Jill Harrison Berg TTC'91

Now Jill puts her extensive knowledge and experiences to work for teachers and administrators in turnaround schools in Massachusetts and nationwide, helping schools to provide equitable outcomes for students through teacher leadership. Her book, Leading In Sync: Teacher Leaders and Principals Working Together for Student Learning, published in 2018, is declared "a must-read for every serious change leader," by The Journal of Educational Change. Berg’s recent article, “An Opportunity for Equity,” co-authored with Sonia Caus Gleason, details ways in which the “dual pandemic” of attention to historical and new forms of racism in tandem with COVID-19 has illuminated many inequities in the education system, and how the need to leave the classroom and go remote can be an opportunity for teachers and schools to make changes toward instructional equity. 

 

“We have to do something new, so let’s make sure the new thing we create is better, more equitable," observes Jill. "There are new opportunities for people to shift their mindsets, new opportunities to shift the way resources are allocated, and there are new opportunities to reprioritize what we’re focusing on.”

 

Knowing students and families, inquiry-based teaching, and expanding student agency are three of the “silver lining” learning goals that Jill says remote teaching has brought to light. She takes to heart Nelson Mandela's quote, “Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world.” Through Jill's commitment to working with teachers and schools to reshape the education landscape, she is doing just that.