THE EDUCATOR COLLABORATIVE - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Associate
- 6 - 12 ELA Curriculum Coordinator in Woburn, Massachusetts
- Associate Member of the
Abby Gillis is an associate member of TheEdCollab. An ELA educator with 20 years experience working in secondary classrooms in Woburn, Massachusetts. She spent 15 years as a high school ELA teacher before transitioning into her current role as her district's 6-12 ELA Curriculum Coordinator where a major focus has been training and supporting teachers in writer's and reader's workshop through modeling, coaching, and co-teaching. Follow her on Twitt er @MrsGillisELA.
Job Titles:
- Consultant for New Mind Education
- Expert
- Fellow / North Carolina
Amira Abdel-Aal is an expert in providing culturally sustaining literacy education, complimented by technology and focused on fostering global citizenship.
Amira's work with students and educators helps to provide access that allows students to go beyond the classroom walls, connect, and make learning a real-life and meaningful experience. In a time where technology, information, and different forms of expression are at our fingertips, Amira believes in the importance of giving students the opportunities to unlock their full potential as our world's global ambassadors, developing as globally conscious digital citizens.
Amira is currently a consultant for New Mind Education where she designs and supports global learning strategies for holistic student programming built upon real experiences and background knowledge of the learner. She served as a lead coach at the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design (d.School) at Stanford University, running live "Discover Design Thinking" workshops at the K12 lab and d.School. Previously, alongside teaching, she evolved into the role of the EdTech Innovation Director at New Horizon School in Irvine, CA. New Horizon is an award-winning Independent Islamic School, distinguished as a National Blue Ribbon School and a Leader in Me "Lighthouse School."
Her passion for educational technology, intentional experiences, and innovation led to New Horizon's 1:1 laptop program and the launching of an IDEAS Lab (Innovation, Design, Engineering, Art, Science) in this year's brand new Upper Campus. She focuses on developing skills that take into consideration the whole child.
Amira holds a Masters degree in Teaching, a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential, and a Bachelors in Economics with a minor in Business Management from U.C. Irvine. After leaving the corporate world as a consultant, Amira quickly found fulfillment and inspiration in the students she had the privilege of sharing a classroom with.
Amira is a frequent speaker at conferences, including the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), the International Society of Technology in Education (ISTE), TheEdCollab's Gathering, and the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA)'s Education Forum, frequently presenting with her students. Her work has also been featured in print, including in the Orange County Register.
Amira believes that there is no age minimum to connect with students and create an environment where they can be engaged deeply, and cultivate a seriousness of purpose and a passion for learning.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Fifth Grade ELA Teacher in West Orange, NJ
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Technology Resource Teacher and Student Technology Coach at St. Patrick Catholic School in Louisville, KY
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Curriculum Supervisor in New Jersey
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Teacher in Vermont
Christopher Lehman is the Founding Director of The Educator Collaborative, a K-12 Literacy think tank and professional development organization, working to innovate the ways educators learn together.
He is an international speaker, literacy consultant, and New York Times best-selling author. He holds degrees from UW-Madison, NYU, and Teachers College, Columbia University. Chris has been a middle-school teacher, high-school teacher, literacy coach, and staff developer. He sits on the Board of Directors of the National Center for Families Learning, is a past Chair of the NCTE Middle Level Section, and past member of the NCTE Executive Committee.
He has served as column editor for NCTE's peer-reviewed journal, Voices from the Middle, and his articles and interviews have appeared in many journals and publications including the International Literacy Association's Reading Today, in EdWeek, and in Education SmartBrief. He has supported schools and districts across the United States and around the world in developing robust, research-based, effective literacy curricula and practices.
Now with The Educator Collaborative, he is working to innovate the ways literacy educators learn in-person and online, providing professional learning for teachers, coaches, and administrators so students can hold their brightest futures.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Middle School Principal in Paramus, NJ
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Professional Learning Specialist in Texas
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Fellow
- Educational Consultant in Illinois
- Expert
Dr. Cindy Gerwin is an expert in upper elementary and middle school literacy instruction, curriculum design, and assessment.
