Charter school association recognizes educator

Dr. Jeanne Ponticello Adams received the "Charter School Movement Supporter of the Year" Hart-Vision Award at this year's 14th annual California Charter Schools Conference in San Diego.

In 2002, Adams and a team of educators founded University Preparation School at California State University at Channel Islands to provide professional development to prospective teachers.

"Dr. Jeanne Adams has influenced student learning, educational leadership and the education system as a whole for thousands of individuals and hundreds of school programs," said Caprice Young, president and CEO of the California Charter Schools Association. "What impresses me most about Dr. Adams is her continued passion and active involvement at the University Preparation School and University Charter Middle School." "Teachers must continue to remember the most important aspect of their job is to educate and mentor students," said Adams. "We want to give teachers the opportunities to find new programs that they can use in the classroom so that students receive the best education possible."

Adams started as a classroom teacher in the 1960s. She has been a board member of Community Charter Middle School in San Fernando and was committee chair for CHIME Inclusive Charter School in Northridge.

The Hart-Vision Awards were created in honor of retired California senator and former California secretary of education Gary Hart, the author of California's charter school legislation.