Laura with her daughter, Ava, on HalloweenLaura brings eighteen years of experience in urban education to her current role. Prior to joining ARISE, Ms. Flaxman served as Co-Director of the Small Schools Project for the Coalition of Essential Schools where she launched a national project to identify 20 exemplary small high schools across the nation, help them develop the skills to “mentor” others just creating schools, create 10 new schools and convert five large schools into small schools. Flaxman came to Oakland in 2000 to start Life Academy, a new small autonomous public high school, where she served as principal. Prior to a year at Harvard and an internship at the Boston Arts Academy, Flaxman worked for Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound in New York City helping to create and support several new middle schools and a couple of existing high schools. She taught English, art and social studies at Thomas Jefferson High School in Brooklyn, a residential treatment center in Manhattan, and South Bronx High School where she coordinated a program with the New York City Outward Bound Center. Flaxman holds two Master’s degrees: one in Educational Leadership from Harvard University and the other in English from the Bread Loaf School of English. She earned her Bachelor’s at Wesleyan University and her high school diploma at the Bronx High School of Science.
Flaxman founded and serves on the board of the Oakland Small Autonomous Schools Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting and strengthening small public schools in Oakland.
Kenny, Ava, and Jay
Husband Kenny with daughters Ava & Aziza
Laura with her husband, Kenny, and new baby Aziza
Kenny and Ava