Cindy is lifelong learner, educator, speaker/storyteller, author, and bibliophile. She is passionate about literacy in multi-modalities and about building inclusive literacy communities full of curious joyful learners. Cindy is an advocate for culturally responsive pedagogy, social equity, and restorative justice.
Cindy shares her passion in elementary classrooms by engaging students and their families with authentic, integrated, and interdisciplinary literacy experiences. She is the founder/sponsor of the Literacy 4 Life (L4L) community supporting three branches: student, family, and teacher. The L4L community seeks to: create positive joyful literacy experiences, improve access to culturally relevant books, bring district stakeholders together to collaborate and share knowledge, and empower change. Cindy is also the founder of Bridging Perspectives, LLC an educational advocacy, professional learning, and consulting group.
Cindy has served as an adjunct/university practicum supervisor for National Louis University, as a cooperating teacher for pre-service educators, and as a mentor to early- career practitioners. She has written numerous articles including a column in the Illinois Reading Council (IRC) Journal. She has traveled both nationally and internationally to share her passion for literacy learning by presenting and learning alongside of educators from around the world. Cindy's expertise includes: the affective domain of reading (motivation, engagement, identity, agency, self-efficacy); multicultural literacy; integrated inquiry/project-based learning, social equity, and restorative justice. She builds upon current research, theory, and data to provide practical, realistic applications in today's classrooms.
Cindy has a Bachelor of Science in Business, Management and Marketing, from Eastern Illinois University. She earned a Master of Arts in Elementary Education (K-9) from Benedictine University (2009) and an endorsement to teach English as a Second Language (K-12) from National Louis University (2008). In 2013, Cindy became a National Board Certified Teacher, Illinois Master Teacher Certification; Generalist-Middle Childhood. She earned her Doctorate of Education in Literacy from Judson University in May of 2018. While working on her doctorate, Cindy also earned a Reading Teacher endorsement (K-12).
The combination of Cindy's business and educational experience provide her with a unique background to guide an organization's leaders in the systematic implementation of a vision and mission through the development and/or fine-tuning of long- and short-term goals, systems, programs, and curriculum designed to focus on improving learning outcomes and maximizing growth.
Cindy is the Past President of the Illinois Reading Council. She was the 2014 Conference Chair overseeing the most well attended and profitable conference, Building Bridges to Literacy, in the organization's history. She also holds memberships in such organizations as National Education Association, Association for Supervision and Curriculum, National Council of Teachers of English, and International Literacy Association. Throughout her coursework, by attending various seminars/workshops, and by actively participating in educational organizations, she has committed herself to excellence in education through lifelong learning.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Fellow
- Educational Consultant in Texas
- Expert
Dr. Lois Marshall Barker is an expert in secondary reading and writing instruction, learning with technology, curriculum development, and multicultural education.
With over 16 years in education, Lois believes every student deserves access to equitable, inclusive, high-quality education in safe and liberated spaces. She believes educators deserve space and time to be supported and challenged as they deepen their pedagogical knowledge and skills through meaningful, quality, professional learning not rooted in oppressive instructional practices.
Dr. Barker completed her doctoral degree at Abilene Christian University in May 2021. Her concentration was on learning with emerging technology. Her dissertation assessed the implementation of 1-1 learning in a South Texas school district, specifically examining the impact on the success of 10th-grade ELA students. She completed her master's in education at the University of Texas at Arlington in Curriculum and Instruction, focusing on literary studies.
She has served in both classroom and leadership roles. She served as a lead teacher and ELA and ESL department chair for six years. Her roles included teaching English Language Arts (grades 9-11), Reading Intervention (grades 9-12), AP Language (grade 11), and Newcomer-ESL (grades 9-10). She has served as a Teacher Development and Curriculum Specialist in Houston. She worked with ELA, AP, and ESL teachers to create blended learning spaces and create student-centered curriculum. She was a part of the Houston ISD curriculum team that created and piloted online learning content.
