2016 summer edition of leem

Living Education eMagazine A magazine that discusses education in our everyday lives Summer Edition XVI 2016

eCommencement Address by Dr. Cesar Maldonado

The Disappearance of Black Men in College

Makerspaces: Game Changers for Student Achievement

Benefits of Children Learning Archery

The Game of Golf + Kids = Success in Life

Graduations Inspirational Well Wishes

A Simple 4-Step Roadmap for a Staircase of Differentiated Instruction & Inclusion

The I Am L.E.E. Awards

Class of 2016

Keeping Kids Engaged with Learning All Summer   

  

5 Ways to Keep The Learning Going During the Last Month of the Summer 5 More Ways to Keep The Learning Going During the Last Month of the Summer Shares Five Ways How Parents Can Integrate Technology Into Their Summer Learning Activities For Students That Will Enhance Learning While School Is Out Summer Learning Loss Can Be Prevented Summer slide is a Very Real Threat: By Sarah Thomas 5 Tips Parents Can Use To Improve Their Children Math Skills During The Summer

2015-2016 I Am L.E.E. Awards I AM LE.E.

The I AM L.E.E. Awards (Living Education Everyday) is presented by Forest Of The Rain Productions as a way to identify and highlight education and community leaders who exemplify what is right in America’s education, fair housing, higher education, parental/family engagement and academic research arenas.

Forest Of The Rain Productions is excited to highlight the work, mission, scholarship and research of the 2015-2016 I AM L.E.E. recipients, as they expand their voices and those of others in the areas of Writing and Publishing, Teaching in Higher Education Effective Research Methodologies, Effective Strategies to Engage Parents and Families, Fighting Housing Discrimination, Unfair Lending Practices and Employment Discrimination, Professional/Career Development, Advocacy, Social Justice and the importance of life-long learning.

The I Am L.E.E. Award Winners Organization To Know Winner: Men Aiming Higher and Founder Darryl Barnes @DelDBarnes

Advocacy/Civic Involvement winner: Zakiyah Ansari @zansari8

Educational Equity and Access Winner: Hamlet Garcia @hamletgarcia17 Higher Education Winner: Dr. David Wilson @morganpres

Academic Research Winner: Dr. Donna Y. Ford @donnayford

Parental/Family Engagement Winner: Michael Cobb @fundmc01

Fair Housing Winner: Stella Adams @fairhsgstella

K-12 Education Winner: Aaron Peña @AaronJPena

The Business of Education Winner: Dr. Fatimah Williams Castro @FatimahPhD

Founder’s Award Winner: Kris Giere @KrisGiere I AM L.E.E. of The Year Winner: Dede Faltot Rittman @dederittman

Your praise is our fuel!

What Others Say About Forest Of The Rain Productions

By Michael and Michel Robinson CEOs Forest Of The Rain Productions Over the past several years, Forest Of The Rain Productions has joined forces with many amazing and remarkable educators, researchers, scholars, parents, social justice advocates, community and civic leaders to share voices of the seldom heard in education, fair housing, parental/family engagement, academic research, the business of education, and civic involvement.

Our efforts to serve as a conduit and as a pathway for the seldom heard voices have been met with support and enthusiasm from an assortment of individuals. We are proud to know that our work, our passion is making a difference in the lives of families, children, and communities all over the world.

The staff of Forest Of The Rain Productions would like to take this time, a time of reflection and accomplishment of our work as the 2015 and 2016 academic year closes to share with you just a small sampling of the kind words, inspiring notes and awesome comments we have received over the years that have been our fuel to keep pushing forward, to break down barriers, while changing and re-setting the narratives of our existence as humans to change communities, one voice at a time.

"A wealth of resources- Forest Of The Rain Productions" (Suzanne Sibole, Creator of SafeAware) @YouthRiskPrev “The efforts of CEO Michel D. Robinson and CO-CEO Dr. Mike Robinson strength my belief, if we work together, share knowledge there is a better way for our students to learn and inspire them to learn more.” (Debora Sanders Smiley, Educational Advocate, and Doctoral Candidate University of Phoenix.)

“Forest of the Rain Productions stands as example of what can happen when the paths of passion and knowledge intersect.” (Christopher Wooleyhand, Ph.D.) @principal64 "Offering not merely a forum for voices in education but also a platform from which those voices can emanate, Forest of the Rain Productions stands as both a supporter and collaborator with educators in advancing educational equity along with other significant issues impacting 21st century education." (Educator, Denise Fawcett Facey) @Edufacey "Forest Of The Rain Productions a great org - love keeping it simple with "Three Questions"! Represents #deeperlearning" (Kimberly Mitchell, CEO Inquiry Partners) @inquiryfive "Dr.Mike Robinson thanks for all your work. You are a vital link between advocates, researchers and parents." (Dr. Larry J. Walker Educational Consultant focused on supporting historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). @LarryJWalker2 Read more comments here!

Contributors Cristina Chen

Dan Blanchard Articles: Make The Women of this Country Your Ally! p.17

Articles: Improving Reading Fluency of English Language Learners Who Struggle with Reading p.18

Don't Sit Squish on the Bottom of the Pyramid! p.59

Professional Philosophy of Mild/Moderate Disabilities p.48

Bio: p.73

Bio: p.73

Phyl Macomber

Dede Rittman

Article: A Simple 4Step Roadmap for a Staircase of Differentiated Instruction & Inclusion p.25 Bio: p.73

Article: The Game of Golf + Kids = Success in Life p.57

Articles Dmitri Mehlhorn

Dr. Delic Loyde

Bio: p.74

Hamilton Raymond

Article: Five Tips For Parents To Encourage Love of STEM p.31

Article: The Disappearance of Black Men in College p.32

Bio: p.76

Bio: p.74

Dr. Denise Mayo Moore

Article: Makerspaces: Game Changers for Student Achievement p.36

Article: Implications Of Not Reading On Grade Level By Third Grade p.42

Bio: p.73

Bio: p.74

Denise Parker Article: Benefits of Children Learning Archery p.30 Bio: p.76

Contributors

Dr. Shanelle R. Reid Well Wish p.21 Bio: p.76

Well Wishes

Dr. Melissa Noland Chester Well Wish p.41 Bio: p.75

Christina Smith Well Wish p.29 Bio: p. 76

Dr. Margarita Bianco Well Wish p.47 Bio: p.75

Hamil Harris Well Wish p. 53 Bio: p.75

Karen Gross Esq. Well Wish p.63 Bio: p.75

Rhonesha BlachĂŠ Well Wish p.64 Bio: p.75

eCommencement Address Contributor

Dr. Cesar Maldonado @hccchan

President of Houston Community College Prior to joining HCC, Dr. Cesar Maldonado was the fourth president in the 47-year history of Texas State Technical College (TSTC) Harlingen. A national leader in the engineering and manufacturing industry with a dedicated commitment to community service, Maldonado took over the leadership helm at TSTC in 2008 and has successfully transitioned his private industry management expertise into higher education administration. Under his leadership, TSTC has significantly improved its graduation rate, increased enrollment and maintained fiscal strength. He led the addition of seven new associate of science degrees and two new technology programs, including one in Wind Energy Technology.

Dr. Maldonado holds Bachelor and Masters of Science degrees in Chemical Engineering from Texas A&M University, a Doctorate in Systems and Engineering Management from Texas Tech University, and is an alumnus of the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business. Further, he was recently elected to the Texas Tech University Industrial Engineering Academy.

Cesar and his wife of 38 years, Liz, enjoy their children, Kristin, Marcus, and Laura and Jason Rocha, and grandchildren, Julianne and William.

LOOKING TOWARD THE FUTURE Graduates, you are entering an exceedingly competitive work environment armed with skills that make you more valuable than ever before--a foundation of knowledge and discipline ready to experience success. As you know, higher education has evolved from an oasis of thoughtful scholarship to a focused combination of skills and new technologies—a focus that prepares you well for the 21st century.

Not so long ago, graduates from Ivy League colleges and students who finished at the top of their class had a decisive edge over graduates with Associates degrees when applying for jobs. Not so today. Companies today are much less concerned about your class rank or where you went to school. They are looking for men and women with a high level of technical competence and exceptional leadership skills.

The team building skills you have forged through your work in the classroom will also serve you well throughout your career. Collaboration is imperative—especially in 2016, where it is nearly impossible for one person to have the amount of knowledge needed to independently make all the decisions. In the same way that you discussed ideas and solved problems with classmates, you’ll discover that in business and industry, partnering with your colleagues will result in a similar shared-success.

Opening up one’s self to the possibilities of a new career takes courage. This is something you will do several, if not many, times in your lives—move to a new career.

This will take more than courage—it will take respect and trust, which is something we prioritize at Houston Community College (HCC). In how we work and how we teach, working together, students, faculty, and staff can tackle and solve real world problems.

In fact, we see that as our primary responsibility.

Our transformation at HCC is built on the power of shared resources and services. We have created an infrastructure that is designed to solve big problems. Our Centers of Excellence offer more than 250 programs that prepare students to serve in cutting edge careers in Nuclear Medicine Technology, International Business, Geographic Information Science, Advanced Manufacturing and many more. An example of the benefit of shared resources across instructional disciplines is having robotic experts from manufacturing exchange ideas with healthcare faculty to design courses that not only meet today’s demands but also prepare for the future. At HCC our goal is to equip students with the skills necessary to solve today’s problems yet understand tomorrow’s context. As the great hockey player Wayne Gretzky said, “Skate to where the puck is going, not where it has been.”

So what does this have to do with respect and trust? Everything. The meaningful sharing of ideas can only be accomplished in a safe zone – one that provides the security granted from respect and trust. With trust we can be more authentic, risk more for the team, be more creative.

Finally, along with trust comes the responsibility of performing, of doing your part for the team. After all, the team is dependent on its members trusting each other to deliver.

Each one of you must show your ability or expertise, plus a presence in that ability. This requires honesty, openness, and a commitment to lifelong learning. You may believe that finishing college may be the end of your education, but it is not. In fact, your graduation is a new beginning which will give you infinitely more opportunities for handson learning in the career you have chosen. To maintain trust you must do your part to stay current, just as HCC’s faculty, indeed your faculty, have done.

Graduates, you have proven that you have the power to make your future – you completed your college education. Keep that future--and your dreams—fresh, and aspire to be all that you can be.

Renowned Scholar, Researcher, Author and Mentor Dr. Donna Y. Ford Understanding and Achieving in the Publish or Perish Culture of Higher Education

@donnayford

Living Academic Research

“If I could give my old high school and college age self one piece of advice, it would be this: Trust. Allow. Let go. Trust in yourself and the unfolding of life. There are powers greater than us helping us on the journey. Allow people into your heart. Allow the flow of life’s energy to keep you moving forward. Let go of grudges, needing to be right, clothes that no longer fit, and friends that hold you down."

---Nadine Haupt @FASTWomeninBiz

Living Education Everyday

Make The Women of this Country Your Ally!

The women of this country helped end The Great Depression of the 1930's and win World War II in the 1940's! Men, be wise and make this powerful force your ally! Together, men and women complement and complete each other. They are the yin and yang!

Both men and women are very capable and powerful in their own unique ways, and anyone who doesn't believe this is naĂŻve...

Go ahead and look back over the last century in history. Our two greatest challenges in the United States, and maybe even in the world, have been The Great Depression and World War II. In these two theaters of distress, or maybe, I should say, disaster, the women have played a huge role in both realms. Now, boys, I know your history books and all those old Hollywood movies may not clearly show women in this heroic way, but don't be fooled by those still sometimes biased school textbooks or Hollywood because it's all true... So true...

Women endured The Great Depression side-by-side with cases, in place of their men.

Sadly, many men couldn't stand the beatings anymore that The Great Depression was so easily handing out.

Many men left their families to ride the trains of desperation, frustration, and failure, on one-way trips to nowhere as the new and ever-growing hobo population of the 1930's.

By Dan Blanchard @GranddaddysSecr

During this time, many of these forgotten women proved to have a silent and steady strength as they braved The Great Depression mostly without complaint and usually unnoticed. Not only did our women survive it, they eventually thrived in it, and delivered us out of it!

These heroic women paved Continue on page 34

By Cristina Rodriguez Chen @tampagirl70

Improving Reading Fluency of English Language Learners Who Struggle with Reading Abstract The process of becoming a fluent reader is typically a natural process. Many children do learn to read with little or no effort at all. For the struggling reader, this difficulty can have a negative impact on their future success. Students with limited reading skills are at a higher risk for academic difficulty in school. In addition, there is a greater likelihood that a student with reading difficulties will not graduate from high school. The inability to read fluently is a strong predictor of overall reading problems. This paper focuses on issues second language learners’ face when learning to read.

Introduction The process of becoming a fluent reader is typically a natural process that occurs as easily as learning to walk or talk. Many children do learn to read with little or no effort.

