2nd Grade Team

Kiniqua Francis is a 2nd grade Learning Coordinator in the VLP. She grew up in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands. Once she graduated high school, she moved to North Carolina to attend college at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She spent time in the deaf community learning about deaf culture and American Sign Language while earning her Bachelor’s degree in Sign Language Interpreting. Wanting to further her education, she moved to Frederick, Maryland to obtain her master’s degree in Deaf Education while working at the Frederick School for the Deaf. After years of living and working in the deaf community; the deaf community would always have a special place in her heart. 

Kiniqua then moved to Washington, DC to work at KIPP DC, Promise Academy. Her first role was as a teacher’s aide to a student with autism. She then became a Capital Teaching Resident which led to being a first-grade lead teacher for three years. During the pandemic, she realized the impact that could be made in education virtually. Students that struggled to focus in-person were able to take breaks or naps and have more autonomy over their schedule. She was able to individualize their learning based on their needs and interests. Students didn’t have to impatiently wait for her attention, they could show up virtually at their allotted time, focused and ready to learn. When Kiniqua heard of the Virtual Learning Program she knew it was an opportunity she couldn’t pass up to create a program where students were able to thrive on their own terms, no longer limited to the four walls of the classroom.