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Eileen Griffin
Eileen Griffin is the director of the Griffin Center for Human Development, a national organization committed to promoting continuous school improvement by applying sound principles of human development. The author of Developmentally Appropriate Practices Training Materials for the Pennsylvania Department of Education, published by the Griffin Center, she has been an educational therapist, a teacher of kindergarten, special education, and the gifted and talented; she also coordinates and consults on curriculum for the Gesell Institute of Human Development.
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Michael Hattman
Michael R. Hattman, who earned an M.A. in political science from Marshall University, was named Outstanding Educator by the National Catholic Educational Association in 1998. A presenter at conventions sponsored by High Schools That Work (HSTW) and National Community Education Association (NCEA), among others, Hattman runs two websites, Teachers in the Movies, whose mission is to help educators incorporate movies into their curriculum, and Every Teacher is a Religious Educator, whose goal is to improve religious education.
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Carole Helstrom
Carole Helstrom specializes in differentiated instruction, brain-compatible learning, and mentoring—and as such has been a featured speaker for such organizations as the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), National Staff Development Council (NSDC), Brain Expo, Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES), Special Education Regional Resource Centers (SERRCS), and at conferences organized around issues of learning disabilities and gifted students. She has been a teacher, principal, assistant superintendent, university instructor, and author.
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Judith Irvin
A professor at Florida State University, Judith Irvin has been executive director of the National Literacy Project; chaired the research committee for the National Middle School Association; edited Research in Middle Level Education Quarterly; and contributes regularly to the "What Research Says to the Middle Level Practitioner" column of the Middle School Journal. An active speaker and consultant, she has written and edited material on adolescent literacy, most notably Reading and the High School Student: Strategies to Enhance Literacy; Strategies for Enhancing Literacy and Learning in Middle School Content Area Classrooms; and Teaching Middle School Reading. She is an active member of the Commission on Adolescent Literacy of the International Reading Association.
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Lynda Irvin
Lynda Irvin is the Illinois Leadership and Technology for Change (ITLC) co-director for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Leadership grant for the state of Illinois. (Under the auspices of the Illinois School Administrators Institute, based at Illinois State University, the grant is responsible for the training of 1700 superintendents and principals in data-driven decision-making.) She is one of six principals nationally who served on the Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium (ISLLC) of the Council of Chief State School Officers. She has also been a teacher, principal, staff developer, personnel administrator, and college professor.
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Robyn R. Jackson
Robyn R. Jackson earned her Ph.D in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Maryland. In her work with teachers, administrators, schools, and non-profit organizations, Dr. Jackson focuses on key principles of education rather than isolated strategies. Dr. Jackson founded Mindsteps Inc. in 2006 to help teachers learn how to help every students meet or exceed rigorous learning standards. Her work with administrators helps them effectively train and support teachers and create highly rigorous school programs that ensure equitable access to college readiness for all students. She also works with school systems and non-profits to remove institutional barriers to equity, access, and rigor for all students, particularly students of color who are traditionally under-represented in advanced courses.
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Lee Jenkins
President of From Lto J Consulting Group, Inc., Lee Jenkins writes, speaks, and consults in the educational fields of standards, assessment, accountability, and data-based decision-making. Equipped with a B.A. from Loma Nazarene University and a Ph.D. from Claremont Graduate University, Jenkins taught in the California public schools and at Oregon State University. During his fourteen years as a school district superintendent, he studied the principles of quality organizations, eventually presenting his analyses in his books Improving Student Learning and Permission to Forget. An accomplished editor as well as author, Dr. Jenkins has addressed educators in most states plus several other countries regarding improving classroom, school, and school district systems for the benefit of student learning.
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Elizabeth Jiménez is the CEO of GEMAS, a consulting and advocacy firm dedicated to improving the education of English learners and their families. Jiménez earned an MBA from the Peter F. Drucker Graduate Management Center at Claremont Graduate University and a BA in Spanish from CSU, Fullerton. Jiménez taught English learners for nine years; then, she cut her teeth in politics working in her state legislature on pioneering legislation for English learners. She has taught literacy methods courses in English and in Spanish for college teacher preparation programs. Jiménez has written over 25 textbooks for Pre-K-12 English learners. Jiménez is a highly sought after keynote speaker, coach, and professional developer, having worked with school districts and charter schools in over 20 states and Puerto Rico. Her many projects include working with the Department of Education in Puerto Rico; Bassett Unified School District; and Riverside, Inyo, Mono, and San Bernardino Counties in California to improve learning outcomes for English learners. She has been a panelist, session speaker, moderator, or keynote speaker for national and local organizations and conferences including NALEO (National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials), Latino Leadership Conference, LAUSD Achieving A+ Summit, Milken Institute Global Conference, and Puerto Rico TESOL Conference.
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Ian Jukes has been a teacher, an administrator, writer, consultant, university instructor, and keynote speaker. He is the d irector of the InfoSavvy Group, an international consulting group that provides leadership and program development in many areas, including assessment and evaluation, strategic alignment, professional development, change management, and hardware and software acquisition.
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Nica Lalli
Nica Lalli, artist and writer, earned her AB from Vassar College and her MFA from American University. She attended the New York Studio School for Painting and Sculpture where she concentrated in painting and museum studies. The winner of the prestigious Rose Prize for Creative Arts from Vassar College, a highly competitive award given to one creative artist each year, Lalli has taught art at Lebanon College, in the New York City public schools, and freelance at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She has also worked with Lincoln Center, ArtsConnection, and Studio in a School, the last as coordinator of a three year study conducted in New York City public schools. The author of Nothing: Something to Believe In, Lalli is an active writer and artist.
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Paul Lawrence has been involved in mathematics education for over forty years, teaching high school, working as a math supervisor for grades K-12, and lecturing part-time (as a visiting instructor) at Rutgers University. A past president of the Association of Math Teachers of New Jersey (AMTNJ), Lawrence has sat on committees to assess New Jersey state tests in mathematics. He is a frequent presenter at local, state, and national conferences, and he has conducted hundreds of workshops throughout the United States. Lawrence was named by AMTNJ as the Max Sobel Outstanding Mathematics Educator for 2000.
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Cheryl Lemke is President and CEO of the Metiri Group, a consulting firm dedicated to advancing effective uses of technology in schools. She also serves as the practice l eader for Metiri Group Policy Consulting. Prior to launching the firm, she was the executive director of the Milken Exchange on Education Technology for the Milken Family Foundation. Lemke specializes in public policy for K-12 learning technology, working at many levels with governors, legislators, superintendents, business leaders, and teachers. Last year, she facilitated public hearings in Silicon Valley, CA, and Atlanta, GA, for the Web-based Education Congressional Committee.
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Keith Lenz
Keith Lenz, who earned his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in special education, at Bradley University and the University of Kansas, respectively, is an associated professor of special education; the executive director for the Strategic Learning Center; and a senior research scientist at the University of Kansas Center for Research on Learning. He offers his expertise in the development of inclusive educational programs; has directed over 10 million research and development dollars to advance different programs and training; and has written over 100 books, chapters, and research articles for teachers and program developers.
Presenters G—L
Educational Experts
