Aija Simmons

Aija specializes in creating safe, non-evaluative spaces to meet teachers where they are and move them forward. She advises Lead by Learning on the design of a teacher leader certificate program and how the organization can keep equitable outcomes for students as the focus of their partnership with teachers. During her nine years as a 4th- and 5th-grade teacher in Oakland public schools she regularly engaged in collaborative, teacher-led inquiry with Lead by Learning. Through the Lead by Learning Writing Workshop she created a website showcasing her inquiry work. Aija is a Common Core Teacher Leader for the Oakland Unified School District and leads workshops informed by her inquiry work for the Bay Area Writing Project. Aija received her B.A. in Sociology from UC Berkeley and her M.A. in Education from Mills College.