About the Team

Hello, I'm Marissa! I am a currently EdLD student at HGSE. Growing up in Oklahoma, I became passionate about finding connections between people, places, and ideas. I began my education career as a PK teacher in Tulsa, Oklahoma and then taught middle school in Washington, DC. After receiving my EdM in International Education Policy at HGSE, I returned to Oklahoma to create programming and experiences that supported new teachers in their family and community engagement efforts. In my most recent role as Chief of Staff at Teach for America - Oklahoma City, I set a vision and strategy rooted in community partnership. I stand firm in the belief that effective leaders across all levels of education are at their best when working in partnership with communities, with a critical eye towards justice and equity.

I'm Arlyn. While teaching third and fourth grade in a bilingual classroom in Chicago Public Schools, I earned a Master of Arts in Teaching with a bilingual and ESL concentration from Dominican University. Then, I moved home to Massachusetts where I taught ESL and served as the ESL Department Chair at a middle school in Lawrence, MA. I was a Semi-Finalist for Massachusetts Teacher of the Year in 2017. Then, I returned to graduate school full time to get a Master of Education at HGSE in the Language and Literacy Program - Reading Specialist Track. The picture is of me at graduation last year. Now I’m teaching second grade ESL in Boston Public Schools. I love ESL and am excited to be your TA this semester!

Hello! I’m Tim! I began my career as a Spanish bilingual elementary teacher in the Los Angeles Unified School District in 1991. I also taught adult ESL and served as a coordinator of English Learner programs during my 14 years in LAUSD. After earning my Master of Education from UCLA, I joined the Pasadena Unified School District where over several years I worked as a secondary assistant principal, district Director of College and Career Pathways, and then a high school principal. I was Pasadena’s Principal of the Year in 2016. I am currently in a second-year doctoral student in the Ed.L.D. program. My wife currently works with a 5th grade Sheltered English Immersion class here Cambridge; we have two sons who are in 9thand 5thgrades. I am grateful for the opportunity to learn and work with you!

Hi, I'm David.  I am a second-year doctoral student with the Ed.L.D. program. I came to this program to explore how we can create school systems that fundamentally reshape how we do schooling so that all students can succeed, regardless of demographics. Before coming to the program, I was a middle school principal in New York City and a mathematics teacher before that.  I believe central to any school's success is the role of teacher and the culture of learning that supports teacher growth. While New York is home (and Ohio is where I grew up), I'm currently in Cambridge full-time with my husband Michael and our one year old son Reese.

Hello! I'm Sarah Harrington, and I've been an English Learners (EL) history teacher at Chelsea High School for the past 7 years. I'm excited to get to learn with dedicated and enthusiastic educators!

Hi, I'm Christine and I graduated from American University in 2003 with a B.A. in Communication, Legal Institutions, Economics, and Government. I hold an M.S. in Foreign Language Education from Florida International University. Before entering HGSE, I worked in Florida public schools.  As a Rappaport Foundation Fellow, I partnered with State Representative Jeffrey Sánchez and his team as they sought to pass the LOOK (Language Opportunity for Our Kids) legislation. The bill codified important changes for how English Language Learners (ELLs) are served in our schools and districts. I also worked on a stakeholder mapping, developed a logic model, and supported a collective action for advocacy plan to encourage the bill’s passage.

Hey, I'm Kelsey! I graduated from HGSE with a M.Ed. in Language and Literacy as a Reading Specialist. I specialized in creating the website you are currently browsing. Before dabbling in web design and HTML coding, I taught ELL students in Taiwan for two years before coming to HGSE  and plan on continuing to work with that population of amazing students after leaving HGSE. I hope you find things easy to navigate and I hope you enjoy Rhonda's class; I know I did!