- Indianapolis
Idalmi Acosta is a Teach Plus Indianapolis Teaching Policy Fellow. Idalmi teaches 8th grade ELA at Harshman Magnet Middle School in Indianapolis. As a youth organizer in New York City for five years, she recruited and trained students in the northwest Bronx to fight for changes to the education system at low-performing schools in the Bronx. She ran local, citywide, and national campaigns to promote the use of restorative justice to deal with discipline, reduce the role of police in schools, and provide more college readiness supports for students. Idalmi is a Teach For America alumna. She graduated from Syracuse University with a BA in Political Science and a BA in English and earned a Masters in Teaching from Marian University.
- Indiana
Daniel Allen teaches self-contained ELA classes at Emma Donnan Middle School in Indianapolis, where he has a special focus on the Common Core standards and has implemented a reading-centered curriculum into his resource periods. He coaches girls and boys middle school basketball; his girls' team went undefeated in 2013. Daniel's passion for helping students with special needs came from his teachers, who helped him overcome his own learning disability. He started his teaching career at Indiana Math and Science Academy _ West, where he worked with special needs students across subjects. Daniel majored in political science and minored in psychology/philosophy at DePauw University. He earned a Masters in the Art of Teaching with a focus on special education from Marian University.
- Indianapolis
Margaret (Meg) Amarante is a Teach Plus Indianapolis Teaching Policy Fellow. Meg teaches 5th-8th grade self-contained science at KIPP Indy College Prep Middle School, where she supports inclusion 6th grade math and literacy as the grade level Teacher of Record as well as facilitates SPED-specific professional development for her peer teachers. Previously, she worked as a special educator at TC Howe Community High School, teaching 9th-12th self-contained English. Meg graduated from Purdue University with a BA in Biology and a minor in English and received her Master’s in Teaching with a focus on Special Education from Marian University.
- Indianapolis
Jill Armington is a Teach Plus Indianapolis Teaching Policy Fellow who teaches 3rd grade at Paramount School of Excellence. Jill began her teaching career as a Title I Reading and Mathematics teacher for students in grades 3-8 at Andrew Academy. There, she developed a new school-wide data tracking system and ran an after-school enrichment club. An active member of the community, Jill coordinated the Eat Well Club, an initiative of local non-profit Growing Places Indy, for elementary and middle school students to learn about gardening and healthy living. Most recently, she was the August 2015 Teacher of the Month at Paramount. Jill graduated from the Schreyer Honors College at Penn State University with a BA in Sociology and a BA in International Politics. She earned her MA in Teaching from Marian University.
- Indiana
London Bailey is a 2018-19 Teach Plus Indiana Teaching Policy Fellow. London teaches 10th grade English at Indianapolis Metropolitan High School in Indianapolis, where she also serves as an assistant coach of the Lady Pumas basketball team. London is a member of Indianapolis Met's Academic Committee, which analyzes student data to set curricular strategy and ensure student success and has worked to design Indianapolis Met's first ISTEP Mastery Week with the goal of bridging knowledge gaps for students taking the English ISTEP. London has worked with Enroll Indy to inform families across Indianapolis of the new school registration platform for public and charter schools. A 2016 Teach For America alumna, she graduated from Franklin and Marshall College with a BA in Government and History and received her MA in Teaching from Marian University.
- Indianapolis
Samantha Bandy is a Teach Plus Indianapolis Change Agent. Samantha supports schools in the West Learning Community of Indianapolis Public Schools as a special education specialist. She has served in various leadership positions, such as special education compliance monitor, response to intervention coordinator, and a member of the school improvement team while teaching at KIPP Indianapolis College Preparatory and Indianapolis Lighthouse Charter School. She was voted Teacher of the Year for 2015-2016 while teaching special education at Carpe Diem Innovative School Shadeland. Samantha graduated from the University of Evansville with a BS in Elementary Education with a minor in Social Studies Education and received her certificate in Mild Interventions from Indiana Wesleyan University and her MEd in Education Administration and Supervision from Ball State University.
- Indiana
Kathleen Barbosa is a 2018-19 Teach Plus Indiana Teaching Policy Fellow. Kathleen teaches 8th grade math at KIPP Indy College Prep Middle School, N IPS Innovation School, on the near-east side of Indianapolis she she serves as the student council sponsor. Kathleen was a KIPP Emerging Leader Fellow working on math intervention resources for her school. Kathleen is a Teach for America Indianapolis alumna. She graduated from Truman State University with a BA in English and Communication and received her MA in Secondary Education from Marian University.
- Indiana
Dominique Barnes is a Teach Plus Indiana Teaching Policy Fellow who teaches 4th grade at Mabel K. Holland Elementary School. She is Holland’s PTA president, bridging the gap between parents, students, and staff using engaging activities to promote school unity. Dominique is a member of Holland’s PBIS team, which serves as a component of providing behavioral and intervention systems for the school. She previously worked at the YMCA Child Care Services Branch of Fort Wayne, where she held various roles such as childcare site director and summer camp director. Dominique graduated with a BA in Elementary Education from Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne.
- Indianapolis
Shawnta S. Barnes is a Teach Plus Indianapolis Teaching Policy Fellow who is a Literacy Coach at Wendell Phillips Elementary School. She also teaches Psycholinguistics for Reading Teachers at Indiana University – Indianapolis. Previously, she has taught English grades 6-9 and has been an elementary English language learner teacher. She is a current teach plus policy fellow of the Indianapolis cohort. She earned her BA in English education from Purdue University and her MS in language education from IUPUI.
- Indianapolis
Bonnie Benson is a Teach Plus Indianapolis Change Agent. Bonnie is a literacy coach at Robert Lee Frost Elementary School, where she has planned and led professional learning community meetings, planned and implemented Saturday learning opportunities for third grade students, and served as summer building facilitator. Bonnie graduated from the University of Indianapolis with a BS in Education and received her MS in Education from Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis, a Gifted and Talented Endorsement from Purdue University, and completed her Principal Certification Program from Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis.