Meet Our Summer Fellow – Liz Hoyt
Hi, my name is Liz Hoyt, and I’m one of the 2013 Rodel Foundation Summer Fellows. I’m originally from California. I earned my B.A. in Political Science, and International Studies at the University of California, Irvine. During my years as an undergraduate, I was heavily involved in GlobalConnect@UCI, a university-classroom partnership to bring International Relations curriculum into the classroom and to prepare students for the global work place. Following graduation, I spent a year teaching English in South Korea. Eventually, I made my way to Delaware vis-a-vis my Teach For America placement as a high school teacher at Glasgow High School.
Delaware is an exciting place to be for those passionate about education. It is a proverbial ground zero for educational change and reform. First, stakeholders across the board, including teachers, policy makers, community leaders, and business leaders, are united by the common belief that education is a key to social justice, racial equality, and economic well-being. Second, winning the federal “Race to the Top” grant and the “Race to the Top – Early Learning Challenge” grant have provided the state of Delaware with the fiscal resources to implement extensive educational policy initiatives. Third, the size and scale of Delaware make comprehensive reforms logistically feasible. That being said, Delaware still faces a series of major challenges and obstacles as it seeks to develop a world class public education system. Some of these challenges include transitioning to the Smarter Balance testing regime, adjusting and refining new policy initiatives, building consensus amongst stakeholders about how to continue to improve education.
I joined Rodel because I want to continue to increase my understanding of educational landscape that produces the reforms that ultimately impact my classroom and future of education in Delaware.
Related Topics: 2013 Rodel Foundation Summer Fellows, Christina School District, Glasgow High School, GlobalConnect@UCI, internships, Rodel staff, Smarter Balance, University of California Irvine