Through over 4,000 hours of classroom observations and 6,000 hours of training and instructional coaching on over four continents, Julie Harris Stern has developed a profound sense of the common confusions and key points of clarification that teachers need to make concept-based take root in their classrooms. She has a natural ability to bridge the gap between research and practice as well as synthesize seemingly disparate initiatives or best practices to increase student learning.

Julie has the rich professional background in concept-based necessary to undertake this specific project. She is a Certified Concept-Based trainer and currently serve as Dr. H. Lynn Ericksons Social Studies Specialist for her certification institutes. Julie has worked directly with Lynn for several years in training others to be concept-based certified during specialized institutes. She is offering an Advanced Concept-Based workshop this summer to a nearly sold out audience from around the world. She is currently serving as a curriculum and instructional coach at a very large K - 12 International Baccalaureate school in Bogotá, Colombia.

Previously, Julie served as the Director of Curriculum for all subject areas 6th - 12th grade at Cesar Chavez Public Charter Schools, an award-winning consortium of public policy-oriented charter schools in Washington, D.C. During her time with Chavez Schools, she led the transformation of curriculum to a concept-based model using the Common Core State Standards, designing both new curricula and assessments for a wide range of subject-areas. She also has experience working with schools and educators in the developing world. Her instructional strategies have been adopted by schools in the Middle East and in Africa, where she spent two years leading the instructional transformation of a local school in Freetown, Sierra Leone.

In 2012 Julie also co-founded Education to Save the World, an innovative organization that drives new pedagogic thinking and equips teachers with the tools to transform teaching and learning for the 21st Century. Our daily blog reaches thousands of education leaders and our annual Fellowship program brings together educators committed to pushing the boundaries of the ways we currently teach and learn.

Julie is a Verified Master Trainer and has certificates in Change Management and Coaching from the Association for Talent Development. She a Master's Degree in International Education from George Washington University and a Bachelor's of Science in Sociology and Psychology (minor) from Loyola University New Orleans.

Supporting authors:

Juliet Mohnkern is the Principal of Summit Public Schools, Denali Campus, in the San Francisco Bay Area. She recently completed the Leadership Resident Program at the High Tech High Graduate School of Education Leadership in San Diego. These two schools are repeatedly touted as among the most innovative in education today. Juliet is passionate about providing all students with equitable access to learning that is both academically rigorous and connected to the real world. She was selected as ASCD Emerging Leader and a ProInspire Managing for Success Fellow. Previously, she was the Director of Public Policy and Curriculum Innovation at Chavez Schools in Washington, DC. She also worked at Match Public Charter School in Boston. Juliet has Masters' Degrees from High Tech High's Graduate School of Education and from American University and graduated with her BA in Classics from Boston College.

Krista Ferraro is a History teacher at Thayer Academy in Boston. She was previously the Deputy Director of Public Policy and Curriculum Innovation as well as a History teacher, Mentor Teacher and Department Chair at Chavez Schools where she repeatedly led her students to winning the DC We the People Constitutional competition. She was a Teach for America Corps Member and has a Master's Degree in Education from American University as well as degrees in American Studies and Spanish from Cornell University. Krista's contribution as a full-time classroom teacher is invaluable. Her insight into how to improve the quality of student thinking is second to none.