# Archived Information

#  

# Facilitators/Moderators/Speakers/Content Experts

#### *Bryan Albrecht, Vice President Gateway Technical College* 

#### Bryan Albrecht serves as the Vice President of Gateway Technical College in Kenosha, WI. In this role Bryan oversees all programs associated with PK-16 transitioning, three Advanced Technology Centers as well as fostering strategic alliances with corporate business partners. Bryan has served as the Wisconsin Director for K-12 Career and Technical Education where he was recognized by the State Superintendent and the State Assembly for his leadership in educational and workforce development programming. Bryan currently serves as the Board Chair for the National Occupational Testing Institute, Board Vice President for ACTE and Vice President of the Biopharmaceutical Technology Institute Center. Recognized internationally for his efforts in the development and implementation of skill standards, technology education, tech prep and school to work Bryan has presented in most states throughout the U.S. as well as in Australia, England and Canada. Currently he manages a U.S. DOE grant under the President\'s High Growth Job Training initiative to support technology-based applications in the automotive cluster and an ETA grant for the development of Biomanufacturing technology training. Bryan is also a strategic partner with IBM in the new IBM ebusiness application certificate serving as the North American supplier for technical support to IBM.

#### *Thomas N. Applegate, Executive Dean, Austin Community College, Austin, TX*

As Executive Dean, Mr. Applegate is responsible for developing
Business/Industry relationships for the college and directing the
Business Assessment Center and Customized Training. While at ACC he has
developed a competency-based curricula system which enables the College
to more adequately respond to business and industry needs. He also
directs the WorkKeys Service Center and the ACT Center.

Prior to joining Austin Community College, Mr. Applegate was the
Associate State Director for Career and Technical Education in Ohio. His
responsibilities included business/industrial training and development,
adult basic and literacy education, the marketing of career and
technical education and intra state agency linkages. While at the
Department of Education he developed a statewide system of 40 WorkKeys
Service Centers designed to serve as a major link in Ohio's education
system for communication between business and industry and education to
meet the needs of the workforce. The system was selected as one of the
10 outstanding innovations in state government.

Mr. Applegate has served on the faculty of the Ohio State University,
Columbus State Community College, Austin Community College and Franklin
University. He currently serves on many boards including the Association
for Career and Technical Education (ACTE), Texas ACT Advisory Council
and the American Cancer Society. He is the immediate past national
president for the Association for Career and Technical Education. Tom
has undergraduate and graduate degrees from The Ohio State University.

#### *M. Catherine Ashmore, Executive Director, The Consortium for Entrepreneurship Education*

In 1997, Dr. Ashmore established the Consortium for Entrepreneurship
Education as a non-profit corporation in Ohio and serves as its
executive director. This is a continuation of the organization that she
established at The Ohio State University in 1982. She is director of the
Consortium for Entrepreneurship Education, consisting of 20 states
taking leadership to infuse entrepreneurship education in secondary and
adult education and an additional 40 organizations nationwide that
support the development of entrepreneurship in the United States.

She has organized the Annual Entrepreneurship Education Forum for the
past twenty-two years, and she speaks at numerous conferences and
seminars, nationally and internationally, on the subject of
entrepreneurship education, small business management, global marketing
and business creativity. She created and manages a Web Page on
Entrepreneurship that can be reached at
[www.entre-ed.org](http://www.entre-ed.org/). The purpose is to provide
information and connections for instructors worldwide.

As director of the International Enterprise Academy at The Ohio State
University from 1980 - 1997, she has extensive international experience
that facilitates understanding of diverse cultures and economies. Dr.
Ashmore has managed many projects in the United States including
designing new entrepreneurship programs, training teachers, developing
databases, studying young entrepreneurs, surveying business
owners/teachers/students, as well as serving as executive director of
the Consortium for Entrepreneurship Education.

From 1990 - 1996 Dr. Ashmore was directly involved with programs that
bring entrepreneurship training to the newly developing market economies
of Poland, Hungary, Romania, Russia, South Africa and Kyrgyzstan.

Dr. Ashmore is the primary author of the entrepreneurship products
(*PACE*, *Beyond A Dream*, and *Risks & Rewards of Entrepreneurship*).
And, she has written extensively on entrepreneurship as well as
conducted hundreds of teacher training workshops. Her contacts extend
both nationally and internationally as illustrated by her serving as a
member of the board of the International Council for Small Business. She
is past president of the United States Association for Small Business
and Entrepreneurship, the U.S. affiliate of the International Council
for Small Business. In her various roles in USASBE, she has developed
strong networks of national and international leaders in the field of
entrepreneurship education. Dr. Ashmore is a 1990 recipient of the
Leavey Award for Excellence in Private Enterprise Education awarded by
The Freedoms Foundation of Valley Forge, PA.

### Marie Barry, Project Coordinator, Office of Vocational, Technical, Career and Innovative Programs, New Jersey Department of Education

In her capacity as Project Coordinator, Ms. Barry serves as the state
coordinator for *High Schools That Work*, oversees several initiatives
related to career development and facilitates discussions with various
workforce development entities to promote articulation between
education, the business community and other stakeholders. During her
tenure in the NJ DOE, Ms. Barry has been responsible for the
administration of programs related to vocational student organizations.
She served as the liaison with the office of Special Education on issues
related to developing plans and policies to promote the successful
transition of special education students under the School-to-Work
initiative and was instrumental in developing a statewide school
counseling initiative. Ms. Barry has served as the manager of the Bureau
of Career Preparation and also as Acting Director of the Office of
Vocational-Technical, Career and Adult Programs.

Prior to joining the department in 1999, Ms. Barry worked as a career
counselor and specialist at Ocean County College where she served youth
and adults in the community. She designed workshops and programs to
address the varied career development needs of students, the entering
workforce, displaced workers and incumbent workers. During this time she
was also an independent provider of vocational rehabilitation services
to individuals with cognitive and physical disabilities where she
developed and implemented treatment plans to facilitate attainment of
individual educational and career goals.

Ms. Barry obtained her Bachelors degree from Rutgers University and her
Masters degree in Education from Seton Hall University. She is also a
licensed professional counselor and certified rehabilitation counselor.

#### *Gregg B. Betheil, Vice President -- Academy Programs, National Academy Foundation (NAF)* 

Mr. Betheil is the *Senior Vice President* of the National Academy
Foundation (NAF), a nonprofit 501(c)3 intermediary organization whose
mission is to sustain a national network of career academies to support
the development of America\'s youth toward personal and professional
success\--in high school, in higher education, and throughout their
careers. NAF currently operates 627 Academies in three industry themes:
finance, hospitality & tourism, and information technology**.** Mr.
Betheil is a member of NAF's senior management team. His
responsibilities include management of Academy Field Services, NAF's
Center for School Design and Strategic Initiatives. He coordinates NAF's
state and federal policy efforts. He is active in the High School
Alliance as chair of the Innovations and Structures working group.

Prior to assuming his current responsibilities, he served as Vice
President, Academy Programs from 2001 to 2004; National Director of the
Academy of Information Technology from its launch in 1999 until
2001..Previously, Mr. Betheil served as assistant principal of Martin
Luther King High School in New York City. His duties included oversight
of the school\'s technology, community outreach, attendance and site
governance. Prior to assuming administrative responsibilities, Mr.
Betheil coordinated MLK's Academy of Finance and taught American history
for five years. In addition, he holds the position of 2^nd^ Vice
President for the South Orange-Maplewood Board of Education in New
Jersey. He also serves as Director on the Boards of the National Career
Academy Coalition, as well as, MOUSE (Making Opportunities for Upgrading
Schools and Education). Mr. Betheil received his B.A. from Lafayette
College, and he received both an M.A. in Social Studies Education and an
M.Ed. in Educational Administration from Columbia University.

#### *Richard R. Blais, Executive Director, Project Lead The Way*

Richard Blais and the Charitable Venture Foundation of Albany NY are the
founders of Project Lead The Way. As Executive Director, he has led the
program's 7 year growth from one school site to over 1000 school sites
in 41 states and the District of Columbia. Nationally the program has
over 120,000 students enrolled. During this period he has worked closely
with the Charitable Venture Foundation, the primary benefactor of the
program, to develop the systems of leadership and support enabling
Project Lead The Way to be utilized by states as a successful model for
improving academic performance of all secondary school students and
developing the nation's workforce at the same time.

His previous position was at the Shenendehowa Central School District in
Clifton Park, NY where he held the position of Director of Occupational
Education supervising the career and technological programs for a K-12
district of 9,000 students. Since 1971, Mr. Blais has been a secondary
school teacher and school administrator at the school and district
levels. He has worked in the private sector in the publishing industry
and in industry as an engineer. Mr. Blais graduated from the State
University of New York at Oswego with a BS & MS in Industrial Arts
Education and a CAS in school administration, specializing in curriculum
and instruction.

#### *Catherine Blasik, Associate Superintendent, Office of Research, Evaluation, Assessment and Boundaries, School Board of Broward County, Fort Lauderdale, FL*

Dr. Katherine Blasik is the Associate Superintendent of Research,
Evaluation, Assessment and Boundaries for the 6^th^ largest school
system in the nation, Broward County Public Schools, Florida. Her road
to the senior management level crossed states of Florida, West Virginia,
North Dakota, Ohio and Pennsylvania, where she held positions ranging
from elementary, middle and high school teacher to assistant principal
to exceptional student specialist to strategic planner to state
consultant. She earned both a Bachelor of Art and Master of Education
degree at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, a Master of Arts degree
at the University of North Dakota, and a Ph.D. at the University of
Miami.

Dr. Blasik has a strong background in data driven decision-making, using
her knowledge of education, statistics and research to support efforts
in increasing student achievement and closing of the achievement gap.
She has been instrumental in building a district culture where all data
is public and where the focus is on using data to improve services and
programs for our students. Currently, in addition to her
responsibilities in research, assessment and boundaries, she is serving
on a district steering committee on high school redesign.

Dr. Blasik understands the importance of sharing what we have learned.
As a result, she has authored or co-authored over 15 articles in
professional journals and has served as a member of a support team
through the Council of the Great City Schools to districts such as
Detroit and Minneapolis. She serves on a Blue Ribbon Committee on
Closing the Gap and is on the editorial board of *ETS Spectrum.*

#### *Gene Bottoms, Senior Vice President, Southern Regional Education Board*

Dr. Gene Bottoms has served as Director of the Southern Regional
Education Board\'s *High Schools That Work i*nitiative since 1987. *High
Schools That Work* is the largest effort in America to improve high
schools for career-bound students. The program involves over 1,100 high
schools in 30 states. Numerous other states and school districts
throughout the nation are adopting the *HSTW* goals and key practices as
a way to improve high school for all youth, especially career-bound
youth. In July 1997, Gene was promoted to Senior Vice President of the
Southern Regional Education Board, reflecting his role in and SREB's
interest in and commitment to the *High Schools That Work* initiative.
Prior to joining the Southern Regional Education Board, Gene served as
Executive Director of the American Vocational Association, where he
emphasized academics as an integral part of vocational education at the
secondary and postsecondary levels. He served as Director of Educational
Improvement for the Georgia Department of Education for 13 years,
overseeing improvement efforts in both vocational and academic
education. In 1995, Secretary of Education Richard Riley appointed Gene
to the National Educational Research Policy and Priorities Board, which
is charged with forging a national consensus with respect to a long-term
agenda for educational research, development and dissemination. In
September 1995, Gene received the Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Prize in
Education. This award is presented annually to individuals who have made
significant contributions to the advancement of knowledge through
education.

### Judy Bowers, ASCA President, Counselor Supervisor, Tucson Unified School District

Dr. Judy Bowers supervises the 170 school counselors K-12 who serve
61,000 students in the Tucson Unified School District (TUSD), in Tucson,
Arizona. Judy was a teacher for six years, a high school counselor for
16 years and has been the counselor supervisor for eleven years. She has
worked with the state of Arizona and TUSD since 1990 to restructure
school counseling programs. This work led to the TUSD Governing Board
adopting the developmental counseling program called Comprehensive
Competency-Based Guidance (CCBG) in 1993. Under her leadership since
1994, the TUSD school-counseling department has been awarded four
Federal Elementary Demonstration Grants and the number of school
counselors has increased from 95 counselors in 1994 to 170 counselors in
2004.

Leadership activities include president of the Arizona School Counselor
Association; Supervisor/Post Secondary and Western Region Vice-President
for the American School Counselor Association (ASCA), and she is the
2004-2005 President for ASCA. She is a national and international
consultant to school districts, state departments, and university
counseling departments who are developing comprehensive school
counseling programs. Judy is one of the two authors of the *ASCA
National Model: A Framework for School Counseling Programs (ASCA, 2003)*
and one of three authors of the *ASCA National Model: A Framework for
School Counseling Programs Workbook* (ASCA, 2004). Judy received her
doctorate degree in Educational Leadership from the University of
Arizona in May 2004.

