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April 2007
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Jennifer Cheatham Appointed Executive Director of Curriculum and Instruction
Jennifer Cheatham The Board of Education approved the appointment of Jennifer Cheatham as the new Executive Director of Curriculum and Instruction. Since completing a six-month internship with Superintendent Cohn, she has been the Program Manager, High School Reform, leading the development of the instructional program at Lincoln High School.

Jennifer is currently completing her doctorate with the Urban Superintendents Program at Harvard University. Her six-month internship with SDUSD was a critical component of the program. Her expertise lies in developing instructional alignment and coherence at every level of a school system. She is particularly knowledgeable about teacher leadership, professional development, literacy and secondary level school reform.

Before her arrival in San Diego, Jennifer worked as a coach and professional developer at the Bay Area School Reform Collaborative (BASRC), a non-profit organization based in San Francisco that aims to increase educational equity in California school districts. At BASRC, she coached school and district leaders as they worked to create aligned school systems focused on improving teaching and learning. She also designed and delivered professional development for teachers, principals, and district leaders on promising strategies for improving student achievement and accelerating the learning of under-performing students. Previously, she worked as an 8th grade English teacher and reform coordinator. In her role as reform coordinator, Jennifer led a multi-year initiative aimed at improving literacy for middle and high school students.

Jennifer earned an M.A. in Education Administration, Planning and Social Policy, from Harvard University; M.A. in Education, from University of Michigan; and B.A. in English, from DePaul University, Chicago.