About
RootEd in Durham Public Schools
Project-Based Learning (PBL)
Matt presents his Hillside New Tech students to the Durham School Board in 2009. His team of students were selected for a Lemelson-MIT InvenTeams grant and spent the next year designing a residential green roofing system and presenting their results at MIT in Boston in summer 2010.
Matt is RootEd in DPS
Matt Sears, RootEd in DPS’s Chief Connector, has spent his career in service of Durham Public Schools. Matt taught at Hillside and Durham School of Technology, and was named DPS’s Teacher of the Year in 2008. Matt consulted with DPS while doing state-wide and national non-profit work, and then served on the DPS Board of Education for more than eight years. Most recently Matt was the Chief of Partnerships at the DPS Foundation. Matt’s been working to improve DPS for over 20 years and is excited to bring RootEd to Durham Public Schools.
While teaching at Durham School of Technology (then Hillside New Tech), Matt embraced project-based learning (PBL), and was one of only two teachers in a national network of dozens of schools, to demonstrate significant math gains through a project-based approach to learning. Matt believes in PBL and is excited that RootEd projects will launch in DPS.
Matt has listened to the Durham community who often want to support DPS, but do not know how to or where the best place is to be of support. Matt also believes that supporting DPS means doing this work with DPS schools, not to DPS schools. Matt is expanding RootEd’s projects to include not only real-world learning experiences, but also projects for schools, for DPS staff, and for the larger DPS community.
Matt’s work that roots him in DPS:
DPS Math/Computer Science teacher at Hillside and Hillside New Tech (2003-2010)
Consultant for DPS (2011-2014)
DPS parent of 3 (2014-2033)
DPS School Board member (2014-2023)
First Choice Lakewood Elem. neighborhood organizing
Fought state takeover of Lakewood and Glenn (2017)
Door knocking campaign for district school zones (2023)
Chief of Partnerships at DPS Foundation (2023-2025)
DPS Substitute Teacher (2025)
Board of Advisors are RootEd in DPS
Advisors to RootEd in DPS are current and former DPS school-based staff members who know how our schools work and what our schools need. They maintain relationships across DPS and make connections between DPS and RootEd in DPS.
Board of Advisor members provide quarterly oversight of RootEd in DPS’ Structure and Operations (listed below).
Jackie Ellis
Matt Hunt
Jim Key
Symone Kiddoo
Turquoise Parker
Michael Yarbrough
RootEd in DPS' Structure and Operations
RootEd in DPS is an LLC, operating with a non-profit partner, Southern Conservation Partners, and in partnership with RootEd. RootEd in DPS is community funded, through donations and operates with a “non-profit” philosophy. RootEd in DPS relies on its publicly-trusted Board of Advisors to oversee its management and use of funds. Community members may contact members of the Board of Advisors and Matt Sears at any time for more information.
Operational philosophy: RootEd in DPS only funds staff at part-time levels and has minimal overhead costs. RootEd in DPS is committed to funding multiple RootEd classroom projects each year. RootEd in DPS is committed to using funding to support and maintain contact with all DPS schools.
How Do I Get Involved and Support?
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