#### *Cynthia Nell Elling Brown, Senior Coordinator for Student Preparation Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education*

As Senior Coordinator for Student Preparation with the Oklahoma State
Regents for Higher Education Dr. Brown is involved in issues related to
K-12 education related to the preparation of all students for college
and university study. Cindy coordinates and leads the efforts of the
State Regents with K-12 educators to further implement the Educational
Planning and Assessment System (OK EPAS).

Prior to joining the State Regents staff four years ago, Cindy
facilitated several programs at the Oklahoma State Department of
Education, including: Advanced Placement, gifted education, Milken
Family Foundation National Educator Award Program, Christa McAuliffe
Fellowship Program, Blue Ribbon Schools Award Program, and the Oklahoma
Curriculum Improvement Commission. Cindy taught in elementary school
classrooms for 18 years before moving to the State Department of
Education in 1987.

#### *Harold Brown, Vice President, KnowledgeWorks Foundation*

Harold Brown is a Vice President at KnowledgeWorks Foundation, where he
manages the Ohio-based education foundation's school improvement program
area. Prior to joining KnowledgeWorks in August 2000, Harold worked at
Miami University (Ohio) as Director of Multicultural Enrollment
Services, and as Chief of Staff for the Vice President for Student
Affairs. Harold also worked as Corporate Communications Coordinator for
Student Loan Funding Resources, Ohio's designated student loan secondary
market, and spent three years as a senior researcher and special
projects consultant at WGBH, Boston's public television and radio
station. Harold is a native of Oxford, Ohio, and earned his bachelor's
degree at Harvard University.

Currently, Mr. Brown oversees the Ohio High School Transformation and
Early College High School Initiatives at KnowledgeWorks Foundation.
Through these partnerships with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation,
Jobs for the Future, the U.S. Department of Education, and the Ohio
Department of Education, KnowledgeWorks Foundation is working in most of
the state's urban school districts to transform large high schools into
small, autonomous schools of about 400 students each, and to develop
innovative small schools that are co-governed by public school districts
and higher education institutions.

### John David Brooks, Teacher, El Camino High School, Oceanside CA

John David Brooks, *Education-*B.A. CSU San Bernardino, M.A. English
Lit. UC Santa Barbara, M. A. Education, USIU San Diego.  *Teaching*
*Experience,* Oceanside Unified School District- El Camino High School
in Oceanside CA. 31 years in the district. 10 years at Mira Costa
College. *Leadership* positions include: English Department Chairman,
GATE Coordinator, IB/AP Coordinator, Language Arts Mentor, Staff
Development Mentor, EVT District Coordinator, SDCOE Language Arts
Secondary Representative and BTSA Support Provider. *Personal Family,*
Wife Cappie teaches at Libby School also in Oceanside. 3 daughters in
college.

### Harold Brown, Vice President, KnowledgeWorks Foundation

Harold Brown is a Vice President at KnowledgeWorks Foundation, where he
manages the Ohio-based education foundation's school improvement program
area. Prior to joining KnowledgeWorks in August 2000, Harold worked at
Miami University (Ohio) as Director of Multicultural Enrollment
Services, and as Chief of Staff for the Vice President for Student
Affairs. Harold also worked as Corporate Communications Coordinator for
Student Loan Funding Resources, Ohio's designated student loan secondary
market, and spent three years as a senior researcher and special
projects consultant at WGBH, Boston's public television and radio
station. Harold is a native of Oxford, Ohio, and earned his bachelor's
degree at Harvard University.

Currently, Mr. Brown oversees the Ohio High School Transformation and
Early College High School Initiatives at KnowledgeWorks Foundation.
Through these partnerships with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation,
Jobs for the Future, the U.S. Department of Education, and the Ohio
Department of Education, KnowledgeWorks Foundation is working in most of
the state's urban school districts to transform large high schools into
small, autonomous schools of about 400 students each, and to develop
innovative small schools that are co-governed by public school districts
and higher education institutions

#### *David Bunting, Executive Director, Secondary Programs at Kirkwood Community College, Cedar Rapids, IA* 

Mr. Bunting develops a wide range of partnership programs with over 30
school districts, including leadership in the design, development, and
on-going support for the Career Edge Academy initiative.

### Jackie Burniske, Pacific Resources for Education and Learning (PREL), Honolulu, Hawaii

Jackie Burniske, an educator for 22 years, works with Pacific Resources
for Education and Learning (PREL), a non-profit corporation in Honolulu,
Hawaii, where she serves as the Director, Special Initiatives. She
oversees the PREL work with the Pathways to College Network the lead
Pathways partner on its college readiness initiative. The Pathways to
College Network (PCN), is a national alliance of organizations committed
to using research-based knowledge to improve college access and success
for underserved populations, including low-income students, students who
are the first in their families to go to college, underrepresented
minorities, and students with disabilities. At this conference she will
share the College Readiness for All: A Practitioner's Toolbox, an
online, systemic, research-based resource to help schools and college
outreach programs increase the number of students preparing for
postsecondary education.

Jackie has been assisting departments of education, administrators and
teachers with school reform efforts since 1997. She has provided
professional development and technical assistance to hundreds of
educators across the United States, the U.S.- affiliated Pacific islands
and southeast Asia. Jackie is a co-author of the professional
development series, Active Learning with Technology, the 2001 award
winner for Exemplary Use of Technology for Staff Development from the
National Staff Development Council (NSDC). She has presented workshops
at numerous international and national conferences including NSDC, the
American Educational Research Association (AERA) Annual Conference, the
National Educational Computing Conference (NECC), the Pacific
Educational Conference (PEC) and the East Asian Regional Council of
Overseas Schools (EARCOS) Conference.

For fifteen years, Jackie was a classroom teacher with a specialization
in language arts and social studies. During that time she taught at
schools on four continents, including the International School of Kuala
Lumpur, Academia Cotopaxi in Quito, Ecuador, and Cairo American College.
She holds a B.A. in political science from the University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill, and an M.A. in curriculum and teaching from
Michigan State University.

#### *Karen Butterfield, Deputy Associate Superintendent for Innovative and Exemplary Programs at the Arizona Department of Education*

Dr. Butterfield is currently the state's team leader for the *Arizona
High School Renewal & Improvement* (AZHSRI) initiative and oversees
Gifted & Talented, Arts Education, Title V-A, Dropout Prevention and
Indian Education. In addition, Karen is Superintendent Horne's charter
school liaison for the Department. Prior to joining ADE, Karen served as
a consultant for the National Charter Schools Institute, and was
responsible for the development of its Arizona Models for Success
program. She is also the founder of Flagstaff Arts & Leadership Academy,
which became a state and national model charter school during her tenure
as its executive director from 1996-2001. Karen also served as an art
teacher and administrator with Flagstaff Unified School District for 22
years. The majority of her professional career has focused at the
secondary level.

Karen received her BS and MA in education, including a Doctorate in
Educational Leadership from Northern Arizona University. In 1993 she was
named Arizona Teacher of the Year, and has received numerous other
recognitions for her work in public education.

#### *Michael Casserly, Executive Director, Council of the Great City Schools*

Michael Casserly has served as Executive Director of the Council of the
Great City Schools since January 1992. Casserly also served as the
organization\'s Director of Legislation and Research for 15 years before
assuming his current position. As head of the urban school group,
Casserly unified big city schools nationwide around a vision of reform
and improvement; launched an aggressive research program on trends in
urban education; convened the first Education Summit of Big City Mayors
and Superintendents; led the nation\'s largest urban school districts to
volunteer for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP);
led the first national study of common practices among the nation's
fastest improving urban school districts, and launched national task
forces on achievement gaps, leadership and governance, and finance. He
is currently spearheading efforts to boost academic performance in the
nation's big city schools; strengthen management and operations;
challenge inequitable state financing systems; and improve the public's
image of urban education. He is a U.S. Army veteran, and holds a Ph.D.
from the University of Maryland and B.A. from Villanova University.

### John H. Clarke, Consultant

John Clarke has taught at the high school and college levels since 1966.
. Now semi-retired, John has been a teacher all his working life,
receiving UVM's teaching excellence award in 1997 and the VtASCD
Leadership Award in 2002.

He has written, co-written or edited eight books on high school teaching
and the process of educational reform, as well as many articles. His
last two books were a compilation of performance-based teaching
techniques ([Interdisciplinary High School Teaching: Strategies for
Integrated Learning]{.underline}, with Russ Agne, 1997) and a research
study of change in five Vermont high schools. ([Dynamics of Change in
High School Teaching]{.underline}, Lab at Brown University, 2001) With
approximately 25 high school educators and reformers, he helped edit a
book describing methods for engaging high school students in learning.
([Personalized Learning]{.underline}: [Preparing High School Students to
Create their Future]{.underline}. Scarecrow, 2003) John served on
Vermont's High School Task Force and helped write [High Schools on the
Move]{.underline}, that state's version of [Promising
Futures]{.underline}. He has designed and developed a wide variety of
teaching materials guides for classroom use, featuring cognitively based
graphic organizers and student-led inquiry. He has degrees from
Princeton, Harvard and Northeastern Universities

#### *Ben Daley, Director of High Tech High and Chief Instructional Officer for the High Tech High Village.* 

Mr. Daley acts as an advisor to fifteen students and teaches a class in
robotics every year. Ben joined High Tech High to teach physics as a
founding faculty member in fall 2000.

A New Hampshire native, Ben wisely moved to San Diego, CA at the first
opportunity. As a student at Haverford College, Ben majored in physics
and was credentialed in secondary physics and math. After graduation, he
traveled to the Philippines and taught science and math at an
international school in Manila. Upon his return to the States, he taught
physics and AP physics at the Madeira School, a girls boarding school in
suburban Washington, D.C. He then moved to California to coach
basketball and to teach physics at Pomona and Pitzer Colleges. He earned
an M.A. in science education at the University of California, Santa
Barbara.

In fall 2005, the HTH Village will be six small schools on one campus in
San Diego, one elementary school, two middle schools, and three high
schools. Ben is looking to hire thirty five teachers for fall 2005. If
you are interested in moving to dreary old San Diego, talk to Ben.

### Dan Daris, Principal, El Camino High School, Oceanside Unified School District

Mr. Daris has been an educator in the Oceanside Unified School District
for the last 24 years.  He started his career as an English teacher at
El Camino High School, where he taught for 8 years.  In 1989, he became
assistant principal at Oceanside High School, which is El Camino\'s
sister high school.  He was assistant principal at OHS for 9 years. 
From there Mr. Daris went on to become the principal at Jefferson Middle
School in 1997.  After five years at Jefferson Middle School, he was
named the principal of El Camino High School in June 2003.

  

Some of Mr. Daris\'s accomplishments include raising the California
Academic Performance Index by 113 points at Jefferson Middle school and
becoming the highest performing secondary school in the Oceanside
Unified School District in 2003.  Under Mr. Daris\'s guidance, Jefferson
Middle School also was named a California Distinguished School, which is
the highest single distinction that a school can be awarded in
California.  Jefferson Middle School was the first middle school to
receive this honor in the Oceanside Unified School District.  

El Camino\'s Academic Performance Index (API) rose 18 points in the
2003-2004 school year. This is the highest one year gain in El Camino\'s
history.  El Camino is the first secondary school in the Oceanside
Unified School district to surpass the 700\'s; their current API is 708.
All of Mr. Daris\'s principalships have been at schools with highly
diverse populations.  At each school, there are high percentages of
second language learners and learners from low socio-economic
households. 

   

Mr. Daris\'s philosophy is that all children can learn and should have
the opportunity for open access to rigorous curriculum preparing them
for higher level education. 

### 

### Matthew L. Davidson, Center for the 4th and 5th Rs, Childhood/Early Childhood Education Department, SUNY Cortland

Matthew L. Davidson, Ph.D., is Research Director at the *Center for the
4^th^ & 5^th^ Rs (Respect and Responsibility)* in the School of
Education at SUNY Cortland*.* Previously he was a Research Associate
with the *Mendelson Center for Sport, Character and Culture* at the
University of Notre Dame, where he was also an Adjunct Professor of
Education. He has been on staff at the *Family Life Development Center*
at Cornell University and the *Values Program* at LeMoyne College. A
frequent national presenter, Dr. Davidson is a past Site Visitor for the
National Schools of Character Awards Program and is the co-author of the
*Evaluation Toolkit,* published by the Character Education Partnership,
and *Character Quotations*. Dr. Davidson's current work includes
conducting a three-year study of character education effectiveness in
DuPage County (IL) and directing curriculum development and evaluation
for the GoodSport Youth Development Program. He is co-author of the
forthcoming report (January 2005), *Smart & Good High Schools:
Developing Excellence and Ethics for Success in School, Work, and
Beyond*, based on a national study of exemplary high schools.

