About Us

Meet Kyra

With over 10 years of experience, Dr. Kyra Monèt Caldwell Templeton has a strong passion for education! Dr. Caldwell Templeton’s educational aspirations brought her to Atlanta, GA, where she attended Spelman College from 2000 - 2003. After receiving a Bachelors of Arts in English, she earned a Masters of Education with a focus in Post-Secondary Education from Capella University in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 2005. In 2009, she earned a Masters of Arts in Teaching with a focus in English Education, Grades 6-12 from Georgia State University. Dr. Caldwell Templeton also achieved one of her highest educational goals by attaining her Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from Mercer University in 2017.

Dr. Caldwell Templeton has always wanted to become an educator! She started with Cobb County Public Schools at Sprayberry High School (SHS).

After 4 years at SHS, in 2011 she helped to open KIPP Atlanta Collegiate (KAC), a new charter high school with KIPP Metro Atlanta under Atlanta Public Schools. After teaching for 2 years at KAC, she became an administrator in which she focused on all operational and financial aspects of running a high school. Dr. Caldwell Templeton’s zest for teaching brought her back to teaching literature, part-time, at McEachern High School in Cobb County. During this transition in 2017, Dr. Kyra M. Caldwell Templeton, co-founded Radiant Educational Services, LLC, a national educational empowerment consulting group that provides customized professional development, coaching, strategic planning, curriculum design and evaluation for academic and non-profit institutions. From 2018-2022, Dr. Caldwell Templeton served as the ELA Instructional Coach for grades 6-8 with Marietta City Schools. Currently, she is Program Director of Student Engagement, an inaugural position with Atlanta Public Schools.

Dr. Caldwell Templeton not only strives within the classroom, but also outside of the classroom. Throughout her teaching career, she has been an advocate for professional development. She was awarded the National Council for Teachers of English (NCTE) Teacher of Color Award and has presented at several county, regional, and state wide professional development initiatives in which she discussed Performance Assessment, Writing Across the Curriculum, Grammar Integration in the Literature Classroom, Multi-Modal Instruction, as well as other relevant educational topics. Dr. Caldwell Templeton also loves to serve the community! As a member in two service organizations, she has spent countless hours partnering with local businesses and organizations to improve the community in which she lives. Dr. Caldwell Templeton is a member of the Order of the Eastern Star, Prince Hall Jurisdiction of Georgia in which she held numerous leadership positions, to include, Secretary, Conductress, Associate Matron, and Worthy Matron. She also is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, Marietta-Roswell Alumnae Chapter; there, she serves as the Chairperson of the Arts and Letters Committee, she is also a member of the Physical and Mental Health Committee. In her leisure, Dr. Caldwell Templeton enjoys exercising, shopping, cooking, and organizing.

Professional & Academic Background

15 years of experience in Metro Atlanta

Spelman College

Bachelor of Arts, English

Capella University

Master of Education,

Post-Secondary Education

Georgia State University

Master’s of Arts in Teaching,

English Education, 6-12

Mercer University

Doctorate of Philosophy,

Curriculum and Instruction

"Reflecting on our personal experiences impacts our practice!"

Meet Rasheeda

Rasheeda Salaam Tolbert has been an educator in primary and secondary education for 20 years. She has dedicated her life to serving children and families as a teacher, Social Services Case Manager, Parent Resource Center facilitator, student counselor, and administrator. Mrs. Salaam Tolbert obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Communications from Hampton University. She later went on to obtain a Master of Science degree in Counseling and Psychology from Troy State University.

Mrs. Salaam Tolbert’s work has largely centered around advocacy for the underserved and unheard. She valued a comprehensive approach to educating the whole child and often felt discouraged

by the pressure to focus on either academics or social and emotional learning approaches that she encountered in some schools. Believing that her impact would be greater if she could illuminate what schools prioritized, she collaborated on creating a professional development series that targeted support for “hearts” and “smarts.” As a result, she co-founded Radiant Educational Services, LLC in January of 2017.

Mrs. Salaam Tolbert is a fierce advocate for building and maintaining school communities in which social and emotional learning and trauma informed approaches are prioritized and implemented. She is a licensed Restorative Practices Facilitator. She is also a certified Trauma Stars trainer. Additionally, her passion for whole child learning has led her to create a program, The Heart Work Institute™. The Heart Work Institute™ is a 9-part series that helps educators move from theory to daily practice and focuses on building compassionate and resilient schools. Mrs. Salaam Tolbert resides in the Metro Atlanta area and she is a wife and mother of two children. She is active in her community and is a member of The Metropolitan Atlanta Chapter of 100 Black Women, Inc. and the Henry County Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated. Brene Brown’s words sum up Mrs. Salaam Tolbert’s life mission, “We should never underestimate the benefit to a child of having a place to belong-even one- where they can take off their armor. It can and often does change the trajectory of their life.”