Dr. Barker is a secondary ELA curriculum developer based in Houston, TX. In her current organization, she leads learning sessions on DEIB, including revising content design guidelines to include a DEIB lens. Dr. Barker has won awards for her advocacy, volunteerism, and DEIB work within the organization. She is a proud NCTE member, serving as the Region 6 Representative of the Standing Committee on Affiliates. Dr. Barker is also a board member of TCTELA, the TX affiliate of NCTE. She is their NCTE Liaison and SLATE Representative and coordinates the affiliate's Education Advocacy Day during the TX legislative session. Lois is also TCTELA's Dream Program coordinator. In this role, she works to recruit and mentor pre-service teachers of color and BIPOC high school students with goals of pursuing education in college. Most recently, she took ownership of the organization's Ambassador Program.
Dr. Barker's work can be found in TCTELA publications, NCTE newsletters, the #31daysIBPOC project, and other sources. Her writing often focuses on areas of her continued research and practice, such as language oppression and linguistic discrimination, creating blending learning spaces, and the intersections between education policy, social justice, and curriculum. In 2021, she co-authored a book with her daughter, Ava's Caribbean ABC, to celebrate their Caribbean heritage. Dr. Barker is an avid reader and serves on Houston's Teen Book Con Festival committee.
Dr. Towanda Harris is an expert in educational leadership and child and adolescent literacy, including a focus on rigorous instructional planning.
Her teaching, writing, and research support educators in examining instructional resources and practices through a critical lens that helps teachers match their understanding of their student's needs to their individual goals. Her passion to elevate teachers' voices through her podcast, "My Two Cents", provides a space for a community of educators to share their personal stories with each other.
Towanda is the author of The Right Tools: A Guide to Selecting, Evaluating, and Implementing Classroom Resources and Practices. Her experience ranges from a classroom teacher, staff developer, literacy content specialist, and an instructional coach. Currently an Instructional Leadership Coordinator and an adjunct professor of reading and writing in Atlanta, Georgia, she brings years of experience to the education world. As a member of the #G2Great Twitter Chat team of educators, Towanda enjoys engaging in meaningful dialogue that challenges education and centers students in the process.
Towanda's teaching journey began in an urban school in Atlanta, Georgia, with third-grade students. She eventually transitioned to the role of an Early Intervention Program specialist where she began to provide additional reading and math support to third through fifth-grade students each year. Soon after, as a literacy coach for the Georgia Reading First program, she began providing professional learning to teachers across the state of Georgia. Towanda's Doctorate in Educational Leadership has provided her with opportunities to support school leaders throughout the state and has allowed her to return to her Historically Black College and University alma mater, Clark Atlanta University, as an adjunct professor.
Teachers turn to her to learn how to employ resources, blend them with best practices, and help all students reach their full potential. Towanda has presented workshops, webinar series, and on-site professional learning throughout the country. Some of her workshops include the Wisconsin State Reading Association (WSRA) Conference, Learning Forward Conference, National Reading Recovery LitCon Conference, Indiana State Literacy Association Conference (ISLA), GDOE Impacting Student Learning Conference, and the Public Education and Business Coalition (PEBC) Conference. In addition, she is a member of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), International Literacy Association (ILA), and Literacy Consultants Coalition (LCC).
Job Titles:
- Assistant Professor of Language and Literacy at the University of Texas
- Expert in Family and Community
- Fellow / Texas
- Founder of Somos Escritoras / We Are Writers
Dr. Tracey T. Flores is an expert in Family and Community Literacies and literacy instruction for multilingual students, in both K-8 school settings and community spaces.
Tracey believes in the transformative power of reading and writing to change lives, to help us understand our experiences, to heal, to imagine our futures and to build community.
Currently, Tracey is an assistant professor of Language and Literacy at the University of Texas at Austin where she teaches Language Arts Methods and Community Literacies in the K-5 teacher education program. Her research focuses on Latina mothers' and daughters' language and literacy practices, the teaching of young writers in culturally and linguistically diverse classrooms, and family and community literacies.
