Linda Darling-Hammond

Launched the Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education and the School Redesign Network. Worked as a public school teacher and cofounded both a preschool/day care center and a charter public high school serving students of color from low-income families in East Palo Alto. Research and teaching focus on issues of school restructuring, teacher quality and educational equity. Advises policymakers at all levels of government, including President Obama, on a wide range of policy issues affecting teaching and schooling. Led development of new standards and assessments for students and teachers, redesigned teacher training programs, and designed policies that supported greater opportunities for children and youth. Author or editor of 16 books and numerous journal articles, book chapters, and monographs on issues of policy and practice. Served as executive director of the blue-ribbon panel whose 1996 report, What Matters Most: Teaching for America's Future, led to sweeping policy changes affecting teaching and teacher education.