However, for many youngsters, learning to read is an extraordinarily complex and tedious task. For the struggling reader, this difficulty with reading can last through high school (Rayner, Foorman, Perfetti, Pesetsky, & Seidenberg, 2001). Students with poor reading skills are at risk for academic difficulty in school. The inability to read with fluency and prosody is a strong predictor of overall reading problems.

For many students English language learners (ELLs), the process of becoming a fluent reader in English can be an even more difficult task. Many factors, such as learning a second language and acculturation can cause significant barriers to adequately acquiring academic skills. In addition, the compounding effects mentioned of acquiring a second language, poverty, lack of

acculturation increase the likelihood that the ELL will be placed in special education.

ELLs confront the challenges of learning a new language and at the same time may struggle to comprehend the academic content (Tam, Heward, & Heng, 2006).

Literature Review According Thomas and Collier (2009), ELL are the fastest growing demographic population in United States public schools.

The U.S. Census predicts by the 2030’s these students will make up approximately 40% of the school age population (Collier & Thomas, 2009). Currently, many schools in the U.S. are undereducating this group. The achievement gap between the average native English speaker and students who started school with little or no proficiency in English is quite large. For every year of academic progress that a native English speaker makes, it may take an English learner approximately 1 ½ years to make the same academic progress (Collier & Thomas, 2009).

Sixty-five percent of non-English

speaking students in U.S. schools are of Hispanic origin.

The Hispanic population is one of the nation’s fastest growing demographic groups (NCES, 2004). Approximately 31% of ELLs who speak Spanish in the home fail to graduate from high school, in comparison to 10% of native English speaking students do not finish high school (NCES 2004).

Across the U.S., more than 80% of students have been identified with a specific learning disability.

Approximately 53% of ELLs are identified with a learning disability. In addition, 18.1% are identified as having a speech and language impairment (USDE 2005). ELLs are most commonly identified as a student with a learning disability in the area of reading (USDE 2005).

Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA) of 2004 brought with it some changes in how students are identified as a student with a learning disability (LD). Prior to IDEA 2004, students were found eligible as having a specific learning disability (SLD) when a discrepancy between their cognitive functioning and academic achievement was present. This approach has contributed in part to the over-

identification of English learners in special education. A new component was added to the reauthorization. A student may now be found eligible as a student with LD based on how student responds to scientific research-based interventions.

The use of an RtI process may reduce the number of referrals to special education for ELLs. In addition, the RtI may reduce the achievement gap for these students (IDEA, 2004).

Response to Intervention may be the key to solving the difficult task of teaching ELLs to read fluently in English. With the rise in the number of English learners coming to the U.S. and the overidentification of English learners in special education, intervention must take place to intervene before the gap in reading becomes too large.

RtI is a multi-tiered system to assist students who struggle academically. It is designed to provide all students with behavioral and educational supports. As a student’s educational needs increase, the rate and magnitude of academic intervention should increase.

Student progress is monitored closely at each tier of intervention. If a student is not progressing, the need for more

intensive intervention may be determined. RtI is not a program or a toolkit. It is a shared responsibility and collaborative effort between all educators that focuses on data. The RtI process can be used to distinguish between ineffective instructional practices and a student’s learning disability, thereby removing the blame from the students for their academic failures and placing the responsibility for learning on the learning environment (GerzelShort & Wilkins, 2009).

Although there is extensive research in the area of reading, the main focus of the research has been on native English speakers. One of the possible limitations of this study is that there is not enough research or data indicating that the strategies that work for native English speakers will work for ELLs in the same way. However, assumptions can be made that instructional strategies found effective for native English speakers worked well with English language learners.

The NRP reported that there are five key areas of reading that must be in place for students to be successful readers. These areas are called the “Big Five”.

They include effective teaching

in the areas of reading comprehension, phonics, phonemic awareness, fluency, and vocabulary. Reading fluency is a key component of reading.

When conducting a special education evaluation on an ELL, there are exclusionary factors that must be ruled out prior to the determination of eligibility.

According to IDEA 2004, an English language learner can only be found eligible as a student with a disability under the certain conditions. The student’s lack of achievement cannot primarily be due to exclusionary factors.

Exclusionary factors include visual, hearing, or motor disability, mental retardation, emotional disturbance, cultural factors, environmental or economic disadvantage, or limited English proficiency (IDEA 2004).

The NRP recommends that interventions for fluency be conducted over an extended period of time, in an effort to determine which specific approaches to fluency are most effective (National Reading Panel, 2000). The primary method used for improving reading fluency is repeated reading (Ring, Barefoot, Avrit, Brown, & Black, 2012). Some researchers have argued that fluency at the text level is based in part on being able to fluently identify phonemes, letters and words. Some studies have found that with struggling readers, the automaticity of reading processes, specifically word reading proficiency is directly correlated to reading rate of text. Other studies have compared the effects of word

level and text level fluency. The results are mixed. For example, one study comparing good and struggling readers found that repeated reading at either word or text level resulted in equally significant transfer to oral reading fluency of text containing a large number of trained words. In a study conducted by Martin-Chen and Levy (2005), it was found that teaching good and poor readers to read words fluently yielded higher gains in subsequent reading fluency of words (Ring et al., 2012).

Fluency, defined in terms of speed, accuracy, and appropriate expression, is an essential part of proficient reading. Further, the NRP determined that repeated and guided oral reading as instructional methods that affect fluency, word recognition, and comprehension through at least grade 4 for the typically developing reader and through high school for students with reading problems (National Reading Panel, 2000). In order to be a successful reader, fluency is essential.

Several studies investigated whether other measures of specific reading skills work with best with ELLs compared to English speakers. Baker and Good (1995) studied the reliability and validity of oral reading fluency (ORF) with ELLs and English speakers. Reading skills on ORF and reading comprehension were measured with second grade students, some of who were ELLs (Spanish speakers) and some of who were English speakers (Baker & Good, 1995). The most significant finding was that correlation coefficients between ORF at pretest and the total score on

a standardized diagnostic reading test at posttest were not statistically significantly different for the two groups of students.

This indicated that a measure of ORF predicted overall reading proficiency equally well for ELLs and English speakers (Fien et al., 2011).

There is an over-identification of ELL in special education. RtI may hold the key to preventing an English language leaner from being referred to special education. Unfortunately, there does not seem to be strong empirical research in the area of reading for English language learners. Thankfully, many of the strategies that work for native English speakers, work for English language learners, as well.

For the purpose of this proposal, the focus will be on improving the fluency rate for ELL who struggle with reading. A multiple baseline design across students will be conducted to determine whether there is a functional relation between repeated readings and the increase in words read correctly per minute.

Given that the population of ELLs in the U.S. is growing at such a fast pace and that for many ELLs the process of becoming a fluent reader in English can be a difficult task, it is important that educators find appropriate strategies to assist these students in acquiring academic skills in English. This study will provide information regarding whether or not repeated readings for ELLs proves to be an effective method for closing the achievement gap.

Learning to read is typically Continue on page 34

“The world belongs to you! Now is your time to shine!

Embrace your greatness and be the change the world needs to see! You are the present and future! Let your journey be authentic and unapologetic! You are excellence in action!�

-Dr. Shanelle R. Reid President and CEO ACCESS Global: @ACCESSACandC

Class of 2016

Living Education eFocus News

Living Education eFocus News Pre-School Education W. Steven Barnett, Ph.D. Board of Governors Professor of Education Director of the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) Rutgers University Living Education eFocus News host Michel Davis Robinson discussed Pre-School education with Dr. W. Steven Barnett. Dr. Barnett is the Board of Governors Professor of Education and Director of the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) at Rutgers University.

Dr. W. Steven Barnett W. Steven Barnett, Ph.D. is Board of Governors Professor of Education and Director of the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) at Rutgers University. Dr. Barnett is an internationally recognized expert on early childhood policy and programs who has served as consultant to scores of states and national leaders in the United States and numerous countries around the world. His research includes wide ranging studies on early childhood policy and economics including: research on long-term effects of early education programs; benefit-cost analyses of the Perry Preschool and Abecedarian programs; randomized trials of alternative approaches to educating bilingual/migrant populations and the Tools of the Mind curriculum (focusing on executive function); and, the series of State Preschool Yearbooks providing annual stateby-state analyses of progress in public pre-K. Recent publications include “Effectiveness of early educational intervention� in the journal Science. Dr. Barnett earned his Ph.D. in economics from the University of Michigan.

John Niesz Superintendent Keansburg School District

New Leaders K-12

A Simple 4-Step Roadmap for a Staircase of Differentiated Instruction & Inclusion By Phyl Macomber: @AllAboutTHEPACT PERSISTENT PROBLEMS IN EDUCATION Since my fellowship at Johns Hopkins Kennedy-Krieger Institute in 1988, I have trained thousands of teaching staff across North America in both the United States and Canada and, to a limited extent, in parts of Australia and Italy. Unfortunately, many of the same problems that existed back then in education continue to persist in education today, regardless of the year on the calendar or the postal code of the location.

The fundamental fact is that our educational systems have become extremely complicated, regardless of where you live in the world. Each day, we walk into our schools, go inside our classrooms, arrive at our learning centers, or enter our therapy settings . . . and face trying to simply keep our heads above water. But, most significantly, we show up each day trying to make a difference.

We all attempt to cover an incredible amount of information in an unrealistic, often impossible, limited amount of time. Instruction in today’s educational system is typically delivered in days filled with multiple things to do and just not enough time in which to do them – with people often feeling very under-appreciated.

Class sizes are increasing. Caseloads are getting bigger. We rarely get time to collaborate with fellow team members so that we can be on the same page. Because of these challenges, we are frequently forced to take a reactive approach to instruction, rather than a proactive one, often not even knowing what the other person is doing!

I can attest to this because I spend a great deal of time in schools as the creator of the research-based teaching framework called T.H.E. P.A.C.T., and author of the book, The Power of T.H.E. P.A.C.T. I mentor, coach, and train educators - both in general education and special education, showing them how to deal more effectively with these very problems and how to consistently get more results from their time. The solution is quite simple: as educators, we need teach in the way our brain works . . . in a sequence or order that makes sense to students, teachers, and parents.

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF SYSTEMS-BASED INSTRUCTION: BE SURE-FOOTED – TAKE THE STAIRS, NOT THE ELEVATOR It is so important to remember that good content does not always equal sound instruction. A vast amount of curriculum content is not delivered in “bite-sized” chunks in the classroom, nor in a brain-based sequence, that best fosters understanding and demonstration of knowledge that our students need, regardless of their ability, in order to meet the standards.

Due to challenging time constraints and unrealistic pacing guides, curriculum instruction is often like getting on an “elevator” – one day going to the 24th floor, and the next day back down to the 4th

floor, and the following day, shooting up to the 60th floor – with instructional lessons not linking with each other.

Students of all abilities often struggle to know the “WHAT, WHY, and HOW” of their instruction and how one lesson relates to the next. The solution is to deliver instruction in a “connect-thedots” teaching and learning approach: methodically taking the stairs, instead of the elevator, sequentially achieving one step of mastery at a time – drawing a line from one lesson to the next - to significantly improve overall academic performance.

It is critical that educators have a systematic roadmap that is easy to follow for teaching anything to anyone at any grade level. This roadmap needs to have “no expiration date,” so to speak; meaning that it could be used from preschool to high school. In addition, it is crucial that this curriculum solution work with students of any ability, from gifted to special needs - and every learner in between, to bridge the gap between special education and general education and foster meaningful inclusion of students with disabilities using inclusive strategies.

As educators, we need to provide instruction in this order, based on the longstanding research of how the brain works, which is to teach an understanding of content before we test what was learned. This significantly helps students succeed.

SIMPLIFY, SIMPLIFY, SIMPLIFY We need to simplify the process of learning, which in turn, simplifies teaching for teachers. T.H.E. P.A.C.T. methodology is a simple, research-based template system for learning. This delivery system for instruction is only four steps – which means that it is easy to implement in a jam-packed school day.

These four components are presented in the framework as a “Module System” – Learn About, Read About, Write About, and Talk About – aligned to the vital components of educational standards.

Educators, from preschool to high school, are now gaining control of their instruction, decreasing their prep time, and meaningfully including learners with disabilities in their classrooms.

This system of teaching provides "connect-the-dots" instruction, so that both students and teachers understand WHAT they are doing and WHY. Regardless of subject or topic of study, teachers methodically walk students through “learning about” it, “reading about” it, “writing about” it, and “talking about” it.

Educators do this in a way that allows students to feel anchored with the "HOW-TO-DO-IT" part - by using consistent teaching activities and predictable instructional tools - so the students focus on "what" they are learning, instead of "how" they are learning it. This significantly decreases cognitive load for students of all abilities Teachers now know what to do: how to focus their time, streamline their time, organize their time, and be successful at what they need to do when showing

students how one lesson connects to the next. With this methodology, teachers can reach students of all abilities in their classroom and build a real solid understanding of whatever material they are teaching.

