Nínive Clements Calegari
Encyclopedia
Nínive Clements Calegari is an educator in the United States
. Following ten years of classroom experience in public schools, she became an author and founded a national literacy program.
to receive her bachelors degree in 1993 and a Masters in Teaching and Curriculum from the Harvard Graduate School of Education
in 1995.
She worked at Leadership High School
, San Francisco's first charter school, where she also served on the Board of Directors, and then taught in her family's hometown in Mexico
,
Calegari was a co-founder of 826 Valencia
in April 2002 and the founding executive director.
The group and the seven other related chapters of 826 National
(which she also co-founded and headed) are a group of non-profit writing centers for students ages 6–18.
Calegari, along with Dave Eggers
and Daniel Moulthrop, co-authored the book Teachers Have It Easy: The Big Sacrifices and Small Salaries of America's Teachers, published by The New Press
in 2005. It argued that increasing teachers' salaries is a critical piece to meaningful school reform and essential to making sure that US students consistently get quality teachers.
Calegari also founded and serves as president of The Teacher Salary Project
, a non-profit designed to build the political will necessary to transform how US society values effective teachers. The project uses film, the Internet
, and the general public to communicate its mission. The Teacher Salary Project's film, American Teacher, held its first preview screening in May 2011 at the San Francisco International Film Festival and is scheduled to be officially released in major US cities in the Fall 2011. The film was produced by Calegari and Eggers, and directed and produced by filmmaker Vanessa Roth
.
The film is narrated by actor Matt Damon
with music composed by San Francisco musician Thao Nguyen
In 2007, Calegari received Edutopia
's 2007 Daring Dozen award. In 2008, Calegari was appointed by San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom
to the San Francisco Arts Commission.
She served on the board of Learning Points Associates, and as an advisor to the George Lucas Education Foundation.
She has been the recipient of an National Endowment for the Humanities
Fellowship, the William Coe Award for study at Stanford University
and the Andrew Mellon Fellowship. The Jim Henson
Community Honor in 2010 was awarded to 826 National.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Following ten years of classroom experience in public schools, she became an author and founded a national literacy program.
Biography
Calegari went to Santa Catalina School and graduated in 1989, later going to Middlebury CollegeMiddlebury College
Middlebury College is a private liberal arts college located in Middlebury, Vermont, USA. Founded in 1800, it is one of the oldest liberal arts colleges in the United States. Drawing 2,400 undergraduates from all 50 United States and over 70 countries, Middlebury offers 44 majors in the arts,...
to receive her bachelors degree in 1993 and a Masters in Teaching and Curriculum from the Harvard Graduate School of Education
Harvard Graduate School of Education
The Harvard Graduate School of Education is one of the graduate schools of Harvard University, and is one of the top schools of education in the United States. It was founded in 1920, the same year it invented the Ed.D...
in 1995.
She worked at Leadership High School
Leadership High School
Leadership High School is a public charter high school located in San Francisco, with approximately 270 students, all in one hall way. Leadership is a college preparatory school with a focus on leadership development and community building...
, San Francisco's first charter school, where she also served on the Board of Directors, and then taught in her family's hometown in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
,
Calegari was a co-founder of 826 Valencia
826 Valencia
826 Valencia is a non-profit organisation dedicated to helping children and young adults develop writing skills and to helping teachers inspire their students to write.-Overview:...
in April 2002 and the founding executive director.
The group and the seven other related chapters of 826 National
826 National
826 National is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping students, ages 6–18, with expository and creative writing at eight locations across the USA...
(which she also co-founded and headed) are a group of non-profit writing centers for students ages 6–18.
Calegari, along with Dave Eggers
Dave Eggers
Dave Eggers is an American writer, editor, and publisher. He is known for the best-selling memoir A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius and for his more recent work as a screenwriter. He is also the co-founder of the literacy project 826 Valencia.-Life:Eggers was born in Boston, Massachusetts,...
and Daniel Moulthrop, co-authored the book Teachers Have It Easy: The Big Sacrifices and Small Salaries of America's Teachers, published by The New Press
The New Press
The New Press is a not-for-profit, United States-based publishing house that operates in the public interest. It was established in 1990 as an alternative to large commercial publishers, and is supported financially by various foundations, groups and corporations including the Ford Foundation, the...
in 2005. It argued that increasing teachers' salaries is a critical piece to meaningful school reform and essential to making sure that US students consistently get quality teachers.
Calegari also founded and serves as president of The Teacher Salary Project
The Teacher Salary Project
The Teacher Salary Project is a non-profit organization dedicated to raising awareness surrounding the working conditions of public school teachers throughout America...
, a non-profit designed to build the political will necessary to transform how US society values effective teachers. The project uses film, the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
, and the general public to communicate its mission. The Teacher Salary Project's film, American Teacher, held its first preview screening in May 2011 at the San Francisco International Film Festival and is scheduled to be officially released in major US cities in the Fall 2011. The film was produced by Calegari and Eggers, and directed and produced by filmmaker Vanessa Roth
Vanessa Roth
Vanessa Roth is an American filmmaker and the daughter of award-winning screenwriter Eric Roth. For over a decade, Vanessa has been making pivotal documentaries on important social issues....
.
The film is narrated by actor Matt Damon
Matt Damon
Matthew Paige "Matt" Damon is an American actor, screenwriter, and philanthropist whose career was launched following the success of the film Good Will Hunting , from a screenplay he co-wrote with friend Ben Affleck...
with music composed by San Francisco musician Thao Nguyen
In 2007, Calegari received Edutopia
Edutopia
Edutopia is a Web site published by The George Lucas Educational Foundation . Founded in 1991 by filmmaker George Lucas and venture capitalist Steve Arnold, the Foundation celebrates and encourages innovation in K-12 schools ....
's 2007 Daring Dozen award. In 2008, Calegari was appointed by San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom
Gavin Newsom
Gavin Christopher Newsom is an American politician who is the 49th and current Lieutenant Governor of California. Previously, he was the 42nd Mayor of San Francisco, and was elected in 2003 to succeed Willie Brown, becoming San Francisco's youngest mayor in 100 years. Newsom was re-elected in 2007...
to the San Francisco Arts Commission.
She served on the board of Learning Points Associates, and as an advisor to the George Lucas Education Foundation.
She has been the recipient of an National Endowment for the Humanities
National Endowment for the Humanities
The National Endowment for the Humanities is an independent federal agency of the United States established by the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965 dedicated to supporting research, education, preservation, and public programs in the humanities. The NEH is located at...
Fellowship, the William Coe Award for study at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
and the Andrew Mellon Fellowship. The Jim Henson
Jim Henson
James Maury "Jim" Henson was an American puppeteer best known as the creator of The Muppets. As a puppeteer, Henson performed in various television programs, such as Sesame Street and The Muppet Show, films such as The Muppet Movie and The Great Muppet Caper, and created advanced puppets for...
Community Honor in 2010 was awarded to 826 National.