Kareem Neal, MA, is a self-contained special education teacher in Phoenix. He has taught students with cognitive delays for 25 years. As a restorative justice trainer for the Phoenix Union High School District, his passion is connecting all students in schools. This goal comes from his awareness that students with learning differences and students in Black communities do not truly feel like members of their school communities.
Neal has received many accolades for his work including winning the Arizona Education Association’s Diversity Grant and being named vice president of the Phoenix Union High School District’s Black Alliance. He is an Arizona Teacher of the Year and was inducted into the National Teachers Hall of Fame. He is on the board of directors for the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards and the National Network of State Teachers of the Year and has helped pilot the National Network of State Teachers of the Year Mentorship program.
Neal has a bachelor of arts degree in psychology from Seton Hall University and a master of arts degree in special education and teaching from New Jersey City University. He was awarded an honorary doctorate from Northern Arizona University for his contributions to special education in Arizona and is an Understood Teacher Fellow.