Meet the AuthorS

Dorothy was the co-author of Identity Safe Classrooms Grades K-5 published in 2013. She was the former Executive Director of the Center for Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity at Stanford University. She was an early childhood educator who is interested in public schools including teaching practices that are effective for diverse classrooms, alternative assessment processes that inform teaching and learning, and strategies that build inclusive communities of learners in schools. Her work with the Stanford Integrated Schools Project was an attempt to look at these various aspects of schooling in a large urban school district. 

Dr. Steele began her work with teachers and children in 1968 in Columbus, Ohio, as the Director/Teacher of one of the city’s first Head Start Programs. During the 1970’s, she served as the Curriculum Coordinator for the City of Seattle’s Children’s Programs, an early childhood teacher educator, a parent educator, and, for eight years, the director of a large, university-based child care center.

The book Identity Safe Classrooms Grades 6-12 is dedicated to Dorothy and her work for identity safety.

Alexandrea (Alex) is the co-author of Identity Safe Classrooms Grades 6-12. She is the Senior Director of Academic Programs at the Alder Graduate School of Education. Alex has worked in several roles in K–12 and higher ed including teacher, school coach, principal, and district leader, as well as lecturer for Stanford University. Formerly, she served as the Chief Academic Officer at Leadership Public Schools (LPS),  a charter district that oversees three urban high schools. There she previously worked as a teacher, dean of students, and principal at LPS Oakland.

Alex started her career in education, focusing on educational equity and school improvement at Partners in School Innovation where she coached teachers and leaders on how to use the cycle of inquiry model. Over the course of her career, she has worked to support elementary school teachers and leaders to engage in the school improvement process. Recently, Alex co-authored the book Identity Safe Classrooms: Grades 6–12 Pathway to Belonging and Learning. A Bay Area native, Alex enjoys spending her time with her husband and two sons, writing, and spending time outdoors.

Kathe Gogolewski, is the co-author of Belonging and Inclusion in Identity Safe Schools. She taught science as well as first, third, and fourth grades in Bay Area elementary schools, serving culturally rich and racially diverse students from all backgrounds. During her tenure, she worked as both a master and mentor teacher, working with new teachers and new teacher candidates in both classroom management and curriculum. She provided teachers with a framework for creating nurturing classrooms that welcomed students of all identities and backgrounds. She taught at California State University in the teacher credential program and has presented at workshops and conferences across the United States. Since moving to San Diego, Kathe supports and volunteers for various nonprofits, including Embracing the World, serving populations in need across the globe; San Diego Rapid Response Network, creating safe spaces for refugees and people seeking asylum; and Casa de Amparo, providing care for children before their placement into foster care. She has worked as a volunteer science and language arts teacher in the Vista, Carlsbad, and San Diego Unified School Districts. She has published a children’s book, Tato, and a number of children’s short stories, all with themes that support and foster compassion toward oneself and others. A transplant from the Bay Area, she lives now in San Diego, with her husband, Ray. They have four children and seven grandchildren.

Dr. Debbie Zacarian is the co-author of Identity Safe Spaces at Home and School. She is the founder of Zacarian & Associates, provides professional development, strategic planning, and technical assistance for K-16 educators of culturally and linguistically diverse populations. She has served as an expert consultant for school districts, universities, associations, and organizations including the Massachusetts Parent Information Resource Center and Federation for Children with Special Needs.

Debbie has worked with numerous state and local education agencies and written the language assistance programming policies for many rural, suburban, and urban districts. Debbie served on the faculty of University of Massachusetts-Amherst where she co-wrote and was the co-principal investigator of a National Professional Development grant initiative supporting the professional preparation of educators of multilingual learners. Debbie also designed and taught courses for pre- and in-service administrators and teachers on culturally responsive teaching and supervision practices, multilingual development, and ethnographic research.

The author of more than 100 publications, her most recent professional books include: Beyond Crises: Overcoming Linguistic and Cultural Inequities in Communities. Schools and Classrooms; Responsive Schooling for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students; Teaching to Empower: taking action to foster student agency, self-confidence, and collaboration; and Teaching to Strengths: Supporting Students living with Trauma, Violence and Chronic Stress.

Becki is the co-author of Identity Safe Classrooms Grades K-5 and Identity Safe Classrooms 6-12. She is an independent consultant, designing curriculum, coaching schools, and producing films and digital media on models for creating safe schools. She formerly worked as director of Not In Our School on anti-racist and anti-bias education and bullying prevention for the national non-profit The Working Group. Becki worked in educational settings for over 35 years as a teacher and administrator.

She began her career at the West Santa Rosa Multicultural Center in rural Sonoma County, California. She did community service in Central America in the Guatemalan Highlands and later in the Preschool Department of the Nicaraguan Ministry of Education. She then returned to California and worked as a bilingual teacher and principal in Oakland, a Curriculum Director in the Palo Alto, and as Superintendent-Principal of a small district in San Jose. In each of these settings, she focused on developing and implementing educational equity. Her doctoral dissertation focused on identifying, describing, and implementing identity safety. Becki and her husband live in California and have three adult children and one grandchild.

 Amy is the co-author of Identity Safe Classrooms Grades 6-12. She worked as director of data and assessment for Leadership Public Schools (LPS). Amy has worked as an administrator and consultant with many school districts, schools, foundations, and other non-profit organizations to advance evidence-based dialogue and decision-making. Prior to joining LPS, Amy worked for 8 years with the Oakland Unified School District, serving as Data Systems Designer, Coordinator of Data Analysis, and Support and Manager of Performance Culture. She began developing her data-related skills “on the job” while serving as a school-based social worker and center director from 1992-1998. Her areas of expertise include data systems, assessment of student learning, inquiry processes and tools, stakeholder surveys, and program evaluation.