Diane Ravitch is a historian of education. She is a retired Research Professor of Education at New York University. She has written ten books and edited another 14. She is a graduate of the Houston public schools, Wellesley College (BA), Columbia University (Ph.D. in history of American education), and holds ten honorary doctorates. In 2011, she received the Daniel Patrick Moynihan award from the American Academy of Political and Social Sciences for her careful use of data and research to advance the common good. She blogs at dianeravitch.net. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.
Treasurer & Co-founder: Anthony Cody
Anthony Cody worked in the high poverty schools of Oakland, California, for 24 years, 18 of them as a middle school science teacher.
He writes the widely read Living in Dialogue blog, and was one of the organizers of the Save Our Schools March in Washington, DC, in 2011. A graduate of UC Berkeley and San Jose State University, he now lives in Mendocino County, California.
Secretary: Tina Andres
Tina Andres has been a public school teacher for 30 years in Santa Ana, CA. She has taught elementary self contained classes and has taught middle school mathematics for 25 years. She has served as a math curriculum specialist and mentored over 50 student teachers from public universities throughout her career.
She is married with two children who also attend Santa Ana schools. She is an active member of NEA and CTA and serves on State Council as well as the Chairperson for her local chapter’s Charter School Task Force.
In addition to this, she is a member of the BATs Board of Directors. She is a proud advocate for public schools.
Director: Dountonia Batts
Dountonia S. Batts is a community advocate who has a passion for truth, justice, and equity in housing, education, economic development, and family court reform. She has a Juris Doctorate degree from Indiana Tech Law School; a Master of Business Administration in Human Resource Management from Indiana Wesleyan University; and a Bachelor of Science degree in Biblical Counseling from Crossroads Bible College.
Dountonia is a high school English teacher; co-founder of the Appellate Justice Project for Domestic Violence Survivors, Inc.; adjunct Professor at Crossroads Bible College; owner of Scriptura Grant Writing & Fundraising Professionals LLC; former President and current Vice President of the Riverside Investment Club, LLC; and, the former Executive Director/Organizer of the IPS Community Coalition Inc.
She is a board member of the Indiana Coalition of Public Education, an Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools City Table Leader, and a local campaign strategist. Dountonia and her husband, Dr. Ramon L. Batts, live in Indianapolis, Indiana. They have eight successful children between them.
Director: Julian Vasquez-Heilig
Julian Vasquez Heilig is an award-winning researcher and teacher. He is Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs for Western Michigan University.
His current research includes quantitatively and qualitatively examining how high-stakes testing and accountability-based reforms and market reforms impact urban minority students. Julian’s research interests also include issues of access, diversity, and equity in higher education. Julian blogs at Cloaking Inequity, consistently rated one of the top 50 education websites in the world by Teach100
Director: Gloria Evans Nolan
Grounded in her experience as a St. Louis Public School graduate and parent, Gloria Evans Nolan is now serving as Interim Parent Liaison in the St. Louis Public School district. Nolan has over 17 years of experience working in non-profits and fostering excellence in the lives of young people through her work supporting mentoring teams, managing school partnerships, and developing volunteers and caregivers.
Nolan holds a Masters Degree in college student personnel administration and a Bachelor of Science in therapeutic recreation. Gloria is a fierce advocate, championing equity and transformational policy change in true public education. Gloria draws her inspiration from being a devoted wife of Kevin Nolan (also known as Cocoa Santa) and the mother of Dylan & Evan.
Director: Dan Greenberg
Dan Greenberg is an English teacher and public education advocate. He founded the Northwest Ohio Friends of Public Education, a grassroots organization that educates and engages teachers, parents, community members and local education leaders on issues impacting public education, including high stakes testing and charter school funding.
Dan is a contributor to the Ohio Education Association “Voices of Change” Blog, and serves on the Board of Directors of the National Education Association, as well as Ohio’s statewide education advocacy group, Public Education Partners.
Director: Sue Legg
Sue Legg is a retired faculty member from the University of Florida where she directed the Office of Instructional Resources and the instructional computing center (CIRCA). She was chair of the College Board SAT Advisory Committee for two terms, measurement consultant for the Florida Bar Board of Certification for twenty years, and she published in the area of measurement and evaluation.
In 2002, Sue moved to the U.F. Center for Latin American Studies where she directed international grant funded projects including the Partnership in Global Learning as well as USDOE and NSF grants to develop online materials for dying languages in Peru and Bolivia.
Following her retirement from U.F., Sue joined the Florida League of Women Voters where she initiated a state-wide study of the impact of Florida’s charter schools. She became the state-wide education chair for the League and was named “Member of the Year.” She was president of the Alachua County league from 20015-17 and formed a coalition to launch the political action committee Parents Against Corporate Takeovers (PACT). Currently, she serves on several Alachua County School Board committees. A great friend to public education, Sue blogs at lwveducation.com.
Our Staff
Executive Director: Carol Burris
Carol Burris served as principal of South Side High School in the Rockville Centre School District in NY from 2000-2015. Carol received her doctorate from Teachers College, Columbia University, and her dissertation on equitable practices in mathematics instruction received the 2003 National Association of Secondary Schools’ Principals Middle LevelDissertation of the Year Award.
In 2010, she was recognized by The School Administrators Association of New York State as the Outstanding Educator of the Year, and in 2013 she was recognized by the National Association of Secondary School Principals as the New York State High School Principal of the Year. Carol serves as a Fellow of the National Education Policy Center and is the co-director of its Schools of Opportunity program. She authored three books on educational equity. Articles that she has authored or co-authored have appeared in Educational Leadership, The Kappan, the American Educational Research Journal, Theory into Practice, The School Administrator and EdWeek.
Joanna Oszeyczik is a communications professional with journalism, public relations, and graphic design expertise. Before coming to NPE, Joanna worked as an editor for a medical magazine, a brand specialist for a national public utility, and a freelance graphic designer. She has used her graphic design skills for local school board elections and special projects in her daughters’ school district.
Joanna is a proud public school mom who often volunteers at her local public school.
