Geoff Carlisle (he/him) is the Policy and Communications Manager at Deans for Impact, where he works to bridge policy, practice, and research in teacher education, aiming to create the policy conditions necessary to ensure every child has a well-prepared teacher. Prior to joining DFI, Geoff investigated national policy reforms to teacher education in Norway through a Fulbright research grant. His work is informed by 12 years of teaching middle school science and sex education in Mississippi and Texas. While serving in the classroom, he led district, state, and national work to elevate inquiry-based science pedagogy, and continues to be an active advocate for the rights of LGBTQIA+ students. In 2018, he was a recipient of the Harriett Ball Excellence in Teaching award. He earned his B.A. from St. Olaf College in Music and Environmental Studies, and later his Master’s of Public Affairs from the LBJ School at the University of Texas at Austin. He currently resides in Austin, Texas, and enjoys performing as a freelance musician.
Why did you start working in education?
I like to think of myself as a third-generation educator. My grandfather was an educator, my father was an educator, and my mother was a school nurse. Dinner table conversations in the Carlisle House often involved in-depth discussions analyzing the instructional choices of my teachers. I was also fortunate to have a number of transformational teachers during my school years, and there’s nothing I wanted more than to make an impact like they did.
What compels you about DFI’s mission of ensuring that every child has a well-prepared teacher?
I participated in an educator-preparation program that left me feeling underprepared for the rigors of classroom teaching, especially in under-resourced schools impacted by systemic racism and abject poverty. It took years of practice, reflection, mentorship, and professional development for me to feel like I was making a difference. To be sure, teaching is both an art and a science, and regardless of your pathway into the profession all teachers need time to develop their craft. But through my experience and research, I’ve come to understand that a strong foundation before entering the profession plays a huge role in early career success and longevity.
Describe a teacher or student who made a lasting impact in your life.
My music history professor at St. Olaf College, Alice Hanson, made a profound impact on my ability to be an analytical thinker. When she would have one-on-one feedback sessions with each of her students to discuss our research papers, she would hold our feet to the fire the whole time, forcing us to justify every choice we made in our writing. Anyone who took one of her courses would agree that she was eccentric, unrelenting, and a force of nature. Some of her lectures were so iconic and moving, former students of hers would attempt to sneak into her classroom just to experience them one more time. When she passed away a few years ago, many of us former students sent a flurry of emails with audio recordings of her lectures attached.
What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
Before becoming a teacher, I was pursuing a career in music. I still love to play viola in symphony orchestras, and I sing in the Conspirare Symphonic Choir here in Austin. I’m an avid hiker and nature photographer, and getting back into training for triathlons.