Carmen Garcia-Shushtari

Bright Star Schools

At Bright Star Schools, we prepare our students to become leaders who act with integrity and champion equity to enrich our communities and the world. In nine, tuition-free public schools in three communities in Los Angeles -- South Los Angeles, Koreatown, and the San Fernando Valley -- our 3,500+ students experience rigorous academics, inclusive education, social-emotional support, and rich life opportunities beyond the classroom. We are people-first as an organization, and we are students-first across all of our school sites. Our educators join a family that is passionate and committed to developing all students to become well-rounded citizens. We make it a high priority to create a safe and inclusive environment for our students and staff and to cultivate leaders from within who are invested in Bright Star Schools' mission. We offer small class sizes, comprehensive teacher support, and numerous collaboration opportunities across the organization and within school sites. We strongly believe in teacher voice, and we work to increase teaching practice and effectiveness through our data-driven and feedback-derived professional development.