Association Executive Council. Hilton holds membership in several social and fraternal organizations, including Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. and 100 Black Men of America, Inc.
Robert T. Palmer, Ph.D.
Contributor
(picture forthcoming) Robert T. Palmer, Ph.D., is currently Assistant Professor of Student Affairs Administration at the State University of New York-Binghamton. He is an active researcher, who examines access, equity, retention, persistence, and the collegiate experience of racial and ethnic minorities, particularly Black men at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs).
The goals of his research are twofold: (1) to help promote the access, retention, and success of minority students, and (2) to advocate for the continued relevance of HBCUs. Palmer’s work has been published in national refereed journals, including the Journal of College Student Development, Journal of Negro Education, Journal of College Student Retention, Negro Educational Review, and National Association of Student Affairs Professional Journal.
Rachelle Winkle -Wagner, Ph.D.
Rachelle Winkle -Wagner is assistant professor of higher education in the Department of Educational Administration at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. She received her Ph.D. from Indiana University in education policy studies with a concentration in higher education and minors in sociology and qualitative research methodology.
Her research explores sociological aspects of race and gender in higher education with a focus on the access and success of students of color in college. She is particularly interested in the college experiences of African American women. She is the author of The Unchosen Me: Race, Gender, and Identity Among Black Women in College (2009, Johns Hopkins University Press), Cultural Capital: The uses and abuses of a key theoretical concept in educational research (2010, Jossey-Bass), the lead editor of Bridging the Gap Between Theory and Practice in Educational Research: Methods at the Margins (2009, Palgrave MacMillan), and a coeditor of Standing on the Outside Looking In: Underrepresented Students’ Experiences in Advanced Degree Programs (2009, Stylus Publishing).
Winkle-Wagner’s work also appears in The Review of Higher Education, The International Journal of Educational Development, The Negro Educational Review, and Teachers College Record.
URBAN EDUCATION
Alice E. Ginsberg, Ph.D.
Founder and Editor-in-Chief
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Connect with me:    john [at] soeducated [dot] com John's Articles on So Educated |
A proud graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University, John is currently a Master's of Public Health candidate at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University where he is studying health policy & management. He is also a weekly contributor to The Loop 21, frequent contributor to theGrio, and founder of Policy Diary, a leading blog on health policy, management and reform.
Areas of interest include health care reform and education reform, particularly: access to health care, health care exchanges, and Medicare and Medicaid; in addition, charter schools, K-12 funding, and educational equality.
John is wholeheartedly determined to contribute to the rapidly changing dialogue in the health care and education communities. He has made continuous contributions by conducting research, publishing articles, interviewing practitioners and professors, and engaging students through on-campus organizations.
John's publishings have also appeared in fora such as: The Orlando Sentinel, The Daily Voice, Wiretap magazine, Black Web 2.0, The Daily Californian, NewMajority.com, Club Relaford, HipHopRepublican.com and Policy Net.
Previously, he served as a legislative fellow in the offices of the Honorable David Englin (D) and David Bulova (D) of the Virginia House of Delegates, in the 2009 and 2010 legislative sessions, respectively. John also interned in the office of the State Attorney General of Virginia, and completed a Governor's Fellowship in the Office of Gov. Bob McDonnell where he worked with the deputy secretary of health on projects regarding aging, HIT and disability.
HIGHER EDUCATION
Marybeth Gasman, Ph.D.
Contributor*
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Dr. Marybeth Gasman is an associate professor of higher education in the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania. An historian of higher education, her work has explored issues pertaining to philanthropy and historically black colleges, black leadership, contemporary fundraising issues at black colleges, and African-American giving.
Dr. Gasman has also published many peer-reviewed articles in journals such as Teachers College Record, the Journal of Higher Education, the American Educational Research Journal, Educational Researcher, the History of Education Quarterly, the History of Higher Education Annual, and the International Journal of Educational Advancement.
Her work has been cited in various media venues, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, Diverse Issues in Higher Education, National Public Radio, Inside Higher Education, U.S. News and World Report, CNN, and the Chronicle of Higher Education where she blogs regularly. In addition, she serves on the advisory board of Policy Diary, our sister blog.
*Professor Gasman is also on the Advisory Board.
