Katarina Sandoval is co-founder of South Valley Academy, a charter school located in the same part of Albuquerque where she was raised. A graduate of both Stanford and Harvard Universities, Mrs. Sandoval created a performance-based evaluation system at South Valley Academy focused on students' academic ability and study skills. She also supported creation of an advisory system in which each student meets regularly with an assigned teacher to review performance and write a Personal Learning Plan. Mrs. Sandoval encourages her students to revise required assignments until they fully understand the concepts. She emphasizes the school's service learning program in which pupils volunteer with nonprofit organizations in the community. Mrs. Sandoval's efforts helped her English students raise their average language scores on the Stanford 9 test nearly five grade levels in three years.
1994 Stanford University, B.A.
