“As a product of Fort Worth public schools, I am an example of the transformational power of education. However, I am also an example of how the lack of preparation in K-12 can leave a student ill-prepared for the rigors of post-secondary life. Both of those experiences have fueled my desire to provide equity and access to high-quality education for students in Fort Worth; students like me who have the capacity for overcoming extraordinary circumstances when given the opportunity and resources.”
Stephanie Love, Ed.D. (she/her/hers) began her career educating students who lived in the same zip codes where she lived as a youth. She quickly realized that the inequities she had faced persisted in the area’s schools years later. She seeks to found and lead a school that will help young people in her hometown develop into engaged, emotionally healthy, and productive adults. She believes that one way this can happen is through the arts. “A school with an arts-integrated, project-based approach to teaching and learning deepens students’ understanding of curriculum, helping students make critical connections to their own culture and that of their peers. Learning in and through the arts supports students’ cognitive, emotional, and social-emotional development through the study of literacy, creative expression, historical and cultural relevance, and evaluation and reflection.” In addition to core academic subjects such as literacy and math, Stephanie and her team plan to provide conservatory programming in areas such as art, dance, music, theater, and digital media.
Before joining the BES Fellowship, Stephanie served as the senior curriculum manager at Nearpod, where she led the innovative design and development of K-12 literacy curriculum to ensure that all content aligned with academic standards and researched-based pedagogy. Previously, she served as the director of instruction and assessment at Athlos Academies, a charter management organization serving schools in multiple states. In all, she has served in public education for 20 years, also holding the titles of district administrator, principal, teacher, and advocate in Fort Worth and other communities in Texas. Stephanie received her Doctor of Education degree in curriculum and instruction from Texas A&M University and holds a master’s in education from Dallas Baptist University. Her research focus is on secondary literacy acquisition and response to intervention.
