Sarah Malinoski is a newly hired senior associate here at the Great Schools Partnership. We’re proud to share some of her story below.
How has a commitment to educational equity guided your work?
After more than three decades in public education, I remain endlessly optimistic about the future. I have been a paraeducator, special educator, middle and high school general educator, interventionist, instructional coach, adjunct professor, team leader, and district administrator. I have worked in urban, suburban, and rural (for CT) systems. I have facilitated, developed, and delivered national, regional, and local PD. I have lead data collection and analysis and collaborated with others to design systems for student success. My belief in and commitment to educators and the welfare of all students motivates me daily.
My entire career has been dedicated to raising marginalized voices and supporting lifelong positive outcomes for all students. Social justice and educational equity have motivated me from my earliest volunteer work in MA with incarcerated individuals and youth in residential programs and throughout my work with public schools. Impactful equity work must include reflection, honest assessment of biases, learning partnerships, and commitment to just actions.
Over the last nine years as a district leader of curriculum and technology in CT, my work focused on developing and improving inclusive, equitable, and sustainable systems and practices. We developed a portrait of a graduate, redefined graduation requirements, and focused on incorporating more flexible pathways for teaching and learning. The vision for this work is grounded in student acquisition and demonstration of the most essential knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to succeed in school and beyond. I am motivated by working with others as we review data to co-create plans that focus on common equitable outcomes.
I am thrilled to have joined Great Schools Partnership and to partner with others who are motivated to lift out collective educators’ voices for educational equity. There is nothing like working with others to find the “aha” moments!
What excites you about the future of education?
Educators excite me about the future of education. Educators are our best hope for our future. Educators recognize and share the beauty of living. They spur curiosity and wonder. They transform lives and illuminate talents. They grow future artists and change-makers. They have the strength to lift marginalized voices and hold the power to change the world!
We stand at a critical juncture in education as we emerge from a global pandemic and wrestle with national and geopolitical unrest. Many educators, students, and communities are strained as we recover and reimagine what school can become. I am excited to collaborate with our GSP partners as together we work toward equitable and sustainable redesign. Strong relationships, diverse perspectives, and divergent ideas matter and bolster us to shift challenges into opportunities.
It is exciting, and humbling, to be part of GSP, an organization committed to educators.