About
Imagine BetterEd as your favorite teacher, guidance counselor, liaison, concierge, and thought partner. Our progressive approach to education starts with the idea that school encompasses so much more than just academic success. We believe that school should serve to foster a love of learning, empathy, confidence, self-advocacy, determination, and resilience.
Why BetterEd
Tailored, Family-Centered Experience
All of our services are based on your family’s situation, priorities, and values. We do not believe in cookie-cutter services and have no prescribed solution or advice. We believe that schooling can and should be a formatively positive experience and that all children have the potential to thrive in the right educational environment and with the right support in place. This core belief means we always strive to understand you and your child in order to make informed recommendations that unlock that full potential.
Professional Experience
We each hold two Master's degrees from the Bank Street School of Education, and continue to enroll in graduate level coursework and attend events to maintain our deep understanding of educational policy, trends, theory, and practice. We have served on School Leadership Teams to work with parents to shape school policies and practices, privately tutored across grades and subjects, and partnered with countless families to support them through admissions processes.
We Know the Classroom
As former teachers, we have lived in the classroom world, and now strive to bridge the gap between a child’s home and school life. Our expertise comes from over 20 years of combined experience in Manhattan and Brooklyn schools, including both independent and public schools, and inclusive (ICT) classrooms. Our classroom experience means we get it. We know what curriculums your child is using, the grade-standards they are working towards, and the nuanced social dynamics they are facing during recess. We understand the diversity of students’ learning styles, and what classroom environments and approaches support each unique child.
Breadth and Depth
Whether you want a 101 overview of the public school lottery system, or ongoing support plans to increase your child’s engagement with school, our role is to lighten the load. For some families that means providing a sounding board and some quick professional advice, for others it means providing a comprehensive analysis of a specific issue. Our flexible service options mean you don’t have to choose. We can partner with you to cover a range of educational topics while also providing deep-dives into a child or school-specific goal or concern.
You know your child. We know education.
Our Story
The idea for BetterEd surfaced during our time working together as co-teachers in a fifth grade integrated co-taught classroom (ICT) at a District 2 Tribeca public school. Co-teaching is a partnership that requires constant collaboration, communication and trust, something we also valued in our relationships with families. As teachers, we loved the core of our work; the creation of a perfectly designed lesson that leads to an “ah-ha” moment, the productive hum of a classroom busy at work, the daily joy of getting to know children and helping them understand and navigate the world around them. However, we recognized a gap: the need for deeper collaboration and transparent communication with families. The sheer number of students and the limitations of traditional roles often hindered our ability to fully connect with them.
Each year we received the same concerns from families that tugged at the question: What is my kid actually doing in school and how can I better support them? We believe there's an opportunity to bridge the gap between home and school, empowering both families and educators to unlock a child's full potential.
We haven't forgotten our roots. We're still the passionate educators you'd find in the classroom, driven by the belief that every child deserves a positive and enriching learning experience. Now, we've taken our dedication a step further by partnering directly with you to ensure your child is truly thriving.
More About Abigail:
Abigail’s love of reading led her to begin her career working in the publishing industry. However, she soon realized that her true purpose was to spread this passion to children through education. She attended Bank Street College of Education where she earned a dual Master’s degree in General Education (1st -6th grade) and Teaching Literacy (birth - 12th grade).
Abigail has eleven years of teaching experience in New York City public schools. She has worked in several different settings including integrated co-taught classrooms (ICT) and gifted and talented. Abigail’s dedication to improving communication between school and families led her to serve on the School Leadership Team (SLT) for seven years. She also served as the school’s union representative, where she partnered with parents during the pandemic to ensure that schools could open safely.
Abigail has private tutoring experience with kids of all ages. She enjoys working one-on-one with kids and families to ensure that children are receiving the support they need outside of school and inside the classroom. She is also currently a student at the Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College where she will be receiving a Master’s of Social Work. She hopes to use this degree to further serve children and families.
More About Audrey:
Audrey is a proud graduate of the New York City public schools, and remembers firsthand the unique accompanying joys (getting Mr.Softee on the way to Central Park after school) and stressors (“applying” to middle school?!).
In addition to her role at BetterEd, Audrey is also the assistant director at the same camp, Camp Scatico, where she works year round supporting new families and campers with the transition to sleepaway camp. Across contexts, her values for working with children are rooted in a belief of fostering independence, personal passions, and social responsibility towards others and the larger world. She seeks to bring the spontaneous joys and magic of camp into children’s educational journey.
Audrey holds a Dual Master’s Degree in General Education (1-6) and Students with Disabilities from Bank Street Graduate School of Education and has worked as a classroom teacher and sports coach in both independent and public schools in New York City. In addition to her degrees, she is trained in the Orton-Gillinham approach to reading and writing for students with reading-based learning disabilities and has privately tutored students, including those with specific learning disabilities, across subject areas.