Walter M. Kimbrough, Ph.D.
Dr. Gasman has also published many peer-reviewed articles in journals such as Teachers College Record, the Journal of Higher Education, the American Educational Research Journal, Educational Researcher, the History of Education Quarterly, the History of Higher Education Annual, and the International Journal of Educational Advancement.
Her work has been cited in various media venues, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, Diverse Issues in Higher Education, National Public Radio, Inside Higher Education, U.S. News and World Report, CNN, and the Chronicle of Higher Education where she blogs regularly. In addition, she serves on the advisory board of Policy Diary, our sister blog.
*Professor Gasman is also on the Advisory Board.
Walter M. Kimbrough, Ph.D.
Contributor
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| Connect: Dr. Kimbrough's Blog |
Dr. Walter M. Kimbrough is the 12th president of Philander Smith College in Little Rock, Arkansas. As the first college president from the hip-hop generation, he is one of the youngest college presidents in the nation. Prior to Philander Smith College, he served in administrative capacities at Albany State University, Old Dominion University, Georgia State University and Emory University.
After graduating from the Benjamin E. Mays High School and Academy of Math and Science in Atlanta as the Salutatorian and Student Body President, Dr. Kimbrough earned a Bachelor's Degree from the University of Georgia in 1989. He continued his education at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, completing a Master of Science Degree in College Student Personnel Services in 1991, and in 1996 he earned a Ph.D. in Higher Education from Georgia State University.
Dr. Kimbrough has forged a national reputation as an expert on historically Black fraternities and sororities. He has conducted interviews with national publications including the Washington Post and The Chronicle of Higher Education.
He has also been a guest on the National Public Radio show, “Talk of the Nation.” Dr. Kimbrough has given over 350 presentations on Black Greek life at numerous campuses and conferences. He is the author of the book, Black Greek 101: The Culture, Customs and Challenges of Black Fraternities and Sororities. After five months, the book was an Essence magazine top 10 best seller, and is currently in its eighth printing. In 2009, he was named by Diverse Issues in Higher Education as one of 25 To Watch.
Adriel Hilton, Ph.D.
Contributor
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| Adriel's articles on So Educated |
As a student at Morehouse College, where he completed his undergraduate degree as a cum laude graduate in Business Administration with a concentration in finance, Dr. Hilton served as vice president of the NAACP chapter, interned with the southeastern regional office of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and Coca-Cola Enterprises, Inc., and was a United Negro College Fund (UNCF) Corporate Scholar. He helped organize the Atlanta University Center’s (AUC) “Get Out to Vote in the 2000s” campaign and served as a student representative for the Emma Joe Adams Public Service Institute, which allowed him to work with the revitalization task force committee surrounding the AUC community.
Today, he serves on the National African American Student Leadership Conference Advisory Board and the National Black Graduate Student Association Executive Council. Hilton holds membership in several social and fraternal organizations, including Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. and 100 Black Men of America, Inc.
Robert T. Palmer, Ph.D.
Contributor
(picture forthcoming) Robert T. Palmer, Ph.D., is currently Assistant Professor of Student Affairs Administration at the State University of New York-Binghamton. He is an active researcher, who examines access, equity, retention, persistence, and the collegiate experience of racial and ethnic minorities, particularly Black men at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs).
The goals of his research are twofold: (1) to help promote the access, retention, and success of minority students, and (2) to advocate for the continued relevance of HBCUs. Palmer’s work has been published in national refereed journals, including the Journal of College Student Development, Journal of Negro Education, Journal of College Student Retention, Negro Educational Review, and National Association of Student Affairs Professional Journal.
Since completing his Ph.D. in 2007, Palmer has authored well over 50 peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, conference papers, and other academic publications. He is also the second major author for a monograph for the ASHE-Higher Education Report that provides a comprehensive perspective on the experiences of racial and ethnic minority students in the STEM educational pipeline. In 2009, the American College Personnel Association’s (ACPA) Standing Committee for Men recognized his excellent research on Black men with its Outstanding Research Award.
In 2010, he was named an ACPA Emerging Scholar. Dr. Palmer is on the editorial board of the Journal of College Student Development. Currently, Dr. Palmer is working on a forthcoming book with Jonathan Luke Woods about Black men in higher education.