### Joe DiMartino, Director for Secondary School Redesign, Education Alliance at Brown University including the Northeast and Islands Regional Educational Laboratory (LAB)

This area of work focuses on developing knowledge about, and assisting
schools to achieve, personalized learning environments in high schools.
Mr. DiMartino has recently co-edited along with John Clarke and Denise
Wolk Personalized Learning: Preparing High School Students to Create
their Futures. Published by Scarecrow Education this book, which is in a
second printing, chronicles much of the Education Alliance's efforts in
supporting high schools in their attempts to assist all students to
reach high standards. Additionally, under his leadership, the Alliance
has been able to maintain Brown University's presence in the national
dialogue regarding the reform of secondary schools. He is the chair of
the Steering Committee of the National Alliance on the American High
School, is past co-chair of the National Association of Secondary School
Principals' High School Task Force. In this capacity Mr. DiMartino led
the team that created the much-acclaimed publication Breaking Ranks 2:
Strategies for Leading High School Reform, which is a joint effort of
NASSP and the Education Alliance. Additionally He has recently been
named to NASSP's National Urban Task Force.

Currently, the Education Alliance is providing intensive technical
assistance to 44 middle and high schools in the Northeast and Puerto
Rico that are seeking to implement significant change guided by the
recommendations and strategies included in *Breaking Ranks 2.* Through
this work, the Education Alliance has developed a series of workshops
designed to assist schools to personalize learning in a manner that will
allow all students to achieve high standards. Other initiatives in the
Education Alliance's portfolio of work regarding personalizing high
schools include: a research and development project supporting
adolescent literacy in the content areas at five rural high schools in
Washington County Maine; providing technical assistance as a regional
center in the Office of Vocational and Adult Education's Smaller
Learning Communities initiative; assisting state level change efforts to
promote high school reform in New Hampshire; and collaborating with the
State of Rhode Island in the development of common assessments for the
newly mandated performance graduation requirements.

### Sandra E. Dowling, Superintendent, Maricopa County, AZ

Dr. Sandra E. Dowling is a nationally-recognized expert in alternative
educational programs. She has served as the Maricopa County (Az)
Superintendent of Schools for four terms since first being elected in
1988.

Dr. Dowling's dedication to providing educational options for at-risk
children springs from her belief that every child counts. Best known as
the driving force behind the three Thomas J. Pappas Schools for homeless
children in Phoenix, Dr. Dowling's passionate defense of Pappas before
Congress ensured ongoing federal funding for these model schools.

Other programs Dr. Dowling has developed during her tenure include a
community-based elementary, two second-chance high schools, two
detention center schools, two transitional high schools for teens
leaving detention, and a school within a school for chemically-addicted
teens, all under the auspices of the Maricopa County Regional School
District.

As Maricopa County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Dowling is the fiscal
agent for most school districts within the county, with total annual
expenditures of over \$300 million. Her office also coordinates school
elections, administrates home schooling support services, and is
responsible for a consortium of 12 small and rural schools.

A strong, outspoken and innovative advocate for children, Dr. Dowling's
educational philosophy stems from her earliest educational experiences.
The Dowling family moved from Decatur, Illinois to Phoenix in 1960,
where Dr. Dowling attended public schools. Following her high school
graduation she entered the United States Marine Corps, serving her
country in this capacity for two years.

Dr. Dowling has an extensive background as both a student and teacher.
She received her doctorate in educational leadership and policy studies
from Northern Arizona University in 1994, after earning a bachelor's
degree in secondary education and a master's degree in educational
administration from Arizona State University. Her career began as a
social studies teacher in public and private schools. She was also
director and owner of a private school. She and husband Dennis live in
Peoria.

### David P. Driscoll, Commissioner of Education, Massachusetts

Driscoll was appointed the state's 22nd Commissioner by the Board of
Education in 1999. While in that role he has overseen the creation and
implementation of the state's MCAS exam and graduation requirement, as
well as the development of the school and district accountability
system. Under his leadership Massachusetts' No Child Left Behind
accountability system was one of the first five in the nation to be
approved.

A former mathematics teacher, he became Assistant Superintendent in
Melrose in 1972, and Superintendent in 1984. In 1993 he was appointed
Deputy Commissioner of Education, and was appointed interim Commissioner
in 1998.

A graduate of Boston College, Driscoll is a Melrose resident. He is the
youngest of 10 children and has four children of his own

### Barbara J. Ehren, Research Associate, University of Kansas, Center for Research on Learning

In her position as research associate, Dr. Ehren focuses on research and
development in adolescent literacy, including effective approaches to
professional development of educators in this area. She is currently
working with the Commonwealth of Virginia to establish demonstration
middle and high schools employing the Content Literacy Continuum as a
school-wide framework for addressing the needs of all adolescents in a
secondary school. Prior to this position, she held a variety of
positions in the School District of Palm Beach County, Florida, the
eleventh largest school district in the nation. She was Manager of
Professional Development, Manager of Exceptional Student Education
Program Services, Program Planner for Inclusive Education and Program
Planner for Speech Language Impaired in the district. Before working in
Palm Beach, she was a professor of learning disabilities and
communication disorders for fifteen years at Florida Atlantic
University. She began her career in the schools, starting as an
itinerant speech-language pathologist in New York City Schools and Dade
County, Florida Schools. She also served as a classroom teacher and
began the first classroom program for language learning disabled
students in Florida in Broward County.

She has been active throughout her career in local, state and national
professional organizations. She was an American Speech-Language Hearing
Association (ASHA) Legislative Councilor for nine years and was elected
as a Fellow. She has served on numerous ASHA committees, including the
Ad Hoc Committee on Reading and Written Language Disorders. Much of her
work within this organization focuses on the cultivation of
evidence-based practice. She has also served as the DCCD (CEC)
representative to the National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities.

Her publication and research activities focus on effective communication
intervention models and methods with the school-age population. A
special area of interest has been literacy instruction for diverse
learners in inclusive settings. She was a consultant to the National
Institutes of Health (NIH) in their formulation of the national research
agenda in adolescent literacy. She is an editor of the new Guilford
series on Challenges in Language and Literacy. She has been a Strategic
Instruction Model (SIM) professional developer for over 20 years in both
Learning Strategies and Content Enhancement Routines. She has a special
interest in assisting school districts to build capacity at the school
level for more effective literacy programs for diverse learners. She is
a frequent consultant to school districts. A recurrent theme of her work
is shared responsibility for student success, highlighting the role of
collaborative efforts in the schools.

#### *Number range CHAPTERDr. Michael F. Fitzpatrick, Superintendent-Director, Blackstone Valley Vocational Regional School District*

A nationally recognized leader in the field of career and technical
education, Dr. Michael F. Fitzpatrick is superintendent of a school
system, which has become a model for innovative, collaborative reform
approaches and viable, vibrant methods of teaching and learning.

Honored previously as *Outstanding Municipal Employee of the Year* by
the Massachusetts Municipal Association and as *Outstanding
Vocational-Technical Educator* by the Massachusetts Department of
Education, Dr. Fitzpatrick has the unique distinction of receiving three
prestigious national awards in 2004: the *AASA President's Technology
Award* for vision and leadership in educational technology, the sole
rural school *AASA Leadership for Learning Award* for fueling student
achievement and learning through innovative integration partnerships,
and the *National School Change Award* for significant and meaningful
change. He was recognized in 2001 by *Training Magazine* as a Mover and
Shaker in the career training field, and was named *Educator of the Year
2000* by the Worcester-based Alliance for Education.

Dr. Fitzpatrick has been superintendent-director of the Blackstone
Valley Vocational Regional School District in Massachusetts since 1994.

### 

### Bruce Friend, Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), Florida Virtual School

In his role as CAO, Bruce is responsible for the day-to-day operations
of the school, student and parent services, teacher training and
support, as well as global services. As a member of the Executive
Director's Leadership Team, Bruce participates in the school's overall
planning, development and evaluation.

A strong believer that online learning has great potential to reach
underserved populations, Bruce has spent much time on forging
relationship with students, parents, and schools in rural communities
throughout Florida and beyond. As part of a partnership between Florida
Virtual School, the *National Association of Secondary School
Principals*, and the *Florida* *College Board Partnership,* Bruce has
served as an administrative mentor to rural district principals in
Florida with the goal of bringing rigorous Advanced Placement curriculum
to students in rural settings.

Among his honors are 2003 United States Distance Learning Association's
*Outstanding Achievement by an Individual* award; 1998-99 FLVS Teacher
of the Year, and a finalist for the 1997 Walt Disney Teacherrific Award.
Bruce has become a regular speaker about online teaching and learning
issues at many national and state conferences and forums as well as
giving presentations to various school and government officials
throughout North America.

Prior to being selected as CAO, Bruce was the course designer and
instructor of the online American Government and Economics courses
currently being offered by FLVS.

Bruce earned a bachelor\'s degree in Social Science from the University
of Pittsburgh and a Master\'s of Education in Educational Leadership
from the University of Central Florida.

***Kimberly A. Green, Executive Director, National Association of State
Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium (NASDCTEc).***

Over the past twelve years she has worked extensively on federal
legislation impacting career technical education, including Perkins III,
the School to Work Opportunities Act, the No Child Left Behind Act.
Kimberly works closely with Congress and a broad range of stakeholders,
including the governors, chief state school officers, business, industry
and labor organizations, as well as a variety of local organizations.
She represents the state directors of career technical education on
number of committees and boards, including the US Chamber of Commerce's
Employment and Training Committee; the National Center for Education
Statistics' Technical Review Panel on Career Technical Education; the
Automotive Youth Educational Systems (AYES) National Advisory Board; the
Board of Trustees for the National Occupational Competency Testing
Institute (NOCTI) and the national press. Kimberly is a native of
Buffalo, New York and a graduate of Cornell University's School of
Industrial and Labor Relations. She and her husband, Todd, live in
Rockville, Maryland.

#### *Joe A. Hairston, Superintendent, Baltimore County Public Schools*

#### A visionary and progressive leader, Dr. Joe A. Hairston has served since 2000 as Superintendent of Baltimore County Public Schools, one of the 25 largest school systems in the United States. His results-based leadership has yielded a growing list of achievements -- a sharp rise in SAT scores, greater student participation and success on Advanced Placement exams, greater accountability and resource conservation, and many other indicators of progress.

Dr. Hairston has articulated the system's direction through the
*Blueprint for Progress --* the fundamentals for which he has developed
since the 1980s. His formula for student success was acknowledged by
President Ronald Reagan and President George Bush, and many of the
*Blueprint*'s elements were echoed later in the federal No Child Left
Behind legislation. The *Blueprint* provides structure for the BCPS
*Master Plan*, which will guide the system through 2008.

Throughout his career, Dr. Hairston has demonstrated that it is the
responsibility of educators to build on, nourish, and celebrate the
innate ability of every student. In accordance with the *Master Plan*,
he has implemented several system wide initiatives to: increase academic
rigor for all BCPS students; recruit, train and retain highly-qualified
staff; increase college enrollment among graduating seniors; expand
community involvement; eliminate the minority achievement gap; revamp
budget development; use computer-based programs to track and improve
student, school, and system progress; and increase teacher and student
access to computers and the Internet.

Dr. Hairston also has worked closely with school board members and
elected officials to secure funding for and implement the largest school
renovation and major maintenance program in Baltimore County's history
-- a five-year, half-billion dollar program that will bring physical
improvements to nearly every one of the county's 162 public schools.

Active on numerous boards and a lecturer and writer on education issues,
Dr. Hairston has been honored with dozens of local and national
recognitions, including the Magnet School of America Award from the U.S.
Department of Education, the *Washington Post* Outstanding Administrator
Award, and the Maryland State Department of Education Vanguard Award. He
has appeared in such national forums as *Time* and *Life* magazines and
*The* *Oprah Winfrey Show*. 

A native of Virginia, Dr. Hairston earned a doctorate in education
administration from Virginia Tech, a master\'s degree in administration
and physical education from American University, and bachelor\'s degree
in biology and physical science from Maryland State University (now the
University of Maryland Eastern Shore). Prior to coming to Baltimore
County, he had already developed a national reputation as an educator,
first during his 25-year tenure in the Prince George's County Public
Schools and then as Superintendent of Schools in Clayton County, Ga., a
suburb of Atlanta.

### Jason Harrison, Advisor-Teacher, Dayton Early College Academy

This is Mr. Harrison's second year in education, and this is his second
career -- he was an analyst at the Central Intelligence Agency from
1998-2002. Mr. Harrison graduated (B.A., political science) from The
Ohio state University in 1998 and earned his teaching license from the
University of Dayton in 2003. He enjoys screenwriting, weightlifting,
and kung fu.

### 

### Tom Horne, Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction 

### Tom Horne assumed the position of Arizona Superintendent of Education on January 6, 2003. Horne served in the Arizona legislature from 1996-2000, during which time he chaired the Academic Accountability Committee and served as vice-chair of the Education Committee. Horne brings 24 years of school board experience as a member of the board of the third largest district in the state. He held the position of president of the board for ten years. He has written extensively on education - related issues ranging from raising academic standards and high standards of student behavior, school capital finance to school safety.

Mr. Horne received his undergraduate degree magna cum laude from Harvard
College and his J.D. with honors from the Harvard Law School.

### Neil Howe, historian, economist, author, and speaker

Neil Howe, best-selling author and national speaker, is a renowned
authority on generations in America. He will give your audience powerful
insights into who today's generation are, what motivates them as
consumers and workers, and how they will shape our national future. He
is a superb choice for any forward-looking organization that wants to
grasp the big picture. Howe's broadly cyclical perspective---oriented
around familiar generational life stories---will put "the long term"
into a stunning yet personal focus that audiences do not forget.

