Better problem-solving for a more just world
Improver
Designer
Facilitator
Coach
Organizer
Featured Resource
Featured Resource
I struggled to find a concrete, accessible “improvement 101” article… so I wrote one!
Organizations around the country have used my practitioner-friendly article to introduce the big ideas of improvement science to new audiences.
Recommended uses include:
Pre-reading for a training or network convening
Article for discussion during a training or class
Resource for onboarding new members to an existing team
Selected Projects
Improvement Science Coaching Course
For the past three years, I have served as co-faculty alongside Alicia Grunow of the Improvement Collective, teaching a rigorous year-long improvement coaching course to a national audience. We’ve supported more than 30 teams from school districts, education companies, universities, network hub organizations and more to develop their practice as coaches.
CORE’s Breakthrough Success Community: A 9th Grade On-Track Improvement Network
I helped to build a Breakthrough Series Collaborative from the ground up. Focused on 9th Grade On-Track, we seek to improve students’ life trajectories by transforming the 9th grade experience. I currently serve as a lead network designer, session facilitator, and school-site coach within this community of 30 high schools around California.
Blended Learning: Community Schools & Improvement Science
I authored a self-paced curriculum for Community School Coordinators seeking to integrate improvement science methods into how their site approaches problem-solving.
Improvement Science in Education EdX Course
A foundational online offering grounded in the Carnegie Foundation’s 6 Core Principles of Improvement. Developed and taught in collaboration with scholars Tony Bryk, Alicia Grunow, and Don Peurach during my time at the Foundation, this course has been accessed by over 10,000 learners around the globe.
Local Improvement Facilitator Training Course
I led the collaborative design of Local Improvement Facilitator Training, or LIFT, an intermediate exploration of improvement science for those who are leading teams. Created in partnership with colleagues at CORE Districts, this 8-day course has now enrolled over 200 educators from around the country.
Coalition for a STEM Future: Serving Immigrant-Origin Learners
I served as a network facilitator and improvement coach for a newly developing network of children’s museums and science centers dedicated to improving their engagement with immigrant-origin children and their families. Together we investigated current needs, focused on a discrete area of practice to improve, and tested changes to learn which had a positive impact on the experiences of young people at the museums.
Political Education: Mobilizing White People for Racial Justice
As an organizer with Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) Bay Area, I co-design and co-facilitate workshops about the fundamentals of white supremacy and anti-racist action. Previous workshops have included, “What White People Don’t See: Applying the Lens of Privilege” and “Anti-Racism 101: How to Show up for Racial Justice.”
Me and White Supremacy Learning and Action Cohort
I co-designed and co-hosted a space for 28 people who benefit from white privilege to engage in the reflection and journaling exercises created by Layla F. Saad in her groundbreaking work, Me and White Supremacy. For four consecutive Sundays, we gathered and used the healing approach of circle practice to examine the white supremacy ingrained within ourselves, our relationships, and our world. We concluded with a commitment to tangible action, including a collective divestment of over $4,000 to Black- and Indigenous-led organizations in our local communities.
East Bay Permanent Real Estate Cooperative: Shared Governance Models
Conducted entirely during shelter-in-place for COVID-19, this team-based project within my Pathways to Equity fellowship supported an Oakland-based land trust cooperative to advance their strategy around collective governance. We employed human-centered design methods to develop a deeper understanding of cooperative member needs and aspirations, and synthesized our findings for the organization.
Want to chat?
Think we might have things to talk about? I welcome opportunities to connect with and learn from fellow travelers in education, racial justice, quality improvement, or social change more broadly!