California State Board of Education President Michael Kirst spoke with IEL before his July AERA/IEL Educational Policy Forum. He shared experiences from his career, leadership lessons, and thoughts on the changing California policy landscape. Kirst emphasized the importance of building coalitions to lead across boundaries. “I hope to get education leaders and policymakers in a position where all aspects of education policy and politics can be applied to the issues at hand… from nutrition to special education to school finance. Through my experiences in state and federal government and in higher education, I’ve learned that patience, persistence, and humility are important qualities that run through all of this work.” said Kirst. READ MORE…