Who We Are

Leveraging our founder’s extensive and diverse experiences in K-12 education, BlueByrd LLC was established in 2020 in order to:

• strengthen growing efforts to establish knowledge-rich, well-articulated liberal arts curricula;

• maximize clients’ capacity to communicate effectively; and

• disseminate commentary about the power of language in education, as well as in other contexts.

At the heart of each of these organizational goals is the crucial ability to know and use language precisely. At BlueByrd, we understand the power of choosing the right words to help you achieve your education and communication goals.

Our founder, Sheila Byrd Carmichael, chose the name BlueByrd because she is inspired by the determination and strength of the marvelous eastern bluebirds in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, where she lives.  The eastern bluebird population, once diminishing, is growing again through targeted communication and conservation efforts.

SHEILA BYRD CARMICHAEL

Born to parents who cherished beautifully crafted words and music, Sheila Byrd Carmichael has nurtured her natural love of language throughout her life: as a student, teacher, policy analyst, standards and curriculum writer, teacher trainer, and mother.

A former teacher, Ms. Byrd Carmichael is one of the nation’s foremost experts on standards- and choice-based K – 12 education reform, assisting local, national, and international organizations with education policy research and implementation of reform initiatives. Her primary areas of expertise are: strategic planning; academic standards, curriculum, and assessment development; teacher training; and public engagement.

Ms. Byrd Carmichael has worked with dozens of schools, districts, states, and countries on the development, review, and implementation of K-12 academic standards, curricula, and assessments.

In 2007, Ms. Byrd Carmichael helped establish Common Core, Inc.—now Great Minds—and was an author and editor for both its K - 5 "Wit and Wisdom" English language arts (ELA) curriculum and its K - 8 "Alexandria Plan" for integrating the study of ELA and history. 

Ms. Byrd Carmichael published More Than Gold in 2018, a children’s book about the Gold Rush and part of Great Minds’s Geode Collection.  She has authored or co-authored numerous policy reports. Please see “Projects and Publications” for a list of past work.

A native Washingtonian, Ms. Byrd Carmichael holds a B.A. in English from Mount Holyoke College, where she was awarded the Merrill Prize for English, and a master’s degree in liberal arts from St. John’s College, Annapolis.  She lives in Virginia with her husband and daughter. The Carmichaels are avid hikers and birders, and have created several bluebird trails to help sustain the eastern bluebird population.

Great Minds, More than Gold

Having helped to establish Common Core—now Great Minds—Ms. Byrd Carmichael led the development of its “English Language Arts Curriculum Maps Project” and “The Alexandria Plan,” a tool for integrating the study of English language arts and history.  She helped conceive and execute the development of Wit and Wisdom, a knowledge-rich, K – 8 English language arts program that systematically incorporates visual arts and music. Ms. Byrd Carmichael co-authored Common Core’s first report, Why We’re Behind, and authored More Than Gold, one of the titles in the Great Minds Geodes Collection.

Beyond the Basics 

Conducting extensive research and collaboration with like-minded colleagues, Ms. Byrd Carmichael helped to organize the “Beyond to Basics” Conference for the Thomas B. Fordham Institute in 2007, which led to establishing Common Core, Inc., later Great Minds. The “Beyond the Basics” conference and accompanying collection of essays, subtitled “Achieving A Liberal Education for All Children” sparked a revival of interest in developing knowledge-rich, liberal arts curricula as the foundation of successful K—12 school reform efforts.

The Thomas B. Fordham Institute

Over many years, Ms. Byrd Carmichael had the honor of collaborating with Fordham staff and other colleagues primarily to explore the quality and efficacy of state and national standards and assessment development efforts. This link will take to downloadable copies of those reports.

K—12 School Reform Initiative, Qatar

Providing strategic guidance and technical assistance on the establishment of a new standards-based education system in the Emirate of Qatar, Ms. Byrd Carmichael helped lead the writing of new “curriculum standards,” the development of new assessments, and the establishment of a new charter school system.

Conversion of Catholic to Charter Schools in Washington, D.C.

After co-authoring a feasibility study for the Archidocese of Washington, D.C. concerning the conversion of seven private Catholic schools—formerly the “Center City Consortium” schools—to charter schools, Ms. Byrd Carmichael wrote the academic plan for a successful charter school conversion application.  It was the first successful private-to-charter school network conversion in the country. Center City Public Charter Schools continue to thrive in Washington, using a knowledge-rich curriculum.

Friendship Public Charter Schools

Prior to D.C’s adoption of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), Ms. Byrd Carmichael developed customized K-12 academic standards for the Friendship Public Charter Schools, an award-winning system of charter schools in Washington, D.C. She co-led professional development to help teachers implement the new standards-based curriculum. Post CCSS, She led Friendship’s teacher and administration training for their adoption of the Great Minds Wit and Wisdom curriculum.

American Diploma Project

Ms. Byrd Carmichael wrote and managed a $2.4 million Hewlett Foundation grant to establish the American Diploma Project (ADP). She was the ADP’s founding executive director, spearheading the development of high school exit benchmarks for English language arts and mathematics, used in 35 states to align K – 12 and postsecondary expectations. “Ready or Not”: Creating a High School Diploma that Counts was a primary source document for development of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). Advising gubernatorial staff, legislators, university system-heads, state and local K-12 superintendents, employers, and community leaders on ways to establish and strengthen PreK-16 articulation policies, Ms. Byrd Carmichael also promoted ADP with local and national media.

California’s K—12 Academic Standards Commission

As deputy director of Governor Pete Wilson’s California State Standards Commission, Ms. Byrd Carmichael led the drafting of California’s K – 12 Academic Content Standards. The standards are still considered a model for other ELA standards-setting efforts. The California Standards for English Language Arts was the first set of state standards to include K-12 ELA standards for logic.

Ms. Byrd Carmichael advised gubernatorial staff, legislators, university system-heads, state and local K-12 superintendents, employers, and community leaders on ways to establish and strengthen PreK-16 articulation policies. She promoted ADP with local and national media, gaining important communications experience with journalists, editorial boards, and television outlets.