Education
- Doctor of Philosophy, Curriculum and Instruction, Wayne State University, 2005.
- Master of Arts, Education Administration, University of Detroit Mercy, 1995.
- Bachelor of Arts, English; Secondary English/Journalism Teaching Certification, University of Michigan, 1993.
Certifications
- National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. Early Adolescent English Language Arts, 1998.
- State of Michigan Education Administration Certification. Secondary and Central Office. 1996.
- State of Michigan Professional Secondary Teaching Certification. English and Journalism. 2000.
Special Courses
- Fulbright Hays. Summer Seminar Abroad, “Student Achievement and Workforce Development in Disadvantaged Populations”. South Africa. 2008.
- Interactive Design Workshop with IDEO, Stanford Design School, and the Henry Ford Learning Institute, 2009.
- Harvard Graduate Schools of Education and Business. Public Education Leadership Program. 2007.
- Harvard Graduate School of Education. Summer Institute: Rethinking the American High School. 2003.
- National Writing Project Metro-Detroit. Summer Institute. 1994.
Professional Experience
CLINICAL ASSISTANT PROFESSOR
University of Michigan, School of Education, Ann Arbor, Michigan (2010-Current)
- Direct all aspects of the School of Education’s pilot certification program for Teach for America-Detroit corps members. Work with other members of the Teacher Education Initiative (TEI) to design and implement the curriculum in accordance with the TEI design framework.
- Participate in hiring team members; coordinate, and manage the program unit’s design team. This team is responsible for designing experiences, determining curriculum, and ensuring that Teach for America corps members meet requirements for both Michigan teacher certification and a Master of Arts degree.·
- Support instructors, including faculty members, graduate students, post-docs, and/or lecturers, in delivering the program.
- Monitor corps members’ progress through the program. Together with team of instructors, make final decisions about corps members’ success on each performance assessment, and monitor corps member progress through Professional Learning Profile. Take responsibility for overseeing program financials, with support.
- Manage the interface between the program and the Michigan Department of Education (MDE), and ensure that the program meets MDE, School of Education (SOE) and Teach for America (TFA) requirements.
- Coordinate the relationship between the TFA program and the U-M Teacher Education Office.
- Participate as a member of the leadership team for the University of Michigan School of Education Teacher Education program.
ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT FOR CURRICULUM and INSTRUCTION
West Bloomfield School District, West Bloomfield, Michigan (2006-2010)
- led curriculum and instruction initiatives and processes for a public preK-12 school district of approximately 6,800 student
- supervised a staff of six directors and curriculum specialist
- advised the Superintendent and Board of Education on curricular and instructional issues impacting district policy
- managed an annual budget of approximately $1.5 million, including State and Federal grant
- represented district on county and state curriculum and instruction-related committees and task forces
- implemented the Oakland Early College, the first early college in Oakland County
DIRECTOR OF CURRICULUM
West Bloomfield School District, West Bloomfield, Michigan (2005-2006)
- managed all curriculum creation and renewal processes for all content areas, preK-12
- coordinated district-wide assessment and testing program
- wrote grants and coordinated grant activities for all State and Federal programs, including Title I, Title II, Title III, and Title V
- implemented AVID and Pre-AP, college readiness programs, targeted towards underserved populations
DIRECTOR OF CURRICULUM
Lincoln Consolidated School District, Ypsilanti, Michigan (2003-2005)
- implemented strategic interventions that resulted in failing Title 1 schools achieving Adequate Yearly Progress within the span of 1 year
- wrote and was awarded the United States Department of Education Smaller Learning Communities Planning Grant
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT CONSULTANT
Macomb Intermediate School District (ISD), Clinton Township, Michigan (2001-2003)
- designed and delivered in-service training for teachers and administrators in 21 public school districts in the areas of teaching best practices, professional development planning and implementation, leadership, and school improvement
- wrote, was awarded, and administered U.S. Dept. of Education 21st Century Community Learning Centers grants totaling $1,500,000 to extend learning opportunities for children during out of school time in 32 middle school
- wrote, was awarded, and administered U.S. Dept. of Education Smaller Learning Communities grants totaling $5,496,000 for reinvention of 16 large, comprehensive high schools
ENGLISH TEACHER, DEPARTMENT CHAIR, & NEW TEACHER MENTORING PROGRAM COORDINATOR
West Bloomfield School District, West Bloomfield High School, (1996-2001)
- taught advanced and regular literature and writing courses to students in grades 9-12, including a literature course for the Virtual High School, an internet-based collaborative of MIT
- in-serviced staff on state benchmarks and related assessments as the school’s Writing Coordinator
- led a department of 21 staff members in curriculum decision making, staffing, annual budgeting as department chair (1999-2001)
- designed and implemented a support and professional development program for teachers in their first through third years of services (1999-2001)
ENGLISH TEACHER
Detroit Public Schools, Redford High School, Detroit, Michigan (1994-1996)
- taught honors and regular literature and writing courses to students in grades 9-12
Other Related Experience
CURRICULUM WRITER AND CONSULTANT
Henry Ford Learning Institute, Dearborn, Michigan (1999-Current)
- write comprehensive English Language Arts curriculum for grades 6-12 grounded in national standards, performance-based benchmarks, and design thinking
- support teachers and administrators throughout curriculum implementation
ADJUNCT FACULTY MEMBER
Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan (2001-2007)
- taught English Methods and Literacy courses for graduate and undergraduate students in the College of Education’s Teacher Education and Reading, Literacy and Language programs
Conference Presentations and Publications
- Hearn, K. (2009). Looking abroad for answers: eight school system leaders on something that caught their eye during their overseas education missions – An oasis of schooling in Africa. School Administrator, vol. 6.
- Hearn, K. (2005). Artifact of thought: Evidence of metacognition in the reflective journal writing of twelfth grade students. Dissertation.
- “Metacognition: The Importance of Reflection in Learning”. Presentation, Milken National Education Conference, 2001.
- Fulbright Hays Scholar to South Africa. Summer 2008.
- Milken Family Foundation National Educator Award, 1999.
- Graduate-Professional Scholar, Wayne State University, 2000-2005.
- America’s Unsung Heroes Award Winner, 1999.
- Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers, 1996-2001.
