In this episode of the Caring, Character, & Community Podcast, Hardin interviews Alia Verner, Director of Strategic School Support at Edvestors. Alia discusses using data, building relationships, and working to change our mental models in pursuit of cultivating an education system in which demographic data is no longer predictive of educational outcomes.
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BU Wheelock College of Education and Human Development
Center for Character and Social Responsibility
“Caring, Character, & Community” Podcast Series
To prepare the next generation to become caring and effectively engaged citizens requires a multi-faceted approach. It includes a focus on personal development, professional development, program development and implementation, and on system change. As part of the CCSR’s focus on the personal and professional development of educators, parents, and community leaders, we use our podcast “Caring, Character, & Community” to introduce our community to people who are using the ethic of caring, a focus on their own and others’ character development, and a commitment to community to create environments in which children and adults can flourish.
In this semester, as the world of education and positive youth development has begun to address the degree to which inequitable conditions interfere with the ability of many youth to flourish, we want to have conversations with educators and community members who are working to foster systems that are grounded in equity. In each interview, we will ask our guests to share their definitions of equity in learning, how they work to create communities that increase equity in learning, and how an ethic of caring and a commitment to community influences their work.
Alia Verner joined Edvestors in August 2018 and currently serves as the Director of Strategic School Support overseeing Edvestors’ Seed Fund grantmaking and Blended Learning program within the Zeroing in on Math Initiative. Alia began her career in education as a STEM special education teacher for Teach for America at TechBoston Academy, where she spent three years teaching science and six years teaching mathematics. Prior to EdVestors, Alia worked as a Math Director, Instructional Coach, Curriculum Consultant, Special Education Liaison, Edvestors ZioM Fellow, and track coach alongside many other leadership roles in the district of Boston. During her time as an Edvestors ZioM fellow, she helped design and facilitate a sustainable professional learning model called “Bridging Classrooms” that was selected by the Nellie Mae Grant and piloted in Spring 2018. She also co-founded and served as a Regional Strategy Team Leader for the Boston Education Action Network, an organization committed to providing equal educational opportunities for all students in Boston through community organizing and collective action. Alia believes deeply that all students should have equitable education opportunities and is passionate about developing systems, structures, and policies that support students, schools, districts, and communities toward reaching this goal. Alia graduated from Boston College with a B.A. in Political Science and received a Masters in Teaching from Boston University and a Masters at Harvard in Education Policy and Management.
Please visit our archive to listen to previous episodes of the podcast, including interviews from Semester 1: “Leadership in Times of Crisis,” with PK-12, higher-education, and community-based-organization leaders.
Thanks to Lizzie Barcay for the editorial and production work.
Music:
Bluesy Vibes by Doug Maxwell/Media Right Productions
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Caring, Character, & Community