Angela Engel writes from her experiences as a teacher, parent, school administrator, speaker, and policy advisor. Currently a facilitator for the Family Leadership Training Institute. Her work with state legislators has led to policies that improve learning and opportunities for Colorado’s children.

“I’ve witnessed an enormous disconnect between what parents want from their children’s education and what policy makers are mandating. I wrote Seeds of Tomorrow to bridge the divide between policy and the real lives of children.”

“No child Left Behind and high-stakes testing have reinforced the lowest levels of thinking and learning in our students and now performance pay and Race to the Top are going to promote the worst teaching practices.”

“Standards don’t teach children, people do and the people are what matter in education - teachers, parents, and students.”

Author Bio

About Angela Engel
Angela Engel has been an advocate for children and families and for the advancement of education for the past fifteen years. She earned hebaccalaureate in Communications and Business Administration at the University of Denver, and received her Master’s in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Colorado at Denver.

Angela’s advocacy for children began in her early twenties when she founded a mentoring and tutoring program for at-risk youth in Denver Public Schools. Angela taught in Douglas County Schools and served as high school instructor and Academic Director for the “Denver Street Schools” – a privately funded, alternative high school providing a “last chance” education to inner city students. As educator, administrator and staff developer she has continuously demonstrated her commitment to an equitable and meaningful education for every child. A mother of two school age children, she is well versed in the challenges to our schools and the importance of public education.

In 2006 Angela was a candidate for the Colorado House of Representatives. In a six month campaign she raised $40,000 and outperformed the district by eleven percentage points. Despite being outnumbered two-to-one in voter registration, she earned bipartisan support and garnered 49% of the votes. She has declined further invitations to run for public office, but remains active in the educational policy arena. Angela served as project director for the 2008Children’s Action Agenda, organizing children’s advocacy groups from around the state on a common legislative platform. The majority of those initiatives were subsequently adopted in the Colorado Legislature. Additionally, her leadership and philanthropic activities have helped provide permanent housing for homeless families and Christmas gifts for homeless teens living at the Urban Peak shelter. Together with her children, Grace (12) and Sophie (10) she fosters litters of puppies for the Denver Dumb Friends League.

Currently Angela is the regional training director for a Parent Literacy Program as well as a facilitator for the Family Leadership Training Institute. She is author of the book, Seeds of Tomorrow; Solutions for Improving our Children’s Education. The book’s foreword is written by Deborah Meier and it is endorsed by Dr. Henry Levin, Columbia University and Michael Petit, Every Child Matters. Paradigm Press is dually marketing the book for course adoption in teacher education programs throughout the United States and it will be available in the trade book market this March. Seeds of Tomorrow: Solutions for Improving our Children’s Education, the new book by Colorado author Angela Engel and published by Paradigm Press, will be available in the trade book market in March, 2010.