Press Release

SonjaWASHINGTON (August 22, 2013) —- The Education Trust is proud to welcome Sonja Brookins Santelises as vice president of K-12 policy and practice.

Sonja comes to The Education Trust with many years of experience in K-12 education, most recently as chief academic officer for Baltimore City Public Schools. As chief academic officer, Sonja was responsible for the academic vision of a district serving 85,000 students. Under her leadership, Baltimore became a national leader in the implementation of the Common Core State Standards.

Prior to her work in Baltimore, Sonja spent 10 years working in public education in Boston. At Boston Public Schools, she served as assistant superintendent for pilot schools and supported school leaders in 25 high-performing schools operating semi-independently of the district. Sonja also served as assistant superintendent for professional development at BPS. In this role, she worked to develop effective administrators and teachers in the district and secured funding to support a school leader professional pipeline.

“”Sonja brings a wealth of knowledge and experience from her years working to improve education for all students,”” said Kati Haycock, president of The Education Trust. “”Sonja’’s smarts, her passion for the most vulnerable kids, and her deep expertise in the world of practice makes her a perfect leader for the Ed Trust’’s work in K-12.””

Sonja earned a doctorate in education administration, planning, and social policy from Harvard University School of Education, and a master’’s degree in education administration at Columbia University Teacher’s College. She also holds degrees in English literature and international relations from Brown University.

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