Teachers, Founders, Friends
Marc Sternberg is a Board Member.
What is your role in education?
I’ve been an educator since the day I graduated from college. I went right from graduation to my first classroom—a wonderful group of fourth graders in the Bronx, New York. Since then, I’ve served across a set of roles, none more rewarding than my time in the classroom—teacher, principal, school founder, system leader and policy maker, White House fellow, and now philanthropy program director at the Walton Family Foundation.
I’ve been leading the Walton Family Foundation K-12 Education work for seven years now. In that time, we’ve supported the opening of hundreds of new schools and the training of thousands of educators – ultimately resulting in tens of thousands of students being prepared to succeed in college, career and life.
How did you get connected with Haile-Manas Academy?
When my old colleague, fellow founding faculty at the Bronx Lab School, and good friend Kari Ostrem reached out to consider supporting her newest role at Haile-Manas Academy, I was immediately on board.
I believe in the vision of Haile-Manas Academy—to open up educational opportunities for young people across Ethiopia, with a focus on ethnic diversity, gender parity, and without regard for financial circumstances. How can one not be taken in by the wildly ambitious goal? HMA realizes this vision by creating an unparalleled learning experience—one that incorporates not only the fundamentals but also the skills needed to pursue a career and life of meaning and personal fulfilment. Every child needs access to schools that unlock their unlimited potential, putting them on a path to success in life. And we know, whether that child is in the Bronx, Little Rock, Arkansas, or Debre Birhan, Ethiopia—school can be a difference maker.
What can you tell us about Kari?
I wholeheartedly believe in Kari Ostrem. What I can say without any hyperbole, and with a good bit of objectivity given our work together in launching the Bronx Lab School, is that Kari is a singular educator. She is courageous, inventive, determined, flexible, and fun. More than anything, a great Head of School needs to have a sense of humor. Because like anything new and hard, there are no straight lines and getting it right will often involve getting it wrong first. I remember our frantic final moments of tracking down camping gear—and campers!—before leaving for a week-long outdoor experience trip, rain or shine, with 50 ninth graders who had never spent a night in a tent. You have to have a good sense of humor to handle those moments well.
What characteristics does a Head of School like Kari need to be successful?
A great Head of School needs to be a learner. It’s funny, schools are held accountable for student learning outcomes. Of course, don’t get me wrong—that matters. But I think the secret to leading a new school is that you model learning, and build a culture of adult learning. Show me a school where adults are learning how to teach and plan and analyze from each other, and I’ll show you a successful school. That’s the role of a school head – to be the principal teacher, to model the idea that learning is at the center of everything. When founding the Bronx Lab School, we were constantly learning. I recall Kari’s constant enthusiasm, love for her students, and insistence on excellence. I remember watching her leap into action as not just as school founder and teacher, but even Physical Ed teacher on Friday afternoons. No role was too big—or too small. And that’s when I knew, if I were going to start a school again, I’d start it with her. So here we are!
As her friend, and now as a board member of HMA, I look forward to working alongside Kari and her team to create something out of nothing, to learn from their mistakes (there will be many), and to accomplish something remarkable. Together, we will laugh, learn, expect mistakes, and find joy.