Sarah S. Pearson
Deputy Director for Coalition for Community Schools
pearsons@iel.org
202-822-8405 ext 129
Sarah S. Pearson serves as the Deputy Director for the Coalition for Community Schools where she works to bring together leaders and networks in education, family support, youth development, community development, government, and philanthropy to support a shared vision of community schools. Community schools serve as the hub of their neighborhoods to improve student learning and development, strengthen families, and build stronger communities.
Before coming to the Coalition and IEL, Sarah worked at the American Youth Policy Forum where she led national level discussions, conducted site visits, and served as the principle investigator on research on education and youth policy. She is a published author of numerous policy briefs and reports on topics such as youth court, service-learning, comprehensive school reform, career preparation, after school and out-of-school time, youth with disability’s issues, and more. She is the editor of Restoring the Balance Between Academics and Civic Engagement in Public Schools.
A convener of professionals in policy, practice, and research, Sarah was nominated to serve as president of the National and Community Service Coalition from 2003 to 2005 to lead an effort of nonprofits across the nation to save AmeriCorps program funding (through 100 hours of testimony to Congress). Sarah’s work with the National Center on Education and the Economy in the late 1990s introduced her to the concepts of comprehensive school reform models, academic standards, reference exams, and school-to-work. Her background and interests in youth policy span across many areas including youth development, juvenile justice, national and community service, service-learning, tribal youth programs, youth with disabilities, after school and out-of-school time, foster care, and more.
Sarah is active in her home community of Del Ray Alexandria as a volunteer, curator, and artist with the Del Ray Artisans, and as the second Vice President for the Del Ray Citizens Association. Her work is currently on display at the City of Alexandria’s City Hall.
Sarah received her B.A. from Marymount University and her Masters in Education from the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia. She is a graduate of IEL’s Education Policy Fellowship Program (EPFP, Class of 2000), a year-long leadership development program. She was awarded a Certificate in Nonprofit Management from the Georgetown Public Policy Institute, Georgetown University, in 2006. In addition, she was awarded a Certificate in Computer Graphics from the Corcoran School of Art in 1998.