Forbes 30 Under 30: Education Recipients

Forbes recently published its annual 30 Under 30 lists for various professions, including education: I’m embarrassed to say that I only know two:

Jeremiah Kittridge of Families for Excellent Schools. Forbes writes: “Families for Excellent Schools works with parents in 65 charter schools in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut to encourage them to become educational advocates for their schools. He previously served as a public school teacher and a labor organizer at SEIU, a 2 million strong union of service workers.” Here’s Alexander Russo’s take:

Most of the folks who make the Forbes Magazine 30 Under 30: Education section are doing familiar things you already hear about a lot -- apps and devices and charters and all of that -- most of them doing things that are appealing but haven't really made much of an impact yet -- and obviously showed up so that they could take a professional portrait.  

Nothing wrong with that, I guess, but the name and image that jumped out at me was Jeremiah Kittredge, 26, Executive Director, Families for Excellent Schools.  

According to Forbes, FES "works with parents in 65 charter schools in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut to encourage them to become educational advocates for their schools. He previously served as a public school teacher and a labor organizer at SEIU, a 2 million strong union of service workers."

Obviously Kittridge hasn't saved the world yet, either, but I like that he's doing doing something political and grassrootsish.  Other honorable mentions?  Greg Rosenbaum, 24, Coordinator, SXSWedu; Zakiya Smith, 27, Director of Post-Secondary Innovation, Center for American Progress.

And:

Alexis Morin, 22, and Catharine Bellinger, 22, Cofounders, Students For Education Reform

Founded SFER while they were undergraduates at Princeton in 2009. They set out to mobilize college students to advocate for K-12 education reform in the voting booth and in state capitols, a mission that has grown to 136 chapters in 33 states. SFER scaled so quickly that its founders put their own educations on hold for a year; they are now balancing a senior year course load and leading the organization.

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