Dr. Heather Karuza is the Principal at Nathaniel Narbonne High School in Harbor City, CA. Previously, she served as Principal of Alexander Fleming Middle School in Lomita, CA from 2019 to 2022. She received her PhD from Claremont Graduate University in 2014, where she studied education with an emphasis on Urban School Leadership.  She has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mathematics with a Specialization in Computing (2003) and a Master of Education Degree from UCLA (2004), as well as a Master of Arts Degree in Education Administration from Cal. State Dominguez Hills (2010).  Heather has developed the DARTS Intervention Model, which is currently deployed at multiple schools throughout LAUSD, and is an avid driver of educational development through the use of technology and data analysis.

Heather is a Level 2 Google Certified Educator, an expert in the use of Google Apps for Education, and she also is a Microsoft Innovative Educator. Heather previously worked as the Assistant Principal at King/Drew Magnet High School of Medicine and Science, located in the Watts/Willowbrook area of South Los Angeles. Some of her AP duties included: development of the master schedule, professional development, fieldtrips, transportation, instructional programs, testing, technology, and supervision of the Counseling, English, and Social Studies departments. She has also worked at Thomas A. Edison Middle School, located in the Florence/Firestone area of South LA. At Edison she was also an Assistant Principal and began her career there in 2003 as a math teacher for 7th and 8th grade. In 2008, she became the Mathematics Instructional Coach, and in 2012 she made the move into administration.

Heather is also an adjunct professor for the Cal. State Dominguez Hills Graduate School of Education teaching graduate students earning an administrative credential. She has taught SLP 551: Visionary Leadership, SLP 552: Instructional Leadership, SLP 553: Management and Organizational Leadership, and SLP 555: Ethical Leadership. She also created and facilitates an online certificate course entitled Master Schedule for Secondary Administrators.

Heather’s Dissertation: A Math Intervention Model for Middle School: How the Combination of Formative Assessment, Feedback, Academic Vocabulary, and Word Problems Affect Student Achievement in Mathematics

Summary of the DARTS research and results (with graphics): DARTS Model Research Study

Download the PowerPoint from Heather’s ASCA Women in Leadership Symposium on May 20, 2017: How will your reputation precede you?