Shereene Wilkerson, formally the Associate Superintendent of the Vacaville Unified School District, was honored as a Milken Education in 1992 while principal of Willis Jepson Middle School. Ms. Wilkerson transformed Willis Jepson from a traditional departmentalized junior high school into a progressive middle school. "I embraced the middle-grade reform movement early on," she says, "and worked to provide a structure for staff and community collaboration. I was willing to challenge the status quo to provide all students with access to a standards-based curriculum and instruction. I wanted to make a contribution to future generations by helping to educate the present generation. I enjoyed the daily challenge of middle-grade students. Their highs stimulated my creativity and their lows allowed me to nurture and support them through the tough years of adolescence."
1984 University of La Verne, M.A.
