UDL for Equity

Pamela Chu-Sheriff

Pamela Chu-Sheriff has been a teacher and leader in urban education for nearly 20 years. She firmly believes in the power of student voice and in the importance of making authentic connections between students’ lives and their learning. Pam has extensive training and experience in Tier 1, 2, and 3 restorative practices and is also a strong proponent of racial justice and equity work. She has a Learning Designed Level 1 and Level 2 credential in UDL.

Pam was one of the founding administrators of a middle school in Cambridge, MA, that serves predominantly low-income students and students of color from families representing over 25 languages. The school hosted learning tours for district and school administrators from across the state, including the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, and across the country. One of Pam’s greatest sources of pride was hearing from students that they could be themselves or see themselves reflected at the school.

Prior to her time in Cambridge, Pam worked at a pilot school in the Boston Public Schools. She served as a school leader and an English and Humanities teacher at the middle and high school levels. She is also a trained International Baccalaureate teacher for both the Middle Years Programme and the Diploma Programme.

The proud daughter of Taiwanese immigrants, Pam has been involved in grassroots activism with the Asian American community in Boston for 20 years. She has provided anti-racism workshops for non-profit organizations and universities and was also a board member of the Asian American Resource Workshop.

Pam holds a B.A. from Tufts University and an M.Ed. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Pam enjoys all things food-related and spending time with her husband and baby daughter.

Mirko Chardin

Mirko Chardin is the Founding Head of School of the Putnam Avenue Upper School in Cambridge, MA. Mirko’s work has involved all areas of school management and student support. His greatest experience and passion revolves around culturally connected teaching and learning, recruiting and retaining educators of color, restorative practice, and school culture.  Mirko was a keynote speaker at the 2017 UDL for Social Justice Symposium, the 2018 Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s Leading with Equity & Access Conference, the 2019 California MTSS Professional Learning Institute and was the 2019 opening keynote speaker for the Holyoke & North Andover Public School Districts. He is also a race, diversity and cultural proficiency facilitator & leadership coach for the Aspire Institute at Boston University’s New Wheelock College of Human Development and Education and is a Virtual Module Content Provider and In-Person Technical Assistance Provider for the Dept. of Ed.’s Inclusive Practice Academy.

He is a principal mentor for the Perone-Sizer Creative Leadership Institute, a Trustee at Wheaton College and is an active hip-hop artist, releasing the album “Unhealthy Societies” this past year. Mirko presents both locally and nationally on issues of cultural proficiency, equity and the use of personal narratives. He is also the co-author with Dr. Katie Novak of the newly released “Equity by Design: The Power and Promise of UDL“. He is available to provide workshops, seminars and trainings on implicit bias, microaggressions, UDL, restorative practice, identity, courageous conversations about race, and personal narratives.