A.L. Fleming, Ph.D.
Contributor
A.L. Fleming, is a a proud graduate of Elizabeth City State University, one of Americas' 105 historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). He has an earned masters degree in educational management and is currently pursuing a doctorate of philosophy in higher education leadership. He is the founder and president of Woodson University, an institution focused on masters and doctorate level degree work in the fields of religious studies, religious education, and christian education administration.
Mr. Fleming has held several administrative positions on the collegiate level, must recently as director of development at Saint Augustine's College (Raleigh, North Carolina), he has also served as a presidential fellow/intern at The University of North Carolina system , and other middle level administrative positions at Elizabeth City State University.
A.L. research interests include fundraising, community/economic development, higher education administration, workforce development, and minority access to education. He also holds membership in several social and fraternal organizations, including Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and Prince Hall Affiliated Masons.
In 2010, he was named an ACPA Emerging Scholar. Dr. Palmer is on the editorial board of the Journal of College Student Development. Currently, Dr. Palmer is working on a forthcoming book with Jonathan Luke Woods about Black men in higher education.
A.L. Fleming, Ph.D.
Contributor
Mr. Fleming has held several administrative positions on the collegiate level, must recently as director of development at Saint Augustine's College (Raleigh, North Carolina), he has also served as a presidential fellow/intern at The University of North Carolina system , and other middle level administrative positions at Elizabeth City State University.
A.L. research interests include fundraising, community/economic development, higher education administration, workforce development, and minority access to education. He also holds membership in several social and fraternal organizations, including Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and Prince Hall Affiliated Masons.
Jasmine Lowe
Contributor
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| Connect with me: Jasmine's Articles on So Educated |
Jasmine Lowe is currently a student at Cal Poly Pomona. She has experience writing for her school’s newspaper, The Poly Post, and as an intern for the online site, TheLoop 21.com.
She writes for her own blog, ‘Jasmine on the Issues.’ You can fan her blog’s page on Facebook and follow her on twitter @JasmineDLowe.
She writes for her own blog, ‘Jasmine on the Issues.’ You can fan her blog’s page on Facebook and follow her on twitter @JasmineDLowe.
Rachelle Winkle -Wagner, Ph.D.
Contributor
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| Rachelle's articles on So Educated |
Her research explores sociological aspects of race and gender in higher education with a focus on the access and success of students of color in college. She is particularly interested in the college experiences of African American women. She is the author of The Unchosen Me: Race, Gender, and Identity Among Black Women in College (2009, Johns Hopkins University Press), Cultural Capital: The uses and abuses of a key theoretical concept in educational research (2010, Jossey-Bass), the lead editor of Bridging the Gap Between Theory and Practice in Educational Research: Methods at the Margins (2009, Palgrave MacMillan), and a coeditor of Standing on the Outside Looking In: Underrepresented Students’ Experiences in Advanced Degree Programs (2009, Stylus Publishing).
Winkle-Wagner’s work also appears in The Review of Higher Education, The International Journal of Educational Development, The Negro Educational Review, and Teachers College Record.
Sheena Reed
Contributor
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| Sheena's articles on So Educated |
Sheena Reed is a graduate of Bryn Mawr College and is currently pursuing a M.S.Ed. in Higher Education in the Graduation School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania. She is most passionate about issues of access and persistence amongst underrepresented students in higher education. Her chief, interests, however, relate to African Americans in higher education with an emerging interest in minority serving institutions.
Prior to entering the higher education program, Sheena worked as a college admission counselor where she enjoyed interacting with students and having the opportunity to be the site coordinator for College Horizons, a pre-college program, at the University of Puget Sound. Recruitment work enriched her understanding of the existing challenges to equity and access while introducing opportunities that she wishes to explore through advocacy, policy, and direct service.
Alice E. Ginsberg, Ph.D.
Contributor
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| Alice's articles on So Educated |
Dr. Alice Ginsberg is passionate about urban education, social justice, educational equity, and critical pedagogy. Her work is published broadly in journals such as Teachers College Record, Women’s Studies Quarterly, The Journal of Urban Education, Current Issues in Comparative Education, The Journal of Educational Controversy, Inside Higher Education, and many others.
