John Burst is starting his fifth year as principal at the School Within School (SWS), a District of Columbia public school. One of the four founding teachers of SWS, John spent over 20 years studying the municipal schools of Reggio Emilia, Italy, using them as a point of reference for developing the curriculum, climate and culture of SWS, a teacher-directed school. John has presented at the National Association of Young Children (NAEYC), North American Reggio Emilia Alliance (NAREA), Jewish Community Center of Greater Washington and DCPS. He holds a B.S. degree in Elementary Education from Tennessee Tech University and an M.A. degree in Educational Leadership from Bank Street College of Education. At WISSIT 2016 he is co-leading an interactive course.