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 series 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.