It is no mystery that teacher burnout is at an all-time high. For far too long, we have ignored the signals that we have been equipping educators with an ineffective and unsustainable teaching model that doesn't actually allow them to address students’ needs effectively. One of the best ways to redesign classroom instruction is to start by learning from teacher leaders to amplify their expertise and impact.

Kareem Farah, CEO and co-founder of the Modern Classrooms Project, hosts a conversation with Bryan Hassel, Co-Director of Public Impact, and Khadejah Scott, DCPS Teacher and Expert Modern Classroom Mentor to explore how we can redefine the role of teacher leaders in K-12 education.

Bryan Hassel co-leads the Opportunity Culture initiative, a national effort to reach all students with excellent teaching and all educators with outstanding career opportunities via new, financially sustainable school models. Dr. Hassel is a recognized expert on teacher and principal effectiveness, school turnarounds, school funding systems, and charter school excellence. His work has appeared in Education Next, Education Week, and numerous other publications. Hassel received his Ph.D. in public policy from Harvard University and his master’s degree in politics from Oxford University, which he attended as a Rhodes Scholar. He earned his B.A. at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, which he attended as a Morehead-Cain Scholar.

Khadejah Scott attended undergraduate school at Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, Georgia, where she first volunteered at schools and fell in love with teaching middle schoolers; she hasn't looked back since. After graduation in 2014, she began her professional teaching career in Washington, DC, becoming an Urban Teachers resident and earning master’s degrees in Secondary English and Special Education from Lesley University. She served as a Reading Interventionist at Johnson Middle School for five years before joining Ida B. Wells Middle School in 2019 as a founding teacher. In addition to teaching, she leads Wells’ Technology and Innovation committee, designs and facilitates professional development courses for teachers across the District, and represents the city at statewide test development events. Khadejah became a Distinguished Modern Classroom Educator in December 2020 and is proud to serve as an Expert Mentor to teachers around the world.