Project Description
Gabriel Duran, Fellow
Maywood Center for Enriched Studies
Los Angeles, CA
Gabriel Duran has thirty years of progressive experience and accomplishments as an administrator at the Elementary, Middle and Senior High School Level in the Los Angeles Unified School District. With experience as an Elementary and Special Education Teacher, Assistant Principal, Categorical Program and Intervention Coordinator, Local District Operations Coordinator. He is the founding Principal and current site administrator of Maywood Center for Enriched Studies (MaCES) School serving grades 6-12th with a student population of 1,150 students. His work and leadership was recognized by the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) Region 16 with the Span School Principal of the Year Award 2019. His commitment is ensuring a quality education for all students based on their unique social, emotional, physical and intellectual characteristics. He believes in a humanistic approach in providing leadership and communicating with administrators, teachers, support staff, parents and students. He served for eleven years as the Principal of the largest Elementary and Severe Special Education campus in the school district. He worked closely with the local school district superintendent and division of special education to develop programs and timelines for the integration of both student populations. A dedicated, resourceful education professional with proven ability to create and monitor policies and practices that promote a safe learning environment; ensure a school culture that encourages open communication with colleagues, students, and the community. A change agent for education, demonstrating participative and supportive leadership style in the administration of district and school policies, procedures and activities.
May Aung, Ally
Assistant Principal
Maywood Center for Enriched Studies
Los Angeles, CA
May Myo Aung is a twenty-four year experienced educator, currently serving in the capacity of Assistant Principal at Maywood Center for Enriched Studies, a 6-12 grade campus in the Los Angeles Unified School District. She has also served in leadership roles as an Intervention Coordinator and Math Coach at the elementary level on various campuses. As an Intervention Coordinator, she collaborated with all stakeholders to develop a Tier 2 intervention program to institute and provide targeted academic support for students who needed small group individualized support. During this tenure, she also instituted the Apple 1:1 program. Under her care and direction, the Apple 1:1 program blossomed into an Apple Distinguished School in its first year of implementation. As a Math Coach, she has facilitated grade level backwards planning meetings to support Professional Learning Communities in unwrapping state standards, identifying power standards, data analysis, and creation of common formative assessments and S.M.A.R.T. goals. This resulted in high academic excellence and achievement. In her capacity as a classroom teacher, she served as a WASC accreditation member, Department Chair, and Equitable Grading and Instruction (EGI) formerly Mastery Learning and Grading (MLG) pioneer at MaCES to ensure all students had access to a guaranteed and viable curriculum. MaCES earned a 6-year accreditation status. EGI adoption allowed students to remain focused on learning and developing a growth mindset. In her current role as assistant principal, she conducts formal evaluations and informal classroom observations. These observations provide teachers with actionable feedback around the district’s Teaching and Learning Framework focus elements.