Greater Los Angeles Region

Since 2008, PowerMyLearning in the Greater Los Angeles Region has served over 17,000 students and their families and coached hundreds of educators at more than 60 schools in low-income communities. PowerMyLearning’s programs foster growth in teachers as instructional leaders, in families as support partners, and in students as learners who can meet the challenge of high academic standards.

Learn more about PowerMyLearning and the transformative work that is being done in the greater Los Angeles region. Volunteer with us, make a tax-deductible donation, and bring our services and programs for students, families, and teachers to your school.

By providing key tools, training and support, our programs and services are designed to foster growth in teachers as instructional leaders, in parents as support partners, and in students as learners who can meet the challenge of high academic standards.

Learn more about our Programs & Services and how you can become a partner school.

Greater Los Angeles Partner Schools (2016-17)

• Alliance College-Ready Middle Academy 12
• Alliance College-Ready Middle Academy 21
• Alliance Leadership Middle Academy
• Gardena High School
• Giano Intermediate School
• ICEF Inglewood Middle Charter Academy
• ICEF View Park Preparatory
• ICEF Vista Middle Academy
• KIPP Scholar Academy
• New Heights Charter School
• PUC Community Charter Middle School
• Rowland Elementary School
• Synergy Quantum Academy
• Valiente College Preparatory

Presenting at local and regional digital learning conferences
Executive Director Neil Spears presented at the International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL) Annual Symposium in Fall 2014. The symposium is attended by thousands of educators, district leaders, and education experts from across the country and the world. PowerMyLearning’s session focused on our expertise in using digital learning to create playlists of digital learning activities, thereby facilitating a more personalized learning environment for students. The session was so well attended that there was standing room only.

Given the demand for knowledge about our work at iNACOL, the staff from the Greater Los Angeles Region of PowerMyLearning also presented at the Computer Using Educators (CUE) Conference in spring 2015. The annual CUE conference is the largest educational technology conference in California. Our session there was also standing-room only. We look forward to attending additional conferences in the future in order to increase our presence and ensure that as many educators as possible have access to our platform and services.

Ann McMullan
Educational Technology Consultant

David Foley
Quantitative Analyst, Capital Group Companies

Kalpi Kadaba
Philanthropist

Ken Hanscom
Chief Operating Officer, InviteManager

Mayra Vega
Product Designer, Pivotal Labs

Tom Rickeman
Associate, Greenberg Gross LLP

Wendy La Duke
Founder, Tahoe Strategies

Neil Spears
Executive Director, Greater Los Angeles and San Francisco Bay Area

Neil Spears is the Executive Director of PowerMyLearning’s Greater Los Angeles and Bay Area regions. Before joining PowerMyLearning, Neil was a teacher at El Sereno Middle School in east Los Angeles. While teaching, Neil was also the school-side liaison for PowerMyLearning’s partnership with El Sereno, playing a central role in the organization’s successful launch at our first partner school in Southern California. During his time in the classroom, Neil was struck by the vast opportunity gaps that impacted his students and as a result, Neil has dedicated his professional career to educational equity and justice. Neil was selected for the inaugural Schusterman Fellowship cohort, a highly customized leadership development program that prepares fellows to realize and exercise their full potential as individual leaders and as a collective force for creating change in their communities and the world. A Southern California native, Neil holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of California, San Diego, and a master’s degree in education policy and management from Harvard University. He also maintains a California multiple subjects teaching credential and is a Teach For America alumnus.

Katie Roth
Director of Programs, Greater Los Angeles and San Francisco Bay Area

Katie leads PowerMyLearning‘s programs and services in Los Angeles and the Bay Area to ensure a strong, positive, and sustainable impact in our partner communities. She manages program execution for families and educators in high-poverty schools and she plays a pivotal role in shaping the program vision nationally. In Katie’s previous role at PowerMyLearning, she worked closely with teachers and school leaders to implement innovative digital learning strategies in their classrooms to increase student engagement and achievement. Prior to joining PowerMyLearning, Katie served as the Los Angeles Manager of Instruction at Revolution Prep, where she managed, trained, and developed a group of 75 instructors and tutors. She also worked at XAP Corporation, interfacing with state departments of education to enhance digital learning opportunities for K-12 students. Katie discovered her passion for expanding educational opportunities as a Teach For America corps member at Markham Middle School in Los Angeles. She taught seventh and eighth grade math and served as the school’s math department chair. She has continued her involvement with Teach For America as a Math Learning Team Leader, running professional development sessions for corps members outside of school hours. Katie holds a bachelor’s degree in finance, marketing, and psychology from Washington University in St. Louis. Katie earned a California teaching credential in secondary math.

