Pacific Resources for Education and Learning
Enhancing community well-being through partnerships in education
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PREL Names Dr. Sharon Nelson-Barber To Serve As President and CEO
Pacific Resources for Education and Learning’s (PREL’s) Board of Directors announces Dr. Sharon Nelson-Barber as the nonprofit organization's newly elected President and Chief Executive Officer.
For the last 12 years, Dr. Nelson-Barber has been serving as the Director of WestEd’s Center for the Study of Culture and Language in Education. She has also been a lecturer at Stanford University on the subjects of Native American studies and cultural and social anthr
opology. She is active in major organizations and meetings in anthropology and education and serves on a number of national advisory boards. She holds a doctorate in human development from Harvard University.
She combines expertise in qualitative research and culturally competent assessment and evaluation with years of experience providing equity assistance to schools, organizations, and service agencies serving diverse communities. A particular focus of hers is cultural issues in the teaching and learning of mathematics and science. Among her extensive publications, she is co-editor and contributor to the 2009 book titled Culturally Responsive Mathematics Education.
Dr. Nelson-Barber is a sociolinguist with ample experience in the Pacific. Her work explores ways in which teachers can more effectively teach the full spectrum of students in today’s classrooms. It centers, in particular, on the teaching knowledge and abilities of educators in nontraditional contexts, spanning indigenous settings in the lower 48 states, Alaska, the northern Pacific islands of Micronesia, and many areas of Polynesia. She is co-founder of Pacific/Polar Opportunities to Learn, Advance and Research Indigenous Systems (POLARIS), a research and development network that encourages social and educational transformation.
Dr. Nelson-Barber was selected for her continuous work for and contributions to education in the Pacific region and her commitment to PREL’s mission, Building Capacity Through Education. Her appointment is effective June 1, 2010.
(Posted Wednesday, June 16, 2010)