While teachers work directly with students throughout HRS classrooms every day, there’s another team working behind the scenes to ensure that teachers have the tools, training, and support they need to help students succeed. The Instructional Support Team (IST) serves as the backbone of the HRS academic program, pioneering educational vision and implementing it in classrooms with intention.   

With an impressive 80 years of combined classroom teaching experience, the four members of the IST each bring a particular focus to the team. 

• Lindsey Key leads the team as the Director of Teaching + Learning, crafting big-picture educational visions and translating them into concrete actions. 

• As Curriculum Specialist, Emma Lopez vets, adapts, and supplements curriculum content, as well as manages monthly student assessments to ensure student needs are met.  

• In her role as Slingerland Specialist, Bonnie Meyer supports teachers instructing reading and writing using the Slingerland approach, ensuring the approach is implemented with fidelity. 

• Dr. Emily Starrett serves as Math Program Manager, refining the math program, designing scope and sequence, and strengthening the connection between math and literacy instruction. 

Together, they create a one-stop shop for resources and information for teachers. 

"The model we have at our school is unique, innovative, and not replicated in many other places," notes Meyer. "We bring such a depth of support to our teaching staff that strengthens everything we're doing every day for students."  

The IST’s work over the 2024-25 school year included several significant projects, including ongoing work on a multi-year refresh of scope and sequence plans (documents that detail what to teach and when in each content area). “Many schools don’t have a scope and sequence. They're just following what the curriculum suggests," says Lopez. "But that doesn't benefit everyone all the time." The team is taking these documents from topic lists to comprehensive curriculum maps that move towards vertical alignment across grade levels.  

In partnership with University of Washington, Dr. Starrett is also conducting ongoing research in math learning, examining student sense-making processes and developing support tools and strategies, specifically for students with dyslexia. The IST also expanded parent education through monthly Family Association presentations and hosted professional development opportunities for teachers at HRS and beyond, including a four-day workshop for math teachers in August.  

"I'm so proud to be part of a team that delivers such high-quality professional development in-house for our staff," says Meyer. By listening to the conversations and questions posed by teachers who visit the IST office throughout the day, the team can provide targeted professional development baked right into teachers’ workday.  

While each member brings specialized expertise, the team’s real strength lies in their collaboration. “We function as a true team.” says Lopez. “In isolation, we could do all this great stuff, but it only comes together when we’re all on the same page. We all have the same vision in addition to the school’s mission.”   

At the heart of the Instructional Support Team’s work is a fundamental belief in HRS students and their potential. "We're not here to help people learn how to modify materials and make them easier for our students," explains Key. "We're here to maximize what we can get out of each and every child."