Project Description
Dr. Kathleen Speth, Fellow
Disney II Magnet
Chicago, IL
Dr. Kathleen "Katie" Speth is the proud principal of Disney II Magnet School, an innovative personalized learning school in Chicago. Disney II is a PreK-12 school and was awarded the prestigious Breakthrough Grant in 2016. Mrs. Speth has led the school in its personalized and project-based learning efforts and is responsible for developing structures to support competency-based and small group learning at Disney II. Mrs. Speth is a veteran educator who has taught in grades four through ten. After eleven years in the classroom, she capitalized on her background in organizational development and moved into an administrative role. Before becoming a teacher, Mrs. Speth spent fifteen years in organizational development and HR management. She sees school leadership as an opportunity to use her skills from both careers. As a school leader, Mrs. Speth is dedicated to building a school that focuses on the needs of students and recognizes that in order to shift school culture and instructional practices it is important to develop structures that support teacher learning. With her team, Mrs. Speth has developed structures that support teacher learning and collaborative leadership which, in turn, supports strong competency-based and personalized learning for all students. She can consistently be heard saying that education needs to be about the needs of all learners.
Heather Morrison, Ally
Assistant Principal
Disney II Magnet
Chicago, IL
Heather Morrison is an Assistant Principal at Disney II Magnet School, an innovative personalized learning school serving students in grades PreK-12 in Chicago. As a veteran special education teacher, she has experience teaching students in grades K-10. Drawing on her previous role as an Instructional Coach, Ms. Morrison believes in the value of transformational coaching conversations. Through collaboration with teachers, she strives to ensure that every student receives a high-quality, personalized education that is grounded in student-centered teaching, meaningful differentiation, and focused on equity. Additionally, she is passionate about personalizing professional learning experiences for all staff. Ms. Morrison was a presenter at LEAP’s InnovatED Summit (Evolving Your In-School Professional Development) in August 2019.