05/29/2024 -
Eveta Jackson will serve in the newly consolidated role of Executive Director of the North Coast School of Education (NCSOE).
Jackson, who led NCSOE’s teacher credentialing efforts in 2023-24 as one of two co-directors, will broaden her portfolio and oversee administrator credentialing, as well, for the coming school year. She said the first year has been great, highlighting her team’s welcoming and collaborative nature, and their commitment to equity.
“I’ve been blessed to be here at North Coast,” Jackson said of her first year. “The team made it pretty easy to come in as a new person — and even as their leader — and just jump right on in. That’s a testament to who they are. They had a lot of changes this year, took it with grace, and were open and willing to embrace change.”
Sonoma County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Amie Carter said she is looking forward to Jackson continuing to act on recommendations made in a recent independent review of NCSOE’s operations, particularly along the lines of equity.
“In her first year on the job, Eveta has dived in to examining how effectively North Coast serves our emerging educators and our school districts,” Carter said. “She has infused equity-based and anti-racist thinking into the curriculum and right-sized the fee structure to ensure the program’s long-term viability.
During her first year, Jackson helped guide changes within the Be a Teacher program, a number of them centered on anti-racism and equity. One change included the hiring of more Be a Teacher faculty with diverse backgrounds and experience. Be a Teacher interns are employed as teachers during the day and attend credentialing classes and receive mentorship outside of the school day. Beginning teachers are compensated for their classroom time, and the majority of the program costs are covered by the school districts where they work, along with various scholarships.
For the upcoming school year, instructors, facilitators, and mentors within the Be a Teacher and Teacher Induction programs will receive in-depth equity training, and the interns will all be trained in anti-racist universal design for learning.
Before joining NCSOE, Jackson served as principal at Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Academy in the Sausalito Marin City School District, where she was hired to help oversee efforts to desegregate after a court found clear evidence of unequal treatment of students of color and ordered the district to desegregate. It was the first such court order in roughly 50 years.
“A big part of the reason why I came here was the fact that SCOE was going to focus on equity, not just in word but in deed,” Jackson said.
