Shalini Rao, MEd
Shalini’s experience in education stems from her own experiences in school, driven by the fundamental belief that being student-centered and process-oriented will reach and teach the whole child.
Shalini brings a wealth of experience as a teacher in both public and private schools, starting with the Academy of Pacific Rim Charter School, The Pike School and The Park School, and as an administrator at The Fessenden School and Shady Hill School. Throughout her career, Shalini has shown proficiency in curriculum development through various lenses, including diversity, equity and inclusion, educational technology, and standards alignment. While at the Academy of the Pacific Rim Charter School, Shalini co-wrote, developed and implemented a math support curriculum for middle school students. During her time teaching at independent schools, Shalini has collaborated and led grade - level and school - wide initiatives, such as launching educational technology resources, co-developing a new social studies curriculum, and developing an onboarding program for new faculty and staff. Her experiences also include serving on several visiting teams for independent schools going through re-accreditation.
As the Director of Teaching and Learning at Fessenden, Shalini oversaw curriculum implementation, such as the Pollyanna Racial Literacy Curriculum in grades K - 8, launched a differentiated instructional coaching cycle for faculty and led workshops for first year teachers and apprentices. In her recent position as Lower School Head at Shady Hill, Shalini strengthened the administrative team and protocols by creating a Student Support Team to support students in a comprehensive way, taking social, emotional, and academic experiences into consideration. Shalini also co-led the launch of a Restorative Justice Implementation team for school-wide integration. Shalini continues to be passionate about supporting teachers on best instructional practices, developing cultural competencies, and revising programs to meet the developmental needs of children.
Shalini earned her Bachelors in Elementary Education and Masters in Education from the University of Connecticut, as well as a Certificate in Advanced Education Leadership from Harvard University.
