JOHN LAWLER PRINCIPAL 1001 A RROYO AVENUE SAN FERNANDO, CA 91340 OFFICE: 818-837-6428 FAX: 818-838-6725

To Whom It May Concern: I am pleased to recommend Anne Maschler as she pursues her goal of becoming a reform-minded Principal and agent of change in education. I have known Ms. Maschler for over nine years now, first as a colleague in the English department of our former school, where she was a highly respected teacher who demonstrated a strong sense of social justice in her EL, ESL, and other English classes. Her commitment to student achievement of all backgrounds and abilities has always been foremost, and when the idea of creating a new school first arose over two years ago, Ms. Maschler was the first person to get involved. Since then, she has been an invaluable member of our leadership team in designing the curriculum, protocols, procedures, discipline policies, professional development, and overall culture of our Pilot school. Additionally, she was integral in garnering the support of parents and community members throughout the process of its opening. She spent many afternoons and evenings, after a full day of teaching, canvassing in the community and attending community meetings to build enthusiasm for our Public School Choice proposal and helped pave our way to success. She continues to build community support for our school currently as an active member of our Governing Council, the highest leadership body at our school. While carrying a full teaching load, Ms. Maschler serves our school in many different leadership capacities underscoring her work ethic, attention to detail, and collaborative sensibility. Put simply, she is a team player who can be counted on to complete administrative tasks expeditiously while maintaining a high level of quality in her work. A perfect example would be her leadership in coordinating our WASC accreditation and two school reviews, all high stakes ventures for a newly opened school. She served as the primary organizer and was a key contributor to all of the requisite documents, communicated with all stakeholders throughout the entire process, organized and ran parent focus groups, and communicated the observation process and expectations of the reviews to faculty and staff during PD time. All of this work was carried out with utmost professionalism, efficiency, and adherence to our schools vision. As a result of her efforts, both of the school reviews were highly successful and

impressive, while WASC wrote glowingly of our school and granted us the maximum three-year accreditation for a new school. Starting a new, reform-minded and progressive school is a once-in-a-lifetime effort that requires the utmost in dedication and commitment to the cause of social justice in education. Many who started this process, though well intentioned, did not have the leadership ability and sheer will to follow through. But Ms. Maschler is one of those rare people who transforms the idea of change into reality. Our school would not exist without her. I recommend Anne Maschler with complete confidence that she will be an exemplary principal and always pursue reform and growth for all students, in her school and in our country. Feel free to contact me with any questions. Sincerely, John Lawler Principal 323-823-4569