Jared Berk

Background

About Jared Berk

I am a Bay Area native, born and raised in San Francisco. I went to San Francisco public schools until the 8th grade and then Archbishop Riordan High School. I have always valued the diversity of experiences, and how they have formed me. As a white, middle-class male, I was raised privileged, although I did not know it at the time. Following my formative years, I went to UC Santa Cruz for my undergraduate and first post-graduate degrees. This culminated with a Bachelor’s degree in European History and a Master’s degree in Teacher education. I worked for one year as a high school teacher at San Benito High School, but always wanted to work where I was most familiar. I transitioned into a Middle School ELA and Social Studies teaching position at Benjamin Franklin Middle School. There I developed my practice and began infusing both classes curriculums with skills inherent in the others. I found that by focusing on the skills of critical reading and literacy that my students were better prepared for high school and beyond. I also realized that I was frustrated by the direction I was receiving from my administrators. It was one thing to critique and complain to my teacher colleagues, yet I realized that I needed to walk that path to truly understand. There were two things that I wanted to learn in a prospective Education Leadership program: how to be an excellent school site leader and how to understand my place in society. I decided that UC Berkeley’s Principal Leadership Institute was going to fulfill those two personal goals. It was a transformative experience; I learned about myself and the benefits that I receive from our society. It taught me the value of data-driven decision making, trust building, teacher coaching, and systems analysis and design. Following my graduation from the program and over the last 8 years, I have worked steadily to infuse those lessons into my every day practice. I am reflective, hardworking, and continuously learning. I have positively impacted every school that I have worked at. I know how to facilitate professionally collaborative educator groups, lead all employees on a school site, and develop data-driven change processes for student academic and behavioral growth. I also value being present in all areas that students congregate so that I can interact with them personally. I am comfortable with home visits and having hard conversations. I want students and staff to see me as a compassionate and empathetic person; I care deeply about the well-being of all.