Deborah Stern

Deborah Stern has been working in urban classrooms since 1988, first as an NCTE award-winning middle and high school English teacher in Chicago, and more recently as a teacher, coach, teacher educator, and school administrator in Philadelphia.  She earned a B.A. at Swarthmore College, an M.A.T. at the University of Chicago and PhD. at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Stern has dedicated her professional life to teaching and learning in underserved communities. Her work and her writing have been featured in professional journals and numerous books about teaching for social justice, including An Invitation to Inquiry: Possibilities for Immersive Literacy Processes (2020), Teaching for Social Justice in the High School Classroom (2000), Teaching for Change (1998) and Teaching English So It Matters (1995).

Dr. Stern was a co-founder at Mastery Charter Schools and served there as the first Director of Education. After leaving Mastery in 2008, she began working in a variety of settings and roles to improve teaching and student learning in Philadelphia-area schools. She has supported early literacy learning with the Children’s Literacy Initiative in Philadelphia District and parochial schools, provides instructional coaching for new and experienced classroom teachers in all grades, and collaborates with schools and nonprofits to design responsive and effective academic programs. She also writes curriculum, facilitates professional learning for teachers and school leaders, and designs and manages assessment systems that deepen student learning and achievement.

 

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