Testimonials
"Katie is one of my favorite course developers. She has that rare combination of skill in both curriculum design and creativity. She works the job of two people because she can both come up with an engaging and entertaining story as well as the most appropriate curriculum to explore through the story. She grasps that the best learning happens in the *context* of the story instead of as a supplement. She has developed quite a few of our best projects and her output has never failed to impress.
As well, Katie is adept at working with our Cultural Advisors on creating Cultural Adventures and programming. This is important because the Cultural Advisor has to approve every step of development... and you have to be able to come into the project with humility and the ability to challenge your own bias when co-creating with people of different cultures... which Katie is able to do quite readily.
Lastly, I have to mention her layout skills, which are beautiful and clean. She doesn't just write up the product and hand it over. She makes it read well with skillful layout design and an understanding of call-outs and graphics. When she does video instruction, she provides proofed close captions, transition effects, and even background music. She is the full package and I do hope to have the honor of working with her again soon."
Meghan Gardner
Founder & CEO
Guardian Adventures
"I really enjoyed overseeing the evolution of Katie and her team's project. I learned a lot from her deep dive into children's health and wellness, and it was a breath of fresh air to see her apply an equity-focused lens to such a crucial area of learning, growing, and living. It's clear that this project is openly part of an ecosystem of learning. Katie wasn't trying to create a silver bullet, but instead to provide an approachable, healthy, and fun entry point for change. To me, that is a demonstration of deep respect for the families and communities that surround the kids in the project's target audience. Katie did a superb job collaborating on this project and her prowess really shined. Truly, well done!"
Rubin Soodak
Producer
Nick Jr. YouTube - Noggin
I have loved working beside Katie. Her work brings me hope for the kinds of learning environments that allow students to thrive in uncertainty. Katie's work embodies trust, respect, safety, curiosity, civility, love, commitments to listening, asking questions, openness, self-critique, valuing of the collective, and much more. I appreciate how consistently Katie brought teachers into her reflections about the themes of social-emotional well-being, sense of belonging, and future-building. Indeed, the well-being of the adults who interact with and serve students is an important component of educational ecosystems that help young people navigate uncertainty."
Sarah Dryden-Peterson, EdD
Co-Founder and Director
Refugee REACH Initiative
Harvard Graduate School of Education
"I think Katie produced a really cool concept for taking the shame away from making 'bad' choices, and instead sensitively frames it in a way that shifts the narrative from building healthy 'habits' to healthy 'mindsets.' Her approach to gamifying this is revolutionary and it sounds like something children would love."
Lita Tandon
Head of Sesame Ventures
Sesame Workshop
"Katie's [museum] exhibit layout is fun and conveys a really strong and compelling aesthetic approach."
Rich Williams
Sr. Director of Market Research
Sesame Workshop
"Beyond being visually stunning, Katie's Gratitude Journal is lovely in so many ways. It serves as a tool to help teachers, and others who might experience prolonged stress and isolation, to redistribute their emotional power."
Ranya Brooks
Strategic Partnerships Manager
Boston Plan for Excellence
"The thing that strikes me most is the emotional intensity and power in the work Katie does. She demonstrates a highly developed emotional intelligence that allows her to sit with others' experience and help them process their emotions. I really hope Katie will continue to coach others in the area of adult development and with the Immunity-to-Change framework!"
Deborah Helsing, EdD
Co-Director
Minds at Work
"Ms. Jones has many strengths and one that stands out is her creativity. As a learning experience designer, her lessons are extremely engaging, hands on, and allow students to foster their critical thinking abilities. She is also a lead learner. Her willingness to learn alongside her colleagues is what helps build trust in the collaborative environments she engages in. Ms. Jones is also willing to take risks and share ideas that help promote a learner-centered approach to design."
Jenny Chien
Head of School
Casita Center for Math, Science & Technology
"Ms. Jones is extremely unique in that she's not a typical teacher you love and forget. She instills student agency in her students. They often are more independent, more collaborative, and have found their passion from exploring their interests while in her classroom or lab. I think what Katie should be most proud of is that students who may not typically thrive in a traditional classroom setting shine in her class. She is able to reach the most challenging students by getting to know him/her as a whole child and make learning personalized to them. The growth her students gained by the end of the year was astronomical. Also, I would not be surprised if there was an increase in students exploring the STEM workforce because of their time with Ms. Jones. She works hard to help students dig deeper into the subject matter so that students reach a level of metacognition, and her understanding of science and social studies are at the highest caliber. "
Laura Smith
Principal (Retired)
Casita Center for Technology, Science & Math