Elaine Hou

Elaine Hou is thrilled to be a Partner of School Design at Transcend. She comes to Transcend with 19 years of experience in teaching, coaching, curriculum design work, and school leadership. Elaine began her teaching career in Washington Heights, NYC, before embarking on an 18 year career at Two Rivers Public Charter School, a PS-8th grade  EL Education school in Washington DC. At Two Rivers, Elaine served as a founding elementary teacher, middle school principal, instructional coach, and director of literacy. She brings to Transcend a passion for designing cultures of lifelong learning, as well as building shared leadership competencies that lead to boundary-breaking results for kids. 

Elaine has also served as adjunct faculty with City Teaching Alliance (formerly Urban Teachers), and is currently a member of the Two Rivers Board of Trustees and Remember Niger’s Board of Directors. She has a Bachelor’s in Science in Human Development and Family Studies from Cornell University, and a Master’s in Education and Human Development from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. While at Harvard, Elaine worked with the Harvard Family Research Project to design, research, and pilot storytelling as a means to foster stronger connections between schools and families that often experience marginalization. 

Outside of work, Elaine loves exploring all the different activities that the changing seasons in Northern Virginia brings. She adores spending time with her middle schooler and 1st grader, who embody the best of siblings with a 6 year age difference. Elaine enjoys trying new boba places with her daughter, building Legos with her son, and is always down for a karaoke session with all the hits.

Team

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Working at Transcend presents you with an opportunity to work with kind, passionate, collaborative, and feedback-driven teammates to reimagine the future of schools. Our teammates partner with schools and leaders to redesign schools and accelerate innovation.

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Transcend is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit that operates nationally.