GAINING CONTROL OF CURRICULUM INSTRUCTION: A REAL-LIFE EXAMPLE OF CLASSROOM SUCCESS Teachers often feel that they are no longer in control of how they teach. The beauty of this system of instruction is that teachers can come up with their own creative activities for lessons in each of the four steps, which in turn, speaks to their OWN style of teaching, without anyone telling them "how" they have to teach it. But once they decide "how" to teach it, they use these teaching activities over and over again to anchor their students and streamline their lesson planning.

Here is an example of how one classroom teacher, with integrated special education services and speech-language therapy in her classroom, set up grade-based science units using T.H.E. P.A.C.T.’s foundational principles of consistency and predictability:

As students mastered each type of lesson format, additional teaching activities and lessons were added to keep the methodology creative and novel. In turn, the students were then more active in selecting the module activities for the science lesson of the day. In other words, this approach transitioned from the teacher selecting the specific lesson in the module to student-led lesson selection.

BETTER UNDERSTANDING AND INCREASED ENGAGEMENT OF LEARNERS . . .DECREASED PREP TIME FOR TEACHERS This systems-based approach of T.H.E. P.A.C.T. has shown improved comprehension of curriculum content, with students acquiring knowledge at a

faster rate over time with each topic, as evidenced in our two-year research study, in both the United States and Canada, across 19 research sites serving learners with disabilities. In addition, this 4step model of using consistent and predictable methods has increased the engagement of students in their lessons and has improved meaningful participation and inclusion of learners with disabilities in the classroom.

Special educators and classroom teachers find that they are “working smarter, not harder,” and decreasing their lesson preparation time, to provide “learning for all” to their diverse students.

In addition, special ed and general ed are now having the same conversation about instruction while increasing their collaboration and co-teaching opportunities using sound principles of differentiated instruction and Universal Design for Learning.

For example, a New Hampshire kindergarten teacher, who served a range of learners, from those who were gifted, to those with moderate to severe disabilities – including English Language Learners from China, Taiwan, Canada, Mexico, India, Pakistan, and Malaysia – shared: “My goal of meeting or exceeding the needs of every child in my class has been achieved using T.H.E. P.A.C.T. This conceptual framework is designed to help all teachers create lessons that can meet the needs of learners of any ability within an inclusionary setting.”

The longstanding myth in education is that learners receiving specialized services need much “different” teaching strategies than those that can be used in the classroom in order to succeed in their least restrictive environment or general education setting. The TRUTH of the matter is that these successful, research-based strategies for “connect-the-dots” curriculum instruction should not only be used with our learners in special education, but also need to be used with students of all abilities, in any general education classroom, so that every student – and every teacher – has the greatest chance to succeed.

come. They boldly moved out of those hot kitchens and into those hot war-converted factories as WWII grew on the horizon.

Women were the spark and push that led to the birth of America's great Arsenal of Democracy. And they did this during a time while their men had up and left them again just like so many of them had in the previous decade of the 1930's. It was now the 1940's, and once again, the women were in full charge and fully responsible for all the family responsibilities as they watched their brave men board the trains again. Thankfully, this time in the 1940's was not like the 1930's, and their men weren't boarding the trains of hopelessness and despair, but rather this time the trains of democracy, hope, and a budding mighty military powerhouse.

As the men went off to war in far-off lands and distant seas to fight Hitler and Tojo, the women went off to nearby factories in this great land, the United States of America. Men, our women helped make this country great just as much as you did!

All the way over in Europe Hitler didn't fully realize that the United States had a secret weapon: it's women. Fifty percent of our population, who had previously stood by their men, were called upon to stand in place of their men and do their patriotic duty in those factories. Hitler was in big trouble, and didn't even know it... Our women helped put our boys over in Europe fully equipped and ready to fight within six months. This was a full year-and-ahalf ahead of what Hitler thought was possible. This quick time made all the difference in the war, and all the difference in our world of democracy and freedom.

Our American women had done something in those factories that this world had never seen before.

Their miraculous and unprecedented feat in those factories is still called “The Production Miracle.” Our women brought us out of The Great Depression with this “Production Miracle” and put Hitler in a nowin situation, thus causing the eventual downfall of one of the most powerful men in the history of the world. Hitler underestimated our American women.

And he paid dearly for his arrogance and hubris with his life. Men, don't make the same mistakes as Hitler.

To learn more, please go to AboutTHEPACT.com.

Make The Women of this Country continued from page 17

the way for many future generations of women to

The women of this country have proven themselves Continue on page 34

“I want to encourage each of you to give back to your respective communities the gift of learning you have received. Continue your journey of self-growth because your self-esteem and integrity is everything. Let your words, thoughts, and actions be in alignment because the next generation is watching and everything "speaks". I wish each of you abundance in all areas of your life ~ May you be safe from inner and outer dangers.�

---Christina Smith Entrepreneur, Consultant, Mother, and Published Author @cnsmithauthor

@USAArchery

Living Education eMagazine talks to Denise Parker of USA Archery on the Benefits of Children Learning Archery LEeM: What are some of the benefits of youth participating in Archery?

USA Archery: Archery is a great sport for all ages. For young athletes, archery helps them develop critical skills including focus, determination and goal setting. It also helps them build core strength, learn team-building skills and increase selfconfidence. USA Archery offers the Junior Olympic Archery Development (JOAD) Program, which teaches archery to young people, provides great opportunities for awarding achievement, and helps archers to enjoy the sport recreationally or progress to the excitement of competition!

LEeM: Is Archery an expensive sport to undertake? What would you recommend to parents and children aspiring to participate in Archery?

USA Archery: Many archery clubs have equipment available for beginners to use or rent before they commit to purchasing their own equipment. Most pro shops also have equipment for archers to try before they make a purchase. There are many affordable equipment options available,

and USA Archery offers many grant opportunities for clubs to apply for funding for equipment. We would encourage parents and children to try archery as it is a fun sport and can be a great activity for the whole family!

LEeM: What are some the outreaching efforts and programs USA Archery uses to bring in young Archers/Participants, to include children of color?

USA Archery: This past week we announced some exciting news! USA Archery committed to Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! initiative and promised to introduce 50,000 children to archery in the next year. We offer many introductory archery opportunities through our Explore Archery program material and partnerships with groups like the Parks and Recreation departments, Boy and Girls Scouts, YMCA’s etc. There are also grants available to start programs where funding is a major issue for the participants.

LEeM: What are some of the physical,

mental, and academic benefits to participating in Archery?

USA Archery: Archery is a sport that teaches focus, mental toughness, concentration, and helps many people build self-confidence. There are numerous physical benefits; archery is not a sport that requires incredible physical strength, but instead helps athletes build core strength and gain control of many muscle groups. It is a great upper body workout and mental exercise. The benefits of practicing archery extend beyond the sport and translate to benefits in the classroom or workplace. USA Archery’s Collegiate Archery Program is also a great way for archers to combine their athletic and academic pursuits and many collegiate archers are top students in their classes.

LEeM: Where are some of the major events held for Archery and what does it take to reach Olympian status as an Archer?

USA Archery: USA Archery sanctions many local and state tournaments, but as archers progress to more elite levels of shooting, the United States Archery Team (USAT) Qualifier Series Events take place each summer around the country. This summer, they are in Arizona, Florida, California and Ohio. Our National Championship events also travel the country, but this summer we will be in Decatur, Alabama for Target Nationals and Yankton, South Dakota for Field Nationals. There are also the Archery World Cup Series events and World Championship events. This year, some of the larger events have been in China, Colombia, and Turkey – so archery can really take you anywhere in the world! To reach the Olympic level, archers need to practice every day and to gain experience through competition. You can visit www.usarchery.org to find an archery club, coach, or competition near you.

5

Five Tips For Parents To Encourage Love of STEM

By Dmitri Mehlhorn @DmitriMehlhorn

Fluency with STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) will be crucial for today’s students to obtain millions of jobs in the future.

Unfortunately, many students leave their K-12 schooling experience feeling incompetent or bored by STEM subjects. Parents eager to encourage their children to love, enjoy, and pursue STEM careers can try the following techniques.

First, ask questions. While you’re spending STEM time with kids, telling stories or playing games, ask your children questions. Ask your kids to make predictions about what will happen. Ask them why things happened as they did. Ask them why things work or look the way that they do.

You don’t need to know the answers. In fact, it’s better if you don’t know the answers, and you encourage your kids to think up their own theories and their own ways of testing their theories. This is about fun, which is about exploration.

Second, tell stories. STEM is also about amazing stories, about heroes and villains, about conquerors and pioneers. No matter what race, ethnicity, religion, or gender your child, Google or the local library can help you find inspiring stories of people like them who used math and science to change the world. Consider Biddy Mason, who used her skills as a midwife and investor to become a wealthy philanthropist after escaping slavery at the age of 33; or the Muslim inventor of algebra and algorithms; or the Syrian inventors of the dentists’ drill; or the African inventors of iron smelting; or the female scientist who discovered radiation in Paris. All of the world’s races and cultures have contributed to Continue on page 54

The Disappearance of Black Men in College @hraymond2011 According to Fassinger and Richie (1994), academic achievement has been traditionally defined in literature as success in academic and vocational arenas (e.g. high grades, test scores, grade point averages). However, this definition of achievement has been criticized for being centered in white, male middle class standards (Fassinger & Richie, 1994). This book provides an overview of selected studies directly related to retention in higher education focusing more closely on the retention of minority students. It concludes with implications for a minority student retention model, integrated recommendations for best practice and a model to translate the theory into practice.

By Hamilton Raymond

In the late 1990s, student success researchers considered the experiences and outcomes of men who have been historically underrepresented and underserved in education (e.g. Cuyjet, 1997, 2006; Harris, III & Wood, 2013; Saenz & Ponjuan, 2009).

However, one finding that remains consistent throughout the reports is that Black males rank at the near bottom, if not the bottom, on most indicators of student success. These indicators include enrollment, retention, attrition, and persistence. In data collected across three consecutive semesters, Hagedorn, Maxwell, and Hampton (2001) found that there were six background factors that

predicted retention for African American men in community These factors included age, high school grade point average, certainty about one’s major, and placing a high degree of importance on completing college.

According to Harper (2006), Black men represented 4.3 % of all students enrolled in postsecondary education – the same as they did in 1976, when the opportunities that are prevalent for Black men today were not as prevalent. This is alarming because Black men are not being presented with the opportunities for a postsecondary education due to economic, political and social forces. Saenz and Ponjuan (2009) indicate that Black men are vanishing from the nation’s educational pipeline.

A 2011 College Board report entitled The Educational Experiences of Young Men of Color examined six pathways that students can take upon their departure from high school: (1) Enrollment in postsecondary education, (2) Enlistment in the U.S. Armed Forces, (3) Employment, (4) Unemployment, (5) Incarceration, and (6) Death (Lee & Ransom, 2011). Men of Color were grossly overrepresented in the latter three of those pathways.

From the mid-1970s to present, incarceration rates have increased sharply and a disproportionate number of Black men reside in prison (Langan, 1991; Pettit & Western, 2004). This raises the question of whether men of color have a predestined path to go to jail as opposed to college. Lindsey, Lyons and Butler (2007) show that stress is one of the factors that steer Black men away from academic achievement. They also note the following factors are related to the dropout rate: (1) Death of a family member (Intrapersonal Stress) – 82%, (2) Low Grades (Academic Stress) – 69%, (3) Time Management (Academic Stress) – 61%, (4) Boyfriend/Girlfriend problems (Interpersonal Stress) – 57%, and (5) Missed classes – 55%.

While it appears that Black men are doing exceptionally worse than their non-minority counterparts, increasingly Black women comprise the majority of African Americans enrolled in college and receiving associate, bachelors, masters, doctoral, and professional degrees. Black women's participation in postsecondary education has improved drastically as they are outpacing many other minority cultural groups (i.e., Black men, Hispanic men and women, Asian men and women, etc.) in terms of college enrollment and completion rates (Cuyjet, 2006).

Women of color appear to be more willing to improve their lives through academic achievement.

Studies show that on average Black women are more likely to outperform Black men in areas of academics such as math, science and critical thinking; Black women also obtain better overall GPA’s while in college. Black women account for 64% of the total African American student college enrollment (U.S. Department of Education, 2003; Watt, 2006). This nearly two-thirds ratio of female to male matriculation represents the largest gender imbalance of all ethnic groups. The imbalance may have originated from many reasons, varying from stress to ethnic identity issues.