An historian, economist, and demographer, Neil Howe has spoken to a wide
variety of corporate and nonprofit audiences---from Ford Motor Company,
J. Walter Thompson, and PBS, to CNA Insurance, the Marine Corps, and the
U.S. Bureau of the Census. Some of these audiences are now clients of
LifeCourse Associates, his consulting firm. He is also Senior Advisor on
Public Policy to the Blackstone Group and Senior Advisor to the Concord
Coalition.

Along with co-author William Strauss, Howe has written four books, all
best sellers widely used by businesses, colleges, government agencies,
and political leaders of both parties. Their first book, *Generations*
(Morrow, 1991), is a history of America told as a sequence of
generational biographies. *Generations* has been photographed on Bill
Clinton's White House desk, quoted approvingly by Rush Limbaugh and Newt
Gingrich, raved over by Tony Robbins, and cited by economic forecasters
from Harry Dent to David Hale. Vice President Gore sent a copy to every
Member of Congress, calling it, "the most stimulating book on American
history I have ever read."

Howe's second book with Howe, *13th-Gen* (Vintage, 1993), remains the
top selling non-fiction book on Generation X. *The Fourth Turning*
(Broadway, 1997) forecast a major mood change in America shortly after
the new millennium---a change much like what actually happened, after
September 11, 2001. *The Fourth Turning* reached as high as #10 on the
amazon.com list, and its web site (fourthturning.com) has the internet's
longest-running discussion forum for any nonfiction book. "We will never
be able to think about history in the same way," declared public opinion
guru Dan Yankelovich.

The most recent Howe-Strauss book, *Millennials Rising: The Next Great
Generation* (Vintage, 2000), has been widely quoted in the media for its
insistence that today's new crop of teens and kids are very different
from Generation X and, on the whole, doing much better than most adults
think. "Forget Generation X---and Y, for that matter," says the
*Washington Post*, "The authors make short work of most media myths that
shape our perceptions of kids these days."

Previously, with Peter G. Peterson, Howe coauthored *On Borrowed Time*
(Simon & Schuster, 1989), a pioneering call for budgetary reform.
According to Harvard's Martin Feldstein, former Chairman of the
President's Council on Economic Advisors, "This book should be read by
everyone who wants to understand how government spending can be
controlled."

Howe has drafted several Social Security reform plans and testified on
entitlements many times before Congress. He has written extensively on
budget policy and aging and on attitudes toward economic growth, social
progress, and stewardship. In 1996 he drafted the "National Thrift Plan"
on which Governor Dick Lamm ran his Reform Party candidacy. He coedits
the "Facing Facts" faxletter for the Concord Coalition and coauthors the
"Entitlements and the Aging of America" chartbook for the National
Taxpayers Union Foundation. His articles have appeared in *The
Atlantic*, *The Washington Post*, *The New York Times*, *American
Demographics*, *USA Weekend*, and other national publications.

Howe grew up in California, took his B.A. at U.C. Berkeley, studied
abroad in France and Germany, and later received graduate degrees in
economics (M.A., 1978) and history (M.Phil. with Honors, 1979) from Yale
University.

# 

# Jeb Stuart High School Students and Teacher

[Stuart A. Singer]{.underline} has been a math teacher at JEB Stuart
High School in Falls Church, Virginia for his entire thirty-seven year
teaching career. For the past twenty-four years he has served as the
Chairman of the Math Department. Four years ago he also became the
school's first Coordinator of Instruction. In addition to his teaching
responsibilities, he has coached the Varsity Boys Tennis team for thirty
years and the Varsity Football team for twenty-three years. As a
pleasant diversion from math and sports, he was also the Yearbook
Advisor for eighteen years.

[Sarah Khasawinah]{.underline} is the Student Government Association
President at JEB Stuart High School. She is also an integral member of
many clubs, most notably the National Conference for Community and
Justice, and the Spanish Honor Society. Sarah is also an International
Baccalaureate Candidate who thoroughly enjoys all of her classes,
especially English and Biology. Sarah aspires to attend the University
of Pennsylvania where she will double major in Political Science and
Biology. For her graduate studies, Sarah plans to study law to become a
civil rights lawyer.

[Leyla Babaoglu]{.underline} is a junior at J.E.B. Stuart High School,
where she takes full IB courses. She plays Varsity soccer, swim, and
tennis, and is involved in activities including Civitans, Young
Democrats, National Honor Society, and theater productions. She studies
voice and looks forward to ending the college search process next year.

### Dr. Phyllis Moore Hudecki, Executive Director, Oklahoma Business and Education Coalition (OBEC)

Phyllis Hudecki, a native of Morris, Oklahoma, has more than 30 years of
experience in many facets of education. She currently directs the work
of OBEC, a large business-led coalition established in June of 2000. The
coalition, supported by CEO's from 27 of the state's leading businesses,
has developed an ambitious agenda to improve and strengthen education in
Oklahoma. The agenda and work of OBEC is developed via consensus from
business and education leaders. OBEC has partnered with the State
Department of Education and the State Regents for Higher Education on
several initiatives aimed at systemic reform of education in Oklahoma.
Much of the agenda has been focused on establishing an infrastructure to
guide and inform education policy. This includes work on benchmarking
state curriculum standards against the best international and best among
the states, reviewing the alignment of state tests, cross walking of
high school curriculum standards with ACT Standards of Transition, and
evaluating the state's education accountability policy.

Recently, OBEC partnered with the State Department of Education to
design and develop an electronic uniform state student data system,
which will be pilot tested during the fall of 2004. During 2003, OBEC
was selected to provide the leadership for the Oklahoma Scholars
Initiative. The goal of Oklahoma Scholars is to increase the number of
students taking a defined, more rigorous course of study in high school.
This model uses business leaders in local communities to encourage and
recruit eighth grade students to enroll in more rigorous high school
courses and then to provide incentives and recognition during the high
school years.

Prior to assuming her role with OBEC in June, 2000, Phyllis spent nine
years at the University of California-Berkeley, where she was associate
director of the National Center for Research in Vocational Education,
which was funded by the U.S. Department of Education to improve
vocational education and develop models of high school reform. There she
worked extensively with the education community on local, state and
federal levels and acted as a liaison to the U.S. Congress, U.S.
Department of Education and U.S. Department of Labor. During this time
she also served as a co-chair of a teaching standards development
committee and a field consultant to the National Board for Professional
Teaching Standards.

Dr. Hudecki's background includes positions with the Iowa, Missouri and
Massachusetts state departments of education, and the U.S. Department of
Education in Washington, D.C. She started her career as a teacher in
Norwich, Connecticut and gained experience in school administration as
an assistant principal at a technical high school in Kansas City,
Missouri.

She received her doctorate of education and baccalaureate in education
from Oklahoma State University, an educational specialist degree in
education administration from the University of Missouri-Kansas City,
and a master's degree in education from the University of Connecticut.

#### *Katherine Hughes, Assistant Director for Work and Education Reform Research, Institute on Education and the Economy (IEE) and the Community College Research Center (CCRC) at Teachers College, Columbia University*

Katherine received her doctorate from Columbia University\'s Sociology
Department in 1995. Since joining IEE in October 1995, Dr. Hughes has
directed and conducted research on education reform and on changes in
the nature of work. Her education reform research has included projects
on the national school-to-work initiative, employer involvement in high
schools, work-based learning, the restructuring of vocational education
in general and New York City's vocational high schools in particular,
and career academies. Her research on workplaces has focused on changes
in the skills needed for entry-level jobs in service sector industries
such as banking and retail food, as well as an examination of the
nursing profession.

Dr. Hughes' publications include *Working Knowledge: Work-Based Learning
and Education Reform* (with Bailey and Moore; from RoutledgeFalmer
Press); "Business Partnerships for American Education" (with Karp and
Orr; *Journal of Vocational Education and Training*), "School-to-Work:
Making a Difference in Education" (with Bailey and Karp; *Phi Delta
Kappan*); and *Credentials, Curriculum, and Access: The Debate over
Nurse Preparation* (with Karp and Jacobs; Community College Press).

Dr. Hughes has presented at numerous academic and practitioner
conferences and also serves on the New York City Advisory Council for
Career and Technical Education.

### Henry L. Johnson, State Superintendent of Education, Mississippi

### Dr. Johnson was born in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and educated in the public schools of North Carolina, first in Kannapolis and later in Salisbury. His undergraduate degree in biology was earned at Livingstone College in Salisbury in 1968. The Master of Art in Teaching was conferred by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in science education in 1975. A Doctorate in School Administration was conferred by North Carolina State University in 1990. He received the North Carolina State University Distinguished Alumni Award in 1994 and the Presidential Citation from Livingstone College in 1999. In 2002 he was inducted into the Livingstone College Hall of Fame. 

Before becoming State Superintendent of Education in Mississippi, Dr.
Johnson was an Associate State Superintendent in the North Carolina
Department of Public Instruction. He headed the Office of Instructional
and Accountability Services. In this role, he provided oversight of the
divisions of Accountability, Instructional Services, Exceptional
Children, and School Improvement. He was responsible for the development
of curriculum content standards, student performance standards and
school accountability standards for the public schools of North
Carolina.

Dr. Johnson is a member of the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB)
where he has served as a member of their Executive Board of Directors.
SREB is a leader in education and economic development for the South.
Johnson also serves on various other boards and commissions. Just prior
to joining the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction in 1992,
he served as Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction for
Johnston County Schools.

In his 30 plus years of experience as a professional educator, Johnson
served as Assistant Superintendent of Schools for the Pleasantville
Public Schools in Pleasantville, New Jersey, where he established their
Education Foundation. He was a public school teacher for seven years, a
principal for three years, and the middle school director for two years
for the Wake County Schools in North Carolina. For five years, he worked
as Director of Policy Development and Research for the North Carolina
School Boards Association. In the mid-1970\'s, he worked with the
Department of Public Instruction as coordinator of staff development and
as a consultant on programs for academically gifted students.

### Barbara Scroggie Knaggs, Program Manager, Office of Education Initiatives, Texas Education Agency 

A former high school teacher and program coordinator for a statewide
initiative in international education for high school students, Barbara
Knaggs joined the Texas Education Agency in February 2004 as the Program
Manager for the Texas High School Initiative. In this position, she
establishes goals and objectives for the initiative and oversees the
planning, coordination, implementation, and evaluation of programs under
the initiative. A 1987 graduate of the University of Texas at Austin
with a degree in Plan II, Knaggs obtained a secondary teaching
certificate from the University of Texas at Austin in 1992 and a Master
of Public Affairs from the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the
University of Texas at Austin in 2003. As a master's student she gained
valuable education-related experience working as an intern for the
Education Advisor to Governor Rick Perry of Texas.

#### *James W. Kohlmoos, President, National Education Knowledge Industry Association* (*NEKIA)*

James W. Kohlmoos is a nationally recognized leader in K-12 education.
With three decades of experience in educational leadership and
innovation in both the public and private sectors, Kohlmoos is charged
with leading the national effort to expand and strengthen the
educational knowledge industry while guiding NEKIA's emergence as a
leading voice in education reform.

Kohlmoos joined NEKIA as its second president in December 2001. As
NEKIA's chief executive, he provides leadership, advocacy, policy
development, and professional development to NEKIA's members. He also
represents the interests of the education knowledge industry and its
researchers, developers, providers and entrepreneurs.

From 1993 to 1999, Kohlmoos served at the U.S. Department of Education
as both a Deputy Assistant Secretary of Elementary and Secondary
Education and as a Senior Adviser and Special Assistant. His management
and planning responsibility extended to more than \$12 billion in
federal programs for elementary and secondary schools nationwide.

Kohlmoos served as National Chairman for the U.S. Department of
Education's annual Conference on Improving America's Schools (1995-1999)
and provided leadership on two Presidential Executive Orders for Indian
Education and Tribal Colleges (1997-1998). He was a member of the Vice
President's delegation for the U.S.-South Africa Bi-National Commission
(1997-1999) and served on the Presidential Transition team for the
Departments of Labor & Education (1992-1993).

Kohlmoos came to the NEKIA from The Implementation Group, where over a
two- year period as vice president he built an extensive bi-partisan
government relations practice in elementary and secondary education,
higher education, teacher preparation, and educational technology. From
1984 to 1993, Kohlmoos served as vice president of the Close Up
Foundation.

Kohlmoos began his professional career in education 1971 with the U.S.
Teacher Corps in Salinas, CA. He subsequently served as a teacher
trainer with the Peace Corps, which took him to Malaysia for three
years.

Kohlmoos holds a baccalaureate in history from Stanford University
(1971), plus teacher credentials from the University of California. He
has completed graduate courses at Johns Hopkins University, George
Washington University, and the University of California at Santa Cruz. A
native of California, Kohlmoos resides in Arlington, VA, with his wife
and two college age children.

