Meet the Board: Jarell Lee

Jarell Lee is a passionate education advocate who brings years of experience in fostering positive school culture and academic excellence. As the Founding School Leader of KIPP Academy Primary in Chicago, he has built a thriving community grounded in love and joy. Jarell's journey includes leadership roles at various KIPP schools and Uncommon Schools, where he developed innovative character education systems. Now a dedicated board member at Prismatic, Jarell continues to drive impactful change in the education landscape. He holds a BA in Sociology & African-American Studies from Harvard University, an MS in Elementary Education from Teacher U at Hunter College, and a Master’s in Supervision and Administration from the University of Houston.

How did you get involved with Prismatic? 

I decided to become involved with Prismatic for a number of reasons. One of the most important reasons is the exact reason why I decided to become a principal. 

Growing up, I did not know I wanted to become a principal. The only thing I knew was that I grew up as a young black boy in Cleveland, Ohio. I grew up poor, and it was a struggle. Everything was really hard for me, and I didn't want anyone to have to go through that ever again. That led me to be an educator. 

My whole life's journey and mission as an educator is to make sure that I create opportunities and give other students who look like me who grew up like me, more opportunities, so they don't have to go through the same struggle I went through. 

When I heard about Prismatic and the work that they were doing, I knew I wanted to be involved because that would allow me to have a further impact on other kids who looked like me and who grew up like me—helping them develop skills that they may not necessarily be getting in their current programming.

Why is Prismatic’s mission critical to you? 

Prismatic mission is to create opportunities for students to develop social-emotional skills. And that's self-awareness, social awareness. The relationships we're building are to give students and young adults a chance not just to learn about these skills but also to have the opportunity to practice them. Students can hear successful people talk about how they use these skills in their careers; this provides a different type of development than what they will get in school.

What is one of your most memorable experiences with Prismatic?

I remember one vivid moment that showed me the power of SEL coming to light for students. 

When I was in my second year teaching, what I tried to do every day was start the day talking about the values at a school, really teaching students what that meant and how to show them. My thought process was that if I taught them these values every day, one day, they'd remember these things. 

Not only did I teach them about the school values, but I also incentivized them throughout the day. If a student showed courage in an assignment, I would celebrate it in front of the class, and they would get to wear the courage hat for the rest of the day. If they showed compassion to a classmate, they would get to wear the compassion belt. 

I taught at an all-boys school in the middle of Brooklyn. When the Trayvon Martin incident happened, we talked about it in our classroom. 

I asked the students, “What should we do about this?”

They said, “We should write a poem, collectively as a group, about the incident and what actually should have happened.” And that's what we did. 

I was proud of them for being able to write and connect the academic skill of writing a poem because we were in a poetry unit to the social-emotional skills of how they processed the event. I was also impressed with how they sought a solution to what could be better.

Why is it essential to teach EQ skills to young adults? 

When I think about my work as a principal, what I'm trying to do every single day is make sure that every single child has the skills and resources that they need to fulfill their life's journey, whether that is going to college, trade school, entrepreneurship, or all of the above. 

It's not just about children learning the academic skills they need to excel in school; it's also about learning social-emotional skills to understand better themselves and the people they will work with. 

The beauty of us people is that we're people. The value of that is that we have a lot of connections with different people. It's all about learning how to make those connections in the best way possible that feels good for yourself and others, and I can help you do your life's work.

What are you most excited about working with Prismatic? 

There is incredible value when organizations or individuals partner with Prismatic, and students can see different careers. Right now, most students only know about the most popular careers, the ones we hear about all the time, the ones we see on TV, right? They know they can be a teacher because they're in school, police officers, firefighters, and so forth.

When I was in high school, I was involved with an organization that was similar to Prismatic. I remember very vividly meeting someone who owned a McDonald's franchise. That was the first I ever heard of that. Then I thought, “Oh, that's something I can do,” because he was right there before me. I saw myself in the shoes and knew I wanted to start something. It wasn't a business but a school, but I knew I wanted to create something. 

I know that when we talk to students at schools about the other different opportunities they have, they first say, “What's that? How does that work? I can do that?” I always reply, "Yeah, you can. You can start some of that work now."  

These experiences open students' minds up to other possibilities. The more they can see and be exposed to these things, the better.

What is your favorite self-care or community care practice, and why?  

I love playing with my son and puppy. I’m at the gym a lot. I love watching NBA games, and I am obsessed with wearing fanny packs.

Ready to make a meaningful impact? Discover how you can contribute with Prismatic’s Turning Point Fund.