Kevin Kirst

Kevin Kirst is the Director of Special Education and Student Services in Albemarle County Public Schools and has worked in special education since 1994. He has spearheaded the implementation of Albemarle County's Response to Intervention framework in what some have considered rather unorthodox ways. Kevin received his undergraduate degree from John Jay College of Criminal Justice, earned his master's degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo and completed post-graduate studies at the George Washington University.

Kevin's background includes criminal justice, social work and education administration that proved to be an asset when implementing Response To Intervention in Albemarle County Public Schools. He has, to date, successfully balanced policy, procedure and the complex legal issues surrounding special education while maintaining his role as an advocate for students with disabilities. His goal has been to radically shift "traditional" eligibility and service delivery practices in order to address longstanding issues plaguing special education programs (i.e. overidentification and disproportionality) through RTI.

With Kevin's support, utilizing a plan-do-study-act decision making model has resulted in RTI being recognized as a powerful extension of the Professional Learning Community and a key variable in which to address many problems and issues related to educating children facing academic or behavioral challenges in Albemarle County Schools.