The collective began with a mission to address the significant deficits in educational services in underresourced schools.
We were left with no choice but to develop a community of dedicated changemakers to provide the support and expertise needed to meet the unique challenges faced by these school communities.
We believe that every student deserves access to high-quality educational services, regardless of where they attend school. Our mission is to build a community of school experts dedicated to making this a reality, one district, one campus, one classroom, and one student at a time.
We are passionate about empowering practitioners to become effective agents of change, driving improvements in your school district, and making a positive difference in the lives of the students and families in your community.
Vision & Mission
Building Community
Our network of School Psychologists have a shared goal of assisting other school psychologists in facilitating change in their districts.
Collaboration
By working with School Psychologists across the state, we facilitate connections between district cases and experienced and available practitioners.
Consultation
The School Collective looks to help underserved and underrepresented districts with needs related to special education services. We have a broad, extensive, and diverse set of professionals who look to help you with a variety of needs.
Christopher Ponce
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Christopher (He/His/Him) is a practicing school psychologist based out of San Antonio, TX. He has worked in a variety of settings across all levels of children’s education. He has special interests in the clinical development of school psychologists to help them reach their full potential, and in holistic educational consultation with school staff and parents. He has served as a board member of the Texas Association of School Psychologists (TASP) and is currently pursuing his Doctorate in School Psychology at Texas Tech University. He has a passion for supporting and assisting school districts that are underserved and/or remotely rural. His current research relates to systems of support for rural school psychologists.
In his free time, Christopher loves hanging out with his wife and two sons. He has a few keen interests outside his family and school psychology. He is an avid cinefile, rabid board game player, and a lifelong Kansas City Chiefs fan. A final obsession that brings together multiple different areas of interest (analytics, games, sport, and statistics) is fantasy football. Christopher also co-hosts the TASP TALKS podcast with his good chum Brook Roberts, fellow founder of The School Collective.
You can find and follow him on Instagram @Theschoolpsychguy where he loves engaging virtually with fellow school psychologists!
Brook Roberts
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Brook Roberts (he/him) is a school psychologist in Texas that works as a special education coordinator for a local school district in Central Texas. A nomadic (and itinerant) school psychologist at heart, he recently transitioned from Texas Tech University where he held positions as the school psychology program director and director of clinical training, primarily supervising graduate students on their journey to become licensed school psychologists. He also worked in small, underserved rural school communities throughout West Texas, providing access to comprehensive school psychological services. He came to school psychology after a brief career as a school social worker and completed his specialist-level training at West Texas A&M University.
A doctoral candidate in school psychology, Brook is researching the roles of teacher implicit bias on teacher-directed aggression. He has been active as a board member of the TASP since 2011 having served as webmaster, area representative, and president, and is a co-host of the TASP Talks podcast. In his non-professional time, Brook enjoys traveling with his wife to Nashville to visit their daughter, having a strong, hoppy IPA with friends, and hopes to learn to take up a hobby one day. Maybe fishing, kayaking, pickleball, or disc golf.
CONTRIBUTORS
Amy Shatila
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Amy [she/her] is a school psychologist and a former special education teacher. She has served learners and families in Central Texas since 2008. Her passions include centering children’s voices, supporting interns and early career professionals, and collaborating with school staff to enhance mental health supports and services. Amy develops and facilitates training sessions that focus on building belonging, growing inclusive practices, using strength-based language, and honoring neurodiversity. She has facilitated learning opportunities at the local, state, and national levels, including NASP and APA. She was recently honored with the Advocacy in Action Award by TASP. On weekends, you can find Amy kayaking rivers, camping under the stars, and exploring the world with her partner, two children, and three dogs.
ASHLEY PONCE
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Ashley Ponce (She/Her) is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) and Licensed Behavior Analyst (LBA). Before becoming licensed as a BCBA, Ashley was a special education teacher for 6 years. Working in a variety of settings and roles helped cement her passion in developing and advancing behavioral progress in the classroom.
Ashley has worked as a BCBA in both the educational and clinical setting. Through this journey, she has found her passion in collaborating with and training educators on how to provide support to students with special needs. Ashley specializes in conducting Functional Behavior Assessments (FBA’s) and developing Behavior Intervention Plans (BIP’s) to address behavior concerns in the classroom. She also has extensive experience in behavioral consultation with parents and school staff, and completing Functional Analysis (FA’s).
Ashley’s expertise makes her a highly qualified supervisor for those supervisees seeking hours to become a BCBA or BCaBA.
Melissa Mathews
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Melissa Mathews (she/her) is a speech-language pathologist and RESNA certified assistive technology professional. Melissa has 18 years of experience working with learners who have complex communication needs and learning differences. Melissa has worked in a variety of settings, such as pediatric outpatient, home health, residential centers for behavior, and utilization management, but is most passionate about the school setting. Melissa has had the privilege of working in the school setting for 10 years.
Her professional focus is on removing learning and communication behaviors using a strength-based, neuro-affirming model. Melissa has presented to districts, private organizations, the John Slatin’s AccessU conference 2017 and 2018, the annual Texas Speech & Hearing Association Convention 2019, Region 13 Communication Connections Conference 2019, and the Region 13 Autism Conference 2023 on the topics of AAC assessment, assistive technology considerations, and strength-based neuro-affirming language evaluation for nonspeaking learners. Melissa has lived in Austin, Texas since 2004. As a child she immigrated from Johannesburg, South Africa with her parents and grew up in Cleveland, Ohio. Melissa attended Kent State University for her Bachelors in Communication Disorders and earned her Masters in Speech-Language Pathology from Cleveland State University. When not working, Melissa’s favorite activity is hanging out with her husband, son, and two dogs watching movies on the couch. Melissa loves animals and has been a long time foster and volunteer for a local dog rescue. Her happy place is the gym.