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David Edelman has been a teacher and instructional coach in NYC public schools since 2007. David is vetted as a Peer Collaborative Teacher and provides instructional coaching, mentoring and professional learning to colleagues, student teachers. David’s social studies classroom serves as a learning lab and demonstration classroom to foster school wide collaboration.
During his career, David has been invited to teach and collaborate with educators in America, Israel, China, Japan, Germany & India
David works at Union Square Academy for Health Sciences a new, small, public high school in the historic Washington Irving Campus, the same building his Grandmother graduated from in 1932. David likes to start off the school year by taking students on in school field trips to analyze the various murals that can be found around the building. David is collaborating with current educators and retired NYC teacher and collector Marty Raskin to develop a Museum for Public Schools to preserve and celebrate America's history of teaching and learning.
David graduated from The University of Michigan with a BA in Economics, received his Masters in Education from Hofstra University and obtained School Building Leadership certification through LEAP, the NYC DOE’s internal School Leadership Program.
It was David’s service in AmeriCorps NCCC, a yearlong national community service program, that solidified David’s desire to follow in his mother's footsteps and become a public school teacher in NYC. During 2005, David built houses with future homeowners with Habitat For Humanity in Miami, FL, helped run an Easter Seals respite camp for children with special needs in Des Moines, IA, organized and taught summer youth programs for refugees from East Africa in Minneapolis, MN and taught civic engagement with Learn & Serve to students across Colorado in an educational theater troupe. You can learn more about David’s experiences in AmeriCorps NCCC in the TRAVEL section which launched his blog.
On February 27, 2007, David was invited by NY Representative Carolyn McCarthy, to testify before US Congress to the merits of AmeriCorps service and advocate for H.R. 2857, the Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Service Act, or the GIVE Act which was reauthorized program funding
In 2019, David was honored with the Alfred P Sloan Foundation’s Teaching Champion Award for Economics Education. The award was presented by one of his students, making the experience incredibly meaningful.
In 2024, PBS followed some of David’s students and their civic engagement journey as part of their series: A Citizen’s Guide To Preserving Democracy
In 2021, David’s lesson: How has The Supreme Court interpreted The Bill of Rights as it applies to schools and students was selected as Constituting America’s lesson plan of the year
David likes to write Op-Ed’s on education, and develop educational curriculum. You can see examples of these below. When he isn’t working, David likes to play in various NYC Parks with his two daughters, travel, admire street art, identify wild edible plants, and learn as much as he can about tea as a global tea volunteer and a member of The New York Tea Society.
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Almost all Union Square Academy for Health Sciences students will be first in their family to attend college. David’s students take classes in either dentistry or pharmacy technology in addition to receiving a standard liberal arts education. All students have paid internships their senior year and take a state certification exam to receive dental or pharmacy technician accreditation. All students have mentors assigned to them who expose students to their careers and options after high school.