Tracey is co-author of Cultivating Young Multilingual Writers: Nurturing Voices and Stories in and beyond the Classroom Walls (NCTE, 2023) and has published in Research in the Teaching of English, Journal of Literacy Research, Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, Bilingual Research Journal, and Voices from the Middle. She holds four degrees from Arizona State University, including two BAs in Journalism and Multilingual/Multicultural Elementary Education with an ESL endorsement, a Master's in Language and Literacy, and a PhD in English Education. During her time at ASU, Tracey co-organized and co-directed, El Día de Los Niños/El Día de Los Libros: A Celebration of Youth, Languages, Cultures and Literacies, which brought together over 500 youth and their teachers to campus for a morning of author keynotes, writing workshops and free books.
Prior to her roles at the university level, Tracey was an English Language Development (ELD), English Language Arts (ELA), and multiage teacher, working for eight years alongside culturally and linguistically diverse students, families and communities in K-8 schools throughout Glendale and Phoenix, Arizona. As a classroom teacher, Tracey created and facilitated a family writing workshop for her multilingual students and their families in which they attended weekly sessions to draw, write and share stories from their lived experiences. She has presented at state and national conferences on her learning and work alongside families in these spaces, and led professional development for pre-service teachers, teachers and literacy coaches interested in creating and sustaining welcoming spaces for students, families and communities.
Tracey is the founder of Somos Escritoras/We Are Writers, a creative space for Latina girls (grades 6-12) that invites them to share and perform stories from their lived experiences using art, theater and writing as a tool for self-reflection and self-expression. In addition, Tracey is the Co-Chair of the Latinx Caucus of National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) and the Founding Co-Chair of the Commission on Family and Community Literacies of English Language Arts Teacher Educators (ELATE). She is a member of the 2016-2018 Cultivating New Voices Among Scholars (CNV) of Color cohort and Cohort Three of Professional Dyads and Culturally Responsive Teaching (PDCRT). Recently, Tracey was named the 2019 Promising Researcher by the NCTE Standing Committee on Research.
Job Titles:
- Expert
- Fellow / Michigan
- Professor of English and Education at Central Michigan University
Dr. Troy Hicks is an award-winning expert in digital literacy, writing instruction, and teacher education.
Troy is a professor of English and education at Central Michigan University and focuses his work on the teaching of writing, the intersections of literacy and technology, and, more broadly, teacher education and professional development. A former middle school teacher, he collaborates with K-12 colleagues and explores how they implement new literacies in their classrooms. Hicks directs CMU's Chippewa River Writing Project, a site of the National Writing Project, and, previously, the Master of Arts in Learning, Design & Technology, leading the program to become the first ed tech program to reach 100% alignment with the ISTE Standards for Educators. An ISTE Certified Educator, a certified facilitator through StoryCenter, and an affiliate faculty member of the Media Education Lab, Dr. Hicks frequently conducts professional development workshops related to writing and technology. Recently, he has served as the leader of a Teaching with Primary Sources grant through the Library of Congress, and as a co-editor of the Michigan Reading Journal.
Most recently, he is the author of Mindful Teaching with Technology: Digital Diligence in the English Language Arts, Grades 6-12 (Guilford Press). Also, Hicks is author of the Heinemann titles Crafting Digital Writing (2013) and The Digital Writing Workshop (2009) as well as a co-author of Because Digital Writing Matters (Jossey-Bass, 2010), Create, Compose, Connect! (Routledge/Eye on Education, 2014), Connected Reading (NCTE, 2015), Research Writing Rewired (Corwin Literacy, 2015), Coaching Teacher-Writers (Teachers College Press, 2016), Argument in the Real World (Heinemann, 2017), From Texting to Teaching (Routledge/Eye on Education, 2017), Ask, Explore, Write! (Routledge/Eye on Education, 2020), and Creating Confident Writers (W. W. Norton, 2020). His edited collection, Assessing Students' Digital Writing (Teachers College Press, 2015) features the work of seven National Writing Project teachers. Hicks has authored or co-authored over 40 journal articles and book chapters, and he blogs at hickstro.org.
