The Emerging Leaders program at KIPP Indy Public Schools supports excellent teachers in strengthening their leadership skills as they take on more advanced responsibilities in and outside of the classroom. Emerging Leaders participate in formal professional development designed to improve their ability to work effectively with others while working on a school-or region-wide project aligned to their career interests. Learn more about Mrs. Marisol Smart’s project as a 2022-2023 Emerging Leader.
What is your role at KIPP Indy?
7th grade Math Teacher
What are the details of your Emerging Leaders project?
My objective is to establish a culture of writing in KIPP Indy College Prep Middle School by making writing a norm in all content classes in order to enrich literacy in scholars.
What do you hope to achieve with this project?
I am piloting my project this year with 7th grade. The project is composed of seven phases with three writing benchmarks. Our focus is on research-based writing. Each benchmark will help us identify what strategies to implement that will better support our students at KIPP Indy. We will use formal and informal assessments to evaluate impact.
What motivated you to pursue this project?
I was inspired by what I’ve learned in Texas when I taught there. Our kiddos down in Texas needed A LOT of help with literacy. We saw HUGE improvements when all content areas implemented reading and writing strategies.
How will this project help our region See all Students?
This project would not only benefit our English Language Learners but will also benefit ALL students.
We are so grateful for the insight and perspective Mrs. Smart brings to KIPP Indy Public Schools.