Kristina Walrath serves as the Deputy Chief of Specialized Services for Mastery Schools. In this role, she provides strategic leadership and oversight for a continuum of programming and services that support the diverse needs of students with disabilities while maintaining full compliance with special education laws and regulations. Her team works directly with school leaders, teachers, families, and external partners to implement evidence-based interventions designed to develop the academic, social-emotional, and personal skills needed for meaningful post-secondary success and to promote an inclusive, equitable learning environment for students with disabilities across the network.
Walrath began her career as an educator in Philadelphia through Teach For America. During her first few years as a teacher, she taught middle school for the School District of Philadelphia. She joined Mastery in 2008 as a seventh grade Literature Teacher at Mastery’s Shoemaker Campus and a year of teaching, transitioned to assistant principal of specialized services for the next eight years. In 2017, Walrath transitioned to the NST as director of specialized services. Over a span of sixteen years at Mastery, she has dedicated herself to pursuing her passion for promoting equitable practices for students with disabilities.
Walrath has a bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Delaware, a master’s degree in education with a reading specialist certification from Cabrini University, and a K-12 principal certification from Temple University. She served as a U.S. Teaching Ambassador Fellow with the U.S. Department of Education, where she leveraged her expertise as a school-based practitioner in creating, evaluating, and disseminating policies, information, and resources around national education initiatives to improve student outcomes. She also served as a fellow in the Pennsylvania Fellowship of Special Education Leaders, where she collaborated with the Pennsylvania Department of Education, the Bureau of Special Education, and the Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network to review and develop policies and guidance to promote effective programming for students with disabilities in Pennsylvania.
Walrath serves as a mentor to new special education administrators with the Bureau of Special Education as part of a statewide effort to attract, prepare, and retain special education personnel in Pennsylvania. Beyond her professional achievements, she is a proud mother of two children.