Since beginning work at CMU in 2007, he has earned numerous distinctions including the Michigan Council of Teachers of English Charles Carpenter Fries Award (2008), CMU's Provost's Award for junior faculty who demonstrate outstanding achievement in research and creative activity (2011), the Richard A. Meade Award for scholarship in English Education (2014), the Michigan Reading Association's Teacher Educator Award (2018), CMU's Excellence in Teaching Award (2020), and the Initiative for 21st Century Literacies Research's Divergent Award for Excellence (2020).
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Learning Leader and 5th Grade Teacher in the Spanish Bilingual Program of the Calgary Board of Education
Elizabeth Lacy Schoenberger brings expertise in standards-based grading, curriculum development, and instructional coaching to The Educator Collaborative.
Elizabeth draws on vast experience in urban education, serving as a classroom teacher, Professor of English education, Reading Specialist, Litera cy Coach, Teacher Leadership Support and Design Manager, and Instructional Supervisor at the middle school and college levels.
Elizabeth currently teaches at the middle level, putting research into practice at a DC metro area school district.
Her leadership in curriculum restructuring, developing standards aligned assessments, and facilitating interdisciplinary teams has had powerful effect on the teachers and students she serves. She has innovated methods for school-based data collection using online tools, including staff and student surveys that help to look at the whole school culture beyond only test scores.
In her roll as a Fellow, Elizabeth helps to lead much of TheEdCollab's curriculum development and assessment practices, helping our members blend standards alignment and literacy best practices to form curricula that meets a diverse student population. Additionally, Elizabeth brings a deep knowledge of adult learning practices, developed from years of studying, as a participating educator, with a number of organizations including the Aussie Network, Teachers College Reading and Writing Project, NCTE, and Kylene Beers and Bob Probst.
She has presented at national conferences and has appeared in Teachers and Writers magazine. She holds a Masters in Teaching from Pace University. She pursues creative writing with an independent writing group, and passes her free time devouring young adult and adult fiction, and playing with her dogs.
Elizabeth brings to schools systematic ways of approaching redesign and alignment, methods for self-assessment, and a particular belief and love for the needs and strengths of middle school learners.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Literacy Specialist and Doctoral Candidate in Texas
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- Associate
- Founding Principal in Texas
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- Associate
- Elementary Teacher in Washington
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- Associate
- Reading Specialist / Literacy Coach in Random Lake, WI
Jamie Utecht is an experienced elementary educator, currently serving as Reading Specialist/Literacy Coach in Random Lake, WI. Previously she has served as a Special Education teacher and a 2nd Grade teacher. She holds a Master's Degree in Reading and Literacy from Cardinal Stritch University in Milwaukee, WI and a Student-Centered Coaching Certificate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Jamie considers herself a life-long learner and is always looking for opportunities to learn through collaboration, technology, and reading.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- High School Reading Specialist in Columbia, Maryland
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- Specialist for Indian Prairie School District 204, the
Jessica Walsh is the K-12 ELA Instructional Specialist for Indian Prairie School District 204,the fourth largest district in Illinois, serving 28,500 students from suburban Chicago. Before starting this role in 2017, she taught 7th grade English Language Arts in District 204 for 11 years. She holds a masters degree in Reading Instruction from Concordia University - Chicago. Jessica is a strong advocate for equity in education and literacy access for all, which is why she proudly supports the work of The Educator Collaborative. She is a Google for Education Certified Educator and Trainer. Follow her on Twitter @storiestoldinsf and #FutureReady204.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Literacy Coordinator in Anglophone West School District in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada
JoEllen McCarthy is a TheEdCollab Book Ambassador, focusing on PreK-6 readers (meet our 6-12 Ambassador, Julia, here). JoEllen is an expert in children's reading development and rigorous elementary literacy instruction.
