Julian Saavedra is an assistant principal in a public school in Philadelphia. He has spent 15 years teaching in urban settings, focusing on social-emotional awareness, cultural and ethnic diversity, experiential learning, and educational empowerment.
As a founding member of a new high school in an economically disadvantaged area, he spearheaded initiatives for teacher development. As an assistant principal, he focuses on developing leadership and empowering students and families. He’s served on committees focused on equity, social activism, learning and thinking differences, curriculum creation and review, and staff retention and recruitment. At Understood, he hosts The Opportunity Gap podcast.
He has a BA in history and secondary education and an MA in TESOL from Fairfield University in Connecticut. He also has an MEd in educational administration from Arcadia University.
Publications
Virtual learning was better for some kids. Here’s what teachers learned from them (Education Week, 2021)
Q&A with The Opportunity Gap host, Julian Saavedra (Understood, 2022)