Letisha Marrero brings more than 20 years of editorial experience across multimedia platforms — digital, mobile, broadcast, and print — to Ed Trust. In her role, she is responsible for the editorial direction and the quality of content that appears on the website and in reports, briefs and outside publications. In addition to writing blog posts and producing video, she oversees the website and manages Ed Trust’s blog, The Equity Line.
Throughout her career, Letisha has created content and strategies for a myriad of websites, magazines, nonprofits, and government agencies. In recent years, she has served as director of content and social media for the Council for a Strong America, the Collage Group, and Enroll America, as well as a former managing editor at Nickelodeon. She is also a published author.
A New Yorker by way of Southern California, Letisha holds a bachelor of arts from Pepperdine University in Communications with a minor in Spanish.
What are people most surprised to learn about you?
In addition to Spanish, I also speak Italian. Sometimes, I conflate the two.
What drew you to education?
My dad came to New York City from Puerto Rico when he was 11. Due to his limited English, he was placed in a lower grade in a remedial classroom, no doubt left to struggle alone. But his math teacher recognized his innate gift. And because of that one teacher, my dad went on to the esteemed Bronx High School of Science and became the first of his family to graduate college. My parents always taught me that a good education opens the doors of opportunity. It’s what I instill in my child today — and I want all children to have that chance, regardless of ZIP code.
Author Archives
Keeping Our Nation’s Students Safe
Our students are not OK. But school-based mental health services have dwindled, at a time when students need them the most.
Stop Playing Political Games with America’s Future
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 13, 2023 CONTACT: media@edtrust.org 202-731-9582 Statement from Augustus Mays, Vice President for Partnerships and Engagement for The Education Trust, on the Fiscal Year 2024 House Labor-HHS-Education…
There is No Place for Corporal Punishment of Our Nation’s Students
WASHINGTON – Denise Forte, president and CEO of The Education Trust, released the following statement following the release of the US Department of Education Dear Colleague Letter Calling for End…
Profile in Education Equity – Betsy Bonilla Jimenez-Hurst, Executive Director, HOLA Lakeway
Betsy Bonilla Jimenez-Hurst is from Costa Rica but has spent nearly 20 years living in Tennessee. She currently serves as the executive director of HOLA Lakeway, a grassroots, community-based organization…
Educator Diversity: Why It Matters & How to Make It Happen
The sad fact is that educator diversity in our nation’s public schools does not reflect the rising diversity of our student population. More than 50% of American students are people…
Profiles in Education Equity: Jaleesa Jones, East Baton Rouge Parish School System
Jaleesa Jones has been a Louisiana resident for over 13 years and has served the students in the East Baton Rouge Parish School System (EBRPSS) in many capacities, including teacher,…
Profiles in Education Equity: Gray Sterling, Washington State Partnerships and Engagement Consultant
As a Black, first-generation, former low-income student, and the firstborn son of an immigrant mother from Mexico, Gray Sterling has dedicated his professional career of nearly 10 years to educational…
Learning from the LGBTQ+ Community
Every June, corporations, organizations, schools, and even the White House make bold rainbow-filled statements about and gestures toward the LGBTQ+ community. But too often, these words ring hollow — unmatched…
Profiles in Education Equity: Cimone Philpotts, Policy Director, Wilmington (DE) Urban League
Cimone Philpotts has lived a life of public service. Currently, she is the policy director at the Metropolitan Wilmington Urban League and a doctoral candidate in the Biden School at…
Profiles in Education Equity – Penny Christian
A mother of four daughters, Penny Christian has been an educational advocate for almost 20 years. She currently serves as 16th District PTA President in Lexington, Kentucky. Her passion for…
Profile in Education Equity: Cicely Alexander, Lubbock Partnership Network
Cicely Alexander has enjoyed a 25-year career in education and has worn many hats as teacher, principal, mother, and minister. Since 2016, she has been the executive director of the…
Profiles in Education Equity: Geralde Gabeau, Immigrant Family Services Institute (IFSI-USA)
