Shontoria Walker is a 2018-19 Teach Plus Texas Senior Policy Fellow. Shontoria is currently an Instructional Coach at Empowerment High School. She was previously the 8th grade English language arts teacher and 8th grade level chair at KIPP Polaris Academy for Boys in Houston. Shontoria received the first Houston Relay Graduate School of Education Alumni Award and has published op-eds in The Houston Chronicle, the Christian Science Monitor, and Education Post. Shontoria earned a BS in Human Development and Family Sciences from the University of Texas at Austin, and a MA in Teaching from the Relay Graduate School of Education. She is currently pursuing her Ed.D. in Professional Leadership and Literacy from the University of Houston.