Larry Ferlazzo

For 23 years, I taught English, Social Studies and International Baccalaureate classes to English Language Learners and English-proficient students at Luther Burbank High School in Sacramento, California. Since I retired in the summer of 2025, I have been a volunteer tutor at our local Juvenile Hall and with Newcomer students at an elementary school.

I've written or edited fourteen books on education. My other writing includes a popular education blog , and a weekly teacher advice column for Education Week which I have been writing for fifteen years. I’ve also regularly written for The New York Times, the Washington Post, and ASCD Educational Leadership.

I've won several awards, including the Leadership For A Changing World Award from the Ford Foundation, and was the Grand Prize Winner of the International Reading Association Award for Technology and Reading.

I was a community organizer for 19 years prior to becoming a public school teacher.

I'm married and have 3 children and 5 grandchildren.

A basketball team I play for has come in last place every year since 2014, so I should not give up my day job for a career in sports.