About SPARK University
SPARK U stands for Striving Professionals Aspiring to Revive K-12 education. The goal of SPARK U is to create measurable classroom success that is sparked by the teacher’s renewed spirit.
Striving Professionals Aspiring to Revive K-12 Education.
Teaching is hard work. Teachers “flat line” or “burn out” and lose their spark. SPARK U was created to re-ignite that spark and give teachers the tools to equip themselves for meaningful success in the classroom. During SPARK U teachers and administrators examine effective teaching through the lenses of research-based, actionable, best practices. Each session is dedicated to help teachers recall the foundations of instruction as well as rekindle their passion for teaching and learning.
In 2010, a group of experienced educators from around the country conducted a research study for IRRE and Measuring What Matters. The purpose of the research was to examine 10th grade English and Math classes for engagement, alignment and rigor. We discovered that the majority of teachers were only going through the motions of teaching. There was no energy, no enthusiasm, and very little student engagement.
It was out of that experience that SPARK U was born.
I was motivated more than ever to help educators teach with passion, pride and purpose. So SPARK University was created and it is helping more and more teachers every year!
SPARK
The SPARK U Difference
Reigniting a passion for teaching, the pride of accomplishment, and true purpose in the classroom are SPARK U core values. Applying these values to both people and process is what makes the program so successful.
Passion
Pride
Purpose
What Sets SPARK U Apart
What sets SPARK U apart is our strong emphasis on the well-being and spirit of the teacher. Both veterans and new teachers graduate from SPARK U with increased confidence, and a renewed sense of purpose for their craft. Their strengthened spirit and sense of empowerment are the result of a more complete understanding of teaching principles and, most importantly, the ability to successfully apply them and adapt them to their own classrooms. This is the spark that creates classroom leaders and what makes the curriculum so successful. It is the very heart of SPARK U.
Meet Our Passionate Educators
Meet our team of passionate educators on a mission to excite teachers who will experience measurable success in the classroom sparked by an impassioned spirit.
Mary Matheson is the founder, creator, and original architect of SPARK University, a nationally recognized professional development model she designed and authored from the ground up to transform classroom instruction. She has worked with educators in over 40 of the 50 states, shaping instructional practice and strengthening teaching and learning nationwide. Her tested strategies and proven techniques—deeply rooted in her 10-year classroom career as a Biology and Chemistry teacher—have reignited teaching passion, sharpened instructional clarity, and driven lasting classroom success for thousands of teachers and instructional leaders.
Barby Carlile has been in education for over 30 years working at all grade levels from kindergarten through university. She has served as a teacher, Bilingual Program Resource Teacher, counselor, assistant principal, coordinator of a gifted program, coordinator of student teaching placement at Arizona State University, and an instructional program specialist. Additionally, she has taught Spanish, Psychology, Honors Seminar, Introduction to Education, Introduction to the Exceptional Student, has been a Kagan Nationally Certified Trainer since 1994, and worked with SPARK University since 2012 as both a presenter and follow-up coach. As an educational consultant, Barby has given presentations on various topics including structures for engagement, classroom management, teaching ELL students, using structures to teach a foreign language, brain-based learning, practice, meaning, and various other best practices. She has worked with teachers in dozens of states in the United States as well as Japan, Germany, Belize, United Arab Emirates, and has presented in Spanish many times in Spain & Guatemala.
As an instructional program specialist, Dr. Carlile presented various workshops to teachers, observed their classes and discussed lessons with teachers in all grade levels. This experience afforded her the opportunity to observe a wide variety of teaching strategies and discuss the rationale teachers use to make decisions about teaching and learning. She has worked with student teachers and beginning teachers in a non-threatening environment and also coached veteran teachers on ways to refine their skills and be even more effective.
Maggie Abeyta specializes in working with new teachers through the SPARK Start program and serves as a coach and lead trainer for SPARK University. She holds a Master’s degree in Instructional Design and works with teachers and instructional leaders nationwide to translate SPARK’s instructional framework into daily classroom practice.As a presenter and coach, Maggie is known for creating supportive, non-threatening learning environments that help educators build confidence, refine their practice, and lead strong classrooms from day one.
Ignite A Spark In Your Classroom, School, or District.
Take the next step to ignite YOUR OWN teaching revolution.Contact us for details on scheduling your SPARK U Event.
