Tag Archives: Immigrants

Iowa’s Agnes Samuelson: The teacher that worked for better education for all students

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Iowa teacher Agnes Samuelson worked to improve education for all students. (Photo credit: Greater Shenandoah Historical Society

Many purpose-driven educators work to improve society as a whole. This is true of Agnes Samuelson, a teacher from Iowa who dedicated herself to improving education for all students.

Agnes was born on April 14, 1888, in Shenandoah, Iowa. Her parents were immigrants from Sweden. Agnes was the eldest of their seven children. By the time she graduated from high school in 1904, she had already determined to become a teacher. She came to this decision as a result of the many hours she spent helping Swedish immigrants in her community learn American culture and the English language.

After graduation, Agnes enrolled in a one-year program at Western Normal College in Shenandoah. In 1906, she inaugurated her career as an educator at a one-room country school house in Page County, two miles from Shenandoah. Over the next two years, the neophyte teacher instructed in several school in southwest Iowa. Eventually she landed at a high school in Silver City, Iowa, where she was both a teacher and the principal.

By 1913, Agnes had completed numerous courses at the University of Nebraska. That year, the ambitious educator was named Superintendent of Public Schools in Yorktown, Iowa. Two years late she was selected  to the position of Page County Superintendent of Schools. During her tenure, she updated the curriculum in rural schools, ensured that all schools in the country were equipped with textbooks, and established a program of professional development for the teachers in her district.

In 1923, Agnes accepted a position as a professor of extension courses at Iowa State Teachers College. She also pursued graduate courses at the State University of Iowa. There she earned a Bachelor’s degree in 1925 and her Master’s degree in 1928.

Eager to be of even further service, Agnes ran for State Superintendent of Public Instruction in 1926. She won! She served 12 years in the position. During those years, she campaigned for the adoption of a school-aid formula that provided equal education for all Iowa children, regardless of the property wealth in their home district.

In 1935, Agnes decided to shift gears. She left public office to become the Executive Secretary of the Iowa State Teachers Association, in 1945, she became the president of the National Education Association. To fulfill her responsibilities in this role, she relocated to Washington, DC.

For her lifetime of work improving the educational experiences of students in her state, Agnes was inducted posthumously into the Iowa Women’s Hall of Fame in 1976. In addition, an elementary school in Des Moines has been named in her honor. In addition, she was a charter member of Delta Kappa Gamma (DKG), an organization for educators that was formed in 1929 to address issues of equality for women professionals in education.

This amazing Chalkboard Champion retired in 1952. In retirement, she authored several books and a school manual. She passed away on May 12, 1963, following a one-year battle with cancer. She was 76 years old.

To read more about Agnes Samuelson, follow this link to the Biographical Dictionary of Iowa.

Former science teacher Alberto Carvalho now serves as Supt. of LAUSD

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Former science teacher Alberto Carvalho immigrated to the US with his family in search of a better life. He now serves as the Superintendent of Los Angeles Public Schools. Photo credit: The New York Times

Many excellent classroom teachers go on to positions of leadership and influence in their school districts. Alberto Carvalho is a fine example of this. Alberto inaugurated his career in education as a classroom teacher in Miami, Florida, rising to the position of Superintendent there. Currently, he works as the Superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District in California.

The former classroom teacher immigrated to the United States from Portugal with his family in search of a better life in about 1983. He was 17 years old at the time. At first, the family landed in New York, but later they relocated to Miami. Alberto was the first in his family to graduate from high school. 

Because of his determination and hard work, Alberto was able to put himself through college. He enrolled in courses first at Broward Community College, and later he earned a scholarship to Barry University, where he completed the requirements for his Bachelor’s degree.

Alberto inaugurated his career in education as a science teacher at Miami Jackson Senior High School in Miami-Dade County. He taught physics, chemistry, and calculus there. After four years in the classroom, Alberto served the District in several leadership positions, including Assistant Principal and Chief Communications Officer, before his selection as the Superintendent. For 13 years, Alberto served in that role for Miami-Dade County Public Schools.

During his tenure as Superintendent, Alberto garnered local, state, national, and international recognition. He was named Florida’s 2014 Superintendent of the Year; the 2014 National Superintendent of the Year; the 2016 winner of the Harold W. McGraw Prize in Education; the 2018 National Urban Superintendent of the Year; the 2019 National Association for Bilingual Education (NABE) Superintendent of the Year. In addition, he garnered recognition by Scholastic Administrator as one of “The Fantastic Five” educators making a difference in America.

Alberto currently serves on the National Assessment Governing Board, to which he was appointed by the US Secretary of Education. He also serves as a committee member for the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine, and as an Advisory Committee Member to the Harvard Program on Education Policy and Governance.

On Dec. 14, 2021, this Chalkboard Champion was hired to be the Superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District in Los Angeles, California. He continues to serve in this role today.

