Jina Kim

Jina Kim immigrated from Korea to the US at age eight and experienced the K-12 education system in Los Angeles as a second language learner. The difficult experience of navigating an education system not designed to support her learning motivated her to pursue a career in education to improve it for others. She received her Doctorate from UCLA ELP and founded an innovative pilot school located in the RFK Community Schools complex. Her school was the first elementary school in the International Studies Schools Network and was a model for others striving to create an evolved learning space to meet the needs of our current generation. Jina went on to work for CORE Districts, a non-profit supporting six California school districts with the NCLB Waiver, to help the districts collaborate around the Community of Schools and School Pairing programs. Jina is a Co-Founder of Strange Fruit No More, Inc. and a systems thinker. Her understanding of the educational landscape, background in supporting collaborative work, and drive to improve learning opportunities for Black youth will benefit our collective rethinking of systems reform.

Publications

Transforming Public Education: Building New Systems by Activating the Ideas of the Oppressed
Transforming Public Education: Building New Systems by Activating the Ideas of the Oppressed
Jina Kim, Zaid Gayle. © 2023. 25 pages.
This chapter explores how public-school policy and practice that does not consider the interest of its diverse student body can have a detrimental effect on marginalized students...