### Steven C. Kussmann, Executive Director, Utility Business Education Coalition

Steven Kussmann is Executive Director of the Utility Business Education
Coalition, Inc. (UBEC) a CEO-led, 501(c)(3) organization created in 1995
by the American Gas Association and the Edison Electric Institute. It is
dedicated to advancing local‑level workforce development improvement in
conjunction with federal and state efforts to increase the number of
citizens with the academic and technical skill sets needed for today's
higher skilled career opportunities.

Mr. Kussmann has more than 25 years of experience managing business-led
education and workforce development initiatives. UBEC=s mission is to
engage community-based businesses in strategic actions that improve
local employability and educational/training results to strengthen local
economies. Mr. Kussmann is responsible for the management and direction
of UBEC.

UBEC provides networking opportunities, communications and strategic and
technical assistance resources to help employers engage more effectively
with school districts, higher education, state and federal agencies, and
workforce, economic development and community organizations. UBEC has
provided technical assistance in support of workforce development and
education improvement partnership initiatives in more than 75 sites
nationwide.

Prior to joining UBEC, Mr. Kussmann was Director of Communications
Programs at the American Gas Association (A.G.A.). He is a graduate of
Boston University and holds a bachelor of science degree in business
administration.

### Michael H. Levine, Executive Director, Education, Asia Society

Michael Levine is the executive director of Education at Asia Society,
an international non-profit, non-partisan organization that promotes
knowledge exchange and understanding between the people of the United
States and those of the over thirty countries in the Asia Pacific
region. As director, he is leading a national initiative to ensure that
American students and teachers learn much more than they currently know
about other world regions, languages and cultures. The initiative
focuses on building broader public awareness, the design of new programs
and policies to support innovation in international studies and world
languages, and the creation of the nation's first ever network of
internationally themed secondary schools. Levine is also a Senior
Associate at Yale University, where he focuses on early childhood policy
development and literacy programs for a reform network of more than a
thousand elementary schools.

Prior to his current appointments, Levine led major programs in
education philanthropy. Working closely with film director Rob Reiner
and several US-based organizations, he developed an unprecedented media
campaign, *I Am Your Child,* focusing on the importance of early
learning and brain development. That effort involved both electronic and
print media, (including prime time TV production, videos for over 2
million parents, and special editions of *Newsweek magazine)* as well as
state and national policy development to meet the needs of young
children and their families. During the 1990's, Levine oversaw Carnegie
Corporation of New York's path breaking philanthropic activities in
early childhood development, primary grades reforms, and children's
television. He gained international recognition for his work in
developing influential scientific reports, including *Starting Points:
Meeting the Needs of our Youngest Children* (1994), *Years of Promise*
(1996)*,* and *Rethinking the Brain* (1997). He also designed a grants
initiative devoted to literacy development that led to the creation of
the Emmy Award winning public television program, *Between the Lions*.

Prior to joining Carnegie, Levine was senior assistant to the Chancellor
of the New York City Board of Education and responsible for managing
innovative dropout prevention programs, and the creation of new
alternative and themed secondary schools. In the mid-80's Levine worked
for Mayor Edward Koch where he helped create a model citywide preschool
program for at-risk children, and designed the city's school
partnerships with community-based employment, health, and youth
development organizations.

Levine received his B.S. from Cornell University and his Ph.D. in social
policy from Brandeis University's Florence Heller School. He has served
on numerous national expert task forces, is a frequent adviser to the
U.S. Departments of Education and Health and Human Services, and serves
on foundation and corporate advisory boards, including Scholastic, We
Are Family Foundation, and the Talaris Institute. He was named one of
the nation's top 25 leaders on family concerns by *Working Mother
Magazine* and writes frequently about education and youth policy.

### Dennis Littky, Co-Director, The Big Picture Company, Director, The Metropolitan Regional Career and Technical Center, Director, Principal Residency Network

As a community organizer, education reformer and principal of three
innovative schools, Dr. Dennis Littky has spent the last thirty years
working to fundamentally change and improve American public education.
At the local and national levels, he has helped to launch a movement to
educate "one student at a time." In 1996, Littky was one of two founding
principals of the award-winning Met Center high school in Providence,
RI. In 2003 he was recognized as a leader in the movement to create
smaller, more personalized schools and awarded the Harold W. McGraw Jr.
Prize in Education. This September of 2004, his book, *The Big Picture:
Education is Everyone's Business*, written with Samantha Grabelle, will
be published by ASCD Press.

As co-director of The Big Picture Company, Littky is working to
implement the successful Met model around the country with the support
of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. There is now a network of 20
Big Picture Schools nationally -- in Chicago, Detroit, Denver,
Providence, Federal Way (WA), and Oakland, Sacramento, and El Dorado
(CA) -- with over 40 more schools planned to open by 2008. In addition,
Littky and Big Picture were asked to lead the Gates Foundation's
Alternative High School Initiative, for youth at risk of "falling
through the cracks" of the present system, most notably high school
dropouts. Through the Initiative, Littky is working with national Youth
Development organizations that are creating a total of 168
diploma-granting high schools over the next five years. It is the
strength of the Met's design -- particularly its powerful integration of
personalization, academic vigor and real world learning -- that led to
Gates' selection of Big Picture for this highly influential role.

Littky's educational philosophy begins with asking "what is best for
kids?" and designing small school environments that exemplify the
answer. With personalized learning plans, true family engagement,
authentic projects in real-world settings, and portfolio-based
assessments, the Met has seen 98% of its graduates accepted to college.
Most of these students are the first in their families to attend
college. Littky is also committed to mentoring a new generation of
visionary school leaders and has expanded his internship-based Principal
Residency Network to include aspiring and veteran principal teams in
Rhode Island, Boston, New Hampshire and Vermont.

Before starting the Met, Dennis served for 13 years (1981--1994) as
principal of Thayer Junior/ Senior High School in Winchester, New
Hampshire. The school was selected as the first member of Ted Sizer's
Coalition of Essential Schools. In 1993, Littky received New Hampshire's
Principal of the Year Award and was runner-up for the National Principal
of the Year.

In 1989, Contemporary Books published *Doc: the Story of Dr. Littky and
his Fight for a Better School* about Littky's work at Thayer*.* A review
of the book explained, "Littky was and is a controversial figure because
of his innovative ideas, his commitment to community participation, and
the clarity and consistency of his values.... If there were more like
him, American education would not be in the mess it is.... Dennis Littky
has affected the lives of children in ways that "Blue Ribbon" panels and
reports never will. If American education is to improve, it needs more
and more Littkys."

Before his work at Thayer, Dennis founded and spent six years as the
principal of the Shoreham-Wading River Middle School from 1972 to 1978.
Leonard Krasner, in his book [Environmental Design and Human
Behavior]{.underline} (Pergamon Press), said, "Shoreham-Wading River
Middle School may well be the most innovative use of designed
environment in a school setting since John Dewey's Lab School."

#### *Thomas B. Lockamy, Jr., Deputy Superintendent, Academic Affairs and Accountability, Norfolk Public Schools*

Dr. Lockamy has a proven record as an educational leader during his 38
years of service as administrator and teacher. Much of his experience
and success has been devoted to improving test scores of students from
families of low socio-economic income. Dr. Lockamy is recognized for his
expertise in accountability and standards management. During his
administrative tenure with Norfolk Public Schools, academic achievement
as measured by norm referenced tests, trended from well below the
national average on standardized test to above the national average. Not
only have test scores risen for all populations served by the school
district, but the gap between low socio-economic students and that of
middle-upper income students closed while both groups have enjoyed an
upward academic trendline. His school district has been named a finalist
for the Broad Foundation Scholarship Award for closing the achievement
gap during the past two years. The Stupski Foundation refers to the
district as world class regarding the work related to strategic planning
and the accountability model. Norfolk Public Schools serves as the east
coast lab site for the Stupski Foundation and has received a \$200,000
grant from the Stupski Foundation to redesign high schools.

Dr. Lockamy has received three international awards for the promotion of
internationalization and cultural awareness. In addition to
presentations made at the U.S./Japan Symposium in 2002, he has most
recently served as a consultant for improving education in the Czech
Republic. He received the 1999 Norfolk NAACP President's Ward for
outstanding community service. Dr. Lockamy has numerous memberships in
community, civic, and professional organizations.

### Steve Long, Director of Technology and Support, Capital Workforce Partners, Hartford, CT

Steve Long was born in Lewiston, Maine on March 24, 1954. He attended
Mattutuck collage in Massachusetts and is a graduate of Central
Connecticut University. Steve has an accounting degree and a degree in
technology. For the past nine years Steve has worked as Director of
Technology and Support for Capital Workforce Partners in Hartford, CT.
Prior to his current position Steve worked as a consultant for TSSI.
Steve is married and has one son.

### Ida H. Love, Georgia Department of Education

Dr. Love is married with two children and two grandchildren. She has
been in education for thirty-seven years, and spent most of that time in
Kansas City, Missouri Public Schools. Also, she has served in a variety
of positions, including teacher, principal, director of schools,
superintendent of Decatur City Schools in Decatur, Georgia, and
currently Deputy Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction for the
Georgia Department of Education. Dr. Love was educated at Grambling
State, Central Missouri State University, and received a Ph.D. from
University of Missouri at Kansas City.

### Monica Martinez, Senior Fellow, KnowledgeWorks Foundatuon

Monica Martinez is the Senior Fellow for the KnowledgeWorks Foundation.
Previous to this, she was a Senior Associate for the Institute for
Educational Leadership's (IEL) where she served as the Project Director
for the National Clearinghouse for School Reform (NCCSR), the Theme High
Schools Network (THiSNET.org), the Catalog of Research on Secondary
School Reform (CoRSSR) and the Pathways to College Network. She is the
founder of the National High School Alliance. Dr Martinez\'s experience
includes work in a variety of higher education institutions and
intermediary organizations that provide programmatic assistance in
partnership development, school change, research, and evaluation. Her
work has focused on issues related to educational access and achievement
for low-income and minority students and she has various publications
related to this. Some of her publications include from *Whole School to
Whole Systems Change,* *Understanding Scientifically Based Research*,
*How is School Reform Tied to Increasing College Access and Success for
Low-Income and Minority Youth;* and *All Over the Map: State Policies to
Improve the High School.* She received her PhD in the Sociology of
Education and Higher Education from the School of Education at New York
University. She received her Master's from NYU and her undergraduate
degree from Baylor University.

### Andrew Mason, Director, Transition Programs, Open Meadow Schools

The school includes UE (Corps Restoring the Urban Environment),
Corporate Connections, and YO (Youth Opportunity). Before joining Open
Meadow and establishing the CRUE Program in 1995, Andrew worked as a
Crew Leader and Education Coordinator for a youth corps program in
Forest Grove, Oregon. He holds a Masters degree in Social Work from
Portland State University, and a B.A. in Philosophy from Reed College.
Andrew has served as a statewide trainer for Oregon Youth Services Corps
Crew leaders since 1996, and has provided technical assistance for
Oregon Youth Conservation Corps programs statewide. 

### Justin Navarro, Research Associate, TATC Consulting 

Mr. Navarro has been with TATC for the past two years, assigned to
provide technical assistance and research support to the Department of
Labor\'s Employment and Training Administration (ETA).  Past projects
included acquiring and creating content for the [Workforce Tools of the
Trade]{.underline} web site and assisting in the creation of IT
strategic plans.  His current assignment is in the ETA Business
Relations Group (BRG) and includes: 1) managing the redesign and ongoing
development of the [CareerVoyages.gov]{.underline} web site; 2) managing
and maintaining the Business & Industry section of the DOL ETA web site;
and 3) facilitating other IT related projects for the BRG as assigned.

 

Prior to joining TATC, Justin worked for over 3 years in the financial
services sector at Thomson Financial in Boston, MA, in several different
capacities.  Positions included:  1) business analyst in the Portfolio
Solutions division product management team, responsible for creating
entirely new systems and protocols while also supporting the research
and technology needs of the product managers; 2) manager for Central
Administration Department overseeing a support staff of four to meet the
\"due yesterday\" needs of the Portfolio Solutions division; and 3)
assistant to the Director in the Research Department of First Call,
tasked with maintaining order amidst chaos, while fielding queries from
the business media.

 

Justin has a bachelor\'s degree in Government and French Studies from
Wesleyan University and he is currently pursuing an MBA in IT from Johns
Hopkins University. 

### Linda McKay, Senior Adviser to the Deputy Under Secretary of Education, Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools, U.S. Department of Education

Linda McKay serves as senior adviser to the Deputy Under Secretary for
the newly created Office of Safe & Drug Free Schools, providing
recommendations and policy guidance on character education and other
related issues.

Prior to joining the Department of Education, McKay served as director
of CHARACTER*plus* and as director of the Missouri character education
program. Previously, she was project manager of the Missouri federal
character education grant. Her work with CHARACTER*plus*, a project of
Cooperating School Districts (CSD), involved managing a
school/home/business/community partnership that promotes character
education in 87 public school districts as well as private and parochial
schools in Missouri and Illinois. The program includes more than 530
schools and 20,000 teachers and reaches more than 400,000 students.
McKay is a founding member and, from 1993 to 2002, served as secretary
of the board of Character Education Partnership, Inc., Washington D.C.,
a nonpartisan coalition of national organizations that provide
resources, awards, community programs and support to schools throughout
the nation that initiate character education programs.

