Kate Kinney

Testing and Programs Manager

What Kate Kinney does: As the testing and programs manager, she coordinates fluency certification and programming for J-1 scholars and International Teaching Assistants. In this role, she teaches and tutors international graduate students at Penn, supporting their preparation to become teaching assistants at the university.

Experience: Dr. Kinney has taught English to learners of all ages. After college, she began her career in TESOL working with newly arrived immigrant students in New Hampshire. She then lived, taught English, and trained teachers in Mongolia with the Peace Corps. While living in New York City, she co-founded the Marble Hill School for International Studies, an ESOL-focused public high school in the Bronx that promoted multilingualism and global understanding. Since moving to the Philadelphia area, she has led programs in higher education with an emphasis on teacher training and development.

Travels: She has lived and taught English as a foreign language in Mexico, Costa Rica, Mongolia, and throughout Asia. She has travelled with her daughters to Italy, England, and Canada and has been lucky to have explored much of the United States. Her latest travels include Israel, Palestine, and Jordan.

Education:

  • EdD Educational Leadership, University of Pennsylvania
  • MSEd in TESOL, Teachers College, Columbia University
  • BA in Sociology, University of Vermont

Talk to Kate about: Teacher training, teaching internationally (in the US or in higher education contexts), fluency requirements for International Teaching Assistants, US educational systems, and academic writing