Larry Ferlazzo (r), with Tara Kini, and me
I’ve been visiting California public schools all year, looking for the positives that help students, teachers, and schools to thrive. I’ve seen about 30 schools, drawn to each through a variety of avenues. Sometimes I know the teacher ahead of time. Sometimes I work through a principal first. Sometimes I’ve heard of the school, or I’m following up on a suggestion from a trusted source.
Today, I’m on a mission to investigate one of California’s best known teachers. Larry Ferlazzo is a high school social studies teacher at Luther Burbank High School in Sacramento. However, his national reputation comes from his prolific writing. He maintains multiple personal blogs – Websites of the Day, and Engaging Parents in School – and also writes Classroom Q&A for EdWeek Teacher. He has also written multiple books, and served on a statewide task force on excellence in teaching.
His incredible output of work, while teaching full-time, leads many observers to ask: can there really be only one Larry Ferlazzo? Spending today in his classroom, I will remain vigilant and alert readers to any evidence to support the multiplicity theory surrounding this renowned educator.