Calvin Selth
Director of Development, Greater Los Angeles and San Francisco Bay Area

Calvin Selth is the Director of Development for PowerMyLearning’s Greater Los Angeles and Bay Area regions. Before joining PowerMyLearning, Calvin led events-based development efforts at Teach For America – Los Angeles, where he helped secure more than $1.8 million in sponsorships over two years and launched the region’s first-ever Associates Board. As a young student, Calvin had early access to technology and received an outstanding public school education – something many deserving children in our nation don’t receive. This inequity grounds his focus as a development professional: working to build strong partnerships between funders and non-profit organizations, and encouraging investments in the potential of students and families in under-served communities. Calvin started his professional career in the classroom, teaching grades K-1 and grades 6-8 at a bilingual school in Long Beach, CA. A Southern California native, Calvin graduated magna cum laude from Cornell University, where he completed a bachelor’s degree in history and Spanish. He is also a ten-year trustee of the Telluride Association, a non-profit organization offering free educational programs in Ithaca, NY and Ann Arbor, MI.

Elizabeth Cabrera
Senior Program Manager, Family Engagement

Elizabeth leads PowerMyLearning’s Family Engagement Services in Los Angeles and works closely with the Blended Learning Consulting team and the Family Engagement cross-regional team. Prior to joining PowerMyLearning, Elizabeth taught elementary school in low-income communities in Los Angeles, including experience teaching in Spanish. Elizabeth is a Teach For America alumna. As a Los Angeles native, she is determined to help the community reach higher academic gains to close the achievement gap. She earned a bachelor’s degree in English and a minor in Spanish from Harvard University. She also holds a master’s degree in urban education from Loyola Marymount University and she holds a California multiple subject teaching credential.

Maria Morrisson
Blended Learning Specialist

As a Blended Learning Specialist, Maria works with teachers from grades 2-12 to effectively integrate digital technology in order to provide personalized, meaningful instruction for students. In addition to 1-on-1 coaching with teachers, Maria facilitates workshops on blended learning, family engagement, and best coaching practices. Before joining PowerMyLearning in 2015, Maria was a middle school math teacher at KIPP Central City Academy in New Orleans, Louisiana where she implemented a 1-to-1 technology model in her classroom. She previously taught 6th grade in Miami-Dade County Public Schools as a Teach for America Corps Member and served as a Fulbright Teaching Assistant in rural Taiwan. Maria earned a bachelor’s degree in East Asian Studies from Lewis & Clark College and a master’s degree in Education and Social Change from the University of Miami.

Roque Pech
Blended Learning Manager

As a Blended Learning Manager, Roque works alongside teachers and school leaders to support the integration of technology to foster a blended learning environment where personalized learning positively impacts all students. In addition to consulting with teachers, he will be supporting the Los Angeles team in securing new school and district partnerships for the coming school years. Roque holds a California teaching credential in secondary math and has experience teaching at the middle school and high school level. He is a proud product of the LAUSD public school system where he attended schools throughout his K-12 experience. In addition, Roque has experience serving low-income communities ranging from East Los Angeles to the San Fernando Valley. As a teacher, Roque modeled school-wide initiatives on how to build collaborative learning environments, sponsored an after school coding club, and held family engagement workshops in English and Spanish. Prior to his time as a Teach For America corps member, Roque worked in sales at TransFirst and Capital One. Roque earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Management from San Diego State University and a master’s degree in Digital Learning from Loyola Marymount University.

You can help students and families in high-poverty communities harness the power of digital learning by volunteering with PowerMyLearning in the greater Los Angeles region. Our volunteers attend training with a friendly volunteer coordinator just minutes before assisting us with the rewarding work of engaging families during our Family Learning Workshops. You also receive a PowerMyLearning t-shirt to wear at the workshop and to keep!

PowerMyLearning’s volunteer program recruits corporate volunteer groups as well as individual volunteers. We make it easy to give back to your community, learn new skills, and get to know other engaged citizens in our region. Consider making PowerMyLearning a part of your organization’s volunteer plans.

You can also reach us at volunteer-la@PowerMyLearning.org. Volunteers must be 16 years of age or older.