Summit Tamalpais Teacher Honored for Excellence in the Classroom

Joi Jackson, a 7th grade history teacher at Summit Tamalpais, has been recognized as a Summit Learning Spotlight teacher for her outstanding use of personalized learning practices to meet each student’s individual needs. The inaugural Summit Learning Spotlight honors and celebrates community-nominated teachers and schools across the country who are outstanding examples of personalized learning implementation and instruction.

Developed by Summit Public Schools in partnership with nationally acclaimed learning scientists, researchers, and academics, Summit Learning is a personalized approach to teaching and learning inspired by the vision to equip every student to lead a fulfilled life. Through the free Summit Learning Program, more than 330 schools have implemented and tailored Summit Learning for their communities, reaching more than 54,000 students across 40 states.

As part of the Summit Learning community, Summit Tamalpais has exhibited a strong commitment to ensuring that all students are known deeply inside and outside of the classroom, become advocates for themselves, and have opportunities to ignite their passions and interests through their schoolwork, real-world learning experiences and ongoing, one-to-one mentoring. Teachers and leaders at Summit Tamalpais, including Jackson, are dedicated to providing all students with an education that reflects the skills and habits necessary for success — an education that takes into account students’ individual needs, aspirations, and how they learn best.

Meeting the needs of every student required Summit Tamalpais teachers to make fundamental changes in their classrooms in order to provide a high level of individual support to students, and Jackson has embraced this hard work. Jackson provides her students with multiple options and pathways for learning, and she connects the history curriculum to current issues to make learning more relevant. These practices have helped 99 percent of her students be on track in developing key skills for success.

“Joi is a creative, resourceful teacher who truly believes that every student is full of potential,” says Summit Tamalpais Executive Director Abbie Ridenour. “She provides her students with a perfect balance of high expectations and support to meet those expectations.”

Nominations for the Summit Learning Spotlight were accepted in fall 2017. Nominators provided insight and evidence into great educational practices from around Summit Learning community. As a Summit Learning Spotlight teacher, Jackson and Summit Tamalpais will have the opportunity to share educational best practices, lessons learned, and keys to success with educators across the country.

“Joi is more than a teacher — she is a mentor and coach to her students, a leader of her colleagues, and a role model for a national community of educators,” said Diane Tavenner, CEO and co-founder of Summit Public Schools. “We are honored to partner with, learn from and celebrate Joi and her dedication to meeting the needs of each and every student.”

To learn more about Summit Tamalpais, please visit http://www.summitps.org/tamalpais