Kate Gardoqui is a senior associate with the Great Schools Partnership. She has worked in public middle and high schools in New Mexico, Philadelphia, New Hampshire and most recently at Noble High School in North Berwick, Maine. During her years at Noble, Kate served as a teacher leader and helped lead the transition to a standards and proficiency-based system. She was awarded the 2007 Bob Costas Grant for the Teaching of Writing, was a state finalist for the 2011 Maine Teacher of the Year Award, and was named the University of New Hampshire Teacher Mentor of the Year in 2014. Kate also taught for over a decade in the University of New Hampshire Literacy Institutes, offering graduate-level training in nature-based learning and literacy. She is never happier than when working with teachers and students to make schools more equitable, engaging and connective.

Ask me about:

• Project-based Learning

• Grading for Educational Equity 

• Nature-based Learning 

• Mastery-based Learning

• Equitable Community Engagement

• teaching complex texts in the context of authentic inquiry

• the time my nature-writing class got lost in the woods and almost missed the bus.

Elisabeth (Elis) Kanner is a senior associate with Great Schools Partnership. Before joining GSP, Elis supported middle and high school educators as a teacher educator and instructional coach in Boston Public Schools, working across subject areas, including career and early college pathways programs, and in general education, inclusion, sub-separate, ESL, and SEI classrooms. She has developed curriculum and facilitated professional development for secondary school teachers through work with Facing History and Ourselves, Project Zero, the Democratic Knowledge Project and Justice in Schools. Her doctoral research at Harvard University focused on the pedagogy of effective civic educators. Elis credits her experience as a founding Humanities teacher at the Francis W. Parker Charter Essential School for instilling her belief in the power of proficiency-based education and student voice as a foundation for meaningful, joyful learning.  A graduate of Miami-Dade public schools, Elis is committed to the civic mission of public education to prepare students for success as citizens and productive community members. 

Melanie Shivraj is a senior associate with the Great Schools Partnership. Melanie is a seasoned educator with over 9 years of dedicated classroom experience focused on teaching high school biology. Throughout her career, she has held various leadership roles that underscore her commitment to excellence in education and equity. Melanie has served as a department chair, a grade level leader, a DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) chair, and a restorative practices coordinator.

With a specialization in instructional coaching, Melanie excels in developing and implementing performance assessments that drive student success and engagement. Her expertise extends to equitable grading practices, Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), curriculum writing, cultural proficiency, and DEI initiatives. Melanie's passion for equity goes beyond the classroom as she actively seeks opportunities to make systemic changes aimed at closing opportunity gaps. She believes in addressing issues at a systemic level to create lasting impact and foster inclusive learning environments for all students.

Melanie has an undergraduate degree in Biology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Masters in Secondary Education from Long Island University Brooklyn. She enjoys spending time with her husband, son, and dog and loves reading romance novels, and cheering on the Tarheels!

Katie has coached educators and school leaders across New England in efforts to improve practice and achieve equitable outcomes for students. She has led school improvement efforts in small, rural schools in Maine and Vermont, in charter schools in Maine and Connecticut, and in large urban school districts in Florida. Prior to her work at GSP, Katie was a science teacher and field hockey coach at a high school in Maine where she served as district subject area leader, professional learning group facilitator, advisory program chair, and school data coordinator. As a classroom teacher, Katie was committed to providing a hands-on, project-based STEM curriculum. Katie received her PhD in education at the University of Maine in spring of 2022 where her research focused on coaching support for educators implementing school-wide proficiency-based learning practices. 

Ask me about:

• Developing interdisciplinary projects

• professional learning groups 

• school-wide systems and structures to support mastery-based learning 

• developing clear learning outcomes and success criteria 

• my dog

• national park road trips

• how my fantasy football team is doing

Alissa joined SBE in 2017. Her work focuses on supporting the state’s mastery-based learning efforts and ensuring each and every student is prepared for their next steps after high school. Prior to joining the SBE, she worked for several Texas nonprofits. Alissa holds her B.S. degree in Public Relations from the University of Texas and her Master of Public Administration degree from the Evans School at the University of Washington. Alissa enjoys reading, traveling, and spending time with her husband and children. 

