Currently, Stead serves as a National Board Cohort Leader and Mentor, guiding teachers in their pursuit of National Board certification. Stead has left the classroom as a kindergarten teacher and has begun working as an Academic Specialist for the Cabell County Schools District. She holds dual bachelor’s degrees in K-6 Elementary Education and K-12 Special Education from Marshall University, and recently completed a master’s degree in educational leadership and administration from the American College of Education.
A kindergarten master science teacher known for her "take-charge" attitude, Whitney Stead lead an inquiry-centered, hands-on classroom at Barboursville Elementary School in Barboursville, West Virginia. This is partly credited to her implementation of the Science with Inquiry Modules and Problem-based Learning Experiences (SIMPLE) program, which provided kit-based modules for each grade level. The kindergarten modules covered trees; animals two by two; balls and ramps; and fabric.
In addition to SIMPLE, Stead used SMART boards and journaling as she continually researched and applied new creative techniques to engage her students and help them achieve mastery. Open to collaboration and sharing beyond the classroom, she incorporated her peers' lessons and helped create a respectful learning environment for teachers and students alike. Stead was also the brainchild behind science nights, which play host to bustling crowds of 300.
Under Stead's tutelage, kindergartners showed steady progress on the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) and are well-prepared for first grade.
Stead is National Board Certified. A model educator in and out of the classroom, she is a Teacher Leadership Institute presenter, a member of West Virginia's SIMPLE committee, sits on the Innovation Zone planning group, and serves on the Kindergarten Report Card Revision Committee. Stead hosted training sessions for the Kindernauts—the only NASA-based kindergarten program in the country—so that her peers could implement it. She also works as the Parent Teacher Organization faculty representative and as a wellness coach.
