Khalisha Jefferson, Director of Teaching & LearningJohn Muir Middle School

Khalisha is Director of Teaching and Learning at LA's Promise. In this role, she works collaboratively with the school's administrative team to support teachers, students, and the John Muir community. Khalisha advocates for student learning by exposing teachers to relevant strategies and current research.

Khalisha joined LA's Promise (formally MLA Partner Schools) on May 20, 2009. She began with MLA Partner Schools as an Associate Director at Manual Arts High School to support student interventions. Khalisha has 10 years of teaching experience. She has taught every grade level from kindergarten to graduate school specializing in English as a Second Language. Prior to joining LA's Promise, Khalisha worked as the Communities of Practice: Supporting English Language Learners (COPSELL) project coordinator for the U.S. Department of Education sponsored partnership between The George Washington University and Prince George's County Public Schools, MD.

Khalisha earned her B.A. in Spanish from Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia. She studied in Oaxaca, Oaxaca Mexico and Madrid, Spain during her junior year in college. She earned her M.A. in Curriculum and Instruction with a specialization in Bilingual Special Education from The George Washington University in Washington, DC.

Khalisha's favorite books include Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God, Alice Walker's Once, and Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. When she isn't working, she enjoys spending time with her husband and daughters.

Khalisha is passionate about life and the work at LAP because she has made a personal commitment to the education of culturally and linguistically diverse students with the belief that every child deserves a quality education and an opportunity to attend college.