Jonathan Cetel | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
“In the fall of 2010, Dominique, known by her students as ‘Ms. D,’ voluntarily transferred to teach in one of Philadelphia’s most challenging high schools. She wasn’t alone. The principal had articulated a vision of building an excellent school by recruiting a dream team of passionate, hard-working teachers.
A small cadre of idealistic young teachers embraced the challenge of trying to turn around a high school where only 6 percent of seniors were proficient readers and just 3 percent were proficient in math. By that winter, Dominique and her new colleagues were helping their students make progress, and she was in discussions with her principal about becoming a grade group leader the following year to coach their talented but mostly inexperienced staff.”