Coming Full Circle

Pearl Arredondo grew up in Boyle Heights, an economically disadvantaged neighborhood in East Los Angeles. Raised by a single mother who worked as a Los Angeles Unified School District secretary, Pearl witnessed firsthand the challenges students face in public schools. Her mother, determined to provide Pearl with a better education, arranged for her to be bussed to schools nearly an hour away from home. During these long commutes, Pearl observed a stark contrast between her own neighborhood and the more affluent areas across town. She noticed that while her community struggled with limited resources, schools on the "other side of town" seemed to have plenty. This disparity highlighted the impact of redlining and inequitable school reform policies on educational opportunities.

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Driven to address these inequalities, Pearl attended Pepperdine University, earning both a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts in Education and Instructional Leadership. As the first member of her family to graduate from college, Pearl began her teaching career at San Fernando Middle School, the very institution she had attended just eight years earlier. Committed to enhancing educational opportunities for historically underserved students, she launched the Multimedia Academy, which served 350 low-income students. After three successful years, the academy evolved into a separate school. In 2010, Pearl led an ambitious reform agenda through a pilot model that emphasized technology development, improved student outcomes, and strengthened family engagement. She and her team founded the San Fernando Institute for Applied Media (SFiAM), the first pilot school established at the middle school level within the Los Angeles Unified School District. Since its inception, SFiAM has consistently shown remarkable success, with steadily rising test scores.

Pearl's 2013 TED Talk showcased her journey. She discussed her experiences growing up in Boyle Heights, her commitment to improving education for underserved students, and the innovative strategies she employed in educational reform. She spoke about the transformative power of technology in education and its role in preparing students for a global economy. Her talk highlighted how SFiAM's technology-driven curriculum and leadership strategies have successfully bridged the digital divide and improved learning outcomes.

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Pearl has been recognized for her contributions, with her story featured in a TEDTalk Education segment and the short documentary film TEACHED Vol.1: The Blame Game. She holds a Master of Science in Educational Administration, is a National Board Certified Teacher, and is a CAHN Fellow, focusing on leadership strategies to improve community outcomes. She was also part of the 2013 Teach Plus Teaching Policy Fellowship and serves as the Vice President of SFiAM's Governing Council.

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​​In a recent 2024 interview with Jeff Rose, Vice President of Leadership Development at Cognia, Pearl reflected on her journey and her school's progress over the past decade. She discussed her challenges, her strategies to overcome them, and her plans to elevate SFiAM's impact even further. Now, Pearl has come full circle by returning to San Fernando Middle School as its principal. SFMS, located on the "other side of the campus" from where she once taught and innovated, represents a unique opportunity to bring her vision of equity and excellence to fruition. Pearl is leveraging the strategic insights and innovative approaches from SFiAM to address and reverse the declining student performance at SFMS. She aims to bridge the gap between the historically underserved community and more equitable educational opportunities, ultimately bringing the community full circle with a renewed focus on equity and empowerment.