In this episode, Nancy and Jose are joined by an incredible educational leader, Cindy Marten, the Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education. In a career spanning 32 years, Cindy has seen every facet, perspective and opportunity to lift lives and close gaps as a teacher, literacy specialist, Vice Principal, Principal, Superintendent at San Diego Unified and now as the Deputy Secretary under President Biden.

And what was it that inspired Cindy to know at age 5 that her pathway was teaching? Her brother Charlie, who is developmentally challenged. Staying true to her calling, including the fulfillment of the pinky promise with her kindergarten best friend to go to college together and become teachers, Cindy embraced the "be prepared and present" family mindset as each opportunity and challenge presented itself over the years.

Some amazing takeaways from this whirlwind, master class of an episode:

- See "gaps" as assets, not just liabilities and let the light shine through those gaps
- The science of learning lays out five key principles, all of which must be addressed to help
all students learn and grow
- Demography and zip code should never be destiny
- "Literacy is much more than reading and writing"
- Literacy is "being able to read the word and the world and make sense of it"

Some very impactful and insightful thoughts. Thank you, Cindy, for joining us on The Gap Minders and for being the literacy and education champion that you are.

Enjoy this episode and be sure to subscribe to the show.

If you have any questions or want to contact Nancy or Jose, please send an email to podcast@uwsd.org. Thank you for listening.

To learn more about the two social impact organizations making The Gap Minders possible, please visit www.TheGapMinders.org.