Ginsberg is the co-author of Gender in Urban Education (Heinemann, 2004), co-editor of Gender and Educational Philanthropy (Palgrave, 2007), editor of The Evolution of American Women’s Studies (Palgrave, 2008), editor of And Finally We Meet: Intersections and Intersectionality Among Feminist Activists, Academics and Students (forthcoming, Institute for Teaching and Research on Women, 2011), and author of Embracing Risk in Urban Education (forthcoming, Rowman and Littlefield,
2011).
Ginsberg is the co-author of Gender in Urban Education (Heinemann, 2004), co-editor of Gender and Educational Philanthropy (Palgrave, 2007), editor of The Evolution of American Women’s Studies (Palgrave, 2008), editor of And Finally We Meet: Intersections and Intersectionality Among Feminist Activists, Academics and Students (forthcoming, Institute for Teaching and Research on Women, 2011), and author of Embracing Risk in Urban Education (forthcoming, Rowman and Littlefield,
2011).
For eight years she served as Program Officer at the Pennsylvania Humanities Council (1990-98), and has been a consultant to educational foundations such as the Ms. Foundation for Women and the Caroline and Sigmund Schott Foundation.
Lee Skallerup Bessette, P.hD.
Contributor
Dr. Lee Skallerup Bessette is currently an English Instructor at Morehead State University in Kentucky. She has taught at Florida A&M University and California State University, San Bernardino. She might not have a PhD in writing or education (it's in comparative literature), but she is passionate about education, helping ensure college readiness in students, especially non-traditional ones, and the general future of higher education.
You can follow her on Twitter (@readywriting) or check out her blog at collegereadywriting.blogspot.com. She also has a tutoring and writing assistance business called College Ready Writing.
Contributor
Jesse Nickelson serves as the Director of International Baccalaureate (IB) Programs for the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS). Mr. Nickelson has developed a long term plan for developing IB programs across the school district, and currently provides direction and support for the implementation of the IB Primary Years Program (PYP), Middle Years Program (MYP), and the Diploma Program (DP) at several DC public schools. Previously, Mr. Nickelson served as the Director of Social Studies for the District of Columbia and played a key role in the adoption of social studies standards.
Before coming to serve in the Central Office of DCPS, Mr. Nickelson served as a teacher and the IB Diploma Programme Coordinator for The Benjamin Banneker Academic High School in Washington, D.C. As IB Coordinator, he was responsible for coordinating, implementing, and evaluating all aspects of the IB Diploma Programme. Mr. Nickelson has always taught his students using a global perspective. He believes that by developing a global perspective, students can better understand who they are in a world that is ever changing. This often meant that he would travel with students, or with other teachers, to gain insight on historical events by visiting the places where those events transpired. Mr. Nickelson has participated in Project Bridge (Korea), the Japan Fulbright Teacher Program, Learn Serve Ethiopia, the U.S. China Discovery Program, and the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum Master Teacher Program to bring his students closer to the world.
Mr. Nickelson has occasionally taught at the George Washington University Graduate School of Education, and the American University School of Education. He currently serves on the Advisory Boards for the Peace Corps. World Wise Schools, the World Affairs Council, and the D.C. Geography Alliance. Mr. Nickelson was recently named to serve on the Board of Directors for the School for Ethics and Leadership, which provides a unique, semester long, boarding school experience in Washington, D.C. He is currently pursuing his doctorate in educational leadership and organizational management at the University of Pennsylvania's Mid Career Doctoral Program. His dissertation explores how high school students' construct their civic identity through the analysis of their own descriptions of their experience in a service learning program abroad.
Chris Coyne
Contributor
Chris Coyne teaches High School English in Flagstaff, Arizona. His classes include Advanced Placement English 12 and College Prep English 12. In addition, he has helped to develop the online English credit retrieval curriculum at Flagstaff High School. Before teaching in the public schools, Chris taught freshman composition at Northern Arizona University, where he received his Master’s Degree in English and Education. A professional musician, he has been a music teacher and guitar instructor for many years. He is a native of central Pennsylvania and a graduate of Penn State University.
Monise Seward
Contributor
Monise Seward is a mother, (former) home school and public school Special Education teacher, freelance writer, and self-proclaimed Parent Advocate for (accessible) School Choice, Arts-Education, and diversity. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Notre Dame, where she majored in History with a concentration in African American Studies. Monise is completing requirements for the Ed.D. in K-12 Educational Leadership.
