Deanne Kildare Opatosky

Deanne Kildare Opatosky

Deanne Kildare Opatosky has worked in the education field for over 20 years. As an educational advisor, she facilitates extensive professional development initiatives for novice and experienced teachers in urban and suburban communities throughout New Jersey. Her sustained, targeted, differentiated, and job-embedded support directly impacts student achievement, often yielding high, data-backed growth.

In 1997, Deanne began her career as a teacher in Valhalla, New York, and then moved to teach graduate-level literacy courses at the College of New Rochelle. Later, as a literacy coach for Cranford School District in New Jersey, Deanne worked closely with Seton Hall University’s Professional Development School to support both district K–5 teachers and undergraduate students by teaching on-site literacy courses focused on implementing research-based best practices. She also developed the school’s literacy curriculum and taught coursework for the Alternate Route Teacher Program at the Morris-Union Jointure Commission. Deanne has provided staff development to diverse populations, including underperforming low-income public school districts through her work with Seton Hall University’s Academy for Urban School Transformation, as well as affluent private schools such as The American School in Switzerland and in Puerto Rico.

Deanne has presented at local, state, and national levels, including the National Association for Professional Development Schools in Las Vegas, Nevada, and Orlando, Florida, and her annual workshop at New Jersey’s Regional Professional Development Academy. She co-presented with Rick Cohen at the New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association Empower Conference to showcase best practices that integrate social-emotional learning (SEL) and standards-based curricula using structured SELf-questioning. She has also provided extensive training about how to effectively and efficiently integrate SEL into literacy instruction. The successful impact of her collaborative work was published in PDS Partners magazine and referenced in NJEA Review’s Great Ideas column.

Deanne graduated magna cum laude from the honors program at Pace University in Pleasantville, New York, with a bachelor’s degree in education. She also graduated summa cum laude with a master’s degree in teaching reading from The College of New Rochelle, New York.