Immigrant and progressive educator Leonard Covello

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Leonard Covello

Teacher Leonard Covello was an immigrant who developed progressive educational reforms for other immigrant children. Photo credit: Ralph Morse, TiimeLife Images

Leonard Covello was just nine years old in 1896 when he immigrated to New York City with his family from the little village of Avigliano in southern Italy. But he grew up to become one of America’s greatest educators, developing and instituting progressive community-centered educational programs. These programs are characterized by close links between the school, the home, and the community, and are still a model for today’s educational institutions.

As an immigrant student himself, Leonard understood the unique needs of this particular group of students, and, as an Italian immigrant, he recognized the specific conflicts between the home and the family experienced by most Italian immigrant children. Drawing from his personal experience, Leonard was able to develop innovative school programs that allowed Italian immigrant students to succeed in American public schools in ways they had never realized before. His observations and solutions are still applicable to certain groups of students we find in today’s classrooms.

You can read more about this innovative teacher and principal in my book, Chalkboard Champions: Twelve Remarkable Teachers Who Educated America’s Disenfranchised Students, available from amazon at the following link: Chalkboard Champions. You can also learn more about this remarkable educator in Teacher with a Heart: Reflections on Leonard Covello and Community by Vito Perrone. This volume is available from amazon at the following link: Teacher with a Heart. In addition to analysis by Perrone, the book contains lengthy excerpts from Leonard Covello’s autobiography, now out of print.

Theresa Maughan named NJ’s 2022 Teacher of the Year

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High school Social Studies teacher Theresa Maughan has been named New Jersey’s 2022 Teacher of the Year.. Photo credit: New Jersey Education Association

I always enjoy sharing stories about exceptional educators who have earned accolades for their work. One of these is Theresa Maughan, a high school Social Studies teacher in East Orange, New Jersey. She has been named her state’s 2022 Teacher of the Year.

Theresa teaches at East Orange STEM Academy in East Orange, New Jersey. In a career that has spanned 40 years, she has spent the last 34 of them at East Orange. “I love everything about my job,” expresses Theresa. “Every day is fresh and different, and I really enjoy giving my students an opportunity to become the best version of themselves,” she says.

The honored educator immigrated from Belize when she was only five years old. When her family was threatened with deportation, her social studies teacher dedication herself to helping her family stay in their adopted country. “My father had an issue with his visa that threatened our immediate family’s status in the US,” recalls Theresa. “My teacher, Mrs. Roman, launched a letter-writing campaign and arranged for coverage in the Jersey Journal about our situation. The school community rallied around us and we were able to go through the naturalization process, eventually becoming American citizens,” she continues. This effort, says Theresa, is what led her to recognize the immense impact educators have on their students’ lives and inspired her to pursue a career in education.

When she grew up, Theresa earned her Bachelor’s degree in History and Education from Rutgers University. She earned her Master’s degree in Administration and Supervision from New Jersey City University. She is also working on her second Master’s degree, in American History, from Pace University.

In addition to her responsibilities in the classroom, Theresa writes curriculum, and she has developed and presented interdisciplinary professional development workshops for her school district. She has mentored new teachers and pre-service teachers. Furthermore, she has attended the New Jersey Amistad Commission’s Summer Teacher Institute for more than a decade, and she serves as an Amistad Scholar.

Besides her honors as New Jersey’s Teacher of the Year, Theresa has been named 2021 Essex County Teacher of the Year, and she was a nominee for the National History Day Patricia Behring Award the same year.

To read more about Theresa Maughan, see this article published by the New Jersey Education Association.

Immigrant and progressive educator Leonard Covello

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Leonard Covello

Teacher Leonard Covello, the immigrant who developed progressive educational reforms. Photo credit: Ralph Morse, TiimeLife Images

Leonard Covello was just nine years old in 1896 when he immigrated to New York City with his family from the little village of Avigliano in southern Italy. But he grew up to become one of America’s greatest educators, developing and instituting progressive community-centered educational programs. These programs are characterized by close links between the school, the home, and the community, and are still a model for today’s educational institutions.

As an immigrant student himself, Leonard understood the unique needs of this particular group of students, and, as an Italian immigrant, he recognized the specific conflicts between the home and the family experienced by most Italian immigrant children. Drawing from his personal experience, Leonard was able to develop innovative school programs that allowed Italian immigrant students to succeed in American public schools in ways they had never realized before. His observations and solutions are still applicable to certain groups of students we find in today’s classrooms.

You can read more about this innovative teacher and principal in my book, Chalkboard Champions: Twelve Remarkable Teachers Who Educated America’s Disenfranchised Students, available from amazon at the following link: Chalkboard Champions. You can also learn more about this remarkable educator in Teacher with a Heart: Reflections on Leonard Covello and Community by Vito Perrone. This volume is available from amazon at the following link: Teacher with a Heart. In addition to analysis by Perrone, the book contains lengthy excerpts from Leonard Covello’s autobiography, now out of print.