Ms. Burkhardt-Shields has spent her entire career—26 years—working with at-risk children and adults in Colorado Springs School District 11.  She began as a 2^nd grade teacher at Helen Hunt Elementary School in 1997.  She has an M.A. in Educational Leadership from the University of Denver, along with a Principal’s license.  Her undergraduate degree is from the University of Northern Colorado in Elementary Education, with an emphasis in Social Sciences.  

During her time in School District 11, she has been a teacher, a Malcolm Baldrige coach, a reading coach, assistant principal, Continuous Quality Improvement District-level Facilitator and for the past 18 years, the Director of Adult & Family Education.

She provides leadership, management, and secures funding through federal, state, and local grants to support one of the largest adult education programs in the state of Colorado.  Adult & Family Ed prides itself on being one of the only comprehensive programs in the state that serves students in eight areas:

• Adult Basic Education (K-5 equivalency)
• Adult Secondary Education (6-12 equivalency)
• English Language Acquisition
• Family Literacy (serving children ages birth through 5^th grade)
• Adult Career Pathways
• Workforce Readiness
• Classes for refugees throughout El Paso County

The program serves an average of 600-950 students per year, while the Family Literacy program typically serves up to 160 children per year.  Student numbers fluctuate due to levels of grant funding acquired from year-to-year.