Kathleen Schofield is the Executive Director of the Northeast Florida Regional STEM2 Hub. In this capacity, she works to assure equitable access to computer science and STEM learning across the northeast Florida region. Working as a liaison between the corporate community and the school systems, she brings the pulse of the needs for a 21st century workforce as she collaborates with the school districts and universities in the region. She has successfully executed the 21st Century Northeast Florida Workforce Development program, a state appropriation, bringing access to experiences with cutting edge technologies, such as robotics, coding, drones, and augmented reality to over 75,000 students by working with district leadership teams to develop and infuse innovative approaches to STEM instruction, aligned to standards, into the school day. Further, she has increased access to STEM learning experiences in the after-school setting.
Schofield holds a master’s degree in the integration of technology into math and science and holds a Florida certificate in educational leadership. Currently, she is a doctoral candidate researching the impact of administrative leadership on teacher quality in elementary mathematics instruction, and associated policy implications.
Prior to joining the STEM2 Hub, Schofield served as the STEM Supervisor for the School District of Clay County, serving over 36,000 students in 41 schools. There, she developed a nationally recognized STEM program, in which all schools developed a robotics program. Further, she led the development of both a district and regional partnership with Code.org to provide access to facilitator and teacher training and resources, which has led to over 1,100 teachers in Northeast Florida introducing computer science to over 48,000 children in grades kindergarten through high school. Additionally, she worked alongside the Florida Department of Education to develop the courses for Computer Science Discoveries and Computer Science Principles to be added to the Florida Course Code Directory.
Schofield has written and been awarded over $20 million in competitive grants, during her time in Clay County, implementing multiple successful STEM programs yielding strong learning gains for both teachers and students. She implemented and built capacity for INTEL math professional development, leading to significant student learning gains in mathematics. As a former teacher and school district administrator, she has a strong working knowledge of district operations and the ability to work collaboratively, helping districts meet their goals for school improvement to advance STEM education.
Schofield has served on numerous state and national committees, including the State of Florida Department of Education Mathematics Alignment Study with Norman Webb, Mathematics Standards Setting, and Mathematics Item Review. She also served on the PARCC Educator Leader Cadre and participated in mathematics item review for the PARCC Assessment. Schofield gives back to her profession as a volunteer, where she serves on systems & STEM accreditation teams across the nation. She serves on the Board of Governors for the Boys and Girls Club of North Florida, and on the Dean’s Advisory Board at the University of North Florida for both the College of Computer Science and the College of Education, bridging the colleges toward teacher preparation for delivery of computer science instruction.
Schofield is a Lead STEM fellow, participating in deep professional development in STEM policy, funding, and advocacy. As an expert standards and assessment, Schofield is a consultant in lesson study with a focus on shifting instructional practice in math and science classrooms towards a student-centered, STEM-infused, inquiry-based setting by embracing the standards for mathematical practices and uncovering student misconceptions in math/science. Further, she occasionally consults on developing and strengthening of STEM learning ecosystems both within the US and abroad.
