Tammy Kirkpatrick

First Lutheran School
Torrance, California
kirkpatrickt@flchurch.org

Tammy Kirkpatrick has served students in Texas and California as a teacher and administrator for the last 28 years. As principal of First Lutheran School for three years, Kirkpatrick has led the charge to make service a central component of the education process, launching a program that encourages students at all levels to pursue projects that make a difference in their community. This focus has worked in tandem with efforts to strengthen the internal school community through initiatives such as First Friday at the Flagpole assemblies, which celebrate student victories. Kirkpatrick has shifted the professional learning culture at the school, moving away from whole-group methods to empower teachers to identify their learning goals and choose their preferred pathway to learning. The program has positively impacted instruction by holding teachers accountable to applying and reflecting on their learning in the classroom. In prior posts, Kirkpatrick has been an advocate for online learning, having established two new educational options for K-12 students in Los Angeles County and San Diego County and realized a 137-point API gain as Head of School for Mosaica Online Academy. Kirkpatrick holds an M.Ed. in Educational Leadership from Concordia University; a Cross-cultural, Language, and Development Certificate from the University of San Diego; a California Teaching Credential from the University of California, Irvine; and a B.A. in Child Development with Great Distinction from San Jose State University.