I help EdTech startups and mission-driven education companies scale smartly - from messy beginnings to meaningful impact.

With over a decade of experience spanning classroom instruction, curriculum design, product strategy, and organizational operations, I now work with pre-seed, Series A, and growing educational organizations to build better learning experiences, stronger systems, and more strategic teams.

I specialize in:

- Curriculum and product development (especially experiential, SEL, STEM, and AI-integrated learning)
- Operational infrastructure and go-to-market strategy
- Policy-informed AI professional development for educators
- Branding, messaging, and community-building
- Cross-functional team leadership with a human-first approach

Whether I’m serving as a fractional COO, leading market research, developing a data dashboard, or building a gamified student learning journey - I’m a connector, a problem-solver, and a builder.

If you’re a founder or education leader looking to move faster without sacrificing quality, let’s connect.

Claire Smizer

Happy #SocialSaturday!

If you are an #Educator, #Principal, #DistrictAdministrator, someone in the #Curriculum, #School or #Classroom IT space, or anyone that works with or has ever worked with #Schools, #Districts, or organization that serves kids - we should be connected! 💯

In a nutshell: I'm a former #Teacher, turned #EdTech generalist that specializes in early stage #StartUps and #UserExperience (think #ProductDesign, #UI, #InstructionalDesign, #L&D) - I've been fortunate to have a wonky career path that has given me the opportunity to work across neurotech (that bordered on sci-fi!), #STEM, gamified #SEL, and even with a handful of founders working on much-needed products in the #Education space. 

What do I do now? I run BrightMinds AI with my best friend and co-founder, Jessica Maddry. 🥰🥰🥰

We're two former #Teachers who got tired of watching districts adopt #AI and innovative tech backwards - tools first, strategy maybe. BrightMinds flips that. We build policies, train educators, and audit tech stacks so districts make informed decisions, putting people first, always. 

Think that sounds like someone you'd like to have in your network? Smash that connect button! 

Can't wait to see you in my DMs!

💜 me!

Co-Founder @ BrightMinds AI | Board Member | EdTech Start-up Builder and Strategist 🌀| Teacher Advocate | Oxford Comma Enthusiast

Let's talk math for a moment. #Politician math. 😒

The proposed FY2026 federal budget cuts over $6 billion from #K-12 #PublicEducation. 

Not one program. 
Not one state. 
Across the board.

$6B is a large number - a really large number. So large that it's almost incomprehensible so... what does that look like in reality?

💸 Migrant Education: $1.3 billion. Poof.
💸 English Language Acquisition: Eliminated entirely.
💸 Title I funding to high-poverty schools: $4.7 billion. Gone.
💸 18 grant programs consolidated from $6.5 billion down to $2 billion - over a 60% reduction.
💸 Community Schools grants: $168 million. Cut.

But we won't be feeling that loss evenly. #Districts primarily serving #Students of color would lose nearly double the funding that their counterparts serving primarily white students will face.

Want an example? 

In #Pennsylvania, the districts most underfunded are also those where students of color make up the majority of enrollment - 64%, compared to 22–30% in adequately funded districts. That gap equals $1,732 less per student, nearly 9% less, in state and local revenue. Federal dollars can help (or rather would have helped) to bridge that disparity.

This isn’t a budget conversation. It’s a values conversation. It's an #Equity conversation.

When #Legislators use language like “local control”, they aren't talking about community empowerment. They're obfiscating the truth. They're asking (telling, really) local communities to make do. 

With less. 

For the kids who already had the least.

I’m not sharing this to spark outrage (though we should all feel outraged). 

I share this to bring attention to the tension local decision makers - #Superintendents, #CFOs, #SchoolBoard members - are grappling with. 

Too many conversations about “innovation” in #Education gloss right over the part where the floor is being pulled out. Purposefully. Systematically.

You can’t build on a foundation that's actively being dismantled.

💜 someone who thinks *actual* math should inform policy

#Teachers! Help!!! 

I'm trying to get a general temperature check on where we are with Acceptable Use Policies (AUPs) in classrooms. 

