For his extraordinary contributions as an inspiring teacher, Leroy R. Gaines ’02 has been chosen to receive the 2021 Distinguished Educator Award.
The award was established in 1964 to recognize outstanding achievement in education (teaching or administration) by a Bowdoin alumnus or alumna in any field and at any level of education.
Described as a leader in the “inclusion revolution” in the public schools of the San Francisco Bay Area, Gaines has drawn upon his personal experience to mobilize schools and the community to ensure that classrooms are safe and inclusive places for all students, regardless of their race, gender, class, or sexual orientation, having what has been described as “a profoundly positive impact on hundreds of young boys and girls.”
After graduating from Bowdoin, Gaines began his career in education by joining Teach for America, immediately establishing himself as an influential and inclusive presence in classrooms and schools.
After three years in the program, he enrolled in Teachers College at Columbia University, where he earned a master’s degree in education leadership. Through his involvement with two nonprofit education organizations, Partners in School Innovation and the Our Family Coalition, he continued to develop his leadership skills while advocating for inclusivity in schools and providing support for other teachers and administrators in the effort to improve the lives and academic prospects of children in the Bay Area.
In 2010, he became principal at Acorn Elementary School in Oakland, California, and in his first year, motivated his students to achieve the largest gains in reading scores in the school district. Four years later, Gaines and Acorn were recognized with the Human Rights Campaign’s Welcoming Schools Seal of Excellence Award. Throughout his nine years as principal of Acorn, he has been lauded as a champion of academic achievement and inclusivity for all students, particularly impoverished students and students of color.
Gaines widened his reach in 2019, when he became executive director of the Bay Area branch of New Leaders, a professional organization that develops and empowers principals and other education leaders to lift up students through policies and practices that foster inclusivity and academic achievement. In that role and through his leadership as Our Family Coalition board chair, he continues to drive schools and educators to ensure that all students, particularly the most vulnerable, are able to reach their full potential.
The awards will be presented during this year’s virtual Reunion Weekend (June 3–6, 2021). Read about the others who will be celebrated.
