Advisors

Join our Advisory Boards

Madeline Levine Ph.D.

Madeline Levine is a nationally-known psychologist with over 25 years of experience as a clinician, consultant, and educator. Her current New York Times best-selling book, The Price of Privilege, published by Harper Collins, explores the reasons why teenagers from affluent families are experiencing epidemic rates of emotional problems. She is also a co-founder of Challenge Success.

Wendy Mogel Ph.D.

DR. WENDY MOGEL is an internationally known clinical psychologist, author and public speaker. Publisher’s Weekly gave her New York Times best-selling parenting book, The Blessing of a Skinned Knee, a starred review saying,  “Impassioned, lyrical and eminently practical, this volume is a real treasure.”

A graduate of Middlebury College, Dr. Mogel completed an internship and post-doctoral fellowship in the Department of Psychiatry at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. She has been a keynote speaker at the annual meetings of the National Association of Independent Schools, the National Association of Principals of Schools for Girls, the Educational Records Bureau, the National Association of Episcopal Schools, the American Montessori Society, and the American Camp Association.

Dr. Mogel serves on the boards of the Center for Early Education and the Counsel for Spiritual and Ethical Education—a century old inter-faith organization serving private schools. She contributes articles to many types of publications including Independent School Magazine, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Camping Magazine.

In 2006, The New York Times Sunday Magazine published a profile of Dr. Mogel and her work. In October of 2010, Scribner will publish her book about raising teenagers in a nervous world, The Blessing of a B Minus.

Sara Truebridge, Ed.D.

Sara Truebridge is an Education Consultant who combines her experience and expertise in the areas of education policy, practice and research to promote success and equity for all.  Truebridge formally was a Research Associate with WestEd. Sara has consulted and given numerous presentations and workshops throughout the United States from a strengths-based perspective focusing on resilience and positive youth/human development theory, policy and practice to enhance positive school climate, teaching, learning, health and safety.

After 20 years of credentialed classroom experience ranging from pre-kindergarten to high school, Truebridge was Founder and President of Sincerely, Kids Inc.®, a child-centered consulting firm providing Educational C.A.R.E. — Consulting, Advocacy, Resources, and Education. Prior to teaching, she was the Legislative Analyst for education in the New York State Senate. Truebridge earned her Ed.D. and M.A. from Mills College and B.A. from Denison University. She holds certificates from Harvard Graduate School of Education’s program, Closing the Achievement Gap and UC Berkeley’s program, Children and the Changing Family. Truebridge is one of two international recipients of the 2005 Howard M. Soule Fellowship for Doctoral Studies: a Phi Delta Kappa Graduate Fellowship in Educational Leadership.

Sara Bennett

Sara Bennett is the co-author of "The Case Against Homework: How Homework Is Hurting Our Children and What We Can Do About It" and the founder of Stop Homework, a not-for-profit project devoted to changing homework policy and practice, that is affiliated with The Alliance for Childhood . Sara has a 17-year-old son and a 14-year-old daughter, and she has been an anti-homework activist from the time her older child entered first grade. A former criminal appeals attorney and the first chairperson of the Wrongful Convictions Project of the Legal Aid Society, Sara has successfully helped parents advocate for homework reform in their own communities, and she has counseled teachers, administrators, and School Board members on ways to change homework practices.

Denise Pope Ph.D.

Denise Pope is a senior lecturer at the Stanford University School of Education. For the past ten years, she has specialized in student engagement, curriculum studies, qualitative research methods, and service learning. She is the author of "Doing School: How we are creating a generation of stressed out, materialistic, and miseducated students." She is co-founder of Challenge Success, a national research and intervention project that aims to reduce unhealthy pressure on youth and champions a broader vision of youth success. Challenge Success is an expanded version of the Stressed Out Students program that Dr. Pope founded and directed from 2003-2008. She lectures nationally on parenting techniques and pedagogical strategies to increase student health, engagement with learning, and integrity.

Jim Lobdell M.A.

Jim Lobdell has broad expertise in pedagogy and curriculum, school reform, parent education, and youth sports. He co-founded Teachers’ Curriculum Institute, widely regarded as the nation’s most innovative publisher of K-12 social studies curriculum, and has authored several methodology books, including Bring Learning Alive! Engaging All Learners in the Diverse Classroom. He is also a co-founder of Challenge Success.

Kerry Dickinson

Kerry Dickinson has two teenage sons. She also has a multiple subject teaching credential and a master’s degree in Reading. She is a substitute teacher in her children's public school district. Kerry has taught middle school, high school and community college English and Reading. She has volunteered in her children's school district for the past 8 years and recently served on the committee that rewrote the district’s homework policy. She is an advocate for change in her community with regard to homework practices and writes articles on homework and related educational issues.