Jill McLaughlin

As a Philadelphia resident but private school student, Jill grew up with little awareness that the opportunities that she enjoyed were not accessible to many others. She studied journalism at the University of Pittsburgh, which introduced her to the reality of educational inequity in America. 

Jill pivoted and started her career as a high school English teacher in Bridgeport, Connecticut. As she struggled and succeeded through her first year, she felt isolated from other teachers and helpless in addressing the litany of challenges her students faced that she had no control over.

Then she found E4E. She could feel the E4E Connecticut chapter staff listening to her and her fellow teachers, and could access tools to help her be heard by those who had been so elusive thus far: policymakers. For the first time, she felt connected to other teachers and empowered to make change outside of her classroom. Since leaving the classroom, she has worked in policy and research at the district, state, and federal levels. She joined E4E so she could use the policy and communication skills she’s gained to empower teachers in the same way E4E staff empowered her.