There is a long history of research conducted on the schooling of African American students. Many of these studies were flawed in their findings due to what is known as assimilation logic (Hanley & Noblit, 2009). This states that once Black students were assimilated into white culture, academic success would follow (Hanley & Noblit, 2009). It was believed that Black people, upon introduction

to these ideals, would favor white culture and essentially achieve maximum success. Research now regards culture as a set of tools, perspectives and capabilities that students can deploy in the pursuit of learning (Hanley & Noblit, 2009). When these tools, perspectives and capabilities are suppressed or denied, students are educationally disempowered (Hanley & Noblit, 2009).

A student receives from his or her culture a racial identity, and for children of color, their racial identity can connect them to a wider project of racial uplift. Prior to Brown v. Board of Education (1954), studies of segregated education showed that when these institutions were segregated, a sense of racial uplift, strong, positive racial identities led to high achievement (Hanley & Noblit, 2009).

Researchers found that Black students performed best in settings that are built on their culture and promoted their ethnic identities (Hanley & Noblit, 2009). Culture, in one sense, is a set of tools that is produced through human activity and in turn produce new ways of being. As early as 1954, there were a great number of Black college students enrolled in historically Black colleges and universities (HBCU). HBCU’s were established to preserve the ethnic identities of Black people and provide each of those individuals with a better chance of obtaining a college degree. However, women comprised 58% of the students enrolled in these institutions (Cross, 1999). Statistics reveal that when the Census Bureau began tracking bachelor’s degrees by race and gender in 1974, women earned 57% of all degrees awarded to Blacks (Cohen & Nee, 2000).

Once it was made possible for Blacks to obtain a college degree, less than 1% of Black men earned a college degree in 1940, compared to less than 2% of Black women. By 2000, approximately 10% of Black men and 15% of Black women aged 2228 completed college. Blacks’ rates of college completion have steadily risen over time, but at a more rapid pace for women than men. Academic and societal trends may contribute to the decreasing number of Black male students in postsecondary education.

References Cuyjet, M. (2006). African American Men in College.

The Journal of Higher Education, 79(3), 360-363.

Fassinger, R., & Richie, B. (1994). Persistence, connection, and passion: A qualitative study of the career development of highly achieving African American–Black and White women. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 44(2), 133-148.

Hagedorn, L. S., Maxwell, W., & Hampton, P. (2001).

Correlates of retention for African-American males in the community college. Journal of College Student Retention, 3, 243-263.

Hanley, M. S., Noblit, G. W. (2009). Cultural Responsiveness, Racial Identity and Academic Success: A review of Literature. The Heinz Endowments, 4-6.

Harper, S. R. (2006). Black male students at public flagship universities in the U.S.: Status, trends and implications for policy and practice. Washington, DC: Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies.

Harris, F., & Wood, J. L. (2013). Student success for men of color in community colleges: A review of published literature and research, 1998-2012. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education 2013, 6(3), 174-185.

Langan, P. A. (1991). America’s soaring prison population. Science 251: 1568-1573.

Petit, B. & Western, B. (2004): Mass imprisonment and the Life Course: Race and Class inequality in U.S. incarceration. American Sociological Review, 69(2), 151-169.

Saenz, V. B., & Ponjuan, L.(2009).The Vanishing Latino male in Higher Education. Journal of Hispanic Higher Education 8(1), 54-89.

U.S. Department of Education (1995). Trends in High School Dropout and Completion Rates in the United States:1972-2009. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics.

U.S. Department of Education. (2003). Trends in High School Dropout and Completion Rates in the United States:1972-2009. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics.

Watt, K. (2006). Racial identity attitudes, Womanist identity attitudes, and self-esteem in African American College women attending historically Black single-sex and coeducational institutions. Journal of College Student Development, 47(3), 319-334.

Make The Women of this Country continued from page 28

not only in the 1930's and 1940's, but have proven themselves time-and-time again. Be smart and wise, and work with them and not against them.

Trust me on this one guys, and you won't be sorry.

Now teens, go learn, lead, and lay the way to a better world for all of us. Trust your women enough to stand side-by-side with you in the foxholes of adversity and on the stages of victory and valor.

Together, you can't lose. It's a win-win! And once again, thanks in advance for all that you do, and all that you will do.

Improving Reading Fluency continued from page 20

a developmental process, just as learning to walk or talk. However, for many children learning to read is an extraordinarily complex and difficult task.

Students with poor reading skills are at risk for academic difficulty throughout their school career.

Reading fluency is a strong predictor of overall reading problems.

For many ELLS, learning to read in English can be an even more difficult. Second language and acculturation can prevent these students from adequately acquiring academic skills. In addition, the compounding effects mentioned of acquiring a second language and lack of acculturation can increase the likelihood that the ELL will be placed in special education. ELLs confront the challenges of learning a new language and at the same time may struggle to comprehend the academic content (Tam, Heward, & Heng, 2006).

The use of an RtI process may assist school districts in reducing the number of referrals to special education for ELLs. In addition, this process can possibly close the achievement gap for these students. With the rise in the number of English learners coming to the U.S. and the overidentification of English learners in special education, strategic, targeted academic interventions must take place in the early grades in an effort to close the achievement gap for these students.

References Allen-DeBoer, R. A. (2008). Improving the reading the fluency of elementary Latino ELL (Doctoral dissertation). Available from Pro-Quest Dissertations and Theses.

Continue on page 68

Jeff Rippe Superintendent Bellevue Public Schools

New Leaders K-12

Makerspaces: Game Changers for Student Achievement School leaders constantly seek innovative ways to increase student achievement and insure that students are future ready. One solution continues to cry out for consideration to engage students in learning at high levels in every school or school community – Makerspaces! The concept of makerspaces is not necessarily new, but a renewed focus on utilizing maker education in STEM, STEAM, and STREAM learning has established an avenue to facilitate authentic learning, promote project based learning, and stimulate critical thinking by using resources, inquiry, innovation, and perseverance to solve real world problems in a different way through maker activities. Makerspaces allow the learner to gain control of their own learning by taking ownership of the projects that they create.

Through critical thinking, learners evolve from consumers to creators and designers. According to Fleming and Kurti (2014): The Maker Movement in education is built upon the foundation of constructivism, which is the philosophy of hands-on learning through building things. Constructionism, in turn, is the application of constructivist learning principles to a hands-on learning environment.

Thus maker education is a branch of constructivist philosophy that views learning as a highly personal endeavor requiring the student, rather than the teacher, to initiate the learning

By Dr. Delic L. Loyde @delic15

process. (p. 8) Makerspaces initially emerged in non-academic communities, but can now be found across the nation in PK – 12 schooling and in higher education on many university campuses such as Rutgers University, Stanford University, and Georgia Tech. Makerspaces promote innovation and collaboration as learners increase their expertise.

Participation in maker activities is fast becoming a requirement in many

university courses of study. Colleges and universities are seeking information from applicants as to their prior maker involvement, including submitting portfolios of their maker projects for college admission. MIT reviews MakerLab portfolios. (Wagner, 2015) In fact, MIT is now setting the standard for other universities to follow by providing maker access to freshmen students in all disciplines beginning this fall. Starting in fall 2016, every MIT freshman will get an open

$200,000 to ten high schools for their top planning designs for creating their own makerspaces on their campuses.

Makerspaces are global and can be found in virtually every country. Several countries, including China, now require that students participate in maker activities. A shift is taking place in schools all over the world as students across a wide variety of disciplines are learning by making and creating rather than from the simple consumption of content. Creativity, as illustrated by the growth of user-generated videos, maker communities, and crowdfunded projects in the past couple years, is increasingly the means for active, hands-on learning. (Adams Becker, 2016) The higher order thinking, innovative, creative, and enriched learning that is found in the maker environment cannot be denied as a vehicle to increase problem solving abilities and assist learners in developing an innovator’s mindset.

Invitation to the new Project Manus makerspace: the MakerLodge. “These programs are designed to welcome and empower the next generation of inventors and innovators,” says Martin Culpepper, MIT’s “Maker Czar.”

(Hall, 2016) The Obama administration highlighted the benefits of the maker experience by instituting a nationwide Nation of Makers in

2014 which sponsored Maker Faires across the country, and continues its support through the annual National Week of Making, which this year will be held June 17 – 23 and coincide with the National Maker Faire in Washington D.C. The Department of Education is also sponsoring a competition in Baltimore entitled the Career and Technology Makeover Challenge which will provide a total prize of

While there is still limited research on the effects of the sole use of makerspaces in increasing student achievement, the data does show a positive correlation between learner participation in “maker activities” and improved creativity, comprehension, deeper critical thinking, higher self-efficacy, and positive learning outcomes. School leaders still have many questions about makerspaces, their use, accessibility for all learners, and exactly which maker activities count as student learning, but the positive impact of maker activities is apparent at every educational level. In high schools where administrators are challenged to engage students who risk not graduating or those who struggle to find their education pathway beyond high school, makerspaces are filling a need by engaging students in new ways. (Whitmire, 2016) By definition, a makerspace is a physical location where people gather to share resources and knowledge, work on projects, network, and build. Learners who participate are called “makers”.

Makerspaces provide the needed resources in a collaborative community environment – a library, community center, private organization, school, or mobile

space. Often associated with science, engineering, technology, computer science, design, and fine arts, makerspaces serve as a gateway to deeper engagement and strive to build literacy in the aforementioned fields of study (Hlubinka, et al., 2012).

Optimizing the efficacy of makerspaces requires adequate space to create. Finding space in a school or library may not be as difficult as once perceived, but the innovation of making the makerspace mobile can increase access and impact. Mobility provides an option for school leaders who wish to share resources with several campuses or participate in larger collaborative work. One such mobile makerspace is MaKrU, a mobile maker space created out of a renovated bus that services several different school districts in Texas and is supported by expert investigators Karla Koop and Mary Jones. This mobile makerspace serves the needs of students from elementary to higher learning and includes professional learning experiences for educators. The mission of MaKrU is to provide a superior makerspace experience that engages innovators of all ages. (Jones, 2015) A mobile makerspace can be achieved in two main ways: the makerspace itself can be mobile (in that the makerspace which includes all needed materials, can be moved to various locations), or to create a mobile makerspace that uses technology to make other things mobile - such as operating robots to complete tasks. Mobile makerspaces free up space in schools and can be easily incorporated into the curriculum to reinforce STEM and STEAM education, multidisciplinary thinking, and college/career readiness. Mobile makerspaces provide the ultimate workshop for the tinkerer and the perfect educational space for those who learn the way most people learn best: by doing.

One of the biggest advantages to makerspace learning is that the makerspace can serve all learners. Average and expert learners have the potential to develop into inventors (individually and collectively) who create through the highly collaborative learning dynamic supported by peers, coaching, and expert assistance.

The effectiveness of a makerspace includes intentional planning for all types of learners and availability of resources, space, and time. Makerspaces add value to educational venues through project enrichment. They can be low tech, high tech, or no tech at all; however, when technology is included in makerspaces, data shows that learning increases for both the student and teacher. Makerspaces with technology often include computers, iPads, smartphones, robots, and 3D

printers.

Personalizing Learning Makerspaces create opportunities for personalized learning. The makerspace can be tailored to meet the abilities of learners and projects can be scaffolded within the same makerspace to provide varying levels of challenge for learners. Having students lead the selection of projects and workshops is perhaps the most essential component regarding the success of makerspaces (Graves, 2014). Successful makerspaces are not only student led, but allow students to hold all of the creative power. The process of “making” uses the creativity and innovation of the student to produce something new. The practical experiences gained by students in makerspace projects teach them the innovation and design skills needed for jobs in science, engineering, technology, and mathematics.

The mind-set of students and teachers must be one that embraces the needs of maker learning including inquiry, trail, error, and innovation. It is imperative that teachers receive adequate training to support student makers and encourage them to be curators of their learning.

Fostering the maker mindset through education is a fundamentally human project – to support the growth and development of another person not just physically, but mentally and emotionally. Learning should focus on the whole person because any truly creative enterprise requires all of us, not just some part. It should be rooted in the kind of sharing of knowledge and skills that humans do best face to face. (Honey, 2013) The process of building and making promotes critical thinking as students create their own knowledge base. Makers have to think for themselves as they generate creative ways to solve problems. The support of the school leader is invaluable in understanding this process and vital to the proper implementation of this transformational learning style. School leaders must insure that makerspace activities are pedagogically sound in order to deepen the needed skills of the learner.

Inspiring Creativity The makerspace environment must inspire creativity. Graves (2014) found that makerspaces provide a “nurturing, positive environment that encourage creation, questioning, and thinking” (p. 12).

