- Joan Sullivan
- Founder, Bronx Academy of Letters
- Posted: 06/05/10 | Recorded at Gel 2009
Joan Sullivan founded the Bronx Academy of Letters - a public, not charter, school - in the poorest congressional district in America. A few years later it was ranked as one of the top high schools in New York City. Joan tells her story and invites two alumni on-stage as well.
A few months after Gel 2009, Joan was appointed Deputy Mayor of Education in Los Angeles (source).
See also:
• Followup interview with Joan Sullivan, shortly after Gel 2009, asking the question, "How did you do it?"
- Joan Sullivan (followup)
- Founder, Bronx Academy of Letters
- Posted: 06/05/10 | Recorded at Gel 2009
After Joan Sullivan and two alumni spoke at Gel 2009 about the success of Bronx Academy of Letters, many Gel attendees asked the same question: how did she do it? In a followup interview a few weeks after the conference, Gel founder Mark Hurst went to the principal's office to find out.
See also: Joan Sullivan's Gel 2009 talk
- David Harris
- Former TOPGUN instructor
- Posted: 05/27/10 | Recorded at Gel 2010
During 20 years serving as a naval aviator, Dave spent seven years as a TOPGUN instructor, the longest anyone has ever served as a member of the staff there. Here at Gel 2010 he describes management and training best practices learned from TOPGUN.
- Sal Khan
- Founder, Khan Academy
- Posted: 05/14/10 | Recorded at Gel 2010
- 3 comments
What started as algebra lessons for his cousins has turned into a world-changing project. Hundreds of thousands of users worldwide have benefited from Sal Khan's friendly, accessible Youtube videos explaining math, science, and other subjects.
Sal has a vision of teaching the entire world, for free. His not-for-profit Khan Academy has the mission of "providing a high quality education to anyone, anywhere." In this outstanding Gel video, Sal describes the elements of the good experience he's trying to create.
See also: Khan Academy on CNN's Anderson Cooper 360
- Geoffrey Canada
- President, Harlem Children's Zone
- Posted: 12/09/08 | Recorded at Gel 2006
- 2 comments
In one of the all-time most popular Gel talks, Geoffrey Canada describes how his nonprofit, the Harlem Children's Zone, works to help young people in inner-city Harlem. Canada issues a sober indictment of failing schools, then describes the solution he has created.
Canada was recently profiled in the book Whatever It Takes, on Fresh Air with Terry Gross, and two years ago on 60 Minutes. If you don't know about Geoffrey Canada, you should. This video is a good place to start.
