I’m an educator, researcher, and documentation specialist, rethinking how we communicate our values through what we measure.
Documentation and Assessment Specialist.
Instead of making learning easier to measure, I believe in developing sensitive assessment systems that are designed to tell the story of a whole child’s development. I combine Reggio-influenced narrative assessment practices with sensible quantitative measures to create useful, holistic stories of children’s time at school.
Educator.
As an educator in early childhood influenced by the Reggio Emilia philosophy, I strive to create opportunities for members of a school community to learn from meaningful relationships. Whether I’m working with adults or children, I believe we all learn best when we feel empowered to pursue our interests in supportive environments.
Researcher.
As a researcher in the field of early childhood, I’m interested in examining how learning communities collaborate and support one another. I am utility focused, considering how participants will actually benefit from any project every step of the way.
Consulting Services
Let’s work together.
I offer a set of consulting opportunities geared to meet any early childhood program in their journey to strengthen their practices as an inspired community of learners. I work individually or in groups with teachers and administrators to understand where you see opportunities for growth and space for re-imagining what’s possible.
Some of these opportunities include…
Building Emergent Curriculum
Enacting a whole child approach
Designing and using authentic assessment classroom systems
Creating and tracking meaningful program goals
Developing responsive documentation that speaks to children’s strengths
Understanding and strengthening reflective practice
Experience
Mentor Teacher, Early Head Start
Verner Center for Early Learning, Asheville NC
Lead teacher in an Early Head Start 2 year old classroom using progressive pedagogies aligned with Head Start Performance Standards
As a Mentor Teacher, support and guide other teachers in further developing their teaching practice
Research Associate, Education and Assessment
Manny Cantor Center, Manhattan
Design and implement data and evaluation plans for 4 large education/social programs with over 2,000 total participants. These plans are responsive to the needs of program staff and stakeholders while also outlining accountability and drawing on mission-driven program goals.
Use qualitative and quantitative methods to collect information, including focus groups, individual interviewing, surveying, and content analysis. Analyze data using Excel, Dedoose, R, and SPSS.
Present findings for multiple audiences with a focus on ensuring the information can be utilized by program staff, leadership, and funders.
Collaborate with Policy and Development Teams to enhance program funding and impact.
Train program staff on efficient and systematically integrated data collection methods
Associate Director, Early Childhood Education and Assessment
Manny Cantor Center, Manhattan
Successfully redesigned child-level assessment practices that aligned with progressive education practices while meeting federal and local expectations.
Design and present professional development workshops that support teachers and administrative staff in using various programs to make children’s learning visible.
Direct supervision and coaching of diverse teaching teams in carrying out a Reggio Emilia- inspired approach.
Interpretation of Head Start Performance Standards in ways that make learning and teaching relevant, joyful, and empowering for all stakeholders.
Partnering with Mental Health and Disabilities teams to ensure a a whole child approach is reflected in every aspect of our work.
Collaboration with NHSA’s Data Design Initiative and CUNY Professional Development Institute.
Co-Head UPK Teacher
Manny Cantor Center, Manhattan
In our financially-integrated UPK classroom, my team and I worked with families from diverse backgrounds, creating a learning community that recognized and upheld all families and children. We developed emergent curriculum threads that empowered children to explore and pursue their interests while drawing upon interdisciplinary skillsets. August 2015-2019
Lead Teacher
Curious Jane Camp for Girls, Brooklyn
For four summers I lead classes at Curious Jane Camp for Girls. Each week-long class was engineering-focused and project-based. I designed and lead these projects with a spirit of fun, an emphasis on creativity, and attention to the needs of each student. Summers of 2013-2016.
Education
Master’s of Science in Applied Social Research, Hunter College
Ruth Weintraub Award - 3.9 GPA
During my graduate work at Hunter, I studied how to apply quantitative and qualitative research methods to examine and improve early childhood education. My final project focused on looking at city-wide survey data to understand how teachers’ autonomy impacts student behavioral engagement.
Bachelor’s in Global Studies with a focus in Democratic Education, Long Island University
Outstanding Thesis Award, Summa Cum Laude
After transferring from New York University, I spent my time at LIU studying alternative approaches to elementary education. Through this work I spent an academic year in Bangalore India, a semester conducting an independent research project in rural Peru, and a capstone semester in Brooklyn. These experiences challenged me to rethink what early education can look like. My final project examined the role of trust in students’ classroom experiences.
Internship at Escuela Democratica de Huamachuco:
During my senior year at LIU, I spent my first semester documenting the role of trust between teachers and students at a democratic school serving children in rural Peru. During this time I learned hands-on what it means to share power with children and how rethinking traditional schooling can have liberating consequences for children and their families. My senior thesis, A Pedagogy of Trust: How faculty trust informs students’ academic, social, and political empowerment in a rural Peruvian elementary school, was recognized with the Outstanding Thesis Award.