About Kay Karr
“You must first touch the heart before you can teach the mind.”~Kay Karr
Kay Karr and her family - Pictured from left to right are Kay's sons, Shawn Karr and Neil Karr and beside Kay is her daughter Julie Karr.
Kay Karr has an extensive background in the field of education. She has served the public as a classroom teacher, elementary principal, junior high and high school principal, and then 17 years as superintendent, serving in a wide range of district sizes, locations, and wealth. While in the superintendency, she served for eight years as a member of the Texas Telecommunications Infrastructure Fund (TIF) Board – a governor-appointed state board responsible for the distribution of $1.5 billion to schools, universities, public libraries, and not-for-profit health facilities. The focus of the TIF Board’s capital infusion was to deploy a statewide telecommunications infrastructure to connect all of the above referenced entities and to design, develop and support the training and professional development of the employees and stakeholders making up the eligible entities.
Upon retiring, or as she describes it, “redirecting”, she worked with Voyager Learning, helping to develop online learning opportunities for teachers and administrators across the nation. After leaving Voyager, she founded Responsive Learning, an online professional learning company that focuses on providing educators with unique, differentiated professional learning opportunities on demand, anywhere, and anytime. Responsive Learning brings state and national curriculum and instruction experts to the devices of the participant’s choice. During this time, Mrs. Karr has also worked with the Texas Education Agency, serving as a monitor or conservator for school districts struggling academically and/or financially.
Collectively, all of these experiences constitute 40+ years of experience in the K-12 environment. Her tenure as a public education administrator has also provided many years of experience in and responsibility for school safety. While serving as a school superintendent in the Houston, Texas area, Mrs. Karr served for four years as a member of the Board of Directors of the Harris County Department of Education’s (HCDE) Center for Safe and Secure Schools.
As a complement to her serving on the HCDE’s Board of Directors for the Center for Safe and Secure Schools, Mrs. Karr was a practicing superintendent who had to respond to the Columbine tragedy and the 9/11 terrorists attack. Additionally, she personally experienced Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Ike, having first been a care giver and then becoming an evacuee. After experiencing Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Mrs. Karr, working with Responsive Learning, served as the Executive Producer of the video, “Why Plan?”. The production team traveled throughout Texas to capture the story of how school districts were affected by the impact of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, how they dealt with them, and the lessons they learned in the process. All of these experiences have caused her to be passionately committed to school-centered emergency management and the mission of helping schools to be better prepared.
More about Kay Karr
Why Plan? | "Why Plan?" Video Free for Principals | Link to Store to Buy "Why Plan?"
Link to Responsive Learning | Lessons Learned from Hurricane Ike
Upon retiring, or as she describes it, “redirecting”, she worked with Voyager Learning, helping to develop online learning opportunities for teachers and administrators across the nation. After leaving Voyager, she founded Responsive Learning, an online professional learning company that focuses on providing educators with unique, differentiated professional learning opportunities on demand, anywhere, and anytime. Responsive Learning brings state and national curriculum and instruction experts to the devices of the participant’s choice. During this time, Mrs. Karr has also worked with the Texas Education Agency, serving as a monitor or conservator for school districts struggling academically and/or financially.
Collectively, all of these experiences constitute 40+ years of experience in the K-12 environment. Her tenure as a public education administrator has also provided many years of experience in and responsibility for school safety. While serving as a school superintendent in the Houston, Texas area, Mrs. Karr served for four years as a member of the Board of Directors of the Harris County Department of Education’s (HCDE) Center for Safe and Secure Schools.
As a complement to her serving on the HCDE’s Board of Directors for the Center for Safe and Secure Schools, Mrs. Karr was a practicing superintendent who had to respond to the Columbine tragedy and the 9/11 terrorists attack. Additionally, she personally experienced Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Ike, having first been a care giver and then becoming an evacuee. After experiencing Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Mrs. Karr, working with Responsive Learning, served as the Executive Producer of the video, “Why Plan?”. The production team traveled throughout Texas to capture the story of how school districts were affected by the impact of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, how they dealt with them, and the lessons they learned in the process. All of these experiences have caused her to be passionately committed to school-centered emergency management and the mission of helping schools to be better prepared.
More about Kay Karr
Why Plan? | "Why Plan?" Video Free for Principals | Link to Store to Buy "Why Plan?"
Link to Responsive Learning | Lessons Learned from Hurricane Ike
Safe to Learn Advisory Council
Safe to Learn Advisory Council | Chate Asvanonda | Dr. Nancy Degnan | Renee Domingo | Kim Colella | Dr. Tom Horton | Kay Karr | Avagene Moore |
Sgt. Tracy Moore | Cpt. Jim Olsen | Barbara Thurman |
Safe to Learn Advisory Council | Chate Asvanonda | Dr. Nancy Degnan | Renee Domingo | Kim Colella | Dr. Tom Horton | Kay Karr | Avagene Moore |
Sgt. Tracy Moore | Cpt. Jim Olsen | Barbara Thurman |