Alumni Spotlight: Dr. Kalia M. Reynolds
"...our students make great progress and show growth in meeting and going above grade level expectations. Our goal is to ensure that every student is on the path to being college and career ready!" -- Dr. Kalia M. Reynolds
K-12 educator Kalia Reynolds was the guest speaker April 5 for the 2012 UMES Honors Convocation in the Ella Fitzgerald Center for the Performing Arts. The program started at 11 a.m. The 59th annual event honors dean’s list students as well as those identified for special recognition by the faculty of their respective departments. One of the event’s traditions is inviting a UMES graduate to deliver the convocation address. Reynolds graduated with a bachelor’s degree in special education with honors in 2000 and currently is principal of Harry O. Eisenberg Elementary School in New Castle, Delaware. She describes herself as a life-long learner who “leads and participates in a number of professional development programs.” For the past two years, Reynolds has served as a presenter and teaching fellow at Harvard University. Her master’s degree in counseling psychology is from Temple University and she completed her doctoral work in 2010 at the University of Delaware by earning an Ed.D. in educational leadership for
Minority Participation in the College of Science and Technology. More recently, she has been a leader in Delaware public schools developing a focus on instruction in science, technology, engineering and math.
Reynolds has been a special education teacher, assistant principal and for the past five years, an elementary school principal. She led West Park Place Elementary School to earn the coveted Blue Ribbon School recognition from the U.S. Department of Education. As an administrator, she also has shaped curriculums targeting ways to close the achievement gap experienced by students with disabilities and those who speak English as a second language. Reynolds is credited by peers for building education and community partnerships, improving school climate and parent involvement and extending learning opportunities for students. Married to Shanta Reynolds, a 2000 UMES alumnus and a school administrator, she credits him for
being a “valuable thought-partner and encourager.” They have a son, Christian, and reside in Middletown, Del. The couple calls UMES an “empowering school” that helped them achieve personal and professional success.
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