Senior Literacy Coach, The Core Collaborative Learning Network
Kirsten Widmer is a national consultant and literacy leader with The Core Collaborative, specializing in reading and writing instruction across the K–12 continuum. Her work helps schools design literacy systems that honor both the science of how the brain learns to read and the art of how language fosters thinking, belonging, and voice.
With advanced certification in the Science of Reading and deep roots in secondary literacy, Kirsten helps educators bring the Active View of Reading (Duke & Cartwright, 2021) to life in classrooms. She supports teachers in strengthening students’ self-regulation, executive function, and comprehension through disciplinary literacy—teaching adolescents to read, write, and reason like historians, scientists, and artists.
Before joining The Core Collaborative, Kirsten served as a district literacy coach for New York City Public Schools and as a staff developer with Teachers College, Columbia University, where she partnered with schools to design authentic, evidence-based literacy practices.
Kirsten is the co-author of Informational Writing Mini-Lessons: Your Go-To Guide for Flexible, High-Impact Instruction (2022) and Workshops That Work! (2004). She brings a filmmaker’s eye and a writer’s heart to her work, helping educators craft learning experiences that illuminate every student’s potential.
