A little about Paula…

Dr. Paula A. Calabrese currently consults with several local school districts in Southwestern PA.  She has experience and expertise in curriculum, instruction, supervision, professional development, strategic planning and instructional technology. Retired from Assistant Executive Director of the Education Division at the Allegheny Intermediate Unit #3, the largest intermediate unit in Pennsylvania, she most recently was a Colleague In Residence (CIR) with the Educational Leadership Initiative (ELI), a grant-funded project of the University of Pittsburgh where she worked in the Woodland Hills and Duquesne City School Districts. Calabrese also was a member of the Partnership for School District Improvement (PSDI) team, another grant-funded project of the University of Pittsburgh where she worked with teachers and administrators in 12 school districts throughout the region.  Previous to that, she served as a Distinguished Educator for the Pennsylvania Department of Education; in this capacity, she worked in the Duquesne City and Wilkinsburg Borough School Districts.  Calabrese is the president and founder of Cardinal Consulting Group, Inc. which provides professional development for administrators, teachers and paraprofessionals and connects people, resources and results for clients in school districts and public libraries.

Calabrese began her educational career in the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh Schools as an elementary teacher.  She later took positions of reading specialist in the Plum Borough and Woodland Hills School Districts. Calabrese began her administrative career in the North Allegheny School District.  Over a period of thirteen years, she served as a coordinator of staff development, middle school assistant principal, elementary principal, and school psychologist.  Later, she became Assistant Superintendent in the Hampton Township School District with primary responsibility for curriculum, instruction, student achievement and special education.

Calabrese became Assistant Executive Director for the Allegheny Intermediate Unit where she was responsible for the oversight of professional development and technical support for 42 school districts.  The Allegheny Intermediate Unit provides programs and services for school districts in curriculum and instruction, strategic planning, staff development, induction programs for teachers, and integration of technology.

Calabrese also served an Associate Professor and Chair of the Education Department at Point Park University where she prepared student teachers.  She has also taught as an adjunct lecturer at Carlow College and the Community College of Allegheny County.

Among the many career highlights of Dr. Calabrese are the following: established the PA Learners Online (PALO), a regional cyber charter school; created and managed a non-profit educational foundation for the Hampton School District (HAEE); coordinated the establishment of Smart START to recruit, select, and train non-educators as substitute teachers; planned and implemented a workshop on Multicultural Women’s History in conjunction with LaRoche College and the Equal Education Opportunity  Office of the Pennsylvania Department of Education; planned and implemented  an inclusive education program for students with disabilities that was awarded the Excellence in Inclusive Education and Best Practices in Inclusive Education by the Bureau of Special Education of the PA State Department of Education; audited more than 15 school districts for compliance for the Bureau of Special Education of the PA Department of Education.

Calabrese earned her Bachelor of Science degree, a Master of Education degree and a Master of Science in Education degree from Duquesne University.  She earned her doctorate in Educational Administration and Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Pittsburgh.