Kelly Pascarella, Ed.D.

Assistant Professor, Education

Director, Student Teaching

Contact Information

• Office: 708 Academic Hall
• Phone: 412-720-8336
• Fax: 412-392-3927
• Email: kelly.pascarella@pointpark.edu

Education

• Ed.D., Leadership and Administration, Point Park University
• M.Ed., Educational Leadership, California University of Pennsylvania
• B.S., Elementary Education (K-6), The Pennsylvania State University
• K-12 Principal Certification, California University of Pennsylvania
• K-12 Gifted Endorsement Certificate, Neumann University
• Middle-Level English/Language Arts Certification (7-9), Pennsylvania

Courses Taught

• Technological Applications Across the Curriculum
• Family and Community Partnerships
• Introduction to the Teaching Profession
• English Language Learners
• Reading Methods I and II
• Data-Driven Instruction
• Student Teaching II — Residency Program
• Foundation of Literacy and Writing
• AI in Education (co-developed)
• Special Education and Inclusive Practices
• Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports
• High Incidence Disabilities and Autism
• Low Incidence Disabilities
• Differentiated Instructional Practices in the Inclusive Classroom

Background

Kelly Pascarella, Ed.D., is an assistant professor in Point Park University's School of Education and serves as the director of student teaching. She brings 20 years of K–12 teaching, leadership and curriculum design experience to her work preparing the next generation of educators. In her director role, she oversees student teaching placements and supervision across traditional, Residency and dance education programs, has established 18 new affiliation agreements with Pennsylvania school districts, and represents Point Park in the Pennsylvania Field Directors’ Forum.

Prior to joining Point Park's faculty, Pascarella created the Consuming and Producing Successfully (CAPS) program in the Upper St. Clair School District, taught English Language Arts in Upper St. Clair, served as the elementary gifted and math acceleration coordinator in the Mt. Lebanon School District, and taught fourth grade at Lincoln Elementary School.

Pascarella’s scholarship and creative work focus on the intersection of technology, STEM and developmentally appropriate practice. She is the founder of two nonprofit organizations: Education Blueprint (2017), a professional learning community where PreK–12 educators find, share, and rate high-quality resources, and Stem-ify (2025), an interdisciplinary STEM integration initiative supported by stem-ify.com. She co-developed Point Park’s new AI in Education course (EDUC 591) and helped design new courses for the STEM Endorsement Program and the BA Online special education sequence. In Summer 2025, she directed the School of Education’s STEAM Human-Centered Design and Engineering Camp.

Pascarella is a published author. Her recent children’s book, The Adventures of T.P. the Dreamer: A Maker-Education and Career Exploration Children’s Book (2025), introduces young readers to STEM and career pathways through maker-education. She is also the author of The Climbing Tree (2013), a children’s book on choice and decision-making, and was a contributing writer for Mother.ly.

She is actively engaged in university and regional leadership, serving on Point Park’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Faculty Committee, the Reimagining Higher Education Committee, and multiple faculty search committees. She is a member of the FrED University Leadership Team, which organized a 13-university pre-service educator network camp, and a member of Teach Plus, the ISTE + ASCD Ed Leadership Community, and the Pennsylvania Field Directors’ Forum

Curriculum Vitae

Grants & Funded Work

• InnovatED: Elevating Teacher Preparation Pathways through Pittsburgh Partnerships (Spring 2025)
• Point Park Community Engagement Social Impact Grant (Spring 2025)
• Contributor and collaborator on additional federal and foundation grants, including SEED FY 2026 (P.R.E.P.A.R.E. Teachers), Project BRIDGE, Project S.P.A.R.K., and NSF/Noyce grant-writing partnerships

Selected Presentations

• “Practical AI Tools for Guiding & Creating Educational Content: The Stoplight Method, Brisk Teaching, Magic School & Education Blueprint” — Future Focused Learning Summit, Pittsburgh, Pa., Oct. 2024
• Conference presenter and keynote, Pennsylvania Middle-Level Educators Association, Feb. 2023
• Conference presenter, Three Rivers Educational Technology, Jan. 2023
• Conference presenter, Teach Better Conference - Akron, Ohio: Education Blueprint Platform, Oct. 2022
• Presenter, Allegheny Intermediate Unit (AIU3): Educational Technology, April 2022
• Conference presenter, Pennsylvania Educational Technology Conference (Pete & C), Feb. 2022

Professional & Board Memberships

• Founder, Stem-ify (501(c)(3))
• Founder, Education Blueprint (501(c)(3))
• Teach Plus Advocacy Group
• Pennsylvania Field Directors’ Forum
• ISTE + ASCD Ed Leadership Community
• Matt’s Makerspace Inc., board member
• Point Park University Alumni Association
• Penn State University Alumni Association

Awards

•  Pittsburgh Technology Council’s Innovation in Education Award Finalist, 2023

Point Park News

"Students Become Game Designers at Inaugural STEAM Design & Engineering Camp," Point Park University Website, Aug. 11, 2025.