She has served as a member of several national boards and commissions
dedicated to promoting civic participation and service learning and
ethics and moral education.

McKay has co-authored publications about character education, ethical
decision-making and other topics. She also worked as an investigative
researcher for the MacNeil/Lehrer News Hour

Her many awards include the Gateway Applause Award from the
International Leadership Network; the Russell C. Hill Award from the Boy
Scouts of America; and the George Washington Medal from the Freedom
Foundation. She was named the Character Educator of the Decade by
Cooperating School Districts and received a Special Salute from the U.S.
Chamber of Commerce. She received the Key to the City of Kansas City,
Kansas.

McKay attended Wichita State University where she studied elementary
education and art history.

### Raymond J. McNulty, Senior Consultant, International Center for Leadership in Education and Executive Director, Successful Practices Network 

### Prior to joining the International Center, Ray was a Senior Fellow at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, where he worked with leading educators from around the country to reinvent our nation\'s high schools. Ray also serves as Immediate Past President of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD). 

An educator since 1973, Ray has been a teacher, vice principal,
principal, and superintendent. From 2001-03, he served as Vermont\'s
education commissioner. During his tenure, McNulty focused on aligning
the Department of Education\'s work on three key issues: early
education, educator quality, and secondary school reform.

Ray holds a Bachelor\'s degree in education from Bridgewater State
College in Massachusetts (1973). In 1977, he completed a Master\'s
degree in education administration at Vermont's Johnson State College.
He also holds a certificate of advanced graduate study in administration
and planning from the University of Vermont (1983), was a charter
graduate of the American Association of School Administrators National
Superintendents Academy (1984), and completed the Early Education
Program at UCLA\'s Anderson School of Business (1996). Ray received an
honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Marlboro College in 2002.

Ray has been widely recognized for his work on behalf of early childhood
education. During his 11-year tenure as a superintendent in southern
Vermont, area schools received wide recognition for their successful
work with families and children of all ages. In 1997, ABC\'s *Nightline*
featured Ray in connection with a program on early childhood education
and infant brain development. He was named Vermont Superintendent of the
Year in 2000.

Ray has presented on the state, national, and international levels
concerning the need for school systems to accept the challenges that lie
ahead. He is committed to raising the performance standards for both
teachers and students and building solid connections between school and
communities. Ray believes strongly that educational systems cannot wait
for children and challenges to arrive at school; rather, schools need to
reach out and help forge solutions.

### Rick Melmer, Secretary, Department of Education, South Dakota

### Dr. Rick Melmer was appointed Secretary of the Department of Education in June 2003. Prior to that, he served as Superintendent of Schools in the Watertown School District for eight years. Those responsibilities also included serving as administrator of Lake Area Technical Institute. From 1991 to 1995, Melmer served as Superintendent of the Sioux Center Community School District, Sioux Center, Iowa.

Melmer, a South Dakota native, holds a B.A. in Elementary Education and
Psychology from Dakota Wesleyan University, an M.A. in Elementary
Administration from South Dakota State University, and an Ed.D. in
Educational Administration from the University of Wyoming.

Melmer has instructed several graduate courses at the University of
Sioux Falls, Morningside College, the Iowa Area Education Agency and
South Dakota State University.

Melmer believes that his role as Secretary of Education is to "shine a
spotlight on the future of education in South Dakota."

#### *Ioannis Miaoulis, President and Director, Museum of Science, Boston, MA*

Dr. Ioannis (Yannis) N. Miaoulis, 43, became President and Director of
the Museum of Science, Boston January 1, 2003. His dream is to make
everyone scientifically and technologically literate. As Dean of Tufts
University School of Engineering, Miaoulis spearheaded the introduction
of engineering into the Massachusetts K-12 science and technology
curriculum, making the Commonwealth first in the nation to do so in
2001. Convinced the best way to interest people in science and
engineering is to connect these subjects to their passions, Miaoulis
created popular engineering courses at Tufts based on students' and his
own enthusiasm for fishing and cooking. Guided by him for 15 years,
Tufts engineering students have inspired children in hands-on classroom
engineering experiences. Now, led by Miaoulis, the Museum of Science is
advancing technological literacy nationwide by working with school
systems, engaging students in engineering activities, providing a window
into the world of technology, and fostering discussion of the impact of
science and technology.

Originally from Greece, Miaoulis has been honored for his research and
community service, including the Presidential Young Investigator Award;
the Allan MacLeod Cormack Award for Excellence in Collaborative
Research; and the William P. Desmond Award for outstanding contributions
to Public Education. He served on the Massachusetts Math and Science
Advisory Board and is Chair of the Massachusetts Technology/Engineering
Advisory Board.

Helping Tufts raise \$100 million for its engineering school, Miaoulis
greatly increased the number of female students and faculty, oversaw a
strategic plan raising the school's international visibility, designed
collaborative programs with industry and more than doubled research
initiatives. Earning bachelor's and doctorate degrees in mechanical
engineering and a master's in economics at Tufts, he also received a
master's in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology. He has published more than 100 research papers and holds two
patents.

#### *Steve Newman, Professor, Northern Kentucky University*

Steve Newman received his Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of
Utah in 1968. He taught at the University of Missouri-St. Louis for four
years before accepting a position at Northern Kentucky University (NKU)
in 1972. He has been teaching at NKU ever since. In 1997, he became
interested in the problem of aligning the high school mathematics
curriculum with postsecondary expectations so that high school students
would be better prepared for the rigors of college mathematics and
science courses. With support from a local P-16 group and his department
chair, he began a local early mathematics testing program for high
schools in Northern Kentucky. This project went statewide when the 2000
Kentucky General Assembly unanimously passed a bill creating the
Kentucky Early Mathematics Testing Program (KEMTP). The KEMTP offers
Kentucky high school students an online test to assess their
mathematical preparation for college, and is the only program of its
kind in the nation to offer such a test online. The KEMTP is a
partnership between NKU, which administers the program, and the
University of Kentucky, which supplies online support. He serves as
director of the KEMTP.

Steve was asked to serve on the national Content Expert/Employer Panel
in mathematics for the American Diploma Project (ADP) because of his
work with the KEMTP and curriculum alignment issues in Kentucky. He made
many important contributions to the ADP benchmarks in mathematics and to
the postsecondary assignments that accompanied them. He served on the
Mathematics Postsecondary Placement Policy Group (MPPPG) consisting of
one representative from each of the eight public universities in
Kentucky and one representative from the community college system. This
group developed a statewide college placement policy as well as college
readiness standards in mathematics based on the ADP benchmarks. The
Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education recently adopted this policy
and these standards. He and his colleagues on the MPPPG are currently
serving on the Kentucky Commissioner of Education's focus group charged
with revising Kentucky's K-12 mathematics standards.

#### *John Nori, Director for Instructional Leadership Resources, National Association of Secondary School Principals*

As Director for Instructional Leadership Resources at the National
Association of Secondary School Principals **John R. Nori** coordinates
middle level and high school improvement initiatives. He represents
NASSP as a member of the Board of Directors of The National Forum to
Accelerate Middle Grades Reform and the steering committee of The
National High School Alliance. Applying his practitioner\'s perspective,
he focuses on the implimentation of the concepts in ***Breaking Ranks:
Changing An American Institution*** and ***Turning Points 2000:
Educating Adolescents in the 21^st^ Century.*** Mr. Nori played a
significant role in the development of ***Breaking Ranks II: strategies
for Leading high School Reform.*** He is currently leading the
development of ***Breaking Ranks in the Middle***, a middle level
implementation guide for principals. Mr. Nori oversees the NASSP
resident practitioner program providing principals support in high need
areas such as: **Safe and Orderly Schools, Assessment and
Accountability, School-Business Partnerships, and Adolescent Literacy
and Professional Development**.

Mr. Nori began his career in education as an English teacher and entered
administration as an assistant principal. Later he became principal of
Julius West Middle School, served as Director of Middle Level
Instruction for Montgomery County (MD) Public Schools, and retired from
his public education career as principal of Colonel Zadok Magruder High
School in Rockville, Maryland.

His background as a teacher and administrator in both high schools and
middle schools has provided him with an overview of the maturation and
education processes that all students must go through. His experience as
an instructor has guided his focus on improving instruction at the
classroom level. He has also been a faculty associate at Johns Hopkins
University where he focused on his lifelong passions---improving
classroom instruction and strengthening supervisory skills.

Mr. Nori holds a B.S. in English education from Shippensburg University
of Pennsylvania and a M.Ed. in Secondary Education from the University
of Maryland.

#### *Karla Oakley, The NEW Teachers Project, Attracting Teachers, the New Teachers Project*

Karla Oakley, VP of Training and Certification. Karla\'s tenure at TNTP
began in June of 2000, when she was hired as the organization\'s New
York state Partner and charged with launching the NYC Teaching Fellows
program, a contract with the New York City Department of Education that
recruited and placed over 1,500 teachers in hard-to-staff schools across
the city in its first two years.

Prior to TNTP, Karla spent two years with Andersen Consulting in their
Human Performance practice, working primarily in the financial services
industry. Her career in education started with Teach For America (TFA),
first as a corps member in the Mississippi Delta, then on TFA\'s
national staff with roles in new teacher support and portfolio
assessment. Karla holds a BS in Psychology from Duke University.

### Katherine Oliver, Assistant State Superintendent, Career Technology & Adult Learning, Maryland State Department of Education

Mrs. Oliver is the Assistant State Superintendent for Career Technology
and Adult Learning. She leads a division of the Maryland State
Department of Education dedicated to excellence and innovation in adult
education and career and technology education programs. The division's
products and services help school systems, community colleges, and
community-based organizations prepare students of all ages for lifelong
learning and entry into careers. An important component of the division
is the Correctional Education Program which provides educational and
library services to inmates in the State's adult prison program. The
division also has lead responsibility for *Career Connections*,
Maryland's School-to Career initiative.

Mrs. Oliver began her career in public service with the Maryland
Department of Labor Licensing and Regulation. In 1973, she was appointed
to the staff of the Maryland State Department of Education, where she
held numerous positions in the Division of Rehabilitation Services'
Client Services and Disability Determination Services programs. She
assumed her current responsibilities in 1989.

She was graduated from the College of Notre Dame located in Baltimore,
Maryland with a Bachelor's Degree in History and received a Master of
Science Degree in Administration and Management from Hood College in
Frederick, Maryland.

Mrs. Oliver serves on a variety of local, state, and national advisory
boards related to education and workforce development and participates
in numerous professional organizations associated with career and
technology education and adult learning.

A native of Rochester, New York, Mrs. Oliver and her husband reside in
Hagerstown, Maryland.

#### *Patti Pace-Tracy, Principal, Midland High School, Wyoming, IA* 

As principal, Patti provides leadership with faculty to develop and
implement Career Edge Academy programs at her high school and to meet
the wide range of student needs.

#### 

#### *Sherrill W. Parris, Alabama Reading Initiative, Alabama Department of Education*

Sherrill Parris received her undergraduate degree from Auburn
University. She received her master's degree in Elementary Education and
her Ed. S in Elementary Education and the Principalship from Livingston
University (University of West Alabama). Her professional career began
as a social worker with Foster Family Care and Adoption at the United
Methodist Children's Home in Selma, Alabama. In 1979 she began work with
her life's passion, education. As a first grade teacher in both the
private and public sector, she realized her love and commitment to
educating Alabama's children. After 14 years in the classroom, Ms.
Parris assumed the responsibility of administrator and became a
principal with Selma City Schools in Alabama.

In 1997 she served on the Alabama Reading Panel, a group of
professionals from the business community and from education who worked
together to develop the Alabama Reading Initiative which has grown from
16 schools in 1998 to its current 511 schools. In her current position,
Mrs. Parris serves as administrator of the highly successful Alabama
Reading Initiative (ARI), Alabama Department of Education. The Alabama
Reading Initiative is a K-12 comprehensive strategy to bring the best
research on reading instruction and the best teaching practices to
classrooms in Alabama. Mrs. Parris's focus is clearly centered on
literacy, and her goal remains to make all Alabama's children successful
readers.

### Paul W. Pearson, Principal, Del Valle High School, El Paso, TX

Mr. Pearson has served as a principal since 2001 at Americas, Clint,
Horizon and Del Valle High Schools. He has served as an educator since
1983, holding several positions that have included assistant principal,
English teacher and head track and cross country coach for various high
schools in the El Paso metropolitan area.

He has attended numerous professional development training sessions to
include the Breaking Ranks Leadership Training in spring 2001. In the
fall of 1993, he published an article in Kappan entitled \"Integrating
the Curriculum.\" He received the High School Principal of the Year
award from Region 19 for 2004-2005. Mr. Pearson received his Bachelor of
Science in Education: English/Physical Education from the University of
Texas at El Paso as well as his M. Ed. in Physical
Education/Administration.

