37. Jeanette Deutermann

This Bellmore mom didn’t just help her kids with their homework, Deutermann listened to their complaints about what they were—and weren’t—learning, and took it to another level. She became one of the leading advocates in the protest over the controversial Common Core Learning Standards and created the Long Island Opt-Out movement, which has become a vital proponent of statewide education reform. Her group helped to elect 57 candidates to school boards on Long Island in 2015. A former teacher at a Port Washington alternative high school for children with special needs, she values classroom instruction and wants to make sure that teachers can put the needs of their students first, rather than the profits of corporate interests that have invested in public education for their own gain. As a co-founder of New York State Allies for Public Education, Deutermann knows that there’s more to classroom instruction than “teaching to the test.” Thanks to her drive and vision, the reform movement has grown, spreading its influence throughout the state, and even reaching the governor’s attention, as shown by his recently announced willingness to reconsider some of the more onerous aspects of Common Core. From the grassroots to the state capital, this Long Island activist has come a long way—and she’s still making the grade that counts.