Through self-directed learning makers build their own projects versus reading about building a project. Not only is learning enhanced, but innovation is catalyzed through making projects. The opportunity to create empowers students and allows them to make their learning meaningful. Makerspaces challenge students to

use their knowledge for solutions. As students engage in hands-on learning, they learn by doing. The knowledge acquired by making versus clicking is applied not only to the completion of the experiment, but also the solving of problems that may arise and the creation of solutions. These informal, project-driven workspaces are arenas for students, faculty and staff to try out solutions and reflect on feedback from colleagues with similar interests (Educause, 2013).

Anyone can be a maker, but effective makerspaces enlist resident experts in the content of the makerspace to facilitate. The availability of this expertise onsite is part of the allure for participants from novice to expert.

In public education, successful makerspaces can also involve students as experts or enlist the support of business partners.

Promoting Self Confidence and Community Makers become more engaged learners because they are working on something that they actually care about and develop a higher sense of self through the knowledge that they created something by themselves that actually matters. Participation in maker activities builds confidence and a more positive sense of self through the process of making. Makers also develop more positive ways to interact with others through collaboration and cooperation. Unlike individual do-ityourself hobbyist, makerspaces are more communityoriented and bring makers out to the public so they can share and learn together (Watters, 2013). A great way to engage the community and campus is to start a makerspace or a maker club. School leaders can engage youth and adults in the maker experience in small or large ways such after school, club oriented, or whole school implementations. The majority of makerspaces are in libraries and community centers, which can allow lifelong learners chances to continue learning in an informal environment. Makerspaces can promote partnerships between schools and businesses in efforts to collaborate, and ultimately create more career opportunities. School leaders can find support for creating a makerspace through the nationwide network of maker activity. Rather than just isolated pockets of making, makerspaces are stitched together in the larger maker movement through several events (like Maker Faires hosted locally, nationally, and internationally), periodical subscriptions like Make magazine, online communities like instructables.com or DIY.org, while maker adherents can connect through nonprofit organizations like Maker Education. (Peppler, 2013) Makerspaces can be created or brought to schools, churches, community centers, summer camps, afterschool programs, and schools to support the critical

need for learning experiences that includes technology and innovation which have become such a necessary part of everyday life. Makerspaces can make maker learning possible anytime and anyplace, for any learner by bringing materials and expertise right to the learner’s doorstep.

Establishing a Culture of Innovation The ability to innovate is a critical skill for all learners.

Makerspaces encourage innovation through a learner’s natural curiosity and exploration. The ability of a makerspace to put the needed tools for innovation in the hands of every learner promotes equity and levels the playing field for many learners who would not otherwise have access to the resources. Makerspaces enhance design thinking and can be marvelous interdisciplinary learning or project based learning components. A makerspace should not merely replicate known activities; it is a platform where learners can create the unknown and where anything is possible.

Connecting students to the future requires changing the education system. The transformative potential of scaling up innovation and empowering our learners will position our students to be the central driving force of change in our schools. With the support of school leaders, makerspaces offer new horizons and opportunities that will help to propel our students into a brighter future and spark the passion for lifelong learning. (Fleming, 2016) Making it Maker Makerspaces can be successful in formal and informal educational environments. As makerspaces and makerspace projects become more interconnected, virtual participation may include additional makers, remote experts, and teleoperation, which may enable manipulation of project machinery from different locations. The buy-in of leadership, teachers, community and students is key due to the highly collaborative learning dynamic that promotes teamwork and peer support, advice and assistance (Educause, 2013). Starting a Makerspace begins with asking yourself some of these critical questions and building capacity for support of the makerspace: 1. Assessment of Needs - Why do I want a makerspace at my campus or in my district?

2. Administrative Support - Are leaders prepared to support this type of learning and develop a school culture that supports innovation and experimentation?

3. Teacher Leadership - Will teachers receive and Continue on page 51

New Leaders K-12

Michael Poore Superintendent Little Rock School

“Life is like a coin. You can spend it any way you like, but you can only spend it once"-Lillian Dickson. No matter where you go, or what you do go out and Encourage, Inspire, & Empower!”

--Dr. Melissa Noland Chester @DrMelChet

A higher rate of poverty among African American Families manifests itself as an obvious cause of poorer academic performance in African American (Hernandez, 2011; Ratcliffe & McKernan, 2012). Perhaps the most salient and controversial factor in the African American-Caucasian test score gap is the home environment (Berk, 2007; Jiong, 2016). Much disparity

By Denise Mayo

Implications Of Not Reading On Grade Level By Third Grade

arises from even before birth. Poor nutrition as is often the reality of people who are living in poverty as well as limited access to

adequate health care and exposure to dangerous environments, further exacerbate cognitive functioning problem (Berk, 2007; Jiong, 2016 ).

African American students enter the educational their European American counterparts, due to a number of cultural; and economic realities, and as get older the achievement gap widens. In fact, third grade middle- Socioeconomic status (SES) students have acquired 5,000 more words than low-SES students (White, Graves, & Slater, 1990). One of the reasons for this occurrence is Inconsistency in learning environments, particularly between high- and low-performing schools.

Moreover, suburban families tend to seek educational support for and Johnson (1999) pointed out that many middle class and suburban have and continue to use educational support services such as Sylvan, Huntington, and Kumon learning centers to help ensure their children’s educational success. Teachers, parents, and students reap benefits from such programs, and there is a consequent decrease in grade retention (Johnson & Johnson, 1999; Ratcliffe & McKernan, 2012). These kinds of supplemental educational supports are costly for children living in poverty.

The rate of childhood poverty in the United States has increased in the last several years (U.S. Census Bureau, 2010). In 2014, 12 percent of white children and 14 percent of Asian children were poor, compared with 32 percent of Hispanic children and 37 percent of black children. In the same year, Hispanics and blacks were also more likely than whites and Asians to live in low-income families (62 and 63 percent, versus 29 and 32 percent, respectively) (Short, 2015). This growing economic instability is

African Americans students living in poverty areas are exposed to challenging life environments that can significantly hinder their goal towards academic success. Many researchers have documented higher risk factors of African American students in elementary, middle and high schools (Burchinala, Vandergriftb, Piantac, & Mashburnc, 2008; Downey, 2008; Powers, 2010; Ratcliffe, & McKernan, 2012). The multiple risk model demonstrated by Burchinala et al. recognizes that there are several indicators of risk such as poverty, single parenthood, large households, low parental education, unemployment, and low-income communities and schools, and more proximal measures such as maternal depression and lack of social support tend to cluster in the same individual.

School districts with high poverty rates have students with low literacy, which increases their susceptibility to experience factors such as low self-confidence and greater behavioral problems in the classroom (Bhattachana et al., 2006; Fernandez, 2009; Ratcliffe & McKernan, 2012)). According to Morales (2008), resilient students are able to do well in school while dealing with adverse situations such as severe poverty or learning deficiencies.

Children who are poor readers at the end of first grade rarely attain average-level reading skills by the end of elementary school (Snow, 2005). Children who do not reach grade-level literacy skills, including writing and reading by third grade struggle to catch up in future years.

reflected in the steep increase of the number of children living in families receiving food stamps (Allen-Kyle & Parello, 2011; Short, 2015). AllenKyle and Parello (2011) noted that

Hungry children have more difficulty learning. By contrast when students are not hungry there are fewer disciplinary referrals, fewer visits to the nurse, and greater student achievement (Allen-Kyle & Parello, 2011).

Third grade is a pivotal year in the education process.

Throughout third grade, students continue to explore literacy as they learn to read and comprehend. This foundation is critical because in fourth grade students are expected to read to expand their knowledge and critical thinking skills. As much as 50% of fourth grade curriculum could be incomprehensible to students who are below grade level in reading (Schorr & Marchand, 2007). Schorr and Marchand (2007) found that readers who are below proficient in third grade remain so in high school. Low academic performance is a precursor for behavior and social problems, as well as retention in later grades (Hernandez, 2011; Ratcliffe & McKernan, 2012). Graduation rates can be predicted based on student reading levels in the third grade (Snow, Burns, & Griffin, 1998). Those students not reading proficiently in third grade are four times more likely not to obtain a high school diploma (Annie E. Casey Foundation, 2012; Hernandez, 2011).

Overview of Literacy In order for a nation such as the United States to improve school literacy, it has to pay special attention to literacy achievement through third grade. Wilson and Colmar (2008) explained that students who improve their learning ability in third grade will suffer fewer academic problems than students who fail to meet academic benchmarks in the third grade. According to Elias and Torres (2007), one out of six children faces reading and learning problems from Grades 1 to 3. Literacy not only relates to reading but is also considered as the foundation of all other areas of

academic learning and application of education in life outside the school. Normally, students use reading skills for learning their lessons, but when they start struggling with literacy they become very likely to have difficulty in all academic sectors.

Larson (2006) noted that students who are not reading on the third grade level by the end of the school year continue struggling in their remaining school years. Students who read below grade level in the first grade but receive literacy intervention by and/or during third grade will do well in their studies in high school (Larson, 2006).

VanDerHeyden, Snyder, Broussard, and Ramsdell (2007) recognized the increasing disparities between purely school-based learning and literacy practices in practical life. Educators can enhance and mobilize students’ knowledge and performance by designing and redesigning textbooks and syllabi's with emphasis on social and real-world importance. This sort of redesign effort would require obtaining textbooks that are applicable to the students’ culture.

Educators may find enhanced participation by incorporating texts from relevant cultures so that students will pay special attention to the lesson (Larson, 2006).

The Impact of Low Literacy The educational system must ensure that students are able to read proficiently by the end of third grade.

Illiteracy impacts individuals, families and society as a whole. The result of the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL) provides startling information on the future of our youth who do not attain the literacy benchmarks. In it the National Center for Education Statistics (2003) reported that two thirds of the students not reading at grade level in fourth grade will end up on social service assistance or in a penal institution. Harlow (2003) established a link between literacy and crime, noting that 80% of the youth in the juvenile court system are functionally illiterate. Harlow reported that 70% of incarcerated individuals in the American penal system are reading at a fourth grade level.

Some states use third grade literacy test scores to project future inmate populations. Ensuring the reading comprehension of early elementary students will benefit them immediately as well as society in the future.

The vital importance of literacy in early elementary school, particularly in third grade, is well

established. Children who fall behind their classmates in learning to read not only have to catch up but also have difficulty using their reading abilities to keep pace with the daily introduction of new lessons and skills (Gunn, Smolkowski, Biglan, & Black, 2002). Literacy is important for children at the elementary level, particularly as the academic environment becomes increasingly challenging in third grade and children start to use their skills for learning subjects like science, social studies, mathematics, and literature. Snow (2005) found that students who were poor readers in third grade did not adequately develop their reading and writing skills by eighth grade.

Research has clearly documented the existence of a literacy achievement gap between children of low-SES families living in lower-income urban communities and children of affluent higher-income families (Hart et al., 2010; Hosterman et al., 2008; Irving & Hudley, 2005; Jones & Menchetti, 2001; Kearns et al., 2005; Lo & Cartledge, 2006; Olmeda & Kauffman, 2003; Ratcliffe & McKernan, 2012). In terms of literacy, children from low-income families score on average 60% below children from higher-income families, and once the children from poverty fall behind, they tend to stay behind (Children’s Defense Fund, 2004). Students not reading proficiently in third grade are 4 times more likely not to obtain a high school diploma (Hernandez, 2011). Lack of a high school diploma may lessen a person’s opportunity for financial stability. According to the Children’s Defense Fund (2004), every year a child spends in poverty results in a cost of $11,800 in lost future production. A parallel exists between economic success and academic success (Children’s Defense Fund, 2004); therefore, improving literacy rates will improve the lives of society’s future citizens.

Conclusions Educational research, law, and policy point out that the quandary of African American students not reading on grade level is persistent and pervasive. If interventions are not designed to address issues of inadequate allocation of educational resources, appropriate cultural curricula, and teacher preparation, the impact to society may have far reaching implications. There appear to be correlations between literacy, the penal system, and poverty. Poverty is pervasive in African American families according to the Portrait of Inequality 2012: Black Children in America (Children’s Defense Fund, 2012a). On average, African American children arrive at kindergarten and/or first grade with lower levels of school readiness than White children (Farkas, 2003).

Continue form page 52

New Leaders K-12

Dr. Ryan Holman Superintendent Snowline Joint Unified School District

Living Education Everyday

“To graduates of 2016 1. Always remember to honor your ancestors in all you do. You are who you are and where you are because of them. They are your spirit army; Call on them when you need them and they’ll show up. Thank them for paving your path. 2. Pay it FORWARD somehow, someway – You have been given gifts that must be shared.

Find a way to share your knowledge and talents with others who need them most. 3. Be BOLD. Stand up for what you believe in. Be UNAPOLOGETIC for who you are” --Dr. Margarita Bianco @MargaritaBianco Associate Professor Special Education, Teacher Education University of Colorado Denver

Professional Philosophy of Mild/Moderate Disabilities Abstract The purpose of this paper is to describe my personal philosophy of mild and moderate disabilities. Changes in the federal laws regarding the education and eligibility of students with intellectual disabilities (IDs) and learning disabilities (LDs) have made considerable progress over the past 30 years. This paper will offer my views on the identification and education of students with ID and LD.

