August 8, 2023 - During June 12, 2023 Board of Education meeting, Karla Reichert was approved as the director of evaluation and strategic initiatives. She has been employed with Special School District since 2018 as an evaluation and research associate.
“There is a lot of great work happening in our District,” said Reicher. “I see my role as making connections between different teams, integrating complementary concepts across initiatives, and aligning the work to the District’s ultimate goals. There is nothing that excites me more than asking exploratory questions that highlight what we all have to offer, and how it can be tailored to meet the needs of students and staff within different settings and with different needs. I look forward to innovating with those we serve and those who serve!”
The director of evaluation and strategic initiatives supports student success by advancing districtwide initiatives through systems-level planning, facilitation, and coaching support at the District, office, and department/division levels. Through their leadership and support of districtwide project planning, they ensure adherence to strategic objectives and priorities, including guidance on embedding equity considerations throughout all research, design, analysis, and planning.
In her previous role, Reichert co-developed a project planning and implementation protocol (SRS) for district-wide projects, which increased project implementation rates from less than 50% to 100% and facilitated the development of the District’s Continuous School Improvement Plan (CSIP) using an equity lens, which received an exemplar status from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). She has been a driving force in the district’s development of a Disproportionality Summit, targeted at building partner districts’ capacity to address disproportionate incidence, LRE, and suspension rates based on race and disability.
Prior to coming to SSD, Reichert was a senior evaluation analyst for the Public Health Agency of Canada. Here, she created evaluation plans and reports that embedded culturally responsive methodology considerations that were recognized by the Assembly of First National (a national Indigenous organization). She led the development of program performance measurement strategies, which included liaising and developing relationships with program staff and relevant stakeholders. She also held an evaluation analyst position with Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada.
She holds several professional certificates, including an implementation science practice professional certificate from the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill, a data equity certificate from We All Count, a data analytics certificate from Cornell University, a certificate in effective project management techniques for social service settings from Washington University - St. Louis, and a gender-based analysis certificate from the Government of Canada. She currently acts as the board secretary for the Evaluation Association of St. Louis, was a young professionals board member of Rise Community Development, and was a conference presenter at the Show-Me Curriculum Administrators’ Association.
Reichert holds a master of public administration and a graduate specialization in aging from the University of Manitoba and a bachelor of arts in communications and political science from York University. She holds professional memberships with the American Evaluation Association, the International Association of Strategy Professionals, and the Evaluation Association of St. Louis.
