ME

David Edelman has been a teacher and instructional coach in NYC public schools since 2007. David is staffed as a ​Peer Collaborative Teacher and provides instructional coaching, mentoring and professional learning to colleagues, student teachers, in addition to teaching Social Studies. David’s classroom serves as a learning lab and demonstration classroom to foster school wide collaboration.

David works at Union Square Academy for Health Sciences a new, small, public high school in NY, NY. David’s grandmother went to school in this building and graduated in 1932, when it was an all girls technical high school. He has spent hours sifting through old records wrapped in butcher paper and twine unsuccessfully trying to locate her transcript. 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 currently working with 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.
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​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 helped build 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 inspired his blog.

On February 27, 2007, David was invited by Representative Carolyn McCarthy, to testify before Congress to the merits of AmeriCorps service and advocate for H.R. 2857, the Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Service Act, or the GIVE Act, a bill to reauthorize funding which passed and was signed into law.

In 2019, David was honored with the Alfred P Sloan Foundation’s Teaching Champion Award for Economics Education. The award was presented to him by one of his students, making the the experience incredibly meaningful. See the image below to learn more about David’s approach to teaching Economics with a focus on personal finance and financial literacy below.

Additionally, David was recognized as Teacher of The Year by Union Square Academy For Health Sciences staff for his work elevating student voice and project based learning

David was acknowledged by The FLAG Award for Teaching Excellence in 2020 for inspiring learning through creativity, passion, and commitment.

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 and identify wild edible plants, and learn as much as he can about tea as a global tea volunteer and a member of The New Year Tea Society

MY
​SCHOOL

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 in addition to receiving a standard liberal arts education. All students have paid internships their senior year and take a certification exam to become a dental or pharmacy technician. All students have mentors assigned to them who expose students to their careers and options after high school.

​MY
​THOUGHTS

My student Raul Baez and I are interviewed on this episode of the Ethical Schools Podcast

My journey as an educator and my students’ activism is discussed in the chapter titled: Waves of Activism. Click the cover above to read this excerpt.

Hear from my student Brisa and I, as well as other educators and students across New York State during Columbia’s Teachers College’s Igniting Youth Civic Action: Making a Difference In and Out of School forum

As part of Constitution Day, students and I discuss the premise and process of facilitating and participating in civil civic conversations

My student Brisa and I discuss our multifaceted action civics projects, civic engagement and connections to Social Emotional Learning

​MY
​WRITING

Equity in Education Starts with Student Voice
​Medium
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Fearless Teaching & Learning
Medium

Good Guidelines Can Foster Growth: A Teacher’s Perspective on ED Teacher Prep Regulations
The Data Quality Campaign


Teacher Evaluation That Goes Beyond Check Boxes
Edweek

All Teachers Are “Developing” Medium​

Teachers Talk Back: David Edelman
E4E

Teacher Spotlight: Teaching The Road Test to Personal Finance
Budget Challenge

This is what Democracy Looks Like
NJCSS Teaching Social Studies Docket

Art Activism
Generation Citizen

MY CLASS’
EXPOSURE

NYC Schools Left Thousands Of Lead-Contaminated Water Spouts Unfixed For Months, Sometimes Years
​Gothamist

As state eyes more civic participation for students, some NYC high schoolers are already getting a dose
​Chalkbeat

A Virtual Walking Tour of Slavery in NYC
​The NY Almanac

Student Want NYC to Landmark Historic Washington Irving Lobby
Daily Kos

Advocacy in The Schoolhouse
The Forge

​How to Teach Older Students Social-Emotional Skills? Try Civics
​EdWeek

​GGM goes New York​
German-American Partnership Program

​Perhaps this is the type of global education you want students to be engaged in, but don’t know where to start? 

I am happy to share that my students’ activism and others like them across the country have been developed into an online curriculum to help other educators interested in this work. The U.S. Department of State has launched Solving Global Problems a free, self-paced online course, funded by the U.S government and developed administered by IREX, to help educators prepare to ignite students’ critical thinking and creativity through a focus on tackling global problems.