Introduction Throughout my 22 years in education, the eligibility criteria for specific learning disabilities (SLD) and intellectual disabilities (ID) have changed significantly.

New federal accountability measures have been put into place, requiring more from teachers and students, to include students with disabilities.

This paper will discuss my views on

By Cristina Chen @tampagirl70

LD and ID as well as where the future of education is going with regard to this population of students.

Learning Disabilities Specific Learning disabilities are caused by differences in how a person’s brain interprets and processes information. SLD varies from person to person. One child may have difficulty in the math, while yet another child may have difficulty with reading. Children with SLD typically have average to above average intelligence. However, a deficit in the way their brain processes information is what causes the disability.

In my early years as an evaluator, a student was found eligible as a student with a SLD if there was a significant discrepancy between cognitive functioning and academic achievement. The rules and regulations for eligibility criteria were different from state to state. For example, a student in Florida was found eligible a student with an SLD if a discrepancy of 15 or more points was found between his intellectual quotient (IQ) and his achievement. In Texas, the discrepancy had to be 16 or more points. Other states required a 22-point discrepancy between IQ and achievement. The use of a discrepancy model for SLD has contributed in part to the over-identification of ELLs in special education.

The identification of a SLD can be very subjective and abstract. Although learning disabilities are of a neurological basis and continue across a person’s life, it is sometimes difficult to determine if the student’s learning difficulties are actually due to a learning disability or if they are caused by some other external influence. LD is defined by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA) 2004 as a…

"a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or written, that may manifest itself in an imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or do mathematical calculations, including conditions such as perceptual disabilities, brain injury, minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia and developmental aphasia” 34 Code of Federal Regulations §300.7(c)(10) (IDEIA, 2004).

However, a student may not be found as having a learning disability if the learning problems are due to difficulties with vision, hearing, or problems with motor ability. In addition, the student may not be found eligible as SLD due to having an (ID), an emotional disturbance (ED), or because of environmental, cultural, or economic disadvantage (IDEIA, 2004). A child can be found eligible as having an LD in the areas of basic reading, reading comprehension, reading fluency, math calculation, math reasoning, written expression, listening comprehension and oral expression.

IDEIA 2004 provided an alternative to finding a student eligible for special education in the area of LD. A new feature was added to the reauthorization.

Response to intervention (RtI) flourished from the reauthorization of IDEIA 2004. A student may now be found eligible as a student with LD based on how student responds to scientific research-based interventions (NASDE, 2006).

RtI seems to be a reasonable way of providing appropriate interventions to all students. It is an intervention model and not a wait to fail model. Under this system, the goal is that the educational gap for students experiencing educational difficulties will be closed before the student is ever referred for a special education evaluation. If, in fact, after intensive interventions, the student continues to struggle academically, a student may then be found eligible as having a learning disability if he fails to respond to appropriate, scientifically based interventions (IDEIA, 2004; NASDE, 2006).

In addition to the changes in law

proposed by IDEIA, the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) dictated that schools be held accountable for performance of special education students on assessments aligned with the general education curriculum. Prior to NCLB, students who were identified as having a learning disability were allowed to be exempt from state testing. The exclusion of students with disabilities from testing created additional problems for school districts related to over identification of culturally and/linguistically diverse (CLD) students in special education. Since these students were not required to take state assessments, many districts felt it was appropriate to identify a student with difficulties in academic areas as LD, without taking into consideration things such as exclusionary factors or the student’s previous academic experiences.

The new provisions of NCLB and IDEIA have brought positive changes to the field of education. Teachers and educational staff must take additional measures to ensure that students are learning. We are in a better place today as an educational system than we were 30 years ago. However, we have a long way to go. School districts continue to struggle with the most appropriate way of implementing an RtI system within their school districts. Meeting each and every child’s needs in a timely manner can reduce the number of referrals to special education. If implemented correctly, students who may have been found eligible prior to IDEIA 2004, may actually make the necessary academic gains to be on grade level (USDOE, 2001).

However, the development and implementation of a strong RtI system brings about a number of problems in and of itself. One area of concern is a lack of varied interventions for students. Not all students learn in the same manner. However, regardless of individual needs, these get the same interventions. These interventions are sometimes cookie cutter in format and may not be suitable for all students.

The amount of time taken to provide the interventions also interferes with a student’s ability to receive the appropriate interventions in a timely manner.

As a result, the mere implementation of an RtI system, although not strategic in its implementation is viewed as the student’s lack of response to appropriate strategic interventions. Therefore, evaluators and school personnel often determine that a student as having a learning disability, when in fact, the problems were not intrinsic in nature, but caused by a lack of appropriate interventions and supports necessary to close the achievement gap in a timely manner.

Intellectual Disabilities Intellectual disabilities are more easily diagnosed.

According to IDEIA 2004, an intellectual disability is defined as significantly sub average general intellectual functioning, existing concurrently with deficits in adaptive behavior and manifested during the developmental period that adversely affects a child's academic performance (IDEIA, 2004). The cause of an ID is brain based and can be due to genetic factors.

Regardless how much RtI a student receives, if an ID is present, the signs are visible in adaptive functioning as well as intellectual capacity. However, practitioners must ensure that appropriate evaluation tools are used when evaluating students for ID. At times, the assessment batteries used for special education are not normed on the population of students being tested. As a result, a student’s intellectual functioning may be deflated, causing an evaluator to suspect an ID. With the new eligibility guidelines for Cross Battery Assessment (XBA), practitioners are now evaluating the seven areas of cognitive functioning for SLD. These include crystallized intelligence (Gc), fluid reasoning (Gf), phonemic awareness (Ga), long term memory (Glr), short term memory (Gsm), processing speed (Gs), and visual processing (Gv), without taking into account the full scale intelligence of a student. This perhaps works for the majority of students being evaluated.

But for a few students, who may indeed be ID, it is a disservice. The cognitive processing areas in XBA are not equally weighted, therefore, when assessing students for special education evaluators must be mindful of their state and federal laws defining the criteria for SLD and ID. Since the 7 cognitive processing areas of XBA are not equally weighted, an ID student may have some cognitive scores in the average range.

However, this does not mean that the student should be considered as a student with an SLD instead of ID. Therefore, it is imperative that evaluators consider a

full scale IQ or composite intellectual ability score to rule out ID. Evaluators with a lack of understanding of definitions for ID and SLD identification may unintentionally identify students as LD when they truly are ID or perhaps worse, determining that a student who is ID does not qualify for special education due to being a “slow learner”. It is incumbent on evaluators to continue to grow in their assessment skills and to be open to new possibilities for identification. Otherwise, the very laws which have been put in place to prevent misidentification, under or over identification, may be for not.

Future of the Field of the Constructs of Learning Disabilities/Intellectual Disabilities The future of learning disabilities and mild moderate disabilities is looking good. Gone are the days where students with disabilities are served in special schools or self-contained classes for other students with disabilities. Our society has become more accepting of this population. Federal laws now mandate that students with disabilities receive their education in the least restrictive environment (LRE). In addition, school districts are more responsive to the needs of these students. Evaluators are being trained on best practices for evaluating students with disabilities.

Moreover, professors in higher education are working hard to ensure that prospective teachers have the proper tools to teach students using culturally responsive teaching (CRT) (Gay, 2010).

The IDEIA that a child’s educational future can possibly be impacted further by a teacher’s lack of experience or appreciation for differences in cultural experiences is frightful. Thankfully, researchers, educators and organizations are constantly working to make the field of education better, not only for students with disabilities, but for all students.

References Fletcher, J. M., Lyon, G. R., Fuchs, L. S., & Barnes, M. A. (2007). Learning disabilities: from identification to intervention. New York: The Guilford Press.

Gay, G. (2010). Acting on beliefs in teacher education for cultural diversity. Journal of Teacher Education, 61(2), 143152.

Individuals with disabilities education improvement act

[Policy brief]. (2004). Retrieved from U.S. Department of Education: http://IDEIA.ed.gov/ National Association of State Directors of Special Education.

(2006). Response to intervention policy considerations and implementation [Policy brief]. Alexandra, VA: Seventh Printing.

US Department of Education. (2001). No child left behind: elementary and secondary education act (ESEA) [Policy brief].

Retrieved from http://www2.ed.gov/nclb/landing.jhtml

Makerspaces: Game Changers continued from page 39

apply professional development to support instruction in a maker environment?

4. Safety, Insurance and Liabilities - Have all of the safety concerns been addressed?

5. Marketing - How will I introduce the maker environment to staff, students, parents, community?

6. Continual Guidance - How will I support the continual growth of the Master Makers?

When the makerspace has been created, the following steps must be part of the continuous operational plan: 1. Appropriate Supervision - insuring a safe maker experience for every learner.

2. Proper Resources - making sure that all materials are available and in proper condition; making sure all makerspaces are appropriate for creating with supervision of resources.

3. Schedule - scheduling periodic site visits and checkpoints so that all projects can be completed.

4. Document Success - documenting in narrative and in visual representation.

5. Continual Evaluation - evaluating the

achievement of set learning goals, revising and adding or deleting components if necessary.

Summary School leaders are faced with many pressures to engage students, increase achievement, and strengthen higher order thinking skills within budgetary constraints.

Makerspaces may fill the gap and meet the need. The Maker Movement, current pedagogies, and 21st century classroom learning environments seem perfect partners.

(Crichton 2015). Makerspaces allow student makers to not only practice STEM and STEAM education in a hands-on setting, but provide students with the opportunity to stand out amongst their peers. The nontraditional academic environment that makerspaces provide enhances learner engagement. Specialized makerspace components can address the needs of students with disabilities and level the learning field for students with other identified barriers. Simply reading about creating robots, toys, paper, or various projects will not sufficiently equip students with the criticalthinking and problem-solving skills needed to become makers. Makerspaces take learners out of the textbook and worksheet to a brave new world of innovation.

Students thrive in makerspace experiences and the access to makerspace projects can cultivate cuttingedge leaders through creativity to make learning fun for all ages. If there is not an educational makerspace already in your school or community, school leaders should ask, why not?

As President Obama stated at the first National Maker Faire in 2014, “This is a country that imagined a railroad connecting a continent, imagined electricity powering our cities and towns, imagined skyscrapers reaching into the heavens, and an Internet that brings us closer together.

So we imagined these things, then we did them. And that’s in our DNA.” School leaders have an excellent opportunity to transform learning and meet the needs of their students by creating a makerspace in their school or school community. Makerspaces may prove to be the game changers that school leaders have been looking for to enable students to reach higher levels of learning through their own innovative efforts and support them in their quest to create their own bright futures. Give your students a chance to excel by “Making” it!

References Adams Becker, S., Cummins, M., Davis, A., Estrada,

C. (2016). NMC Technology Outlook for International Schools in Asia: A Horizon Project Regional Report. Austin, Texas: The New Media Consortium. ISBN, 978-0.

makerspace. Hack Education. Retrieved from http://hackeducation.com/2013/02/06/the-case-for-acampus-makerspace/.

Colegrove, T. (2013, March). Editorial board thought: Libraries as makerspace? Information Technology and Libraries, 2-5.

Whitmer, S. (2016) MAKERSPACES THAT SET THE STAGE FOR LIFELONG LEARNING.

Crichton, S. E., & Carter, D. (2015). Taking Making Into the Schools: An Immersive Professional. Handbook of Research on Teacher Education in the Digital Age, 412.

Dougherty, D. (2012, April 4). Makerspaces in education and DARPA. Message posted to http://makezine.com/2012/04/04/makerspaces-in-educationand-darpa/.

Fleming, L. (March/April 2016). A Maker Culture - Flexible makerspaces teach students to take risks, inspiring a deeper form of learning. Principal, 19 Fleming, L., Kurti, D., & Kurti, R. (2014). The Philosophy of Educational Makerspaces Part 1 of Making an Educational Makerspace. Teacher Librarian, 41(5), 8-11.

Graves, C. (2014). Teen experts guide makerspace make.

Knowledge Quest, 42(4), 8-13.

