Reimagining Education: How One Fellow's Journey Continues to Inspire

At Eagle Rock School and Professional Development Center, we believe in education that transforms lives. We believe in teaching that comes from the heart, in community that holds and stretches us, and in the power of schools to be sites of justice, joy, and growth. That belief fuels our Alternative Licensure Program and Teaching Fellowship – immersive experiences designed not just to develop educators, but to cultivate changemakers.

Today, we are introducing you to one of our early fellows, Sarah Glasband, whose year at Eagle Rock helped shape a career grounded in values, community, and public service. Her story is one of impact – and it begins with a willingness to leap into the unknown.

A Year That Changed Everything

Sarah joined the Eagle Rock Fellowship in 2003, during the early stages of what would become our Alternative Licensure Program. At the time, she was 21 years old, younger than most fellows, and filled with big questions about how to connect her identities, values, and leadership potential to meaningful work in education. What she found at Eagle Rock was more than a school: it was a training ground for the kind of educator she wanted to become.

The learning was fully integrated: math classes that involved cooking, community-based projects that tied academics to service, and physical challenges that pushed students and fellows beyond the mental and into the visceral. For Sarah, those hikes and outdoor adventures weren’t just about stamina – they were about self-discovery, pushing her beyond her comfortable limits.

Professionally, it was an early awakening to the possibilities of holistic, student-centered education. She learned the critical importance of boundaries, of showing up with intention, of building culture deliberately and with care. She remembers the courage of her mentors, their radical honesty, and the wisdom they shared in shaping a community that prioritized social-emotional learning as much as academic rigor.

"That year tilted my foundation," she shares. "It helped me imagine what education could become."

From the Classroom to Countywide Leadership

After Eagle Rock, Sarah knew she wanted to continue in education – but she didn’t yet have teaching credentials. She began working in early college and afterschool programs in Los Angeles, then entered a credential program at UCLA in 2006. For the next 12 years, she taught in Los Angeles Unified and Oakland Unified School District, building a reputation as a deeply committed, equity-focused educator. Her work – including leading Tier 1 restorative justice practices and designing practical, project-based learning experiences – earned her the distinction of being named Teacher of the Year a decade ago.

But her leadership didn’t stop at the classroom door. Today, Sarah serves as the Executive Director of Educator Development for the Alameda County Office of Education. She leads the Professional Advancement and Training Hub (PATH), which builds educator pathways that reflect and serve the diverse communities of the Bay Area. Her work includes expanding alternative licensure pathways, facilitating "Grow Our Own" programs, and designing career lattices that support and retain educators from historically underrepresented backgrounds.

Throughout it all, her philosophy, shaped in large part by Eagle Rock, remains steady: Learning is integrated. Growth is communal. Education is a practice of becoming.

What Makes Eagle Rock Different

Our Alternative Licensure Program and Teaching Fellowship are not typical teacher prep programs – because we don’t believe education should be typical. We believe it should be transformational. Here’s what sets our program apart:

• Live and Learn in Community: Fellows live on our campus in Estes Park, Colorado, immersed in a community that models the very practices they are learning to implement
• Hands-On Teaching Experience: Fellows co-teach, design interdisciplinary curriculum, and engage in reflective practice with real-time mentorship and feedback
• Individualized Licensure Support: For those on a credentialing path, we offer personalized guidance to help navigate the licensure process in secondary education
• Mentorship and Leadership: Our fellows are surrounded by educators and leaders who believe in growth, who model vulnerability, and who push the boundaries of what school can be
• Justice-Centered Culture: At Eagle Rock, we center equity, inclusion, and the belief that public education should serve all students with dignity and creativity

Sarah’s story shows the kind of impact this experience can have – not just on one educator, but on every school, student, and system they touch.

If you’re someone who believes in the transformative power of education – someone who wants to grow as a person and as a professional while helping to build something bigger than yourself – we invite you to explore our Fellowship and Alternative Licensure Programs. Whether you’re just starting out or seeking a bold new direction, this could be your launching point.

Learn more. Ask questions. Take the leap.

We need educators who are ready to imagine differently. Let’s get to work – together.