Derek Voiles

I taught at Lincoln Heights Middle School in Morristown, Tennessee, for 10 years before becoming an assistant principal here – and it’s been amazing. The best part of my leadership role is that I get to continue collaborating around student learning with teachers, forging ahead on the path toward growth and high expectations for all students. Building a collaborative culture is a huge priority for our leadership team.

Scott Pearson is the executive director of the DC Public Charter School Board. Full profile → This week is National Charter Schools Week, a time to shine a light on public charter schools. In Washington, D.C., where I lead the sole charter school authorizer, a mixture of collegial cooperation and healthy competition has allowed public charter schools and the traditional district schools to push each other to better academic outcomes. This isn’t the case everywhere in America.

Kayla Reeves works at the University of Massachusetts Lowell in the Career & Co-op Center, coaching students in the Professional Co-op Program. Full profile → Most runners will tell you that finding the perfect pair of running shorts constitutes a special and all too rare victory. As a runner myself, I have experienced this feat only a few times but when it happens, you instantly know because it feels like you’re not wearing anything at all.