For the past 2.5 years Monise has been developing and revising plans for a (tuition-free) K-12 Visual & Performing Arts Charter School in Snellville, GA. Monise is also currently conducting research for two forthcoming books: one chronicling her experiences as a teacher and the other on the lifelong benefits of well-supported arts programs in public schools. Monise is the Atlanta Education Reform writer for Examiner.com, where she covers topics related directly to Education in the metro-Atlanta area. You can also view her education contributions to the Race-talk.org blog, as well on her own blog, Education CEO. Her new site, moniselseward.com, is forthcoming.
Julie Anderson
Contributor
Julie Anderson is a teacher and a graduate student in Philadelphia, PA. She has been teaching and designing curriculum in public and charter schools in urban and rural settings for the past 5 years.
Throughout her career thus far she has seen strengths and weaknesses in the public education system and continues to look outside of the box and outside of the classroom for innovative ideas.
Ben Nicely
Contributor
Ben Nicely is a public high school teacher of 12 years in Central Virginia. He has taught AP Government, US Government, US History, ESL and World History from 1500. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science with a minor in International Studies and a Masters in Teaching from Virginia Commonwealth University.
He is currently pursuing two graduate certificates through American Public University in Homeland Security and Emergency Management. Ben has served on many high school committees on technology in the classroom, balanced assessments, school scheduling, and school safety. He is a strong advocate for teachers being treated fairly and moving away from educational norms to truly move students into a 21st century learning environment. In his spare time, Ben enjoys running, traveling, kayaking and helping others in his community. He is married with two dogs.
Joe Macartney is a retired elementary teacher who went back to school in his forties to get a teaching certificate. He taught primarily grades 7 and 8 and Special Education.
His working life was divided between teaching and a variety of private sector positions. Before entering teaching he worked in sports administration, professional coaching and a variety of industrial and sales positions.
Rachel Levy (picture unavailable at press time) was born in Washington, D.C., and is a graduate of DC Public Schools. She received her B.A. from Wesleyan University where she was a history and then French Studies major. After graduating she lived in New York City for two years and worked first as a paralegal and then as an afterschool and French teacher at the Brooklyn Friends School while doing some freelance writing.
Jovan Miles
Contributor
Jovan Miles' educational philosophy marries technology, culturally relevant pedagogy, and real world applications of mathematics and science. He holds a Bachelors of Business Administration degree from Georgia State University’s Robinson College of Business and currently is a Masters of Science degree candidate in Education at Georgia State University.
Jovan specializes in the use of verbal, visual, and symbolic representations of mathematics in his instructional strategies. His experience includes work as a special education co-teacher in mathematics classes utilizing his own curriculum. He has participated in extensive professional development in the use of technology in the classroom but is largely self taught in matters of technology.
The use of technology for technology’s sake is not something he is a proponent of -- form does not trump function. With a keen interest in changing the ways K12 education views technology, he realizes that it first must occur at the student and teacher level then move upward through the various levels of leadership. True 21st century classrooms will grow organically and out of necessity rather than through a district mandate.
Jovan also blogs at jovanmiles.net covering the following areas: quantitative educational research, using technology for teacher collaboration, instructional technology, mathematics education, and special education inclusion models.
Ron Zigler, Ed.D.
Contributor
In 1971-72, Ron Zigler spent five months with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi studying Indian Philosophy. He followed this with four years in graduate school at the University of Cincinnati where he studied moral development and the philosophy of moral education.
Subsequently, he has made a career out of examining the common ground underlying concepts from eastern and western philosophy, and relevant research on the mind-body--especially as it pertains to moral growth and development. Twenty-five years after completing graduate school--which included 6 years of teaching high school and other part-time jobs for unemployed scholars--his labors finally paid off when he was promoted, with tenure, to Associate Professor at Penn State Abington.
All of his little detours in life delayed both marriage and fatherhood. He did not get married until 1990, and did not become a father until 1995. He prefers to think that his life can be read as either a testimony to determination and single-mindedness, or simply a lack of imagination when it came to career goals.
