Kathryn Wilson, EdD
Senior Director - K12
Kathryn (Kadie) Wilson is a passionate educational leader with a proven track record of transforming learning systems to promote equity through the implementation of learner-centered systems and practices. A former Assistant Superintendent for a set of rural districts in New Hampshire, Kadie brings deep experience in leading professional learning and strategic planning efforts that align district goals with community priorities and values. She understands the role local context plays, and how the multiple layers of a system interact. Kadie also has a strong interest in educational policy and its role in shaping more learner-centered systems.
Over the course of her career, Kadie has served as a special educator, elementary teacher, principal, and district-level administrator. This breadth of experience informs her systems-level perspective and her commitment to designing inclusive, future-ready educational environments. Kadie holds a BA in Elementary and Special Education from Providence College, an MA in Educational Leadership from Framingham State University, and a CAGS in Advanced Educational Leadership from the University of New England. She earned her EdD in Curriculum, Teaching, Learning, and Leading from Northeastern University. Her dissertation focused on exploring how performance assessment can shift the nature of both teaching and learning.
Kadie lives in North Conway, New Hampshire with her husband, Tom, and their Bernese mountain dogs, Rocky, Chloe, and Tali. When not working, she loves spending time golfing, skiing, hiking, and baking.
How do you think about catalyzing change?
While transforming an organization as large and ingrained in ways of the past as education can seem overwhelming, one small spark has the potential to create a roaring fire. As an educator who is committed to challenging the status quo, I have seen the power of that one spark in action. When we cultivate safe learning communities in which educators have permission to think and act differently, we can turn sparks into flames. We also need to put fuel on the fire at the systems levels. This means looking at policies, practices, and structures that either support or inhibit student-centered learning environments. By recognizing the complex relationships within educational systems, and the unique contexts of individual districts, we can leverage what we know about change to actualize our goals for equitable learning outcomes.
What does it mean to prioritize equity in transforming education?
When we prioritize equity in educational transformation, we take purposeful action to ensure barriers are removed. This can take so many forms. It involves broadening our definitions of success and communicating student achievement using metrics beyond standardized assessments. It means amplifying learners' voices so they contribute meaningfully to what they learn, how they learn, and how they show what they know. It also means recognizing the layers within public education systems and using data to challenge systems, structures, and policies that get in the way of learners accessing rigorous, engaging experiences. Prioritizing equity means we ask learners what they think and need; then doing something with what we learn.
