About

WHO I AM– 

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My name is Maya Kaul and I created this platform as a way to learn from individuals and communities whose experiences with education have been different from my own, and to create a shared space where others could also hear and grow from those stories.

I graduated from Pomona College in May 2017 with a degree in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE), and a focus on US education politics and policy. My background in education work is both within classrooms–as a 7th grade Humanities summer teacher in East Palo Alto, and as a Coordinator for a college access program in Los Angeles, CA–and outside the classroom–with academic experience in education policy research.

I spent August 2017 through May 2018 as a Fulbright scholar in Helsinki, Finland, working alongside the LUMA Centre Finland/University of Helsinki to conduct a national review of STEM education reform in the context of teacher training programs in Finnish schools. The nature of this research will be centered around interviews of numerous stakeholders within the Finnish education system–namely, teachers and administrators.

For more information on my professional and educational background, see here.

WHY VOICES IN EDUCATION—

After having countless conversations with students, K-12 teachers, education researchers, etc., I have been struck by the qualitative diversity of experiences different students or teachers may have, even within the same school or school district, most often due to factors far beyond their control. With this awareness, I am interested in hearing more stories to round out my understanding of education/education policy, and to think more powerfully about the real possibilities of education reform.

Accordingly, this blog will include a collection of interviews from a variety of stakeholders in education in the US and abroad, as well as reflections from my year in Finnish schools on a Fulbright scholarship. The goal through all of this will be to listen to the stories others have to tell about their experiences with education, and to share those findings so that such voices have a chance to be centered in policy change.