Ali currently leads Achievement First’s K-12 social studies/history program as the founding Senior Director of History Achievement. Since 2008, she has designed the AF History Program from the ground up, developing and executing the program vision, course of study, curriculum, assessments, and teacher and leader professional development across the public charter network’s 25 (and growing) schools. Ali is also the lead consultant with New York State’s Regents Research Fund, coordinating the development and revision of the state’s K-12 Social Studies Common Core Framework and authoring the Social Studies Field Guide, which provides guidance and resources for social studies practitioners to skillfully integrate social studies concepts and content with Common Core Literacy Standards and social studies practices.

Previous to her current roles, Ali was a founding social studies and Understanding by Design graduate curriculum writer and instructor for the Relay Graduate School of Education/Teacher U/Hunter College. She was also the founding history teacher at Achievement First Bushwick Middle School and Democracy Prep’s flagship school in Harlem. Before that, she taught social studies for two years at T.T. Knight Middle School, a public school in Louisville, Kentucky, where she also chaired the History Department. Previous to this, she was selected by Teach for America to join the NYC Corps of 2002, where she taught 6th grade for two years, initiated a number of programs for at-risk youth, served as the TFA School Leader at Community Intermediate School 232, and was the Sue Lehman regional finalist in the NYC corps. Ali graduated Summa Cum Lade through Indiana University’s Honors Program, triple-majoring in Philosophy, Religious Studies, and Sociology. Her MST was obtained through a partnership between TFA and Pace University.