Kristie Kauerz is director of the National P-3 Center and associate clinical professor at University of Colorado Denver’s School of Education and Human Development. Kristie specializes in education reform efforts that address the continuum of learning from birth through 3rd grade, integrating early care and education (ECE) system building and K-12 reforms.

Kristie’s expertise spans policy, research, and practice. Her P-3 work is anchored in collaborations with school districts, state agencies, and early learning stakeholders. Her research interests straddle the paradigmatic, pedagogical, and policy divides that exist between ECE and PreK-12 systems. She has served as policy advisor to two former Colorado governors, director of early learning at Education Commission of the States, and director of PreK-3rd grade initiatives at Harvard Graduate School of Education. Prior to joining the faculty at CU Denver, she was at the University of Washington’s College of Education.

Kristie focuses on both the organizational reforms and the cognitive sensemaking necessary to build alignment and coherence that supports children’s development and learning. She designed and directed the Washington P-3 Executive Leadership Certificate Program, a credit-bearing course of study that co-enrolled administrators from early learning and PreK-12. She also has led the National P-3 Institute since 2008.

Kristie’s authorship includes numerous articles, book chapters, and reports on topics ranging from P-3 alignment to full-day Kindergarten to early childhood governance. Kristie is lead author on the Framework for Planning, Implementing, and Evaluating PreK-3rd Grade Approaches, a tool used around the country to guide school, district, and community alignment efforts. She co-authored a book on improving the early care and education workforce and is co-editor of the book Early Childhood Systems: Transforming Early Learning.

Kristie is a proud graduate of Colorado College, American University, and Teachers College at Columbia University.