Meet Our Fellows

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The Progressive Education Fellows

The Progressive Education Fellows come together at a critical time for public education in the United States. Not since the Civil-Rights-era battles over school desegregation has the debate about public education been so intense and polarized.

The Fellows come from every region of the country, and from diverse backgrounds with a wide range of expertise. They are teachers, administrators, journalists, parent activists, and leaders of the movement to defend public schools. You can find their writing here at the website of The Progressive, and also follow them on Twitter.

Click here to read what Lead Fellow Jeff Bryant has to say on why we need the Fellows project.

The Progressive Education Fellows

Jeff Bryant
Director of the Education Opportunity Network and associate fellow at Campaign for America’s Future.
Xian Franzinger Barrett, Chicago
Xian Franzinger Barrett teaches mathematics and writing as a special education teacher in a school on the southwest side of Chicago while raising a three-year-old daughter.
Jennifer C. Berkshire, Boston
Journalist, blogger and cohost of the podcast 'Have You Heard,' about education in the time of Trump.
Ashana Bigard, New Orleans
Social justice organizer, and advocate for children and families in Louisiana.
Peter Greene, Pennsylvania Region
Peter Greene has been a classroom secondary English teacher for more than thirty-nine years. He lives and works in Northwest Pennsylvania, blogs at Curmudgucation, and is Midwest Regional Fellow with The Progressive’s Public Schools Advocate.
Jesse Hagopian, Seattle
Jesse Hagopian is a high school teacher and on the staff of the Zinn Education Project where he helps to lead the Teaching for Black Lives campaign based on the book he co-edited with the same name. He is also a member of Black for Palestine.
Jake Jacobs, New York City
New York City school teacher and education blogger.
Rann Miller, New Jersey
After-school program director, teacher, and blogger at Urban Education Mixtape.
Julian Vasquez Heilig, Sacramento
Julian Vasquez Heilig, the dean of the University of Kentucky College of Education, is an award-winning leader, teacher and researcher and dynamic voice for equity in education in the U.S. and around the world.
Sarah Lahm, Minneapolis
Sarah Lahm is a Minneapolis-based writer and researcher. Her work has appeared in outlets such as The Progressive, where she writes the Midwest Dispatch column and contributes pieces to the Public Schools Advocate project.
Cynthia Liu, Los Angeles
Founder of K-12 News Network, watchdog, community organizer.
Carole Trone, Wisconsin
Wisconsin-based writer and advocate for education access and success.
Sabrina Joy Stevens, Washington, D.C.
Mother, writer, education advocate, and former teacher based in Washington, D.C.
Dora Taylor, Seattle
Public ed advocate, founding member of Parents Across America, and author.
John Thompson
Award-winning historian and retired Oklahoma City teacher.
Jose Luis Vilson, New York City
Math educator, blogger, speaker, and activist in New York City.
Jacob Goodwin, New England Fellow
Jacob is a sixth grade social studies teacher and the 2021 New Hampshire History Teacher of the Year.