Rhonda H. Lauer

Every child deserves a quality education, and every child can learn-given the right opportunities. These are the philosophies Rhonda Lauer brings to her leadership role at Foundations, Inc.

During her early career as an educator, principal and superintendent, Ms. Lauer experienced firsthand what's needed to enhance the lives of America's most vulnerable children and youth. As CEO since 1997, she has guided Foundations' rapid growth from a regional program provider to an organization nationally recognized for transforming the worlds of teaching and learning across the entire day.

With capacity building, professional development and customized technical assistance, Foundations today empowers education partners and community leaders to make improvements that make a lasting difference.

Ms. Lauer is committed to helping children across the country learn to read early and well. Research shows that success in life is closely linked to a child's ability to read at grade level by third grade-though half of America's children fail to do so. Foundations is a driving force behind the grade-level reading movement. Ms. Lauer's passion and dedication inspire individuals in every sector-education, government, business, community-to direct resources toward solving the nation's childhood literacy crisis.

In addition to writing articles for Education Week and other publications on early literacy, Ms. Lauer maintains a popular blog series called Reading for Life. She frequently participates in national discussions and addresses the many factors that can inhibit literacy achievement, including poverty, chronic absenteeism and inadequate healthcare. Ms. Lauer also led Foundations' grade-level reading work with the Annie E. Casey Foundation's 10-year Making Connections initiative. Foundations published Grade Level Reading: An Action Framework for School and District Leaders, now in its second printing, to share the results of this involvement.

Ms. Lauer tours the country as a speaker and panelist to help inform policy and improve education quality. During the Joan Ganz Cooney Center's 2011 Leadership Forum, she moderated a panel in which senior executives from notable organizations addressed the connections between digital media and the future of children's learning.

Ms. Lauer is equally passionate in her belief that good schools stem from good leaders. Foundations regularly helps to identify, develop and support leaders in charter and district schools as well as in entire school systems.

Under Ms. Lauer's guidance, Foundations remains grounded in practice. Working with schools, districts and expanded learning networks, Foundations develops novel academic and extracurricular programs, such as the nationally recognized Seeds for Learning-a student-run urban farm and marketplace. Foundations also organizes and hosts the Beyond School Hours national conference, which draws more than 2,000 educators annually to explore best practices in learning across the day.

Prior to joining Foundations, Ms. Lauer worked in the School District of Philadelphia, one of the nation's largest, as associate superintendent, management negotiator, principal, administrator and teacher. She also served as Superintendent of the Southeast Delco School District.

Ms. Lauer received her bachelor's and master's degrees from Temple University. She currently sits on several boards of directors, including the Urban Affairs Coalition and Say Yes to Education.