Eileen A Klemm

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• National Training Director

Email

klem0027@umn.edu

Phone

+1 612-624-0731

Address

Masonic Institute On The Developing Brain
Rm 2-314 [map]
2025 E River Pkwy
Minneapolis, MN 55455-0226

Eileen A. Klemm, Ph.D. is the National Training Director for Check & Connect at the University of Minnesota’s Institute on Community Integration (ICI). With over 15 years of experience in special education, Dr. Klemm’s background includes 13 years as a Speech-Language Pathologist in public schools and work as a Special Education Compliance Specialist for the Minnesota Department of Education. Since joining ICI in 2012, she has led the development of resources, training, coaching, and professional development to support Check & Connect implementation across the country.

Dr. Klemm collaborates with state-level teams to expand Check & Connect and ensure its effective implementation. She is the principal investigator on two U.S. Department of Education-funded projects: Circle Up: An Integrated Whole School Model to Address Learners’ Social-Emotional Learning Needs, which includes implementing Check & Connect at the elementary level, and Enhancing Secondary/Transition Outcomes Using Check & Connect with the Self-Determined Learning Model of Instruction, a randomized control trial focused on improving outcomes for secondary learners with disabilities.

Dr. Klemm earned her Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development with a focus on Evaluation Studies, as well as a Master’s degree in Communication Disorders, both from the University of Minnesota.

Check & Connect began in 1990 at the University of Minnesota with initial funding from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP). Originally developed to address student engagement and dropout prevention, it has evolved over three decades into a self-sustaining model supported by schools, districts, state education agencies, and youth organizations nationwide. This growth has been driven by the Check & Connect national office at the University of Minnesota, which offers a combination of freely available resources and commercial products/services to ensure the program's continued expansion and effective implementation.