Hall, J. (2016) MIT Will Offer All Incoming Freshmen Time and Training In Their New MakerLodge. Retrieved from http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/228405-mit-will offer-all incoming-freshmen-time-and-training-in-their-newmakerlodge

Implications Of Not Reading continued from page 44

By age 4, a child of professional parents has heard 30 million more words than a child whose parents receive Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) (Kristof, 2016). Literacy is an essential skill to function effectively in society. One of the significant components of education is learning to comprehend and know the meaning of text. “If we want to shape the future, to truly improve the world, we have 1,000 days to do it, mother by mother, child by child.” - Roger Thurow, 2016 References Allen-Kyle, P., & Parello, N. (2001). Food for thought: Expanding school breakfast to NJ students. Retrieved from www.aecf.org/KnowledgeCenter/Publications.aspx?pubguid =%7B9B0AED35-F461-40F8-8EC1-C5DB426C2672%7D Annie E. Casey Foundation. (2012). Double jeopardy: How third-grade reading skills and poverty influence high school graduation. Retrieved from http://www.aecf.org/~/media/Pubs/Topics/Education/Other/ Ari, O. (2011). Fluency interventions for developmental readers: Repeated readings and wide reading. Research & Teaching in Developmental Education, 28, 5–15. Retrieved from http://www.nyclsa.org/index.html#

Honey, M., & Kanter, D. E. (Eds.). (2013). Design, Make, Play: Growing the Next Generation of STEM Innovators. Routledge, 9

Berk, L. E. (2007). Child Development Seventh Edition.

India Pearson Education, Inc. and Dorling Kindersley Publishing.

Jones, M. & Koop, K. (2015). MaKrU. General format.

Retrieved from http://sites.makru.co/home.

Bhattacharya, J., Currie, J., & Haider, S. (2006). Breakfast of champions? The school breakfast program and the nutrition of children and families. Journal of Human Resources 41, 445–466. Retrieved from http://jhr.uwpress.org/

Obama, B. (2014). Remarks by the President at the White House Maker Faire. Retrieved from https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-pressoffice/2014/06/18/remarks-president-white-house makerfaire Peppler, K., & Bender, S. (2013). Maker movement spreads innovation one project at a time. Phi Delta Kappan, 95(3), 22-27.

Wagner, T., & Dintersmith, T. (2015). Most likely to succeed: Preparing our kids for the innovation era. New York: Scribner., 246 Watters, A. (2013, February 06). The case for a campus

Blanchett, W. J. (2009). A retrospective examination of urban education: From Brown to the desegregation of African Americans in special education—It is time to “go for broke.” Urban Education, 44, 370–388. doi:10.1177/0042085909338688 Blanchett, W. J., Mumford, V., & Beachum, F. (2005).

Urban school failure and disproportionality in a post-Brown era: Benign neglect of the constitutional rights of students of color. Remedial and Special Education, 26, 70–81. doi:10.1177/07419325050260020201 Continue on page 66

"Go for the Ph.D. That is to have Passion, Hunger and Determination in whatever they do."

----Hamil Harris @HamilHarris Journalist Washington Post

Five Tips For Parents To Encourage Continued from page 31

discovery. Learn and tell those stories, not just what was invented but why and how, so your kids can identify themselves with explorers and inventors.

Third, play with toys. Research from the National Science Foundation has long shown that “hands-on” learning improves retention and enjoyment for STEM subjects across all ages, and also reduces race and gender disparities in STEM results. So roll up your sleeves and play!

I highly recommend balloons for starters. After blowing up a balloon and letting it go, why does it fly around? Can you use straws and string to get it to go straight? Why does it make a noise if you stretch the opening while the air is coming out?

Why does it pop if you poke it with a pin? If you put a piece of tape over a part of the balloon, and then poke it with a pin, it doesn’t pop – why not?

Marbles are also great, cheap science. Ask the kids what will happen to marbles as they bump into each other. Ask them why marbles slow down and eventually stop. Build a loop-the-loop ramp with cardboard (you can make a simple one by unfurling the center of a paper towel roll and using tape to make guardrails) and try to figure out what it takes for the marble to complete the loop without falling.

Dice games are also easy fun for all ages. Simple games of chance for younger kids; games like Yahtzee as kids enter elementary school; and games like Risk as kids enter middle school will encourage kids to count and strategize and become comfortable with numbers.

Fourth, get dirty. No matter where you live, there is life somewhere around you. Throw on some cheap clothes and get dirty. Dig for worms.

Watch where ants choose to go. Look at the undersides of different kinds of leaves. Watch the way clouds move in the sky. And ask your kids why they think those things happen. Whether they are 2 years old or 12, they will have theories.

Once they tell you their theories, you can look for other wonders of nature that can test their theories.

Fifth and most important, have fun yourself.

STEM is about wonder and fun. These games will involve marbles, dice, balloons, and stories. If you let yourself enjoy your STEM time with your

kids, you will do it more consistently, and they will pick up on your enthusiasm. So put away your lingering memories of frustrating math drills or boring science lectures. Your kids may have to deal with that at some point, but that’s not your job right now. Your job right now is to help them love STEM. So set up a regular time, every week or even more often, when you have STEM fun with your kids.

Dr. Anthony Jenkins President West Virginia State

New Leaders Higher Education

My goal is make women feel beautiful, confident, to smile and twirl about their fab fashion finds! I will share and recommend fabulous finds for every woman and for every occasion. I will leave no stone unturned to make sure my customers are always, classic elegant and chic! Always fabulous!

Please visit my website www.Tracysfabfashionfinds.com and also like me on FB and follow me on Instagram and Twitter.

self-control of their emotions, as outbursts other than cheering for a hole in one, making a birdie, or dropping a long putt, are not appropriate. Good sportsmanship is expected, just like good manners, and players shake hands at the beginning and the end of a competition, like friends. Golf is the only game in which competitors are actually friends, and one rarely hears players bad-mouth their competition. Learning and practicing good manners and etiquette transcends the golf course, infiltrating the student’s real life, and both manners and etiquette are important for success in life.

The Game of Golf + Kids = Success in Life

By Dede Rittman @dederittman “Success in golf depends less on strength of body than upon strength of mind and character.” Arnold Palmer Golf is a game of honor; a game with high expectations for the player to be honest and ethical, so much so that the rules expect that a player will call a penalty on himself. Calling a penalty on oneself does not happen in any other sport.

Whether they are from the city, the suburbs, or the country, kids can really benefit from learning golf. Why golf? Read on!

Learning the technique for swinging a club is important, but not as important as learning and practicing good manners and etiquette on the golf course. Kids learn lessons like taking appropriate turns (farthest player from the hole hits first), helping a fellow competitor (no one wants to lose a golf ball), not talking during play (even the announcers whisper), walking around a fellow competitor’s line of putt on the green (a must-do), and politely discussing any scoring discrepancy (rather than shouting “You cheated!”) In keeping with the manners and etiquette, players must also maintain

Playing golf requires intrinsic motivation, as well as a clear focus and higher level thinking skills. The golf swing is not a natural action, and becoming a good player requires lessons, practice, motivation, and a strong work ethic and commitment to practice and to the game in order to improve. Focus and a solid thought process are required. Despite playing the same course repeatedly, players quickly discover that holes will seldom play the same. The player must consider many factors before striking a ball: direction of the wind, effect on wind on the ball flight, pin placement, dryness/wetness of the course, temperature, speed of the greens, and elevation/slope/contour of the topography and the hole. Focusing on the hole and thinking about each shot is a requirement; no thinking makes for a poor score. With angles and distance and learning how to “play” the topography of a hole, in some ways, kids learn that playing golf is really like practicing geometry - in motion!

Kids quickly learn that in golf, a player must take responsibility for his own game, whether he has a good shot or a bad shot. Because golf is an individual sport, the player has no team mates to blame, and he must step up to take the complete

responsibility for his game. Whether a player is having a great or a terrible round, learning humility is certainly a by-product of playing golf, and so is giving one’s best for every shot.

Learning sportsmanship and selfreliance are also lessons students can acquire from playing the game of golf.

Gaining appreciation for the beauty of the outdoors is an important part of golf. Being on a golf course is like walking into a painting, and learning to care for the course as a player is another important lesson. Just as everyone enjoys the beauty of a golf course, everyone also must learn to share in the care of the course: replacing divots, repairing ball marks, walking carefully on the greens, filling tee divots with divot mix, and disposing properly of trash are just a few of the expectations for players. Kids learn that when everyone works together for the good of all golfers and the course, many hands make light work, and the golf course becomes even more beautiful because of so many caretakers.

If students have the opportunity to learn to play golf and to be a part of a team, they will make lifelong friends from both team mates and fellow competitors. Walking the course while conversing about golf makes for easy friendships, with a solid foundation of a shared love for golf. No other sport can boast the kinds of friendships golf competitors share.

In closing, golf is a lifetime activity that is best introduced early in life, and a player can continue to learn from golf all of his life. A bright person will discover that lessons learned on the golf course easily transcend and apply to real life: always give your best shot; sometimes, in golf and in life, a player is penalized for a good shot, and that is the “rub of the green”; you must play the ball as it lies; sometimes a shot only goes a few feet, but at least it

is advancing; never let one bad shot color the whole round; and stay positive, because anything can happen in golf (and in life.) “Golf is the closest game to the game we call life. You get bad breaks from good shots; you get good breaks from bad shots - but you have to play the ball where it lies.” Bobby Jones.

The First Tee is a great way to introduce kids to golf! Check their website for locations and offerings. If you are an adult golfer, you may want to consider becoming a volunteer for The First Tee. http://www.thefirsttee.org/Club/Scripts/Home/home.asp Here is a link to a related article by Dede Rittman regarding her experience with The First Tee. http://bunnyteacher.blogspot.com/2015/05/golf-is-closestgame-to-game-we-call.html

Living Education Everyday

Don't Sit Squish on the Bottom of the Pyramid!

By Dan Blanchard @GranddaddysSecr Don't sit squish on the bottom of the pyramid, climb to the top!

Makes sense, doesn't it? Well, so does this: My Granddaddy once told me, “If you do what everybody else does, then you'll get what everybody else gets.” Translated- that means squished and crowded at the bottom just like most people... I think you want more than that; “squish” for yourself and your loved ones, don't you?

Wouldn't it be nice for you to be the one in your family tree to climb up and out of the quagmire of the muddied masses in the land of mediocrity? Most people call this undesirable place the “rat race” or “just plain life.” Yeah, you know the kind of plain mediocre life I'm talking about... The never-ending and unexciting life on a treadmill that never goes anywhere no matter how hard you try to move forward. Sadly, regardless of how fast you run, you never seem to get anywhere. You always feel like you're still in the same place. You want to get further down the road or your chosen path towards success, but for some reason, you just don't make the progress that you want to.

I know that you would really like to get off of that spinning wheel gerbil thing! But, the problem is that you're just not sure how to do it, right? Well, here's the secret. Are you ready? Brace yourself!

You're going to have to do something different than what the masses of people are doing. And even more importantly, you're going to have to do something different than what you've been doing so far that has gotten you to this point in life.

I read somewhere that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and somehow expecting to get different results. Same behavior equals same results, right? Different behavior equals different results, right again, right? In other words, the same thinking that created this problem won't fix this problem.

Only thinking differently than that which created the problem will solve it.

In addition, the same thinking that helped you arrive at your current level of success probably won't bring you to your next desired level of success. You'll most likely need different thinking to empower you to step up on to the next rung on your latter of success. Same thinking equals same level of success, right?

Different thinking equals different level of success, right again, right? Hmm... Is there a pattern developing here?

There sure is! So let's use your new pattern of success to go

of your thinking and subsequent behavior. The bad news is that if you change some of your thinking and behavior some of the people that you presently care about will not follow you, nor will they encourage you to move ahead.

of what you've been thinking and doing so far in your life. And while you're at it, also try to take stock of what your friends have been thinking and doing.

Now, here are tough questions for you to field. Are you and your peers sitting at the bottom of the pyramid squished in the crowd?

Are you content to be sitting there with them squished? Can any of you climb up and out?

Hmm... Should you do something different than the average person? How about something different than what you've been doing so far?

Hmm... Let me ask you a few more questions, if I may... Are you and your friends wasting too much time on negative stuff instead of investing your time in positive stuff? Are you and your friends gossiping too much? Are you and your friends wasting too much time with trashy headlines, trashy tabloids, trashy television shows, and just plain trash-talking? What are you putting into your super-computer, called your mind? Quality or trash?

I once heard a computer programmer explain that a computer was only as good as the stuff that was inputted into it. In other words, junk in equals junk out. Again, what are you putting into your mind? In addition to the quality of information you're feeding your brain, let me ask you what kind of people are you hanging out with? Are they high quality or low quality people? It does matter!

Hmm... I have to ask this again. Do you like sitting there at the bottom of the pyramid squished, or are you ready to begin your climb up and out of mediocrity all the way up to your highest level of potential on the top of the pyramid?

If you're thinking that you want to ascend and make that climb then I have some good news and some bad news for you. The good news is that I know you can do it if you just change some

Don't worry, though. Help those climb that want help. And if the answer is that no one in your immediate circle wants help, then stretch outside your immediate social group or just climb solo if you have to. Just do it! Climb for yourself, and climb for your future! Refuse to sit squished at the bottom of the pyramid with the majority. You know, sometimes, the majority is wrong.

