Julie Kelly is currently the vice principal and resource and technology teacher in Lanham, Maryland, and a consulting teacher for Center for Responsive Schools. With over 18 years of experience in education, Julie has instructed students in pre-K through eighth grade. Having served in a variety of roles, from grade level classroom teacher to special areas, Julie has a passion for literacy and creative expressions. A native of the Washington, DC area, Julie values cultural awareness and competencies as part of the classroom experience. In her spare time, Julie enjoys doing yoga, spending time with her family, walking her dog, and reading children’s literature.

Justina Boyden is currently a first and second grade teacher at the Fayston School in Vermont. She has been teaching since 1998. She received her bachelor of education degree from the University of Vermont and later went on to pursue a master’s degree in special education. Justina was introduced to the Responsive Classroom approach 15 years ago and has since been a strong advocate for bringing the approach and practices into all classrooms. When she’s not teaching, Justina enjoys spending time with family and friends, cooking, traveling, and downhill skiing!

Karen Poplawski is a Responsive Classroom program developer and consultant for Center for Responsive Schools (CRS). Prior to joining CRS full-time, Karen spent seven years as a principal and 10 years as a classroom teacher in grades K, 1, and 4. Her professional experiences have afforded her the opportunity to utilize Responsive Classroom techniques and practices to both inform her own classroom and help transform the two schools for which she was the founding principal.

Kari Pidde is a first-grade teacher in Stillwater, Minnesota. She has taught grades K–6 for more than 25 years, and has been learning and growing her Responsive Classroom knowledge for the past 20 years. The significant positive impact the Responsive Classroom approach has had with her students inspired Kari to join Center for Responsive Schools in helping guide other educators to learn, implement, and advance their Responsive Classroom practices. She has a master’s degree and has completed courses for her K–12 reading licensure program. Kari is married and has two daughters. In the fall her oldest daughter will begin college and her youngest will be a junior in high school. A significant member of her family is also her Yorkshire terrier named Cooper. She has a cabin in northern Minnesota where her family enjoys fishing, boating, and creating memories.

Karla Bisco is an instructional coach at a magnet school in Eagan, Minnesota. Prior to this role, Karla was both an elementary and middle school teacher in Minneapolis and St. Paul for 15 years. Her entire teaching career has been shaped by the Responsive Classroom beliefs and practices. After the first training, she knew Responsive Classroom would provide the tools to help her students grow as learners and citizens. Throughout her career, Karla has sought out professional development trainings to further her skills as a practitioner and educational leader. She is passionate about helping teachers create engaging learning experiences for students that inspire them to wonder, analyze, and problem-solve to broaden their understanding of themselves and the world around them. In her spare time, Karla enjoys taking walks and biking on the miles of beautiful trails found around the Twin Cities.

With a master’s degree in elementary education and a sixth year certificate in remedial reading and remedial language arts, Karrie Sadler currently works as an educational consultant. Twenty years of classroom experience provided the foundation for the work that’s taken her from the Tri-State Area to California to Rome, Italy to support and collaborate with teachers. As a literacy consultant, she regularly designs and facilitates large-group professional learning workshops, planning meetings, and in-class coaching sessions for educators at the elementary and secondary levels. In addition to her work as a consulting teacher for the Center for Responsive Schools, Karrie also served as a special education inclusion coach in New York City for several years. She attributes her sustained passion for education to her transformative experience with the Responsive Classroom approach. Karrie was named Teacher of the Year in Westport, Connecticut, in 2012. When not working, Karrie enjoys practicing yoga, living by the ocean, and listening to live music.

Kate Conway is a curriculum and instructional designer for Responsive Classroom with a focus on leadership. Her career in education spans over twenty-five years teaching elementary, middle, and high school in the United States and abroad. She spent thirteen years as the assistant head of an international school in California and most recently served as head of school at an independent school in Hawaii.

Kathleen Wylie is an energetic urban educator who is passionate about creating authentic, meaningful learning experiences for her diverse student population. She currently teaches social studies in Schenectady, New York, but in her 15-year career she has taught in rural, suburban, and private school settings. Kathleen was first introduced to Responsive Classroom in 2016, and has embraced the belief that the classroom is a community where social-emotional skills should be explicitly taught to create a safe, joyful, and rigorous learning environment. In 2018, she was awarded the Schenectady School District Teacher of the Year and was advanced to a semi-final round as the New York State Teacher of the Year. She contributes this success in large part to her work and commitment to Responsive Classroom practices. She enjoys learning from, and being inspired by, all the amazing teachers that participate in Responsive Classroom trainings. Kathleen enjoys spending time with her three children and husband as they enjoy athletic and outdoor activities together.

Katie Anderson was thrilled to become a consulting teacher for Center for Responsive Schools after teaching for 10 years in Washington, DC, where she was recognized by DC Public Schools as a Highly Effective teacher multiple times. Katie taught middle school math before moving to an elementary school, where she was first introduced to the Responsive Classroom approach. She became very passionate about Responsive Classroom strategies and practices as they had such a positive impact on her students. This passion led Katie to become a consulting teacher. She loves being able to share this influential approach to teaching and learning with others. Katie received her BS from the University of Mary Washington and her MAT from American University. She enjoys spending time with her family, hiking, creating new dishes in the kitchen, and running marathons.

