Praxia Apostle is a school leader, instructional coach, and educational consultant with expertise in facilitating adult and student learning. In her current role as an instructional facilitator in Tacoma Public Schools, she grows the capacity of instructional coaches through job-embedded professional learning, 1:1 coaching, and strategic program development.
Praxia is an educator committed to practices that foster humanizing school environments. A former high school teacher in public schools in the United States and internationally, Praxia holds continuous learning and improving the quality of children’s lives at the center of her work. She advocates for anti-racist, culturally responsive social-emotional learning practices with adults and students which acknowledge the diverse identities, experiences, and skills we bring to the classroom. Praxia’s approach as an educator, leader, and facilitator values vulnerability, joy, and healing. She grounds learning in processes that allow for strong, respectful relationships founded in appreciation, equity, criticality, and purposeful collaboration.
Praxia first connected with the work of IFSEL through a school partnership formed while the Director of Learning at the International School of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. During this time, Praxia collaborated in the development of a school-wide curricular framework for social-emotional student competencies, identifying purposeful methods to grow educator resilience, as well as engaging faculty in school-wide crisis response training, and trauma-sensitive practices during the COVID-19 pandemic. Praxia led as co-chair for the school-wide Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice committee, and designed professional development for faculty, staff, and school leaders to reflect upon identity, power, privilege, implicit biases, and relationships with students and families, to further align school practices and policies with values and educational beliefs.
Prior to coming to the International School of Kuala Lumpur, Praxia served as the Associate Director of Learning at the American School of Dubai. While there she initiated a school-based Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training program for parents, educators, and high school students. The goal of this program was to build greater awareness of the link between mental health and performance, to remove the stigma surrounding mental health, and to equip individuals with both skills and orientation to help themselves and others.
Praxia holds her Doctorate in Education (Ed.D) from Northeastern University in Boston. Her research focused on the identity development of adolescent third-culture girls in the international school context. Praxia completed her Masters in Teaching at the University of Puget Sound, and her Bachelors of Arts in English Language and Literature from the University of Chicago. She holds an Advanced Certificate in Cognitive Coaching, and a Certificate of School Leadership and Management from Harvard University, Graduate School of Education.
Praxia currently lives in her hometown in Washington State with her husband and their young daughter.