Bio | Educ8Every1

I'm an experienced educator with a background in adult learning who realized that professional development for teachers and administrators lacked the connection to the "real" classroom. My approach combines theory and practical experience to professional development that can be immediately transferred to all levels of school staff.

I have developed professional development workshops for school districts on various topics and audiences. The most popular workshops are Collaborating for Academic Success, Differentiating for ALL Students, Stepping Up to Being an Educational Coach, and Learning Disability vs. Second Language Acquisition.

My experience in industry, academia, and K-12 education combines to bring a fresh approach to data-driven education. I understand that many school districts need assistance in evaluating their ELD programs, building a dedicated ELD curriculum, and evaluating student proficiency data.

I have presented at various conferences over the past 10 years including WIDA Annual Conference, TESOL Annual Conference, Pennsylvania Migrant Education and English Second Language Annual Conference, and English Language Learner's Symposium.

I have been in the field of education for the past 40 years and have a varied background ranging from teaching Computer Science at California State University, Fullerton, to Vice President of Training and Development for a financial services firm, to classroom teacher for K-8 graders, and an K-12 ESL Specialist and District ESL Program Coordinator,

While as a District ESL Program Coordinator, I redesigned the K-6 ESL program so it was more responsive to the needs of the students, aligned the program to ELD, state, and international baccalaureate standards, and increased communication and collaboration with classroom teachers. In addition, I conducted multiple in-house professional development seminars and was an informal instructional coach.

Over the years, I was invited to serve on many state workgroups including updating the PA English Language Development standards (PA ELDS), exit criteria, and various policies and procedures to ensure state compliance with ESSA. I have worked with the PA Department of Education, Bureau of Curriculum, Assessment, and Instruction and PA Schools and Community to develop the structure for creating an ELD curriculum.