Head of School Welcome
Doug Killin
Head of school
Hello and welcome to Compass!
Compass High School was founded by parents seeking a unique approach to educating their Neurodiverse children. Since then, we have evolved from a humble two-room schoolhouse to an institution spanning several buildings on the campus of Notre Dame de Namur University. This growth is a testament to our commitment and success in providing a supportive learning environment.
We are dedicated to explicitly teaching learning skills that foster confidence, enabling students to take risks. We instill resilience, ensuring students can bounce back from mistakes. We inspire true independence, empowering students to continue learning and growing throughout their lives.
Faculty go to great lengths to get to know each student as an individual human being. They embrace all aspects of their students’personalities and expose them to learning opportunities that will build confidence and understanding of their own strengths. Our teachers truly enjoy the work they do every day and meet students individually where they are within a classroom setting.
Please explore our website and feel free to reach out and learn what makes Compass High School a collaborative, supportive, college prep program for students who learn differently and how your student could thrive here.
Sincerely,
Doug Killin
Head of School
About Doug
Doug Killin comes to Compass with an exceptional background teaching and leading organizations for students with learning differences. Most recently, he was Director of the Middle School at Charles Armstrong. In this role, he oversaw teacher development, student discipline, parent communication, curriculum development and counseling programs.
Prior to Charles Armstrong, Doug served in roles such as Dean of Students, Assistant Head of School and has close to 20 years of classroom teaching experience. He has worked in both mainstream education as well as schools focusing on students that learn in untraditional ways. While most of his teaching experience took place in California, he also worked at Landmark College in Vermont after receiving his Bachelor’s degree.
Doug holds a Master of Arts in Education from University of San Francisco and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a focus on learning psychology from Keene State College. He pursued a course work in clinical psychology at San Jose State and completed a program in Educational Therapy through Cal Berkeley. Over his career he has received recognition for his teaching including be named as a San Jose Distinguished Teachers in San Jose Magazine, and a John Hopkins recognition award. He has presented on Dyslexia in many venues including Harvard University.
Doug is excited to be taking on the role of Head of School at Compass High School and we look forward to the next chapter in the school’s history.