Dalyn Montgomery
Contributor
Dalyn Montgomery is an artist and writer who was raised in suburban Utah; a place known for its religious, political, and racial homogeneity. In 1995 he relocated to Altanta to began a two year religious mission focused on the inner-city.
Dalyn continues this case study in integration by currently serving as the bishop of a Philadelphia congregation that is ethnically diverse. He is tasked with facilitating the side by side worship and daily interaction of two groups who are not normally united.
Dalyn has a B.S. in public relations from the University of Utah, a career in corporate sales, and two beautiful daughters. He writes with a focus on messages that communicate across racial lines to foster increased understanding. Samples of his artwork and other endeavors can be found at www.brohammas.com and articles related to race at dalynart.blogspot.com.
Steven S. Ushioda
Contributor
Steven S. Ushioda runs Animate English, an editing and private academic advising shop in Philadelphia and Swarthmore, Pa. He did his undergraduate work at the University of Pennsylvania, concentrating in international politics, and studied Psychology at Swarthmore College. His main focus was on the history and politics of the social sciences.
Previously, he worked for The Philadelphia Independent and Public School Notebook newspapers. He currently consults Thai government scholarship students on academic matters.
As a self-identified Democrat, he values political debate that is inclusive of bipartisanship and compelling arguments from both sides of the aisle. A product of a diverse lineage, Steve is a one-half first generation American of Japanese and Quaker descent. He will focus on philosophical, political, and international issues in education.
RURAL EDUCATION
Lee Skallerup Bessette, P.hD.
Contributor
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| Connect with me: Lee's articles on So Educated |
You can follow her on Twitter (@readywriting) or check out her blog at collegereadywriting.blogspot.com. She also has a tutoring and writing assistance business called College Ready Writing.
K-12
Jesse NickelsonContributor
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| Jesse's articles on So Educated |
Before coming to serve in the Central Office of DCPS, Mr. Nickelson served as a teacher and the IB Diploma Programme Coordinator for The Benjamin Banneker Academic High School in Washington, D.C. As IB Coordinator, he was responsible for coordinating, implementing, and evaluating all aspects of the IB Diploma Programme. Mr. Nickelson has always taught his students using a global perspective. He believes that by developing a global perspective, students can better understand who they are in a world that is ever changing. This often meant that he would travel with students, or with other teachers, to gain insight on historical events by visiting the places where those events transpired. Mr. Nickelson has participated in Project Bridge (Korea), the Japan Fulbright Teacher Program, Learn Serve Ethiopia, the U.S. China Discovery Program, and the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum Master Teacher Program to bring his students closer to the world.
Mr. Nickelson has occasionally taught at the George Washington University Graduate School of Education, and the American University School of Education. He currently serves on the Advisory Boards for the Peace Corps. World Wise Schools, the World Affairs Council, and the D.C. Geography Alliance. Mr. Nickelson was recently named to serve on the Board of Directors for the School for Ethics and Leadership, which provides a unique, semester long, boarding school experience in Washington, D.C. He is currently pursuing his doctorate in educational leadership and organizational management at the University of Pennsylvania's Mid Career Doctoral Program. His dissertation explores how high school students' construct their civic identity through the analysis of their own descriptions of their experience in a service learning program abroad.
Chris Coyne
Contributor
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| Chris's articles on So Educated |
Monise Seward
Contributor
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| Connect with me: Monise's articles on So Educated |
For the past 2.5 years Monise has been developing and revising plans for a (tuition-free) K-12 Visual & Performing Arts Charter School in Snellville, GA. Monise is also currently conducting research for two forthcoming books: one chronicling her experiences as a teacher and the other on the lifelong benefits of well-supported arts programs in public schools. Monise is the Atlanta Education Reform writer for Examiner.com, where she covers topics related directly to Education in the metro-Atlanta area. You can also view her education contributions to the Race-talk.org blog, as well on her own blog, Education CEO. Her new site, moniselseward.com, is forthcoming.
Julie Anderson
Contributor
 |
| Julie's articles on So Educated |
Throughout her career thus far she has seen strengths and weaknesses in the public education system and continues to look outside of the box and outside of the classroom for innovative ideas.
