2026 CASE Conference

Rachel Santa
Director of Student Services
North Kingstown School District


Dr. Rachel Santa is an educational leader and specialist in student support services whose work focuses on strengthening inclusive practices and systems of care in public schools. She currently serves as Director of Student Services for the North Kingstown School District in Rhode Island and is also an adjunct lecturer at Salve Regina University. Dr. Santa earned her doctorate in Educational Leadership and pursued advanced study in autism and specialized education, building expertise in supporting students with diverse learning and behavioral needs. Her career began in therapeutic and clinical settings, where she worked as a music therapist and special educator in a state mental health hospital and in a residential facility serving adjudicated youth with emotional and behavioral health challenges. Transitioning into public education, Dr. Santa helped develop and teach within an alternative learning program in a public high school, focusing on students who required more individualized and therapeutic approaches to learning. Her professional approach integrates her background in therapy, creativity, and special education to design comprehensive systems of academic, functional, and emotional supports that allow students to remain successfully engaged in public school settings. Throughout her career, Dr. Santa has been committed to inclusive education, interdisciplinary collaboration, and the development of school-based support programs that address the whole child. Her work emphasizes integrating clinical and educational practices to ensure that students with complex needs receive coordinated services within their school communities.

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