JoEllen McCarthy, an educator for 20+ years, is a lifelong learner and literacy specialist who spends her days teaching and learning alongside students, teachers and administrators to support literacy instruction, as well as student-centered collaborative coaching cycles. As The Educator Collaborative's Book Ambassador, she spreads her enthusiasm for literature through an exploration of mentor texts that emphasize reading and writing connections through conversations about practices that contribute to caring, responsive, classroom communities.
A frequent presenter at regional and national conferences, JoEllen works hands-on in schools and districts to impact professional literacy communities with research and standards-aligned best practices that recognize students as our most important aspect of the curriculum. She is passionate about the heart work of teaching and works to emphasize reading and writing connections, character education, responsive classrooms, and culturally responsive teaching, while championing the power of read alouds and choice to affect independent readers, writers and thinkers. JoEllen facilitates pedagogy with differentiation within the workshop model as a method and mindset for reaching all learners.
JoEllen holds degrees from Loyola, Maryland, NYU, and an administrative degree specializing in staff development from Hofstra. She currently serves as a classroom teacher, literacy specialist, and consultant for the organization she founded, Always Learning. JoEllen is an expert in children's reading development and rigorous elementary literacy instruction, and the author of Layers of Learning her most recent work on the power of read alouds to connect hearts and minds, available from Stenhouse.
A true believer in the power of collaborating and sharing, JoEllen is proud to be a connected educator, using Twitter as her online "literacy lounge" to share "literacy snapshots" and "#PDlove" to grow ideas and celebrate literacy and learning in action. She is a proud member of the NerdyBookClub.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Assistant Principal K - 2 at the American School Foundation of Monterrey, Mexico
Julia E. Torres is a TheEdCollab Book Ambassador, focusing on 6-12 readers (meet our K-5 Ambassador, JoEllen, here). Julia is an expert in matching texts with readers, in secondary writing and reading instruction, including accelerated reading and writing instruction for multilingual students and those learning in urban environments. Julia is fluent in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Teacher in Los Angeles, California
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- Associate
- Assistant Principal of Intervention in Suburban Chicago
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- Associate
- First Grade Teacher at the American Foundation School of Monterrey in Monterrey, Mexico
Kelly Honey is a 10th year educator. She is a first grade teacher at the American Foundation School of Monterrey in Monterrey, Mexico. Before moving to lower elementary, she taught 3rd grade in Conway, Arkansas and Doha, Qatar. She is a proud alumni of the University of Central Arkansas where she received her B.S.E. in Early Childhood Education and M.S.Ed. in Reading. At ASFM she serves as the K-2 ELA sectional subject leader. She has a great passion for teaching all children to read and write!
Job Titles:
- Expert
- Fellow / New Jersey
Dr. Keri Orange-Jones is an expert in reading and writing instruction, content area literacy, assessment strategies and anti-bias education.
Keri currently teaches fifth-grade social studies and science in New Jersey. She has been an educator for 24 years, entering the profession as an Alternate Route Teacher. She received her Master's in Education Administration and Supervision from St. Peter's College.
She completed her doctoral degree at Rutgers University in May 2018. The title of her dissertation is Good Teaching is Good Teaching: Teachers' Understandings of Evaluation & Self-Efficacy, focusing on teachers' experiences with evaluation and their feelings of efficacy. Keri is a Clinical Faculty member in the Montclair State University Network for Urban Renewal and a Non-Teaching Adjunct at CUNY, School of Professional Studies working with Online Business Programs. Keri also completed the Drew Writing Project, which is part of the National Writing Project. She has offered her insight as a guest speaker on podcasts and participated in several virtual professional learning
Keri is an advocate of student choice in assessment. She believes that students should be able to choose the modality of assessment, thus allowing students to highlight their strengths when completing formative and summative assessment tasks. In her blog article for The Educator Collaborative entitled Kenny, The Student Who Taught Me about Giftedness and Assessment, Keri shares her belief that when given choice, students will develop a high sense of efficacy, take ownership of their learning and experience more success. She also shares these thoughts in her presentation, Student Choice: The Key to Enjoyable Assessments. Keri hopes to continue to focus on offering students various assessment choices as well as investigate alternatives to criteria for acceptance into Gifted & Talented Programs.
