Understand it.
Organize it.
Communicate it.
Complex education policy, made usable for the people it affects.
I research how education policy works in practice, with a focus on disability rights, special education, and attendance. I follow the connections between law, state guidance, and school decisions to identify gaps and make the findings clear and useful.
From policy to practice. From experience to policy.
Effective education policy takes work from the top down and the bottom up. Federal protections, state laws, education guidance, and school practices need to connect. Student and family experiences need to inform decisions at every level.
My focus is on those connections, particularly in attendance: understanding where policy and practice diverge, and identifying what needs to align so students with disabilities and chronic illness can access learning and support.
Someone wrote the rule. Someone else has to live with it. I work in the space between.
Hi, I’m Kelli. I came to policy the practical way: by working with families inside the systems policy creates.
My background is in corporate operations for Fortune 500 companies. As a Six Sigma Black Belt, I learned to examine requirements, trace processes, and identify the causes behind recurring problems.
My work in education brought those skills into a different setting. Working with families showed me how school policies and decisions shape students’ access to education, including students with disabilities and chronic illness.
That connection drives my focus today: understanding how education systems work, where barriers arise, and what needs to change so students can access learning and support.
FOCUS AREAS
Attendance and access
Understanding what keeps students from school and how attendance policies affect their access to learning. My focus includes students with disabilities and chronic illness whose needs may require flexible approaches to attendance and instruction.
Disability protections
Examining how disability protections translate into school decisions, accommodations, and services, including through IEPs and Section 504 plans. The focus is whether those supports reach students and address the barriers they face.
Education governance
Understanding how education decisions are made, what evidence informs them, and how schools follow through. I examine how policies are developed, communicated, and reviewed, and how students and families can meaningfully inform that work.
What does the policy require?
How does the system actually work?
What does that mean for the student?
I bring an operations mindset to education policy, tracing how rules, decisions, and processes shape students’ access to learning.
SELECTED WORK
FOUNDER & ADVOCATE
Attendance Navigator
Resources and practical support for families facing barriers to school attendance. I help families understand requirements, organize concerns, and draft communications, from school emails to formal complaints, and bring in other professionals when needed.
FOUNDER & POLICY ANALYST
Ipswich Students First
A local initiative focused on thoughtful policy, effective systems, and student-centered outcomes. I examine district policies and decisions, research public records, and communicate findings to support informed discussion, clearer processes, and decisions that reflect students’ needs.
EXECUTIVE BOARD MEMBER
Long Covid Families
I contribute to education policy and school support resources for children with Long COVID. My work connects students’ needs with policy, guidance, and practice, helping families, educators, and decision-makers understand barriers to education and the supports students need.