So go against the masses if you have to and demand the courage from yourself to climb up and out to a better and happier life for yourself and your present and future loved ones.

Now teens, go learn, lead, and lay the way to a better world for all of us. Don't be afraid to think and behave in a more ascending, successful, and fruitful way. Climb!

Enjoy the Climb! In the end, it will all be worth it!

And finally, thanks again in advance for all that you do and all that you will do.

New Leaders Higher Education

Dr. Jennifer Lindon President Hazard Community and

“Graduates: First and foremost, congratulations on your graduation; it represents an important milestone.

Second, here are 3 things to keep in your mind, whatever your next steps might be: (a) Learning is a lifelong process; so, even though you graduated, continue to learn and always always always keep an open mind; (b) believe in the power of the possible; if you do not, no one else will; and (c) believe in yourself and your capacities, even when times are tough; belief in self is key to success, even if there are doubters out there. One more piece of advice, oft-forgotten by folks: be kind; there is no benefit to being nastiness and kindness counts. “ __Karen Gross, Esq. @KarenGrossEdu

"Congratulations to all 2016 Graduates!

Remember to never settle for less than what your dreams require, follow your faith in all that you do, and always make time to appreciate nature and those you love including yourself! I wish you unlimited success with your next endeavor and beyond!"

--Rhonesha BlachĂŠ @MsBlache

New Leaders Higher Education

Dr. Paula A. Johnson, MD, MPH President Wellesley College

Implications Of Not Reading continued from page 51

doi:10.1177/00224669020360020201

Burchinala, M., Vandergriftb, N., Piantac, R., & Mashburnc, A. (2010). Threshold analysis of association between child care quality and child outcomes for lowincome children in pre-kindergarten programs. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 25, 166–176. doi:10.1016/j.ecresq.2009.10.004

Hart, J. E., Cramer, E. D., Harry, B., Klingner, J. K., & Sturges, K. M. (2010). The continuum of “troubling” to “troubled” behavior: Exploratory case studies of African American students in programs for emotional disturbance.

RASE: Remedial & Special Education, 31(3), 148–162. doi:10.1177/0741932508327468

Children’s Defense Fund. (2004). Children and the longterm effects of poverty. Retrieved from www.childrensdefense.org

Harlow, C. W. (2003). Education and correctional populations (Special report NCJ 195670). Retrieved from www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/ecp.pdf

Children’s Defense Fund. (2012a). Portrait of inequality 2012—Black children in America. Retrieved from http://www.childrensdefense.org/child-research-datapublications/data/portrait-of-inequality-2011.html

Hernandez, D. J. (2011). Double jeopardy: How third ‘grade reading skills and poverty influence high school graduation.

Baltimore, MD: Annie E. Casey Foundation. Retrieved from the Annie E. Casey Foundation website: www.aecf.org/KnowledgeCenter/Publications.aspx?pubguid ={8E2B6F93-75C6-4AA6-8C6E-CE88945980A9}

Children’s Defense Fund. (2012b). State of America’s children 2012 handbook. Retrieved from http://www.childrensdefense.org/child-research-datapublications/data/protect-children-not-guns-2012.html Downey, J. A. (2008). Recommendations for fostering educational resilience in the classroom. Preventing School Failure, 53, 52–64. doi:0.3200/PSFL.53.1.56-64 Elias, A. T., & Torres, E. (2007). Supplemental early literacy intervention for first grade English language (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database. (UMI No. 3295495) Farkas, G. (2003). Cognitive skills and noncognitive traits and behaviors in stratification processes. Annual Review of Sociology, 29, 541–562. doi:10.1146/annurev.soc.29.010202.100023 Fernandez, N. (2009). Early childhood education: The sustainability of the benefits of preschool participation in Abbott districts (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database. (UMI No. 3416599).

Grabe, W. (2010). Fluency in reading—Thirty-five years late. Reading in a Foreign Language, 22, 71–83. Retrieved from http://nflrc.hawaii.edu/rfl/ Greenwood, C. R., Bradfield, T., Kaminski, R., Linas, M., Carta, J. J., & Nylander, D. (2011). The response to intervention (RTI) approach in early childhood. Focus on Exceptional Children, 43(9), 1–22. Retrieved from http://www.lovepublishing.com/catalog/focus_on_exception al_children_31.html Gunn, B., Smolkowski, K., Biglan, A., & Black, C. (2002).

Supplemental instruction in decoding skills for Hispanic and non-Hispanic students in early elementary school: A follow-up. Journal of Special Education, 36(2), 69–79.

Hosterman, S. J., DuPaul, G. J., & Jitendra, A. K. (2008).

Teacher ratings of ADHD symptoms in ethnic minority students: Bias or behavioral difference? School Psychology Quarterly, 23, 418–435. doi:10.1037/a0012668 Howard, T., Dresser, S. G., & Kunklee, D. R. (2009). Poverty is not a learning disability: Equalizing opportunities for low SES. New York, NY: Corvin Press.

Irving, M. A., & Hudley, C. (2005). Cultural mistrust, academic outcome expectations, and outcome values among African American adolescent men. Urban Education, 40, 476–496. doi:10.1177/0042085905278019 Jones, L., & Menchetti, B. M. (2001). Identification of variables contributing to definitions of mild and moderate mental retardation in Florida. Journal of Black Studies, 31, 619–634. doi:10.1177/002193470103100506 Jiang, Y., Ekono, M., & Skinner, C. (2016). Basic facts about low-income children: children 12 through 17 Years, 2014.New York: National Center for Children in Poverty, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia university.

Johnson, D. W., & Johnson, R. T. (1999). Learning together and alone (5th ed.). Needham Heights, MA: Allyn and Bacon.

Kearns, T., Ford, L., & Linney, J. A. (2005). African American student representation in special education programs. Journal of Negro Education, 74, 297–310. doi:10.1007/978-0-387-71799-9_150

Kristof, N. (2016). Too small to fail. The New York Times Opinion section. Retrieved frpm http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/02/opinion/building-childrensbrains.html?emc=edit_nk_20160601&nl=nickkristof&nlid=540 97948&te=1&_r=0

Ratcliffe, C., & McKernan, S-M. (2012). Child poverty and its lasting consequence. The Urban Institute.

Retrieved from http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/412659-ChildPoverty-and-Its-Lasting-Consequence-Paper.pdf

Larson, J. (2006). Multiple literacies, curriculum, and instruction in early childhood and elementary school. Theory Into Practice, 45, 319–329. doi:10.1207/s15430421tip4504_5

Ready, D. D. (2010). socioeconomic disadvantage, school attendance, and early cognitive development: The differential effects of school exposure. Sociology of Education, 83(4), 271–286

Lo, Y., & Cartledge, G. (2006). FBA and BIP: Increasing the behavior adjustment of African American boys in schools.

Behavioral Disorders, 31(2), 147–161. Retrieved from https://www.cec.sped.org/ McGrath, G. L., McLaughlin, T. F., Derby, K. M., & Bucknell, W. (2012). The effects of using reading racetracks for teaching of sight words to three third-grade students with learning disorders. Educational Research Quarterly, 35(3), 50–66.

Retrieved from http://erquarterly.org/ Meadan, H., Stoner, J. B., & Parette, H. P. (2008). Sight word recognition among young children at-risk: Picture-supported vs. word-only. Assistive Technology Outcomes and Benefits, 5, 45– 58. Retrieved from http://www.atia.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid = 3305 Morales, E. E. (2008). Academic resilience in retrospect: Following up a decade later. Journal of Hispanic Higher Education, 7(3), 228–248. doi:10.1177/1538192708317119 National Center for Educational Statistics, U.S. Department of Education. (2003). National assessment of adult literacy.

Retrieved from http://nces.ed.gov/naal/ National Center for Educational Statistics, U.S. Department of Education. (2012). Retrieved from http://nces.ed.gov/ccd/districtsearch/district_detail.asp?Search= 1&details=1&InstName=plainfield&State=34&Zip=07060&Dis trictType=1&DistrictType=2&DistrictType=3&DistrictType=4 &DistrictType=5&DistrictType=6&DistrictType=7&NumOfStu dentsRange=more&NumOfSchoolsRange=more&ID2=3413140 National Reading Panel. (2000). Teaching children to read: An evidence-based assessment of the scientific research literature on reading and its implications for reading instruction (NIH Publication No. 00-4769). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

Olmeda, R. E., & Kauffman, J. M. (2003). Sociocultural considerations in social skills training research with African American students with emotional or behavioral disorders.

Journal of Developmental and Physical Disabilities, 15, 101– 121. doi:10.1023/A:1022871232435 Powers, J. D. (2010). Ecological risk and resilience perspective: A theoretical framework supporting evidence-based practice in schools. Journal of Evidence-Based Social Work, 7(5), 443–451. doi:10.1080/15433714.2010.509216

Samuels, C. A. (2008). “Response to intervention” sparks interest, questions. Education Digest, 73(8), 21– 24. Retrieved from www.eddigest.com Schorr, L. B., & Marchand, V. (2007). Pathway to children ready for school and succeeding at third grade.

Retrieved from www.cssp.org/publications/pathways-tooutcomes/3rd-grade-pathway-pdf9-07.pdf Short, Kathleen. (2015). The Supplemental Poverty Measure: 2014. Current Population Reports, Series P60254, Table 4a. Available at: http://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publi cations/2015/demo/p60-254.pdf Snow, C. E., Burns, M. S., & Griffin, P. (1998).

Preventing reading difficulties in young children.

Washington, DC: National Academy Press.

U.S. Census Bureau. (2010). Poverty in the United States. Retrieved from http://www.npc.umich.edu/poverty/ U.S. Census Bureau. (2012). Statistical abstract of the United States: 2012. Retrieved from http://www.census.gov/prod/2011pubs/12statab/educ.pdf VanDerHeyden, A. M., Snyder, P. A., Broussard, C., & Ramsdell, K. (2007). Measuring response to early literacy intervention with preschoolers at risk. Topics In Early Childhood Special Education, 27, 232–249. doi:10.1177/0271121407311240 Vellutino, F., Scanlon, D., Zhang, H., & Schatschneider, C. (2008). Using response to kindergarten and first grade intervention to identify children at-risk for longterm reading difficulties. Reading & Writing, 21, 437– 480. doi:10.1007/s11145-007-9098-2 White, T. G., Graves, M. F., & Slater, W. H. (1990).

Growth of reading vocabulary in diverse elementary schools: Decoding and word meaning. Journal of Educational Psychology, 82, 281–

Improving Reading Fluency continued from page 34

Aud, S., Hussar, W., Johnson, F., Kena, G., & Roth, E. (2012). The condition of education 2012. Retrieved from http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2012/2012045.pdf Baker, S. K., & Good, R. (1995). Curriculum based measurement of English reading with bilingual Hispanic students: a validation study with second grader students.

School Psychology Review, 24, 561-579.

Barr, S., Eslami, Z. R., & Joshi, R. M. (2012). Core strategies to support English language learners. Kappa Delta Pi, 76, 105-117. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00131725.2012.628196 Bradley, R., Danielson, L., & Doolittle, J. (2005, November/December). Response to intervention. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 38, 485-486.

Calderon, M., Slavin, R., & Sanchez, M. (2011, Spring).

Effective instruction for English leaners. The Future of Children, 21, 103-127.

Cates, G. L., & Rhymer, K. N. (2006, Fall 2006). Effects of explicit timing on elementary students’ oral reading rates of word phrases. Reading Improvement, 43, 148-156.

Cates, G. L., & Rhymer, K. N. (2006, Fall 2006). Effects of explicit timing on elementary students’ oral reading rates of word phrases. Reading Improvement, 43, 148-156.

Collier, V. P., & Thomas, W. P. (2009). Educating English learners for a transformed world. Albuquerque, New Mexico: Fuente Press.

Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended, Title 1, Part A; 20 U.S.C. 6301-6339, 6571-6578) English 1001 Reading Level. (n.d.). http://www.2ivcc.edu/rambo/eng1001/reading_level.htm

Hasbrouck, J. E., & Tindal, G. (2006). Oral fluency norms: a valuable assessment tool for reading teachers. International Reading Association, 59, 636644.

Hiebert, E. H., & Fisher, C. W. (2005). A review of the national reading panel’s studies on fluency: the role of text. , 105, 443-460.

Horner, R. H., & Kratochwill, T. R. (2012, April 28).

Synthesizing single-case research to identify evidence-based practices: some brief reflections.

Journal of Behaviorial Education, 21, 266-277. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10864-012-9152-2 Hughes, C. A., & Dexter, D. D. (2011). Response to intervention: a research-based summary. Theory Into Practice, 50, 4-11.

Individuals with disabilities education improvement act [Policy brief]. (2004). