Kanika Staten

Kanika received her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Goucher College and completed her Master of Education in Special Education at the University of Maryland. She earned a Maryland Standard Professional Certificate (SPC I) in Generic Special Education (Grades 1–8) and Severe/Profound Disabilities (Birth–21 years old). Prior to joining The Diener School, Kanika taught at The Siena School, where she specialized in physical science, environmental science, and chemistry — while delivering highly targeted reading and English language interventions to students with language-based learning differences. Her instructional toolkit includes evidence-based practices such as Orton-Gillingham and Lindamood-Bell’s Visualizing and Verbalizing. Deeply passionate about holistic student growth, Kanika has extensive experience designing token-economy Positive Behavior Intervention Systems (PBIS), running social skills groups using Second Step and Should I or Shouldn’t I, and mentoring students in self-advocacy to achieve exceptional academic and behavioral milestones.