Amanda Palmer, a career culturally-responsive, community-focused, and anti-racist educator, has been engrossed in a variety of educational environments for over 20 years, with the majority of her work focused on neurodiverse learners and their teachers.

Amanda began her career working as a behaviorist serving teens and young adults with autism, both in classroom and community settings. After graduating with degrees in Psychology and Elementary Education from Muhlenberg College, she began her work as a special education teacher in New Jersey public schools, while beginning her master’s degree at The College of New Jersey. Amanda completed her master’s degree in Special Education: Learning Disabilities at American University after moving to Washington, D.C. to work as a special educator in the public charter school system. Amanda now teaches at an independent school for learners with learning disabilities that leverages the power of arts integration. While the majority of her work focuses on her learners with special needs, Amanda also enjoys supervising and coaching undergraduate and graduate students embarking on their own careers.

While remaining in the classroom full-time, Amanda earned her Doctor of Education from Johns Hopkins University. Her research surrounded the opportunity gap, belonging, and practitioner education. As part of her doctoral research, Amanda designed and conducted a 20-hour intervention professional development centered around increasing practitioners’ use of culturally responsive teaching practices. Her statistically significant results have further fueled her desire to support organizations and schools to create culturally responsive teaching and learning spaces across the nation through Palmer Educational Services, LLC. Forever an educator, she also remains school-based, currently serving in a middle school as the Chair of Teaching and Learning, an Instructional Coach, and an English teacher.

At its core, Palmer Educational Services synthesizes the work Amanda does outside of her classroom via three branches. As a consultant, she leverages her expertise with adult learning to build spaces of belonging as clients target their diversity, inclusivity, equity, and belonging goals. As a coach, she works with early-career teachers, departments, and schools to accomplish their goals. Through P.E.S.’ Academic Services, Amanda utilizes brain-based strategies to continue working with students of all ages and their families in academic pursuits.

Amanda centers concepts of belonging in her work with youth and adults. Across all of her teaching and learning settings, she constructs dynamic environments that leverage learners’ individuality and use brain-based strategies to push her learners forward. She stands on the shoulders of giants, always centering herself with Maya Angelou’s famous words: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you’ve said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”