Geralde Gabeau is the founder and executive director of Immigrant Family Services Institute (IFSI-USA), which provides targeted academic support and enrichment services, using a holistic approach that addresses the unique…
Profile in Education Equity: Tim Green Jr., Memphis Restorative Justice Coalition
As co-founder of Memphis Restorative Justice Coalition (MRJC), Tim Green Jr. works with teachers, students, parents, and community leaders to implement restorative practices and advocate for restorative justice in their homes,…
Profiles in Education Equity: Cynthia Osborne, Child and Family Research Partnership
Cynthia Osborne, Ph.D., is the associate dean of the LBJ School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin. She is founder and director of the Child and…
Profile in Education Equity: Kristen Smith
Kristen Smith is the Louisiana director of programs and organizing for Leadership for Educational Equity, a nonprofit leadership development organization inspiring and supporting a network of civic leaders to end the…
Profile in Education Equity: Erika Beltran, Leadership ISD
Erika Beltran is the chief of advocacy and policy at Leadership ISD, a Texas-based organization that helps community leaders advance academic excellence and racial equity in public education through advocacy,…
“All Children are Born to Thrive”: Why Social, Emotional, and Academic Development (SEAD) Matters
After months of distance learning, unfinished instruction, social isolation, and missed activities during the summer months, many of the nation’s students will need extra support when the 2020-2021 school years starts. But…
Profile in Education Equity: Educare DC
Educare Washington DC is a full-day, year-round early childhood program in Ward 7 serving 304 children ages 6 weeks to 5 years, and their families. Last year, Educare DC was…
Profile in Education Equity: Jonathan Feinstein, State Director, Texas
Ed Trust is pleased to announce Jonathan Feinstein as the state director for Texas. Jonathan brings more than 15 years of experience in education as a teacher, organizer and nonprofit…
Recognizing Teachers Who Teach Advanced Coursework
APUSH: That’s the sardonic acronym that students in our neighborhood high school call Advanced Placement United States History. To most ninth graders — including my child — the class is…
Profile in Education Equity: Michelle Moreno, Leadership for Educational Equity
As director of partnerships and coaching with Leadership for Educational Equity (LEE), Michelle Moreno supports teachers and former teachers across the country in their leadership journey. Previously, Michelle has served…
Profiles in Education Equity: Gini Pupo-Walker, State Director, Tennessee
Gini Pupo-Walker joins The Education Trust as State Director for Tennessee. In this role, Gini will work with advocates, educators, students and community partners across Tennessee seeking to increase educational opportunity and improve…
Profiles in Education Equity: Caroline Sanchez Crozier, LULAC
For more than 15 years, Caroline Sanchez Crozier has served as the Illinois Education Chair for the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), the oldest and largest civil rights…
Why Teachers of Color Leave
“Emotionally, it is harder to see students who look like me struggle, while higher-up administrators didn’t seem to truly care.” So says a Black teacher, summing up what many teachers…
Free and Reduced-Price Lunches Are Essential to a Child’s Education
My kid’s elementary school was located in an affluent part of town. But in a nondescript building about a mile away, there was a homeless shelter. So, unbeknownst to students…
Profiles in Education Equity: Kyle Strickland, the Kirwan Institute
Kyle Strickland is the senior legal analyst at the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race & Ethnicity. His work focuses on local and national civil rights issues, criminal justice…
Profiles in Education Equity: Operation Restoration
Syrita Steib-Martin and Annie Freitas cofounded Operation Restoration, a New Orleans-based organization that helps women who have been impacted by incarceration get the education and resources they need to reenter…
How Education Can Better Serve the Modern-Day Student
For nearly six years, Reid Setzer has been at Young Invincibles, where he most recently served as director of public policy. Now, this one-time Jeopardy! runner-up is Ed Trust’s director…
Serving Healthy School Food While Preparing Young Adults for Culinary Careers
Tucked away in the back of a dilapidated, blue and gray building in downtown Washington lies DC Central Kitchen. It may not look like much, but the bustling social venture…
Profiles in Education Equity: Nancy Huante-Tzintzun, Stockton Schools Initiative
