Preparing for Back-to-School with Dr. Annette Anderson and Principal Justin Holbrook

Call from Friday August 22nd, 2025 featuring Dr. Annette Anderson and Principal Justin Holbrook.

Annette C. Anderson is a native of Baltimore and a graduate of Baltimore City Public Schools, an experience that has left an indelible mark on her career interests in educational equity and adequacy. Besides her research pursuits, she has served in a variety of school-based positions, including classroom teacher, teacher leader, curriculum coordinator, and assistant principal. She served as the chief executive officer and founding principal of Widener Partnership Charter School, the first university-assisted charter school in Pennsylvania. The school quickly became known to state and local education officials as a successful model for university-public school partnerships. As Deputy Director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Safe and Healthy Schools, Anderson is frequently quoted in media, internet and education outlets.

Justin Holbrook is the current principal at Armistead Gardens Elementary Middle, a 3-year-old to 8th grade school in Baltimore City. Prior to becoming a principal, he served as an assistant principal for three years and trained for one year as a resident principal in BCPSS. As an educator, Holbrook taught all subjects in 1st grade and then transitioned to 4th grade math and science where he was named as the 2017 Baltimore City Schools Teacher of the Year and a finalist for Maryland Teacher of the Year. Most recently, he was named as a 2023 Connected School Leader by the Maryland Association of Elementary School Principals (MAESP). Holbrook is endorsed by the New Leaders Aspiring Principal Program and holds a Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education from Goucher College with a minor in Spanish and a Master's Degree in Educational Leadership from Loyola University Maryland.