Paige Karamatic
Inclusive Practices Leading Teacher, North Geelong Secondary College
Attending Inclusion in Action: Strategies for Unity in Diverse Leadership Teams with Katie Novak was a powerful and timely experience. She spoke openly about the importance of acknowledging when things do not go as planned and the need for leadership teams to engage in honest, sometimes uncomfortable conversations. Her reminder that our focus must always remain on student outcomes, rather than adult preferences, was a necessary call to action. Using data to drive decisions, rather than assumptions or habits, is something I will take back to my new school context. As a leader trying to implement change in an already stretched environment, her insights have been invaluable. Katie’s blend of realism, compassion and clarity will definitely help me navigate complex conversations with greater confidence and purpose. Thank you.
Karen Kirsch
CTE Teacher, Issaquah School District
I recently participated in UDL training, and it was a truly eye-opening experience. The speaker was incredibly engaging—every moment held my attention and reinforced why it's so important to focus on student needs. One of my biggest takeaways was the concept of learning variability; it's not just a buzzword, but a vital lens through which we should design instruction. This training helped me reframe my thinking and left me with practical strategies to better support all learners. Highly recommended for any educator committed to inclusive and effective teaching!
Sherene Sasser
Workforce Coordinator, Pittsburg Unified School District
Dr. Nokak's Introduction to UDL: Big Picture Ideas was exactly what I needed. As a district-level administrator without classroom experience, I walked away inspired and equipped with practical tools I can share with my teachers. The strategies are clear, actionable, and especially valuable for supporting my Career Technical Education teachers. Honestly, I just kept thinking - I wish ALL of my teachers could have been in that session.
Schunda Murphy
Asst. Special Education Director, Wynne Public School
Each session with Katie Novak is engaging. The sessions allow for input from the audience with workable solutions.
Adam Ward
Y6 teacher, Renaissance College
Katie Novak is a very engaging and energetic speaker. She has a comprehensive grasp of her subject but also makes it clear that she and her experiences are relatable and grounded in reality. She explains the theories and models in ways that make it easy to understand how to apply them to different contexts and she shows that she has an empathetic appreciation for the challenges and opportunities that teachers face. I was wary that this workshop would be highly theoretical or perhaps too context dependent but I feel empowered and motivated to go back to school and help build a UDL community.
Azine Davoudzadeh
Coordinator College and Career Readiness, Contra Costa County Office of Education
Katie Novak’s energy, expertise, and passion leapt right through my computer screen during today’s UDL training for our county! Her enthusiasm was absolutely contagious, and I couldn’t help but imagine how different my own school experience might have been if my teachers had used UDL. While I can’t go back, I can share this with today’s educators—and that excites me! I’m thrilled to integrate UDL into my professional development series this year and can’t wait to see the impact it will have on CTE teachers and students alike. Thank you, Katie!
Sharon Lynch
Visual Arts Specialist Teacher, Immanuel Primary School
I had the pleasure of attending Dr Katie Novak’s UDL workshop in Adelaide, and it was absolutely fantastic! The day was incredibly engaging, entertaining, and full of energy from start to finish. Katie’s use of stories, humour, and real classroom examples brought the content to life in such a relatable way. The structure of the day was thoughtful and well-paced, with a great balance of learning, reflection, and collaboration. I left feeling inspired, informed, and equipped with practical tools to make learning more inclusive and student-led. I would highly recommend this workshop to any educator looking to transform their teaching practice!
Patrick Sweeney
Psychologist, Bellingham Public School District
Evidence based, Practical, Motivating!
Jesse
Chemistry Teacher, Kaimuki High School
As a new teacher with a background in science research, working on my license still, the session was very valuable to introduce me to the many facets of education to help reach every student. I can understand things in terms of research and data well, however I am relatively new to secondary education. The time during the session helped me make connections as to where my agency lies as the instructor.
Gilbert Barraza
Principal, Sparks ES/HLPUSD
I have been in Eduction for 36 years as a Teacher, Admin, Principal and Katie Novak is a Child Advocate Rock Star!
