Karla McKinney recently completed her program of studies in American University’s Education Policy and Leadership Master Program. Karla will officially graduate on December 18, 2022 from American University in Washington D.C. with a Masters of Education Policy and Leadership. She is currently serving on the Data Team as a volunteer Data Analyst/Education Consultant assigned to the ACLU of Missouri’s School-to Prison Pipeline Project known as Hayti P.A.U.S.E. (Project Against Unjust Suspensions and Expulsions). This project seeks to disrupt the School to Prison Pipeline (STPP) in Hayti, MO while offering insights aiding in the replication of the Hayti P.A.U.S.E. project in school districts across the state of Missouri.
Karla branched out into community engagement while teaching in Kansas City, Missouri at Del La Salle Education Center as a Secondary Mathematics teacher. During her time, she served on the Academic Services Leadership Cabinet where she was selected to serve as member of the school’s team for the Kansas City Family and Community Engagement (KCFCE) Fellowship program sponsored by SchoolSmartKC. Karla and other members of the team received on-site coaching, assistance from the national foundation that was supported by a $25,000 grant designed to re-invigorate community engagement while strengthening family engagement to support and improve academic outcomes for students. This effort was exhibited through the school’s chosen project called Parent University. Parent University is an eight-week Saturday workshop for students and parents that culminated with a graduation for parents who attended six of the eight Saturday sessions.
Karla seeks to build and further develop her personal toolkit towards community engagement along with contributing to encouraging and engaging the voices of students and parents in the disruption of the School-to-Prison Pipeline. Ultimately, Karla is seeking permanent employment as a Community Education Engagement Director whose focus is workforce development through the Career and Technical Education programs, beginning with middle school pathways.