### Ref Rodriguez, co-founder and co-CEO, Partnerships to Uplift Communities (PUC)

Ref Rodriguez is the co-founder and co-CEO of Partnerships to Uplift
Communities (PUC), a charter school development and management
organization in Los Angeles.  Because of a lack of options in quality
education in Northeast Los Angeles, Ref developed and led the first
charter school (Ca. Academy for Liberal Studies) in the community where
he lives and grew up.  In the last six years, Ref has collaborated with
Jacqueline Elliot to develop and operate six charter schools serving
approximately 1000 students in the communities of Northeast Los Angeles
and the Northeast San Fernando Valley.  In order to fulfill its vision
of dramatically increasing the number of youth from the Northeast San
Fernando Valley and Northeast Los Angeles who attend and graduate from
colleges and universities, PUC plans to open up to six additional
charter schools in the next five years. 

#### *Thomas W. Rudin, Vice President, Government Relations and Development, The College Board*

Tom Rudin is vice president for government relations and development at
the College Board. As the College Board's chief representative in
Washington, DC, he works on behalf of the Board's institutional members
to promote public policy, legislation, and education programs that
connect students to college success. He is also the Board\'s chief
fundraising officer, working to secure grants from foundations,
corporations and government agencies. Mr. Rudin served as executive
director of grants planning and management at the College Board from
1996 to 2002. Before that, he spent four years as coordinator of special
projects for EQUITY 2000^®^, the College Board's national education
reform program. Before joining the College Board, Mr. Rudin was a policy
analyst at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland.

In 1991, Mr. Rudin taught courses in U.S. public policy, human rights,
and organizational management as a visiting instructor at the Middle
East Technical University in Ankara, Turkey. In the early 1980s, he
directed the work of the Governor's Task Force on Science and Technology
for North Carolina Governor James B. Hunt, Jr. Mr. Rudin was also
involved with new state initiatives, such as the North Carolina
Biotechnology Center and the North Carolina School of Science and
Mathematics. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Purdue
University, and he holds master's degrees in public administration and
in social work from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

### Sonn Sam, Advisor, Metropolitan Regional Career and Technical Center, Providence, RI

Sonn was born in Mobil, Alabama and has lived in Providence, RI for 15
years.  As an undergrad he went to the University of Rhode Island, where
he entered as an International Business major. But during his sophomore
year he had a change of heart and became dissatisfied with his
major.  Not only did he quickly learn that he was not interested in this
field, but he was also turned off by the standardized approach to
education. After talking to his academic counselor, he was advised to
review his resume to find a more fitting interest.  He quickly realized
that to be truly satisfied with his education and future career plans,
he needed to follow his passion. It was clear right then and there that
education would be his calling. 

He finished with a BA in Secondary Education with a concentration Social
Studies at URI. Currently he is enrolled in Cambridge
College\'s  Master\'s program for Education Administration.  Today, he
is a proud 10th grade advisor at the progressive Metropolitan Regional
Career and Technical Center in Providence, RI.  The small classes allow
him to build personal relationships with my students while
following Dennis Littky\'s model of education. Littky, one of the
founders of the MET High School and one of the more
innovative trailblazers of education reform, believed in internalizing
education and instilling a passion for life-long learning. In his two
years at the MET he has established many friendships with both students
and parents. Hhe is not only their teacher, but also their mentor. Their
relationship is one of understanding that he demands in both academic
and personal growth. H feels that he is making a huge impact on the
lives of students and is doing it one kid at a time.

### Jose Luis Sanchez, President and CEO, Connecticut Consulting, LLC

Jose Luis Sanchez was born in Havana, Cuba on March 16, 1955. He
immigrated to the United States as a youngster during the 1960's and
attended public school in New Haven, Connecticut. Jose has a Masters
degree and an MBA from the University of Connecticut. Jose's work
experience includes financial positions with Heublein, Inc., Citicorp
and Times Mirror. In 1999 Jose started Connecticut Consulting, LLC -- a
software development company. Today Connecticut Consulting provides
software development and technical infrastructure & hosting services.
Jose has a daughter who is 16 and a son who is 10.

### Philip Satterfield, Superintendent, Paint valley Local School District, Bainbridge, OH

Philip Satterfield is Superintendent of the Paint Valley Local School
District located in the rural community of Bainbridge, Ohio. Since 1999,
Paint Valley's middle and high school has undertaken intense reform
efforts following the district's placement on the State's "academic
watch" list. Today the district has shown vast improvement in dropout
prevention, graduation rate and the number of students attending post
secondary education. Through the use of reform strategies such as High
Schools That Work, staff involvement in decision-making, curriculum
alignment and quarterly assessments the culture of the school has
significantly changed.

Mr. Satterfield is an active member of multiple local, state and
national education associations and has worked extensively with
different change strategies. He is the recipient of numerous awards and
recognitions for his leadership in education reform.

### Lee Schleicher, Dean, Washtenaw Technical Middle College

Mr. Schleicher spent 29 years in a traditional high school setting.
During that time he worked as a teacher, negotiator, athletic director,
assistant principal, advisor to a variety of organizations, coach, and
ended his career after working eleven years as a high school principal.

He had the pleasure of overseeing the design, construction, and
implementation of a new facility. He also implemented block scheduling
and a rubric based evaluation system designed to guide new teachers as
they went through their first three years of actual teaching.

In 1998, Mr. Schleicher was hired by the Washtenaw Technical Middle
College Board of Directors to continue the development of a one year old
school that was chartered by Washtenaw Community College and charged
with the mission of transitioning high school students to college level
course-work. Lee has been with WTMC for seven years and has overseen the
development of an educational program that currently results in students
transitioning to and passing college courses (with a grade of C or
better) at rates of around 80%. WTMC students regularly take over 900
college credits during a full semester of school.

Mr. Schleicher has promoted and worked in the development of a Soft
Skills curriculum that resulted in a higher pass rate for WTMC students.
He promoted and has worked with staff to create a staff mentoring
program so that every student has an adult in their school life from the
day they enter the school until the day they leave. He has also worked
with staff to develop a career exploration program that helps students
select a program of study at the college.

WTMC requires students to graduate from the college as part of the
graduation requirements of the high school. WTMC students leave school
prepared to continue their education or go directly into the workforce
with a set of skills that qualify them for entry level positions in a
variety of technical work areas. Washtenaw Technical Middle College is
currently working to improve the student success rate, increase the
retention rate, and finding ways to involve businesses in related
internships for students.

#### Dr. Gary H. Sibigtroth, Assistant Commissioner for the Colorado Department of Education, Denver, Colorado

Dr. Gary H. Sibigtroth, Assistant Commissioner for the Colorado
Department of Education, Denver, Colorado, has been in Colorado public
education for 35 years. This public school education experience includes
teacher, principal, superintendent, executive director for a board of
cooperative educational services, and currently with the Colorado
Department of Education. His doctorate degree is in Educational
Administration with expertise is leadership at the school and district
level, and in the corporate world through training and certification as
a leadership instructor with the Dale Carnegie organization. Leadership
training is based on the challenges of today's and tomorrow's demand for
new ways of leading organizations, building collaborations, and creating
communities.

Dr. Sibigtroth has been a member of the Colorado Association of School
Executives (CASE) throughout his career. From 1990-1992 he served as a
member of the CASE Coordinating Council and in 1992 elected president of
the Department of General Administrators Board of Directors. From
1983-1985, and chairman in 1984 of the CASE Department of General
Administrators School Issues Committee.

Other professional and consulting most recent work includes:

-   Lamar Community College-Lamar, Colorado: Assisted in the development
    of an Alternative Management Structure for rural school districts;

-   Facilitated the development of Educational Foundations, and working
    closely with business professionals for school districts;

-   Consultant for the development of alternative school calendars
    including the four-day school week;

-   Colorado Department of Education: Represented Colorado's educational
    reform movement, traveling to Japan in 2000 to visit schools and
    discuss education reform with the Japanese Government Educational
    Ministry.

-   Colorado's Team Leader for the First Annual National High School
    Reform Summit in Phoenix, AZ April 2004;

-   Consultant for applying human relations and communication principles
    to build effective relationships.

#### It is an exciting time in public education that challenges educators to accomplish equity and excellence in America's schools. Improving student achievement and closing the achievement gap are the central focus of public education across this country. In today's schools, too many children struggle with learning to read. Teachers and parents will agree reading failure has a long-term consequence for children's developing self-confidence and motivation to learn, as well as for their later school performance. 

#### *Gregory Sinner, Program Planning Specialist, Secondary School Redesign Team at The Education Alliance at Brown University*

Gregg Sinner began working with the Secondary School Redesign Team at
The Education Alliance at Brown University in 2002 as a Program Planning
Specialist after thirty-one years of service in public schools. During
his career in secondary schools, Dr. Sinner served as a science and
mathematics teacher, assistant principal and principal in schools in CT,
VT, FL, IL and MA. He is a graduate of the University of Minnesota (BS
in pharmacy), Dartmouth College (PhD in molecular biology) and Antioch
University (MEd in education supervision and administration).

His areas of expertise include: student inquiry; school change design
team coaching; professional development for community of practice; and
teacher-as-advisor program design for personalization of the high school
experience for students and teachers. Currently, his work at the
Alliance includes serving as a Breaking Ranks Coach, Smaller Learning
Communities Technical Assistance Project Leader and Advisory Institute
Leader. He is co-author of "The Power of Advisories," (2003) Education
Alliance/LAB @ Brown, Publisher
([http://www.alliance.brown.edu](http://www.alliance.brown.edu/)).

### Carole Smith, Executive Director, Open Meadow Schools

Open Meadow has twice been recognized as Oregon\'s alternative program
of the year, and was presented with a Promising and Effective Practices
award by the National Youth Employment Institute in 2003. Prior to
joining the Open Meadow staff in 1982, Carole worked as the educational
program administrator for Thompson Island Education Center in Boston,
Massachusetts; as the program coordinator of a desegregation program for
Boston Public Schools; as an evaluator for an adolescent alcohol and
drug program; and was on the staff of Portland\'s first neighborhood
Youth Service Center. Carole served as a Commissioner for the Northwest
Association of Schools and Colleges for 10 years, and in that capacity
had the opportunity to chair national and international accreditation
site visit teams including schools in Egypt, China, Western Samoa and
Poland. Carole currently serves as the Chair of the Coalition of
Metropolitan Area Community-based Schools (CMACS) in Portland. Carole
has an Ed.M from Harvard University, a B.A. from Oberlin College and an
Oregon Administrative Certificate. She is currently working on a
doctorate in Educational Leadership at Lewis and Clark College.   

Charles E. Smith is the Executive Director of the National Assessment
Governing Board (NAGB).

He is the primary staff officer of the 26-member Board established by
Congress in 1988 to set policy for the National Assessment of
Educational Policy. He serves as the Board's principal spokesman and
liaison concerning national assessment matters.

Smith assumed his present position in January 2003 following his
retirement from Tennessee State Government after 32 years of service.
During his years in Tennessee, he served as Chancellor of the Tennessee
Board of Regents for six years and as the Tennessee Commissioner of
Education for the seven years. Over the past four decades, he also
served as chancellor of two University of Tennessee campuses, as vice
president over two separate divisions of UT\'s statewide university
administration, and as editor of both weekly and daily newspapers in
Tennessee.

As Chancellor of the Tennessee Board of Regents, Smith served as chief
executive officer of the seventh largest system of post‑secondary
education in the nation, with 46 campuses, 180,000 students, and a
budget of over a billion dollars. At the time of his retirement, he was
granted Chancellor Emeritus status by unanimous vote of the Board of
Regents.

Smith received a Fulbright Scholar Award in the summer of 1980 to
lecture at the Federal University of Santa Catarina in Florianopolis,
Brazil. He was chosen in a 1986 national survey as one of the nation\'s
top 100 college educators. Smith was awarded the Peabody College
Distinguished Alumnus Award in 1993. He was a member of the Peabody
Alumni Board from 1994 to 1999 and served as president of the Board in
1997-98.

From 1987 to 1993, Smith served on the ACT Board of Trustees, the
national governing arm of the American College Testing (ACT) Program,
Inc., based in Iowa City. While on the Board, he served as chairman of
the Budget and Finance Committee and as a member of the Executive
Committee.

Smith served two three‑year terms as a member of the Southern Regional
Education Board (SREB) and was elected Vice‑Chairman for the 1994‑95
term. As Vice‑Chairman, he also served as a member of the SREB Executive
Committee.

Smith holds the B.S. degree from UTK and the master\'s and Ph.D from
Peabody College of Vanderbilt University.

***Caryn White Stedman, Curriculum and Instructional Specialist at
the***

# Metropolitan Learning Center Bloomfield, Connecticut

Caryn White Stedman is Curriculum and Instructional Specialist at the

Metropolitan Learning Center, an interdistrict global studies magnet
school in

Bloomfield, Connecticut, where she is responsible for developing the
school's

curriculum to fully reflect its global/international magnet theme. She
joined the

faculty of MLC full time after working with the school for three years
as a

curriculum consultant through the Yale Center for International & Area
Studies.

