Linda Darling-Hammond facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Linda Darling-Hammond
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| President of the California State Board of Education | |
| Assumed office February 12, 2019 |
|
| Preceded by | Michael Kirst |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 21, 1951 Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Education | Yale University (BA) Temple University (MA, EdD) |
Linda Darling-Hammond (born December 21, 1951) is an American expert in education. She is a professor at Stanford University and has worked to improve schools and teaching. She has written many books and articles about education. Her work often focuses on making schools better, training teachers, and making education fair for everyone. She also advised Barack Obama during his 2008 presidential campaign.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Linda Darling-Hammond was born in Cleveland, Ohio. She went to Yale University and earned her first degree in 1973. Later, she received her doctorate degree in urban education from Temple University in 1978.
Career Highlights
Linda Darling-Hammond started her career as a public school teacher in Pennsylvania. This was from 1973 to 1974.
After getting her doctorate, she worked as a social scientist for the RAND Corporation. She then became a professor at Teachers College, Columbia University. In 1998, she joined Stanford University. In 2015, she started the Learning Policy Institute. This group researches education and suggests new ideas.
In 2019, the governor of California chose her for an important role. She became the president of the California State Board of Education. She has also been part of many important groups. These include the American Educational Research Association.
Improving Teaching and Schools
Linda Darling-Hammond has worked hard to make schools better. She helped create standards for new teachers. These standards guide what new teachers should know and be able to do. She also helped New York State develop new learning goals for students.
From 1994 to 2001, she led a group called the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future. This group helped people understand how important good teachers are. Their work led to big changes in how teachers are trained and how schools operate. Their main report, "What Matters Most: Teaching for America's Future," was very influential.
Education Week magazine named her one of the most influential people in education policy. She has also received many awards for her work.
Developing New School Programs
Linda Darling-Hammond helped start a special high school in East Palo Alto, California. This school helps students from low-income families. Before this school, very few students in the area went to college. Now, more than 90 percent of its graduates go on to college.
She also helped redesign the Stanford Teacher Education Program (STEP). This program trains teachers for schools that need them most. The program is now known as one of the best in the country. She has worked with many schools and districts. Her goal is to help them create new and better ways of teaching and learning.
She believes that the United States needs to do more for education. She thinks we need to make sure all students have access to quality education. This is especially true for students who have faced disadvantages.
Views on Teach For America
Linda Darling-Hammond has shared her thoughts on Teach For America. This program brings new people into teaching. She agrees that it brings new talent. However, she has also pointed out some challenges.
A study she helped with found that teachers who didn't complete traditional training were less effective at first. They also left teaching sooner. She believes that all teachers, including those from Teach For America, benefit from good training. She said that they become more effective after getting certified.
Consideration for Secretary of Education
In 2008, many people thought Linda Darling-Hammond might become the United States Secretary of Education. This is a very important job in the government. It involves leading the country's education department.
However, Barack Obama chose someone else for the role. Linda Darling-Hammond later said she would not take other positions in the Obama administration. She wanted to focus on her work in California.
Even so, she continued to be involved in federal education efforts. In 2020, she helped the team preparing for Joe Biden's presidency. She supported efforts related to the United States Department of Education.
Books by Linda Darling-Hammond
Linda Darling-Hammond has written many books about education, including:
- Preparing Teachers for Deeper Learning (2019)
- Empowered Educators: How High-Performing Systems Shape Teaching Quality Around the World (2017)
- Be the Change: Reinventing School for Student Success (2015)
- Teaching in the Flat World: Learning from High-Performing Systems (2015)
- Beyond the Bubble Test: How Performance Assessments Support 21st Century Learning (2014)
- Getting Teacher Evaluation Right: What Really Matters for Effectiveness and Improvement (2013)
- The Flat World and Education: How America's Commitment to Equity Will Determine Our Future (2010)
- Powerful Learning: What We Know About Teaching for Understanding (2008)
- Powerful teacher education: lessons from exemplary programs (2006)
- Preparing Teachers for a Changing World: What Teachers Should Learn and Be Able to Do (2006)
- Instructional Leadership for Systemic Change: The Story of San Diego's Reform (2005)
- A good teacher in every classroom: preparing the highly qualified teachers our children deserve (2005)
- Professional development schools: schools for developing a profession (2005)