Katie Bass is a classroom teacher in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire. Over the past fifteen years, she has taught grades 1 through 5 in two different public school settings. In her years using the Responsive Classroom approach, she has taught in a district where the practices were implemented schoolwide and in a school where she was the only teacher utilizing the approach. Implementing Responsive Classroom practices has helped her promote all aspects of children’s development and attain a better balance in her teaching. Katie has an undergraduate degree in education studies and German from Skidmore College and is currently completing her master’s degree, focusing on adult learners. She particularly enjoys working with adults as a Center for Responsive Schools consulting teacher and educational consultant, which allows her to share the power of Responsive Classroom with other practitioners. In her spare time, Katie enjoys spending time outside with her husband and sons hiking, gardening, or playing (and teaching) Ultimate Frisbee.

Katie Johnson has been described by the families of her students in Waukee, Iowa, as “Amazing and inspirational—Katie’s creative skills and hard-working values shine through in children. She pushes them to excel to their true potential while truly caring for them.” Katie’s journey in education began in 2009. She earned her bachelor’s degree in elementary education and her master’s in technology integration with curriculum and instructional design. She has experience teaching first and second grades and is excited to embark on her newest adventure as a specialist area teacher for K–5 technology. Introduced to Responsive Classroom in her cooperating teacher’s classroom, Katie was inspired by the positive community, focus on social and emotional well-being, and joyful approach to learning. Joining Responsive Classroom as a consulting teacher has been a dream come true. Outside of the classroom, you can find Katie in nature hiking and biking with her husband Bryan and their son Jack.

Kelly has over 25 years of experience in education settings. Her passion for serving students and their families, combined with practical strategies and tools that come from the Responsive Classroom approach, have made for a joyful and successful classroom career. Presently, in addition to her role as a Consulting Teacher for the Center for Responsive Schools, Kelly works as a Learning Specialist, teaching students who struggle with literacy.

Kelly has had the opportunity to work in a variety of educational settings, in 9 countries, from San Francisco, to Marial Bai, South Sudan. Kelly has a Master’s degree in Curriculum Theory from the University of British Columbia. She is so excited and humbled to be part of the CRS team. Kelly loves to get to know teachers around the country, and share ways that they can bring out the best in their students, and in their teaching. In her free time Kelly loves to rock climb and run on the trails near her home.

Kerra Cartwright is a first grade teacher in Saco, Maine. In her 20 years in education, Kerra has taught kindergarten and first grade at Young School in Saco. She obtained her master’s in education from Antioch University, and focused her master’s work on the positive impact of using the Responsive Classroom approach to teaching in her classroom. For 8 years, she was her school district’s Responsive Classroom trainer before joining the team at CRS. Kerra’s passion in teaching is ensuring all children love learning and feel successful. She aims to create classroom communities where students’ voices are heard and where there is a balance of social, emotional, and academic learning. In her spare time, Kerra enjoys exercising, reading, the beach, and spending time with her family.

Kerry O’Grady is an educational consultant and coach for the Center of Responsive Schools. For over ten years, she has partnered with public, independent, and international schools in 14 countries and 42 states helping to bring social-emotional learning to their students. As a skilled facilitator of adult learning, Kerry designs and presents engaging conference sessions, in-person workshops, and online learning for educators around the world.  Prior to joining the organization, she was a classroom teacher in Fairfax County Public Schools.  She holds a master of arts in Educational Transformation from George Mason University.

Kirsten Lee Howard was born and raised in New England. She received her bachelor’s degree from Connecticut College in New London, Connecticut, and a master’s in special education at Wheelock College in Boston, Massachusetts. She started her career teaching in Boston, but seven years later it was time to try being an adult in a different part of the country, so she and her partner moved to northern Virginia, where they still reside. Kirsten has taught special education, kindergarten, and first grade during twenty-one years of teaching. She currently teaches three-year-olds at Annandale Cooperative Preschool in Annandale, Virginia. She has used the Responsive Classroom approach in all of her roles and is a certified Responsive Classroom teacher and trainer. She is a coauthor of Empowering Educators: A Comprehensive Guide to Teaching Grades K, 1, 2. She could talk forever about the power of language and how it shapes every facet of the day, including how it empowers both her students and her own children. She is an avid reader, plant collector, and pandemic-inspired stress baker. 

Kirsten Morcomb currently teaches middle school language arts in the greater Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan area. She has varied experience at the elementary and middle levels, including at the International School of Geneva. A lifelong learner, she holds undergraduate degrees in both communication and elementary education from the University of Minnesota, a master’s of education from St. Mary’s University, and a graduate degree in K–12 English as a Second Language (ESL) from Hamline University. Having seen the positive effects of the Responsive Classroom approach, she adopted middle-level practices in her own classroom. She is thrilled to be a consulting teacher with Center for Responsive Schools and looks forward to supporting and empowering teachers as they bring these practices to their own students! Kirsten also loves spending her short Minnesota summers boating, trying to make things grow in the garden, and finding restaurants with patios.