Cadence Education

25-Year Education Veteran to Lead Academic Vision and Literacy Strategy Across More Than 350 Schools SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. , Aug. 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Cadence Education is proud to announce the promotion of Maggie Walsh to Chief Academic Officer. Maggie brings more than 25 years of experience in education and deep expertise in literacy development, curriculum design, and instructional strategy across a broad range of learning environments and age groups to this new role. Previously serving as Vice President of Education, Maggie has focused on developing practical classroom strategies that help teachers provide effective, engaging, and developmentally appropriate learning experiences for the children and families Cadence serves.

In her expanded role, she will continue to lead academic strategy and vision — strengthening curriculum, deepening data-driven instruction, and upholding standards for early childhood and school-age learning across all schools. Prior to joining Cadence Education, Maggie served as Co-Chief Executive Officer of UChicago Impact, during which time STEP Literacy, a nonprofit wholly owned by the University of Chicago, expanded to more than 240 schools and 110,000 students across 75 cities and 38 states. STEP — Strategic Teaching and Evaluation of Progress — is a developmental formative literacy assessment developed at UChicago.

During her tenure, Maggie designed and launched an innovative data-driven literacy tutoring model and developed STEP Online Progress Monitoring. She also served as a practitioner consultant on developmental preschool literacy and math assessment at UChicago and as a field consultant on a Chicago neighborhood schools literacy and language project led by the Erikson Institute. Since joining Cadence, Maggie has made a meaningful impact beyond the classroom as well — most notably through the launch of the Cadence Parent Partnership webinar series, an initiative designed to strengthen the bridge between school and home by equipping families with tools, strategies, and insights to support their child's learning journey.

The series has become a valued resource for families across the Cadence network and reflects Maggie's deep commitment to family engagement as a cornerstone of educational success. Among her most anticipated initiatives is Raising Readers, a new literacy program focused on family outreach and professional development. Raising Readers will enable educators to foster the development of language, vocabulary, and early literacy skills, and will be introduced to families at curriculum nights at individual schools in the coming months.