Since joining the MLC family, she has refocused the middle school
curriculum to

create a global systems-based, integrated interdisciplinary curriculum
and has

been instrumental as a member of the team that has developed the high
school

curriculum. The high school curriculum boasts an interdisciplinary

history/literature course in each grade, as well as two required
international

affairs courses and required seminars in African, East Asian, Latin
American,

European and Middle Eastern studies. MLC requires ACTFL level-two oral

proficiency plus three credits in a world language for graduation and
offers

Spanish, Chinese, Italian, French and Arabic. She began her school's AP

program, developing and teaching the AP World History course. She also

teaches East Asian and African studies, World Religions, and Emerging
Civil

Society. Steman started the school's exchanges and study abroad program,
and

in its first year, seven MLC students have spent a summer, semester or
year on

academic exchanges and MLC has hosted ten international exchange
students.

She was instrumental in setting up the live teleconference between MLC

students and students in Iraq on the eve of U.S. operation Iraqi freedom
and

again, following the fall of Baghdad. In April, she accompanied the
school principal to

China where MLC established its first official sister school in
Shandong.

Prior to joining MLC, Stedman was the director of the Program in
International

Educational Resources (PIER) at Yale University, a position she had held
since

1985\. A frequent speaker on International Affairs and East Asia, she
made

presentations for corporations, at national and regional conferences of

professional and educational organizations, and at colleges,
universities and

schools. Ms. Stedman is on the editorial board of *Education About Asia*
and has

served as the national chair of the Association for Asian Studies\'
Committee on

Teaching About Asia. She also serves on the advisory boards of various

organizations, including the [Connecticut Geographic
Alliance]{.underline}, and the

[Connecticut Council for the Social Studies]{.underline}.

She has authored and edited articles, texts, and curriculum guides for

International and East Asian studies. She continues to teach East Asian
and

world history as a member of the history department faculty at Central

Connecticut State University. She was recently awarded the National
Council for

Geographic Education's National Distinguished Teaching Award and will be

honored at a ceremony at the national conference in October 2004. In
2002, she

was name co-recipient (with her husband, John) of the Lou Addazio Award,
the

highest honor for social studies education presented by the Connecticut
Council

for the Social Studies. She was honored in 1998 to give the commencement

address to the graduating class of Golden Gate University in Sacramento,

California. She has received two Fulbright fellowships for study in
China and a

National Intercultural Education Leadership Institute (NIELE) grant to
Japan. She

speaks Mandarin Chinese and has lived in Taiwan and Saudi Arabia and
studied

and traveled extensively in China, South and Southwest Asia, Europe, and
most

recently, Ecuador.

#### *Christopher J. Steinhauser, Superintendent of Schools, Long Beach Unified School District, Long Beach, California*

Christopher J. Steinhauser, Superintendent of the Long Beach Unified
School District, is a long-time Long Beach resident and 20-year veteran
educator in local schools. He has earned a well-deserved national
reputation for improving student achievement here in America's Best
Urban Schools. Steinhauser has a strong track record of boosting
achievement in all geographic areas of the school district -- central,
west, north and east Long Beach, Signal Hill, Lakewood and on Catalina
Island. Beginning as an outstanding teacher at an inner-city elementary
school in Long Beach, Steinhauser went on to attain very high student
achievement as a school principal. He worked his way up to the position
of Deputy Superintendent in 1999 before his unanimous appointment as
Superintendent in 2002. During his years as Deputy Superintendent,
students in all major racial and ethnic groups throughout the district
made unprecedented gains on rigorous state tests.

He is a product of the Long Beach Unified School District, where he
attended continuously from kindergarten until his graduation from Wilson
High School in 1977. He attended Long Beach City College and California
State University Long Beach, earning a bachelor's degree in liberal
studies and a master's degree in educational administration. He earned
multiple-subject and administrative services credentials at the
university. Steinhauser's wife, Alida, is a 20-year veteran educator who
teaches fifth grade literacy at Signal Hill Elementary School. Their
son, Edward, and their daughter, Patricia, attend Wilson Classical High
School in Long Beach.

### Pamela Stewart, Deputy Chancellor for K-12 Educator Quality, Florida Department of Education

As Florida Department of Education's Deputy Chancellor for K-12 Educator
Quality, Pam Stewart bears responsibility for teacher certification, as
well as the recruitment, retention and recognition of highly-qualified
teachers in the state of Florida. Mrs. Stewart feels strongly about
rigor, relevance, and relationships in high schools, as she spent 16
years at the high school level as an assistant principal and principal
in a very diverse population. She successfully implemented the
Continuous Improvement Model at Vanguard High School in Marion County,
Florida, raising that school from a "C" to an "A" under Florida's A+
Plan and accountability system. She received her Bachelor's Degree from
the University of South Florida in Elementary Education/Early Childhood;
her master's degree from the University of Central Florida in Counselor
Education; and completed post graduate work from Stetson University for
certification in Administration and Supervision.

#### *Sue Stickel, Deputy Superintendent, Curriculum and Instruction Branch, California Department of Education.*

Ms. Stickel came to the position of Deputy Superintendent in 2003 with a
background of professional experience in public education, both state
and local, including the following:Classroom teacher of mathematics,
mathematics department chair, resource teacher, and mentor teacher in
the Grant Joint Union High School District and the Elk Grove Unified
School District (Full-time basis, 1976-1989).

-   District-level administrator of curriculum and professional learning
    in the Elk Grove Unified School District (Full-time basis,
    1990-2002.)

-   Teacher educator at California State University Sacramento and San
    Francisco State University (Part-time basis, 1995-present).

-   Member (and 2002 chair) of California's Curriculum Development and
    Supplemental Materials Commission (1997-2002).

Ms. Stickel earned her bachelor's degree (majoring in mathematics) and
teaching credential at CSU Sacramento. She earned her administrative
credential and master's degree in educational administration at the
University of San Francisco.

### 

### Circe Stumbo, President, West Wind Enterprises

Circe Stumbo is president of West Wind Enterprises, a small business
providing professional development, research services, and advice to
leaders promoting public education. In this role, Stumbo manages all
facets of program planning for conferences and professional development
sessions, designs and conducts focus group research on education policy
and programs, facilitates large meetings and small group discussions,
supports state education agency strategic planning, and writes articles
and reports on topics in state and federal education policy. Stumbo is
currently serving as a consultant to Learning Point Associates on
leadership and high school reform, to the Council of Chief State School
Officers (CCSSO) on professional development for state education
leaders, and to a number of states and territories on strategic planning
efforts, needs assessments around key policy areas, and high school
reform.

Stumbo brings considerable experience in policymaking and professional
development to her work.  For fifteen years prior to founding West Wind
Enterprises, Stumbo worked in non-profit firms in Washington, DC,
focused on higher education, agriculture, and K-12 education policy. 
She was also an instructor of political theory at the University of
Maryland, College Park.  Stumbo lives in Iowa City, Iowa, where in
addition to operating West Wind Enterprises, she is co-owner of Zephyr
Copies and Design, a print and graphic design shop. 

Stumbo is a Ph.D. candidate in government and politics at the University
of Maryland, College Park, having earned a masters degree in education
at Harvard University, a master of arts in government and politics at
the University of Maryland, and a bachelor of arts in political science
at the University of Iowa. 

### Watson Scott Swail, President, Educational Policy Institute (EPI), Washington, DC

The Educational Policy Institute (EPI), is a non-profit, international
organization dedicated to research on educational opportunity for all
students. Dr. Swail is a widely-respected researcher in the area of
college opportunity with an extensive publishing record. Recent
publications include *Latino Youth and the Pathway to College* (2004)
and *Higher Education and the New Demographics (2002).* Dr. Swail\'s
research focuses primarily on college affordability and student
retention, but also involves teaching and learning, stemming from his
days as a public school teacher and curriculum designer.

 

Dr. Swail received his doctorate in educational policy from The George
Washington University in Washington, DC, a Master\'s of Science from Old
Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, and Bachelor\'s of Education
(Technology/Mathematics) from the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg,
Manitoba. In addition teaching in an adjunct capacity at both Old
Dominion and George Washington Universities, he taught middle school in
Hampton, Virginia and in Winnipeg. He lives in Stafford, Virginia, with
his wife and three growing boys.

#### *Joel Vargas, Early College High School Initiative*

Joel Vargas, Ed.D., works with the Early College High School Initiative,
examining the district and state policy implications related to the
initiative and exploring how state and federal policies can improve the
postsecondary attainment of underserved students.

He has directed, initiated, and studied a variety of middle school and
high school programs designed to promote college going for
underrepresented students. He also has been a teacher and an editor and
research assistant for the Civil Rights Project at Harvard University.
Vargas is co-editor of the 2004 book, Double the Numbers: Increasing

Postsecondary Credentials for Underrepresented Youth edited by Richard
Kazis, Joel Vargas, and Nancy Hoffman and published by Harvard Education
Press.

Mr. Vargas received a B.S. in Journalism from Boston University, and
earned his doctorate from Harvard University.

### Roberta Weaver, Associate Dean for Community Outreach, School of Education and Allied Professions, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH

Dr. Weaver is a former secondary teacher in Cincinnati Public Schools
and Dayton Public Schools. Dr. Weaver has 25 plus years of experience at
the University of Dayton in the Department of Teacher Education as a
special educator, coordinator, and department chair. In her current
position, Dr. Weaver serves as a liaison to Dayton Public Schools, with
primary focus on the Dayton Early College Academy. As a liaison, she
served with Mr. Timothy Nealon, DECA principal, and Dean Thomas Lasley
to create and develop concepts for laying the foundation of the Dayton
Early College Academy in collaboration with Dr. Percy Mack,
Superintendent of Dayton Public Schools.

#### *Tim Westerberg, Principal, Littleton High School, Littleton, CO*

Tim Westerberg has served as a high school principal for twenty-six
years, the last twenty of which have been at Littleton High School in
Littleton, Colorado. Prior to entering school administration, Dr.
Westerberg taught social studies and coached at the high school level in
Illinois and in Iowa. Westerberg earned his B.S. and M.A. degrees from
the University of Iowa and his Ph.D. in Educational Administration from
Iowa State University.

In addition to his work as a teacher and administrator, Dr. Westerberg
has been active in a variety of school transformation, staff
development, and leadership training initiatives in Colorado, across the
nation, and internationally. From 1994 to 1996 Westerberg served on the
NASSP/Carnegie Foundation Commission on the Restructuring of the
American High School which produced the seminal report, *Breaking Ranks:
Changing an American Institution*, and he played a significant role in
the development of *Breaking Ranks II* which was released in February of
2004. Other recent professional activities include serving as a site
evaluator for the US Department of Education\'s New American High
Schools project, an IDEA \'97 trainer for the National Association of
Secondary School Principals, a member of the National Staff Development
Council\'s Results-Based Staff Development Initiative, a member of
ASCD's *What Works In Schools* staff development cadre, President of the
Colorado Association of School Executives, and member of the Colorado
Commission for High School Improvement.

Dr. Westerberg has received numerous awards in recognition of his
service to the education profession, including being named as one of
four finalists for the NASSP/Met Life Principal of the Year program in
1994, the Honor Administrator Award by the Colorado Music Educators
Association in 1998, and the Department Service Award by the Colorado
Association of Secondary School Principals in 1999.

#### *Lloyd G. Wimberley, Jr., Assistant Superintendent of High School Curriculum and Instruction for the Charlotte Mecklenburg School System.*

Lloyd Wimberley is a former principal with over 28 years of experience.
Lloyd has served as a principal of Myers Park High School, Eastway
Middle School, Berryhill Elementary School, and Morgan Day Treatment
Center. While serving as principal at Myers Park High School, Newsweek
ranked the high school 7^th^ nationwide out of 12,000 schools for 2002.
Lloyd has also served as faculty at South Eastern LA University and as
Chief Consultant for BEH with the North Carolina Department of Public
Instruction. Lloyd holds a doctorate in Education Supervision and
Administration from UNC-Chapel Hill. He was selected as the
Charlotte-Mecklenburg School System Principal of the Year in 1998 and
2002. He was selected as the North Carolina Wachovia Principal of the
Year in 2002. In addition to the Wachovia Principal of the Year, Lloyd
has been a recipient of The Patrick Daly Memorial Award for Excellence
in Educational Leadership out of Yale University.

Lloyd currently serves as Assistant Superintendent of High School
Curriculum and Instruction for the Charlotte Mecklenburg School System.

### Rick Woodford, Director, Special Education, Lincoln County School District #2, Afton, Wyoming 

After completing his bachelors degree in special education at Utah State
University, Rick enjoyed 7 years of teaching at a high school of 1,700
students in Logan, Utah. As a special education teacher and graduate
student, Rick specialized in the research and development of secondary
inclusion systems. As a director of a rural school district, he has
developed a systemic service delivery model, for students with mild to
moderate disabilities, designed to facilitate student proficiency of
standards and benchmarks in the general curriculum and success in the
general classroom. His presentation will address the essential
instructional elements and systemic features necessary to build an
effective inclusion model in the No Child Left Behind era.