Megan Rozzana
Academic Coach, Arkansas Arts Academy
I appreciated the forward thinking of this session with the topics ranging from current AI technology as a tool to support student agency to understanding cognitive bias to become reflective educators. The education field is changing as the world is changing. Teaching must become more universal in design to support student growth and to prepare students for their future.
Kyeatta Hendricks
Special Education Intervention Teacher, 12X463 Urban Scholars Community School
Katie Novak does an excellent job making her real world experiences as a parent & educator come alive in her delivery of how to make UDL come alive and become a source of tangible next steps for different learners in various scenarios.
LaRaesha Kugel
Professional Learning Specialist, ESU 9
Katie's expertise is evident and radiates through her entire presentation. She captivated hesitant attendees with her relatable examples and passion for best practice. If you want to make real change in the area of MTSS, UDL and inclusion, I highly recommend Katie.
Susan Casey
Principal, Halifax Regional Center for Education, Nova Scotia
In Katie's Master Class: How to determine which evidence based practices to use (and actually make them stick!) I came away with a framework around how to determine if a practice is the right FIT-FEASIBLE - and can be implemented with FIDELITY. I was also able to identify an action step for the coming 2025-2026 school year that can be the focus for the school team.
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Laura Wolf
UDL Facilitator, Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation
Katie is an energetic presenter who is passionate about her topic. She does such a wonderful job of explaining the “why” behind each lesson presented and giving tools to help with implementation.
Rachelle Favazza
Kindergarten Teacher, Gloucester Public Schools
Katie is an UNBELIEVABLY engaging presenter who shares information in a relatable way! Anyone who takes professional development with Katie is bound to take at least one sparkling gem from the presentation!
Rebecca Leamon
Instructional Coach, AOS 91
Katie is informative, definite, and shares tons of resources. Her humor, energy, and knowledge made the day zip by. I left with my brain buzzing with possibilities and next steps.
Dee Dee Gerber
English Teacher and Instructional Coach, School City of Mishawaka
Katie Novak presents information in an engaging way that makes the "why" so clear. I learned information that I can take directly back to my staff and apply in the classroom. It was excellent!
Lisa Abel
Director of Music and Performing Arts, Simsbury Public Schools
Katie was an incredibly knowledgeable and engaging presenter. I left the session invigorated with ideas to shape a vision and move my department work forward. I can't wait to learn more!
Michelle Quirin
High School Principal, ACS International School Cobham
Novak Education keeps the focus on improving the quality of student learning and the learning experience for each & every child in our care. The evidence-based practices recommended are pragmatic, contextually based, and respectfully supportive of the artistry of teaching.
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Erin Curtis
Educator, St Mary School Schwenksville
Our presentation on UDL was thoughtful & engaging. After 23 years of PD in the education field, this was the first that succeeded in having real knowledge of life in the field and also treated each of us as educated, professional adults.
Christina M. Wotton
Assistant Superintendent, Augusta School Department
Our team of 10 attended the MTSS Leadership Training with Dr. Katie Novak, and it was an incredibly beneficial experience for all of us. Every team member walked away with a deeper understanding of MTSS and practical strategies to bring back to our schools. Dr. Novak was exceptional—engaging, knowledgeable, and generous with her resources. The day flew by, and we left feeling inspired and empowered. Highly recommend!
Pamela Prichard
Principal, Charters Towers School of Distance Education
Participating in Katie Novak’s UDL session was a highly valuable professional learning experience for our staff. The session clearly reinforced the importance of Universal Design for Learning as both a framework and a mindset that supports accessibility and improves outcomes for all students.
Katie’s practical and engaging approach helped teachers see how UDL reduces barriers, honours learner variability, and provides flexible pathways for students to access and demonstrate their learning. The strategies shared were realistic and immediately applicable, allowing staff to confidently reflect on and refine their current practice.
