Keating Submitted Photo Scranton School District Superintendent Erin Keating was sitting in her corporate accounting class during her junior year at West Chester University when she suddenly realized the career she thought she wanted wasn’t actually the right fit.
“I remember thinking, ‘This isn’t me. I can’t do this,’” said Keating, 49.
The first phone call she made after this revelation was to her parents to let them know she was switching her major from accounting to English.
“My dad’s first question was, ‘How much is this going to cost?’” Keating laughed. “His second question was, ‘How long will this take?”
Luckily, after buckling down and taking some extra classes, she only had to take one additional semester before she was able to start student teaching.
It’s now been over 25 years since Keating set out on her career in education and since then, she’s held a variety of positions in teaching and administration at several different school districts. Before becoming Scranton’s Superintendent in April of this year, she served as the Superintendent of Old Forge, as well as Principal of the Wyoming Valley West Middle School.
Additionally, Keating holds three master’s degrees and a Doctorate in Education from Wilkes University.
“I think my personality lends itself to this profession. I love working with people. I love working with kids. I love working with the community and trying to better the home that I grew up in,” she said. “I consider NEPA to be the place that raised me and made me who I am. I’m a product of public education. Now, it’s about figuring out how to give back and make that system better so that other people can do the things that I’ve done.”
For Times Leader’s Women Inspired special section, we spoke with Keating about her hopes for the Scranton School District, her career journey so far, and the path she’s helped create for other women in the field.
Keating, who has lived in Edwardsville her whole life, began her career as a seventh and eighth grade English Language Arts teacher at the Wyoming Valley West Middle School before becoming an elementary school principal and eventually, principal of the high school.
“I’ll say, from a female perspective, there still aren’t a lot of female high school principals. You walk into a room of high school principals and it’s usually a male dominated world,” she said.
According to previous Times Leader reporting, Keating was one of only two female principals in Luzerne County’s 13 public high schools.
It was in transitioning from a teaching role to an administrative one that Keating finally found her niche.
“I loved teaching and that was my world. When I got into the administration side of things and I started to see that you could put in programming and classes that make it better for kids, that’s truly where I was like, ‘I’ve found where I’m supposed to be,’” she said.
Keating left the Wyoming Valley West school district in 2015 to take on the role of Supervisor of Elementary Education in Scranton.
“I never in my life thought I would leave Valley West. I graduated from Valley West, I live in the school district, my family’s from Valley West. But I left and went to Scranton and people thought I was crazy,” Keating laughed.
In 2019, she was asked to become the Superintendent of Old Forge. She took the leap, changing school districts once again. Although she couldn’t say enough good things about her experience there, she felt as though she still had loose ends to tie up in Scranton and returned earlier this year as Superintendent.
Keating hit the ground running and just four months into the job, she has a clear picture of what the she wants to accomplish in the district.
“One of my goals with the school board is looking at kindergarten readiness and making sure that our kids are coming to us prepared with the skills that they need. When you come in with a deficit, you’re always playing catch up. I think that’s one of the big things I want to work on,” she said.
Other top priorities include increasing rates in literacy and math.
Keating explained, “So many of the jobs and opportunities that exist for kids right now in 21 century learning, you need that strong mathematically background to be successful.”
Meeting student’s basic needs is also important — especially in a district that is struggling with systemic poverty.
“It’s about connecting with community partners and finding the outreach that we need so that kids can come to school and learn and we can remove those barriers for them,” she said.
As the landscape of public education has continued to evolve, Keating keeps her own skills sharp by constantly looking for professional development opportunities.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, supporting the mental behavioral health of students has become even more crucial part of an educator’s job.
Still, behavioral health was not something Keating ever took a class in, despite her doctoral degree.
“So, if I don’t go out and try to find that professional development, if I don’t try to learn all that I can learn about that, then I’m never going to be able to help and do what I need to do to get to the kids that need that help,” she said.
Staying up to date on technological advances is also a vital part of teaching.
“We’re technological infrastructures. You have to remember that about a school system. A school system is no longer chalk boards and textbooks. We’re expected to use that technology to run and operate our business, but then also be able to give kids the 21st century learning skills that they need so they can leave our schools and be productive in a global society,” Keating explained.
She continued, “The technology that’s going to be used by the kids who are currently in 6th and 7th grade when they graduate high school has yet to be developed. So, it’s trying to stay on top of it and ahead of it so you’re knowledgeable and you know how to integrate it and use it the correct way.”
With more than two decades worth of experience under her belt and a slew of accomplishments to name, Keating hopes that her success can help others realize their own strength and potential.
“If any part of my career could help any student, but especially another female, know that theyr’re able to do that, that’s a phenomenal thing and that it’s a piece of my legacy that I’m proud of.”
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