Ask me about:

• School-wide shifts to mastery-based learning (MBL) 

• How to adopt a district mastery-based crediting (MBC) policy 

• Culturally responsive sustaining education (CRSE) 

• Washington policies and how they impact MBL, MBC, and CRSE 

• Washington’s graduation requirements  

• Why you should use both “y’all” and the Oxford comma (yes, I’m a grammar nerd) 

• How many library books I have checked out at a time 

Seema Bahl joined SBE in 2021. Prior to this, she served as an Ombuds at the Governor’s Office of the Education Ombuds, working with families, educators, and schools across Washington State to advance educational equity and support student learning. Seema has many years of experience in higher education as a lecturer at Bellevue College and the University of Washington, teaching courses on medical sociology, disability, race, and gender. Seema has a Master of International Affairs from Columbia University and a Master of Arts in Sociology from New School University. She enjoys international travel, learning foreign languages, singing, and parenting.

Ask me about:

• Educational equity

• Social justice

• West Coast vs. East Coast

• My wildest travel story

• How not to be a helicopter parent

Arielle joined SBE in 2022 as the Student, Family and Community Engagement Coordinator to ensure the voices of our most marginalized communities are heard and involved as decisions are made for their educational experiences. Prior to coming to SBE, Arielle worked for the Seattle Colleges’ District managing programs to address equity and access to higher education and living wage careers. She is a born and bred Washingtonian and a  “double dawg”, having earned both her B.S in psychology and Master’s in Public Administration from the University of Washington. She can be found doing DIY home renovation projects and adventuring around the state on her motorcycle.  

Ask me about:

• Community engagement

• Youth voice and empowerment

• Collective impact

• Which houseplant to get

• Music recommendations

• Motorcycle road trip ideas

Christina Balkaran is a Senior Associate at Great Schools Partnership. Christina previously taught middle school and high school mathematics in Boston, MA where she served as lead teacher, math coach, and new teacher mentor. Christina's work is grounded in the belief that all students have a right to a high-quality education. Christina works to dismantle historical barriers that students of color continue to face in their education. Christina is passionate about data driven instruction as a means of providing equitable and anti-racist educational opportunities for students. In the past year, Christina has focused on projects that empower teachers as leaders within their schools and districts. Christina earned her B.A. in mathematics at Connecticut College and M.Ed. at Lesley University in Mathematics

Darthula Mathews (pronounced Da-too-la) is a coaching associate with the Great Schools Partnership. She brings over a decade of experience working in both higher and secondary education with a wealth of experience in supporting students, families, alumni, mentors, and community partners. Most recently, she worked as an Advisor at the Metropolitan Regional Career and Technical Center (the Met), a high school centered on real-world and project-based learning. In addition to her teaching obligations, she served as a leader and liaison for various Anti-Bias and Anti-Racist programming, including facilitating a weekly affinity group championing BIPOC students and their personal and academic growth.  Prior to the Met, Darthula worked in a variety of roles at both the Community College of Rhode Island and the University of Rhode Island (URI).

Darthula holds a degree in Business Administration with a minor in Leadership from URI. Furthermore, she has continued her education through fellowships with organizations such as The Partnership, Inc. and Diversity Talks.  Moreover, throughout the years, she has engaged in many volunteer roles with institutions focused on combating inequities in education, housing, health, and food access.  She has also served on numerous boards and committees, including her local school district’s Anti Racism Task Force.  Through all her efforts she is focused on educational equity, justice, and love.

Darthula consistently centers her time around her core values of family, community, and education.  However, when she does take time to herself, she enjoys studying history and practicing being in harmony with the earth through activities such as gardening, herbalism, and just being outdoors.

Clyde is a career educator who has dedicated his life to improving the lives of children and families in communities all around the country. He is a co-founder of both a Catholic middle school for boys in Harlem, NY, and a charter middle school in New Haven, CT. In 2005, Clyde made history as the founding principal of the first all-boys public school serving grades 6-12 in the United States, located in Brooklyn, NY.

Clyde has trained and coached teacher-leaders, aspiring principals, principals, and principal supervisors in urban school systems around the country. He also worked as an assistant superintendent in both Syracuse, NY, and New York City, leading the Syracuse principal evaluation system and both districts’ teacher evaluation systems.

Clyde has a bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University and a master's degree from New York University. He has a Fellow in the Urban School Leaders Program at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education and the School District Leader Program at Bank Street School of Education. He is an active member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., has Panamanian and Jamaican roots, and is a proud native and resident of Brooklyn, NY.

Ask me about:

• DEI

• CRSE

• SEL

• How competency-based education is like being on a school sports team

• Technical vs. adaptive leadership

• School startups / school design / school redesign

• 6-12 Math

• English grammar

• All things Batman

• On- and off-road cycling

• NY sports

• Not watching the NFL