Susana Matos-Kruck - Founder/President
As a business owner of an education consulting company and as an adjunct professor at The College of New Jersey, Susana incites teachers, administrators, and parents to collaborate in creating a dynamic and thought-provoking educational experience for their students. As a former school principal and teacher who has worked in Latin America and in Southeast Asia, she encourages educators to embrace the opportunities and challenges that come with diversity.  The primary focus of her company is to provide teachers, administrators, and parents with the theories and strategies for cultivating an inclusive climate and culture that will Up the Bar on the quality of education every student deserves. 

Professional Experiences:

Up the Bar Consulting, LLC:  2009-Present
  • Bergenfield, Carteret, Deptford, East Orange, East Windsor, Freehold, Garfield, Hanover, Harrison, Kearny, Lambertville, Livingston, Maywood, Montclair, Montville, Mt. Arlington, Nutley, Orange, Palisades Park, Paterson, Piscataway, Plainfield, Randolph, Ridgewood, Scotch Plains,  South Hunterdon, Spotswood, Upper Freehold, Wayne, West Orange, Wharton: 2017-Present 
  • Jeddah Private School in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia:  August, 2016
  • Keystone Academy in Beijing, China:  March, 2016
  • Irvington Public School District, New Jersey:  March, 2015 - Present
  • Passaic Public School District, New Jersey:  October, 2009 - Present
Adjunct Professor:  2011- Present
  • The College of New Jersey Off-Site Graduate Program 
    • (Teach graduate education courses in Thailand, Taiwan, Vietnam, and Spain for educators who teach at international schools)
Administrator:  2000 - 2006
  • Principal of Marie V. Duffy Elementary School in Wharton, NJ
  • Vice Principal of Columbia Middle School in Berkeley Heights, NJ
  • Director of Marion P. Thomas Charter School in Newark, NJ 
Teacher:  1994 - 2000
  • 5th and 6th grade teacher at Kaohsiung American School in Taiwan
  • 1st grade teacher at Colegio Maya International School in Guatemala
  • 5th grade bilingual teacher in Camden, New Jersey 
Christine Etienne - Senior Consultant
Throughout her career, Christine has provided children, teachers, parents and others in the community the necessary tools they need to help them navigate the system and achieve their highest potential. She selected teaching as a career choice because it was one way she was able to make an impact in her community. With over 30 years of experience with the NYC Department of Education, Christine has served as a bilingual paraprofessional, bilingual teacher, and Bilingual Language Instructional Specialist (BLIS). She has written curriculum and has mentored developing teachers and administrators. She is fluent in English, Haitian Creole, and French.
 
Throughout the multiple structural reorganizations of the NYC DOE school system, Christine remained faithful and bound to the work she was committed to do with immigrant families. With the Office of English Language Learners she worked as an English Language Learner Instructional Support Specialist (ELL ISS), Compliance Performance Specialist (CPS) and Senior ELL Compliance Performance Specialist (SELL) with the Division of Student with Disabilities and English Language Learners at Central DOE, and the Division of Multilingual Learners.
 
As an education consultant, Christine continues to impact communities by training and coaching teachers and administrators to implement best practices that are designed to Up the Bar on the quality of education all students deserve. 
 
Her motto is:     We must make it, in spite of it all.  
                          Malgre tou, nou kapab rive.  
                          Debemos hacerlo, a pesar de todo.
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