RAFT Hires Director of Learning

Resource Area for Teaching hires award winning educator Jason Pittman

Jason Pittman is Resource Area for Teaching’s (RAFT) new Director of Learning. As a key member of the RAFT leadership team, the Director of Learning position embodies RAFT’s passion for hands-on learning and models our steadfast commitment to educators, especially those working in under-served schools and other challenging environments. Pittman was brought aboard to help the organization make significant progress towards 2016-18 goals, and will lead all RAFT activities related to education, including the creation and delivery of educational products and services that support RAFT’s strategic plan, scaling up the organization’s educational impact, and leading strategic educational partnerships.

Before his ten year career as a teacher in the Washington DC area, Pittman founded and sold a small tech firm, then focused his ambitions on education. After the career change, Pittman received several national teaching awards and recognitions, including the National Science Teacher’s Association’s Early Science Teacher of the Year Award, the Air Force Association Aerospace Educator of the Year, and the Edward C. Roy Award for Excellence in Earth Science Teaching by breaking the mold for the traditional educator and the traditional classroom.

Pittman also served for three summer seasons of oceanic exploration with Dr. Robert Ballard, finder of Titanic, as Educator-at-Sea, and created curricula with National Geographic’s experience based learning JASON project. His Washington DC area students planted gardens with Michelle Obama and created an award winning app for smartphones.

Pittman most recently served as Khan Academy’s Master Curriculum designer and founding teacher of the new brick-and-mortar Khan Lab School.

Pittman joins RAFT at an exciting time. The organization recently completed a new strategic plan for 2016-2018.

“I know Jason will be a wonderful addition to the RAFT staff. He is eager to bring his range of expertise and experience to the organization to help us become even more impactful in the field of hands-on education,” says RAFT CEO, Grainger Marburg.

“I am very excited about RAFT’s strategic plan and its priority to serve teachers and students who most need empowerment and effective resources for inquiry based learning,” says Pittman.

Since 1994, the belief that hands-on learning builds and reinforces a deeper level of understanding and critical thinking, has been central to RAFT’s mission.

About Resource Area for Teaching
RAFT believes the best way to spark the love of learning for the next generation of thinkers, innovators, problem-solvers, and creators, is through hands-on learning. A nonprofit organization since 1994, RAFT serves 12,000 educators each year who teach over 900,000 students. Find out more about RAFT and how to get involved at http://www.raft.729solutions.com.