Are you able to set your own?
Is that something that feels necessary in this moment?
Is that something you'd expect for your district or even school leaders to set and roll out? 

You know Jessica & me - we're always looking to close gaps and create useful tools! 

❤️  someone very excited to be building tools that #Educators actually want

#Education #K12 #TeachersofLinkedin #AIinEducation #InnovativeTech #AcceptableUse #ItTakesAVillage

Do you have an Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) for AI-enabled/enhanced tech in your classroom?

Learning & Knowledge Management┃ Bilingual Curriculum Specialist ┃Sherlock of SharePoint ┃DEI Agent of Change ┃ Training Facilitator

#ONO

Check out my site to see examples of my design work.
✔️
https://www.canva.com/design/DAE9-wXGPGc/ioQX8xyv-mKwWX74JVdfSw/view?website#1:home 

📔 Crafting learning paths is my game 
      Learning experience design is where I stake my claim.

📔 Lifelong learning fuels my passion 
      Developing materials in a creative fashion.

📔 Collaborating with experts, I create with flair 
      For in-person or online, I'm always there.

📔 Onboarding with Immersion, I keep it fresh
      Ensuring new hires are at their best.

📔 Updating XLR8 and Ascend with care 
      Management training, development everywhere.

📔 Coordinating sessions, hospitality in tow
      Bridging skill gaps, helping talents grow.

📔 Managing OTP, planning for success
      Promoting "Insights," awareness at its best.

📔 Coaching managers, guiding their way 
      Performance and development, every day.

📔 Talent Development initiatives, I lead with pride 
       In this role, I'm your trusted guide.

Taryn Ferch

An observation about teaching, through the lens of kids' birthday parties.

When I was growing up, it was common to be invited to other kids' birthday parties.  Sometimes they were kids from the neighborhood, family friends, from church, or classmates.

It was expected that you would be dropped off, there would be some type of food/drink, activity, and after a few hours your parents would come collect you.

Maybe it was held at a place like Chuck E. Cheese, a park, or a swimming pool.

Kids who got picked up early were picked up due to illness or homesickness- if it was a slumber party- not for discipline.

There may have been 20+ kids and family members at any one event.

Now, what I see is for a lot of parties, on the invitation it requires at least one guardian/parent to attend.

From a teaching lens, I want you to consider this scenario.

In 2026, if you require a plus one guardian to attend because you cannot adequately supervise 20 school-aged kids:
who want to be there
who are connected to your child in some way
who are receiving food and goodie bags
who are of a similar age...

Why do you think that teachers can manage a group larger than this by themselves?

In my last year of teaching middle school, I had 37 students in one section of Spanish I.
8th graders, who were there for 58 minutes daily as a graduation requirement.
They had already had 4+ hours of instruction by the time that they came to my class.
Some had failed the introductory course, but their parents registered them for Spanish I against the teacher's/counselor's advice.

The gaslighting that teachers get from parents and administration sounds like this:
if the class were more engaging
if the teacher had better classroom management
if students could sit by their friends
if they didn't have to work as much
if Student X weren't in the class

Their solution is to build relationships and to be more entertaining.

And when we look at birthday parties, there is already a relationship with the guests, and it's supposed to be fun.

And yet, one parent can't do it alone.  There are a lot of moving parts- kids with varying needs, allergies, moods, preferences, and friendship cliques.

And it's one day a year.

They call in reinforcements from other adults.  They reduce the number of guests, or make sure there are activities to keep them busy throughout the party.

Teachers do this dance daily, and some have ridiculous class sizes.  

At one point, my high school Spanish III class had 43 students, and one teacher.  No aides, no classroom volunteers, just one adult.

This is why teachers are tired and are facing an impossible battle with large classes of apathetic students and unrealistic expectations.

Taryn Ferch, CPTD®

Talent Development┃ Bilingual Curriculum Specialist ┃Sherlock of SharePoint ┃Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Advocate ┃ Training Facilitator | Grammarly Ambassador

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