Most importantly, the session strengthened our shared language and collective understanding of inclusive design across the school. It affirmed that when we plan with intention and equity in mind, we create learning environments where every student can succeed. This professional learning will have a growing impact on our classroom practices and our broader school community.
Ma Ya Tao
Mandarin Teacher, Weston High School
Thank you for such an insightful and practical session. Your emphasis on clear success criteria and formative feedback deeply resonated with my work in proficiency-based world language instruction. It was validating to see how your framework affirms my practice of using a single-point rubric and conferencing with students face-to-face about next steps for growth.
I appreciated the opportunity to share my project with you and learn from your thoughtful feedback. This session strengthened my commitment to designing instruction that truly supports student learning. Outstanding work.
Benard Dudi
Dean of Studies, Aga Khan Academy Mombasa
The session delivered a solid grounding on UDL core tenets. The facilitator modeled UDL Tier 1 in her delivery with passion and authenticity. It was fun and productive.
Natalie Campbell
Assistant Principal (Years 3-6), Immanuel Primary School
This PD allowed my colleagues and I time to discuss our current reality and preferred future with continuing to move our use of the UDL framework. There were a lot of useful engagements and time to pick the best way to learn. Highly engaging!
Andrew
Teacher, The Y School
This was a great UDL presentation by a gifted educator. Highly recommended!
Sarah Paul
Student Services Coordinator, Des Moines Public Schools
This was the BEST professional learning session I have attended in over 20 years in education.
Karla Mata
Hong Kong Academy, Hong Kong Language Acquisition and Psychology Teacher / Extended Essay Coordinator
This workshop exceeded my expectations. When I walked in I did not understand what UDL was, even though it has been promoted in my school for a while, but Dr. Novak made it all so clear. She is super energetic and full of knowledge. I really wish my whole school could take this workshop. Thank you!
Mary M. Maxfield
Principal, Lucretia and Joseph Brown Elementary School, Marblehead , MA
Thought provoking and inspiring reminders for how we make a difference by being strong instructional leaders.
Jacqueline Liebold
Spanish Teacher and Curriculum Leader, Groton Dunstable Regional High School
UDL has transformed my teaching. I believe UDL has helped remove barriers and increase the focus of my students.
Karisa Schwanekamp
Instructional Technology Integration Specialist, Plainfield Community School Corporation
UDL is designing learning so that ALL learners have the opportunity to be successful. Katie's PASSION is contagious. I learned so much from her through her passion. This is the same in the classroom--students learn through our passion while exploring their own when they are engaged!
Claudia Mendoza
Principal, Sousa Elementary, Mesa Public Schools
UDL training with Katie Novak was exceptional. Her dynamic presentation style, combined with her genuine enthusiasm for making education accessible and engaging for every student, left me, as a school leader, feeling empowered and eager to train our teachers in these methodologies. I'm grateful for her dedication to fostering inclusive and responsive learning environments.
Kendra Starkey
District Special Ed Coach
My two days with Katie were hands down the best professional development I've ever had. Not only does Katie do an incredible job of truly painting a picture with each piece of learning she gives you, but she models instructional techniques and classroom practices that can/should be easily applied everywhere. While I'm overloaded with all the things I want to do walking away from the conference, I'm rejuvenated by all of the learning and takeaways provided. I would eagerly sign up for more days with Katie in a heartbeat!
Jolie Whitley
Director of Special Education, eStem PCS
The PD series with Katie Novak has been one of the best opportunities to grow as an educator and leader. This has truly been invaluable!
Katie Gardner
Principal, Mesa Public School
Katie was SO engaging ESPECIALLY considering this was a virtual meeting!
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Jana Young
eStem High PCS Director
Katie is incredibly passionate AND knowledgeable about serving all students. If you are not convinced UDL works, let her convince you.
Jessica Kite
Central Rivers Area Education Agency Educational Services Consultant
Katie gets right down to the essentials of what school leaders need to hear to make effective and long-lasting change for the benefit of ALL students. She connects with her audience and understands what it takes to improve learning outcomes.
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