Liz Barnitz, a Ph.D. candidate at UC Santa Barbara’s Gevirtz School and the Principal at El Camino School, was named K-12 Educator of the Year by the Goleta Valley Chamber of Commerce. She is one of the 2013 Goleta’s Finest Award winners, and will be among those honored at a formal celebration at the Bacara Resort & Spa on November 21. Goleta’s Finest is a 64-year old tradition honoring remarkable individuals whose contributions have enhanced the Goleta community.
As principal at El Camino Elementary, Barnitz has helped lead the school become a No Excuses University school, one of a network of schools united in the conviction that all children, even those living in poverty or learning English, can be academically successful and attend college. As a No Excuses University School, El Camino believes that it has the power to make this dream a reality. Thanks to her leadership and the No Excuses program, El Camino is the only Title I school on the South Coast to meet every state and federal academic standard, putting it on track to get out of Program Improvement accountability requirements next year.
Barnitz earned her B.A. from UC Santa Barbara in 1996 and a Master’s from the Gevirtz School in 2004. She is currently working on her doctorate in the Department of Education in the area of Educational Leadership and Organizations with Dr. Sharon Conley as her advisor.