Nader I. Twal serves as Program Administrator in the Office of Curriculum, Instruction, and Professional Development in Long Beach Unified School District -- the third largest in CA. Having served nine years as a classroom teacher, two years as a site-level program coordinator and teacher leader, and five years as High School Central Office Linked Learning Coordinator prior to his current position, Nader brings a unique and comprehensive body of experience to K-12 systems-level change management. An experienced and published Design Thinker, Milken National Educator, and CA Association of Teachers of English in Teaching Awardee, Nader bridges the gap between theory and action, with a body of work that demonstrates the power of listening first and designing second.
When Nader Imad Twal received his Milken Educator Award in 2003, he was a Bible as Literature and Philosophy teacher at Millikan High School in Long Beach, California. Along with a team of gifted teachers, he wrote a curriculum entitled Literacy Workshop for struggling readers, which was adopted by the district as the standard curriculum for the course. He also played a key role in creating the PEACE Academy (Personal success through Empowerment, Academic achievement, Conflict resolution and Ethics in action), a small learning community (secondary specialized program) for international studies that prepares college-bound, community-minded students for competition in a culturally diverse global economy.
Much like William Butler Yeats, I believe that "education is not the filling of a bucket, but the lighting of a fire." To ignite this fire, I believe our core mission as educators (in our various capacities) should center on equipping, empowering, and inspiring others to achieve their potential. We are stewards of a precious gift... the gift of learning... an inestimable commodity in the world. It is critical that we steward it well.
"The cadre of gifted teachers, administrators and community partners who converged on Santa Monica for the Milken Educator Forum..." (read more)
2011 Adminisrative Services Credential
2006 Fuller Theological Seminary, M.A. Theology and Biblical Studies
1996 University of California - Davis, B.S.
2008 California Association for Teachers of English Excellence in Teaching Award
2008 Rachel's Challenge National Advisory Board
2017-2018 Redesign Professional Development Advisory Board, Learning Forward