Ben Nicely
Contributor
 |
| Ben's articles on So Educated |
He is currently pursuing two graduate certificates through American Public University in Homeland Security and Emergency Management. Ben has served on many high school committees on technology in the classroom, balanced assessments, school scheduling, and school safety. He is a strong advocate for teachers being treated fairly and moving away from educational norms to truly move students into a 21st century learning environment. In his spare time, Ben enjoys running, traveling, kayaking and helping others in his community. He is married with two dogs.
Joe Macartney
Contributor
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| Joe's articles on So Educated |
His working life was divided between teaching and a variety of private sector positions. Before entering teaching he worked in sports administration, professional coaching and a variety of industrial and sales positions.
Rachel Levy
Contributor
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| Rachel's articles on So Educated |
After a year of travel and work, she got her masters degree in Education from the George Washington University, with a teaching certificate in E.S.O.L (English for Speakers of Other Languages) and Social Studies. She taught in D.C.P.S. for two years before following her partner to Charlottesville, Virginia, where she taught for Albemarle County Public Schools for five years and worked as an educator with Charlottesville Youth and Family Services for one year. After moving with her husband and three children to Oakland, California, she taught immigrant adults at the English Center for International Women (formerly of Mills College) for a year.
Rachel is currently working as a writer and living with her family in Ashland, Virginia. Her creative writing has appeared inSwink Magazine, Defenestration, Mamaphonic, Literary Mama, and in Susanna Speier’s Politku column. Her education writing has appeared on The Washington Postwebsite and is forthcoming in truthout. She blogs about education here and at All Things Education, about mostly politics and writing at Rachel’s Rants Raves and Recollections, and about food at Rachel’s Food Rants Raves and Recollections. She hopes one day to stop creating so many blogs. Her twitter handle is levy166.
TECHNOLOGY
Contributor
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| Connect with me: Jovan's articles on So Educated |
Jovan specializes in the use of verbal, visual, and symbolic representations of mathematics in his instructional strategies. His experience includes work as a special education co-teacher in mathematics classes utilizing his own curriculum. He has participated in extensive professional development in the use of technology in the classroom but is largely self taught in matters of technology.
The use of technology for technology’s sake is not something he is a proponent of -- form does not trump function. With a keen interest in changing the ways K12 education views technology, he realizes that it first must occur at the student and teacher level then move upward through the various levels of leadership. True 21st century classrooms will grow organically and out of necessity rather than through a district mandate.
Jovan also blogs at jovanmiles.net covering the following areas: quantitative educational research, using technology for teacher collaboration, instructional technology, mathematics education, and special education inclusion models.
POLICY
Ron Zigler, Ed.D.
Contributor
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| Ron's articles on So Educated |
Subsequently, he has made a career out of examining the common ground underlying concepts from eastern and western philosophy, and relevant research on the mind-body--especially as it pertains to moral growth and development. Twenty-five years after completing graduate school--which included 6 years of teaching high school and other part-time jobs for unemployed scholars--his labors finally paid off when he was promoted, with tenure, to Associate Professor at Penn State Abington.
All of his little detours in life delayed both marriage and fatherhood. He did not get married until 1990, and did not become a father until 1995. He prefers to think that his life can be read as either a testimony to determination and single-mindedness, or simply a lack of imagination when it came to career goals.
Dalyn Montgomery
Contributor
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| Dalyn's articles on So Educated |
Dalyn continues this case study in integration by currently serving as the bishop of a Philadelphia congregation that is ethnically diverse. He is tasked with facilitating the side by side worship and daily interaction of two groups who are not normally united.
Dalyn has a B.S. in public relations from the University of Utah, a career in corporate sales, and two beautiful daughters. He writes with a focus on messages that communicate across racial lines to foster increased understanding. Samples of his artwork and other endeavors can be found at www.brohammas.com and articles related to race at dalynart.blogspot.com.
Steven S. Ushioda
Contributor
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Previously, he worked for The Philadelphia Independent and Public School Notebook newspapers. He currently consults Thai government scholarship students on academic matters.
As a self-identified Democrat, he values political debate that is inclusive of bipartisanship and compelling arguments from both sides of the aisle. A product of a diverse lineage, Steve is a one-half first generation American of Japanese and Quaker descent. He will focus on philosophical, political, and international issues in education.
