Chavonna Sheffield

Chavonna strives to identify, honor, and cultivate the intelligence and joy of Black students so they can uplift themselves, their families, and our communities. Her career, and first exposure to educational inequities, began by providing education services to students and families living in public housing. After teaching in a title 1 school in Baltimore, MD and then working for a voluntary desegregation program at a high performing suburban school district, she decided to figure out why inequities in education exist between Black and White students. Chavonna attended Columbia University, Teachers College earning her MA in Sociology and Education and gaining a deep historical and sociological understanding of the factors impacting urban schooling. Having managed class, school, and district level change, it was her role as consultant that led to a career changing moment. “When you know better, you do better” and Chavonna’s passion has been reignited through new learnings about literacy. With 83% of Black students in the 4th grade not reading at grade level, she is using her new learnings to ensure no other teacher receives a student in their 6th grade class who cannot read as she did in her first year of teaching.