Executive Director Bita Nazarian discusses education on Nonprofit Report

On August 11, Our Executive Director Bita Nazarian participated in a panel hosted by Mark Oppenheim’s Nonprofit Report, a weekly webinar on nonprofit organizations, issues and leaders. Bita joined Michele Broadnax of the Los Angeles Education Partnership and Lynette Guastaferro of Teaching Matters to talk about what these organizations do to support youth in their education, and the landscape of challenges students are facing today.

As part of the panel, Bita reflected on what first got her involved with 826 Valencia as an eighth grade English teacher, saying, “What I saw in my classroom was 30 kids per class, a huge range of talents, and the vast majority academically behind in reading and writing. What I love about 826 Valencia is when they came to me as a classroom teacher they said, ‘How can we help you? What do your students need?’”

The panelists went on to discuss systemic inequity in education, its origins, and its impact on students and families, and how COVID-19 is exposing and deepening these issues. It’s a fascinating and essential half hour of discussion — tune in here!