She has nurtured her passion for history and married it to her love of writing and English Language Arts by finding ways to integrate Social Studies and English Language Arts using socially diverse texts. In addition, she has co-moderated book clubs using the books Stamped and White Fragility, as she furthers her work as an advocate of anti-racist pedagogy.
Dr. Orange-Jones believes in addressing the learning needs of the various pupils in her charge. She also advocates for equity and accessibility for all students, regardless of socioeconomic status. Additional research interests include teacher education, positive school culture and climate and the importance of representation and diversity in the educational field.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Instructional Coach in Chicago
Leah Inoyatov is the Administrative Assistant for The Educator Collaborative. She is a student at Hofsta University in New York City. Leah has experience across companies and non-profits, supporting administrative functions, coordinating with clients and staff, and supporting daily operations.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Assistant Professor in Grand Rapids, Michigan
Lisa Brown is a national board certified teacher with over 25 years of experience in both public and private schools in New York City and in several communities in New Jersey. She has taught children from preschool to high school as both a classroom teacher and teacher leader. Lisa has served as a mentor for new teachers and Coordinator of the Gifted and Talented Program. She has also been a member of her district's School Leadership Team, Professional Development Committee, and School Improvement Panel. Her goal is to encourage and instill a lifelong desire of learning in all children and has worked consistently to improve the quality of student education. Nationally, she has co-authored and sponsored a national reading corner grant, moderated webinars with experts in the fields of parent advocacy, Common Core, Closing the Achievement Gap, and effective classroom strategies for African American student success; and led workshops on educational trends and policies.
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- Associate
- Instructional Coach in Hartford, Connecticut
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- Associate
- Coordinator of Innovation and Instructional Technology in Illinois
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- Associate
- Teacher in Texas
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- Associate
- Associate Professor in Urbana, IL
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- Associate
- Instructor in Maine
Shawna is the author of Literacy For All: A Framework or Anti-Oppressive Teaching (Routledge, 2024) Writing, Redefined: Broadening Our Ideas of What It Means to Compose (Stenhouse 2019) and Renew! Become a Better-and More Authentic-Writing Teacher (Stenhouse 2017),and a number of pieces that have been featured in Voices from the Middle, Literacy Today, The Reading Teacher, Education Week, The Nerdy Book Club blog, and others. Her latest book, about enacting anti-oppressive literacy practices, is due out in the late summer/fall of 2023. She has also presented at a number of national and regional education conferences, including ILA, NCTE, ASCD, and The Educator Collaborative's own #TheEdCollabGathering.
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- Associate
- Educational Consultant
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- Associate
- Educational Leader
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- Associate
- Professor in Michigan
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- Associate
- Director for Student Engagement in the Office
- Director for Student Engagement in the Office of Equity Affairs for Wake County Public School System
Teresa Bunner currently serves as the Director for Student Engagement in the Office of Equity Affairs for Wake County Public School System. In this role she supports 179 K-12 schools in honoring and amplifying student voice. Prior to that she was the High School Literacy Coordinating Teacher serving 30 high schools in the district to support disciplinary literacy in all classrooms. Before arriving in WCPSS she served as the Academic Support Specialist for the Blue Ribbon Mentor-Advocate Program in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools serving students of color in 4th-12th grade to support their academic success. Teresa spent 20 years as a classroom teacher and reading specialist at elementary, middle, and high schools. She was the 2007 Elk Grove Unified School District Teacher of the Year. Teresa loves books, and finds great joy in connecting students (and fellow staff members) with reading. She's the mother of four amazing young people, three of whom are off to college and taxiing her youngest to sports and school events.