Michelle Rush

I have 20 years of experience working toward equity in Washington, first at the D.C. Coalition Against Domestic Violence, and then as an educator supporting multilingual learners. As my role shifted from classroom teacher to director of English language learning at E.L. Haynes Public Charter School, my North Star has always been a deep belief that literacy is a civil right and that every person should be taught to read using instruction based in reading science. Currently, as manager of elementary English Language Arts and Social Studies for D.C. Public Schools, I design and facilitate professional development for every teacher and instructional coach in these subjects. This includes working closely with a cluster of 14 schools to provide student-centered leadership coaching. In my free time, I am a musician and founder of Girls! Rock D.C.--a nonprofit empowering young people to find their voice through music and community. I live in D.C. with my partner and our two awesome children, who attend a D.C. Public Charter School.