The Schott Foundation applauds President-elect Biden's selection of Dr. Linda Darling-Hammond to lead the Department of Education transition team. Dr. Darling-Hammond is a highly-qualified leader who has a proven track record of success working with public schools, parents, educators and youth to provide all students a high quality education. As a professor at Stanford, founder of the Learning Policy Institute, and president of the California State Board of Education, her work has always been informed by a passion to tackle the root causes of racial and class inequities in public education.
Schott has worked with Dr. Darling-Hammond across her career, and awarded her a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010. During her acceptance speech, she emphasized the importance of taking a systemic approach to educational justice: "we need to demand housing, healthcare and food security for all families. We need solid, equitable funding for every school."
Schott looks forward to the transition team integrating and engaging the voices of grassroots leaders in completing the transition and setting the agenda for Biden's Department of Education.