Mike Kerr received his Bachelor of Arts in government and politics from the University of Maryland. Upon graduating in 1999, Mike joined Teach For America and taught kindergarten through third grade at Public School 192 in Harlem, NY. After earning his Master of Arts in elementary and early childhood education from the Bank Street College of Education, Mike then earned his Master of Science in education in school leadership from Harvard University.

Next, Mike served for five years as the founding principal of the Achievement First Crown Heights Elementary School (AFCHES) in Brooklyn, NY. During his last year there, 99 percent of third- and fourth-grade students scored proficient on the state reading exam and 100 percent scored proficient on the state math exam with 72 percent scoring advanced. After transitioning AFCHES to his successor, Mike moved to Los Angeles, CA and served as the founding principal of KIPP Empower Academy, the first blended learning school in the KIPP network. In 2013, the school's first year of standardized testing, KIPP Empower Academy became the highest performing public school in Los Angeles and ranked tenth out of over 5,000 elementary schools in the state. Since then, Mike has mentored, coached, and developed school-based and regional leaders for the KIPP Foundation, the Broad Academy, and within charter management organizations in Colorado and Arizona.