Melinda George
Melinda George is Learning Forward’s chief policy officer, serving on the Learning Forward leadership team and overseeing Learning Forward’s policy and advocacy work. Melinda has been integral to developing strategy and facilitating networks as well as leading the Learning Forward fundraising team. Prior to joining Learning Forward, Melinda was the president of the National Commission on Teaching & America’s Future (NCTAF) where she led its charge to build a research-based framework of policies and practices that ensure every child has access to a competent, caring teacher in a school organized for success. From 2006-11, Melinda served as the senior director of Education Strategic Relations at PBS, where she developed national partnerships and oversaw the development of PBS TeacherLine, an online professional development service. Prior to PBS, Melinda was the first executive director of the State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA). Melinda began her career as a 4th- and 5th-grade teacher in D.C. Public Schools.
All Articles
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Speak up for professional learning policy
Educators collect data every day, including demographic data about teachers and students, the retention rates of teachers in a school system, the needs of the students they serve, and data tracking how well those students are progressing. There are many purposes for that data and forums through which to share […] -
Documenting your Professional Learning Story: Showing the Impact of Professional Learning
Elizabeth Foster and Melinda George of Learning Forward, Jon Bernstein of Bernstein Strategy Group, Sue Renehan of Learning Forward New England, Barbara Patterson Oden of Learning Forward Virginia, and Judy Newhouse of Learning Forward Virginia describe their experiences and learnings from their advocacy visit to Washington, D.C. -
Network uses improvement science to scale up change
If you were given the opportunity to design a new way to drive positive change in public education policy and practice at scale, what would you do? How would you seek new solutions that bridge the gaps between research and practice? If you’re like many education stakeholders, you might grapple […] -
Congratulations to educators in Office!
By Melinda George Every educator is an advocate, and many are now serving as elected policymakers, with at least one former teacher going to Washington, D.C., to serve in the 116th Congress. Learning Forward couldn't be prouder. Learning Forward is celebrating the electoral victories of more than 40 educators, including […] -
Step by step: An educator's path to advocacy
Judy Newhouse, executive director of Learning Forward Virginia, is a passionate advocate for the power of professional learning on schools and students. When she was recently invited to a conference, she saw an opportunity she couldn't pass up. Representative Bobby Scott (VA-3), Ranking Member of the U.S. House of Representatives […] -
Haven't we done this before?
It's finally springtime in Washington, D.C. Cherry blossoms and tulips are blooming, kids are counting down to the last day of school, and the federal appropriations process begins anew. Wait -- didn't we just finish the appropriations process? It's true. It is time to gear up for the fiscal year […] -
Our Take
It might seem obvious to say that Learning Forward believes that education is the learning profession. Yet as obvious as that seems, it isn’t the norm, particularly for educators in the U.S. The concept of a learning profession combines the ideals of a continuously improving organization and the aspiration that […] -
Title II advocacy update for January, 2018
Both Houses of Congress are back in session – and a final decision on $2 billion in Title IIA professional development funding, which both President Trump and the House sought to eliminate, continues to hang in the balance. The current temporary spending resolution, which funds all federal agencies and programs, […] -
Our Take
In March 2017, the education community woke to a daunting professional learning crisis: The Trump Administration’s 2018 budget proposed elimination of the Supporting Effective Instruction State Grants Program (Title II, Part A of the Every Student Succeeds Act). As educators face increasingly higher demands for student outcomes in a more […] -
An advocate’s resume: What qualifies you to talk to members of Congress
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGiRTC5CDrE[/embedyt] In March 2017, the education community woke to a daunting professional learning crisis: The Trump Administration’s 2018 budget proposed elimination of the Supporting Effective Instruction State Grants Program (Title II, Part A of the Every Student Succeeds Act). As educators face increasingly higher demands for student outcomes in […]