Nancy Huante-Tzintzun, Ph.D., is a scholar-activist and education equity policy advocate. Currently, she is interim director for Stockton Schools Initiative (SSI) and an Ethnic Studies professor at Sacramento State University.…
Profiles in Education Equity: Myra Jones-Taylor, Chief Policy Officer, ZERO TO THREE
As chief policy officer, Myra Jones-Taylor leads the development, strategy, and implementation of ZERO TO THREE, the national leader on infant-toddler policy and program development. Prior to this role, Jones-Taylor…
Educational Justice Can’t Wait
Q&A with Denise Forte, Senior Vice President, Partnerships and Engagement Ed Trust is thrilled to welcome Denise Forte as senior vice president, Partnerships and Engagement. Most recently, she served as…
Why School Counselors Matter
Right now, there are families devastated by the most recent government shutdown who are still putting the pieces back together, while hoping this administration staves off another economic upheaval. But…
Profiles in Education Equity: Nicole Jimerson of The Ari Advocacy Center
Nicole Jimerson, Ed.S., is the founder of The Ari Advocacy Center, which helps North Carolina families of children with disabilities or special needs. As the mother of a child who…
Profiles in Education Equity: Rich Buery, Chief of Policy and Public Affairs, KIPP Foundation
In his role at the KIPP Foundation, Richard Buery advocates for policies that make it easier for students from underserved communities to have access to high-quality public schools and lead…
LGBTQ Students of Color Speak Up
What does it mean to be young, gifted, and Black — when you’re also queer? This was the question posed to intersectional high school and college students at Duke Ellington…
Voting vs. Activism: Black College Students Weigh In
The 2018 midterm elections are almost here, and early voting has already begun in some states. Voter enthusiasm is at an all-time high—many are calling it the most significant midterm…
Profiles in Education Equity: High School Senior, Chandler Nutall
Chandler Nutall is a senior at School Without Walls Senior High School, located in Washington, D.C. She is also a sophomore at The George Washington University, where she will receive…
Q&A with Ricky Castro, 2017 Illinois Teacher of the Year
Ricardo “Ricky” Castro is a Spanish, Dual Language, and ESL teacher at Elk Grove High School, just outside Chicago, which is 42 percent low income and 46 percent Latino. A…
Q&A with Erika McConduit, Louisiana Director, The Education Trust
Why are you so passionate about social justice in education? Social justice is something that has been a part of me throughout my life. I grew up in New Orleans.…
Profiles in Education Equity: Ohio State Senator Peggy Lehner
This summer, Ohio legislators passed a bill that bans expulsions and out-of-school suspensions for students in kindergarten through third grade. Ohio now joins a handful of states, including Maryland, Virginia,…
Profiles in Education Equity: Daniel Zavala, Director of Policy and Government Relations at League of Education Voters
A native of Washington state, Daniel Zavala started his career as a bilingual special education teacher after getting his bachelor’s and master’s from Stanford University. His path to policy work…
Profiles in Education Equity: Brigitte Blom Ramsey, executive director of the Prichard Committee
Brigitte Blom Ramsey is the executive director of the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence in Lexington, Kentucky. Previously, she spent a decade as an elected member of the Board of…
Profiles in Education Equity: Rachel Man, Teacher Leader
Rachel Man is in her fifth year as a teacher in Prince George’s County, Maryland. She currently teaches eighth-grade language arts for special education, general education, and honors students. She…
Profiles in Education Equity: Steve Smith, Executive Director, Black Education Strategy Roundtable
For years, Steve Smith has been an active member with K-12 and higher educational initiatives at regional and statewide levels to improve the educational outcomes of students in Washington state.…
Reporte nuevo: Un estudio del éxito de estudiantes universarios latinos
The Education Trust lanza un reporte nuevo que examina las tasas de graduación en las universidades americanas. Mientras que hayan mas estudiantes latinos que están matriculando en las universidades más…
New Report: A Look at Latino Student Success
The Education Trust just released A Look at Latino Student Success: Top- and Bottom-Performing Institutions, a report examining graduation rates for Latino students at U.S. colleges. While more Latino students are…