In the past, Ms. Korotki used to dream of a career in education, inspiring and helping others. Now, those dreams have become her reality as she supports hundreds of students at Cardozo High School as the Assistant Principal of Instructional Support Services (ISS).
“I always knew I wanted to work with kids,” Ms. Korotki explained. “When I was three or four years old, I would set up a whole school for my dolls and stuffed animals and teach them.”
As time passed and she gained more experience and opportunities, she realized that she was passionate about supporting students with special needs. Ms. Korotki first worked as a special education teacher when she began teaching and once she got more experience, she later became the IEP Coordinator at Forest Hills High School. After several years there, an opportunity opened up for her here at Cardozo; Assistant Principal of Instructional Support Services, a position that would merge her passions for education, leadership, and helping students with disabilities.
In her current position as AP, there are a lot of responsibilities and tasks that come in. Ms. Korotki is responsible for overseeing education services for all students, ensuring a conformity of federal costs, and also ensuring the safety and education of all special needs students.
“There’s never a typical day,” she explained. “That’s honestly the best part of my job.”
Her department has a focus on students with disabilities, students whose classifications range from autism to depression to hearing loss, blindness, and more. Although there is a focus on students with disabilities, Ms. Korotki emphasized that her department is welcoming to whoever would like to come and gain additional support, especially when it relates to personal issues. “We take everybody,” she said. “General education students come to us, too, and that’s something we really pride ourselves on.”
Even though the amount of responsibilities she manages can be overwhelming and hectic, her focus never shifts from what she finds most important: the students. Especially at times when the students are struggling with emotional or mentally challenging problems.
“Not everybody goes home to a happy place,” Ms. Korotki explained. “We try to make this school as supportive and welcoming as possible and help students transition from high school into the real world.”
Something that is unique about the ISS department is that as an admin, she gets to work with her students for all four years in high school. Many of the special education teachers also may have that opportunity, depending on the subject they teach. “We meet our kids as freshmen and have them through senior year,” she said. “We develop strong bonds. I can look at a student’s face and know if something is wrong.”
One of the biggest obstacles that special education students face throughout the year is standardized testing. Although special education students need additional support when it comes to their education, they are all required to pass the same New York State Regents exam given to students to earn a diploma.
“Our students work incredibly hard to reach a 65,” Ms. Korotki explained. “To tell them they should have gotten an 85 doesn’t acknowledge where they started.”
Some new implementations have been introduced to address these challenges. Cardozo has support classes to help these students, such as Global History through Film and a STEM support course, which will help these students have better outcomes when it comes to these standardized exams.
A major aspect of their work and support is collaboration, and this is done through the Instructional Leadership Team (ILT), which focuses on new ideas and working together efficiently. Additionally, Ms. Korotki emphasized the utility of AI as a beneficial tool that helps adjust reading levels to make them the best fit for students, as well as providing additional support. Ms. Korotki mentioned notable teachers such as Ms. Bauza, Ms Boynton, Mr. Kroll, Ms. Josh, and Ms. Williams, who all help support students and keep an inclusive and friendly environment in their classrooms.
Looking at the future of her department, Ms. Korotki hopes to continue to include special education students in more activities alongside general education students to create a more inclusive and welcoming environment for all of Cardozo. “Our students are everywhere now; clubs, sports, NJROTC, journalism, even Da Vinci,” she said. “That wasn’t always the case.”
She also ensures that inclusion can go beyond just academics and classrooms.“True inclusion doesn’t happen in the classroom,” she added. “It happens in the hallways, offices, and after-school events, where students feel like they belong.”
Ms. Korotki is a firm believer that comfortable and friendly relationships are a key aspect of making teaching more suitable for special education students. “If a student likes you and respects you, they’ll work harder,” she said. “You can’t just stand in front of the room and talk for 40 minutes.”
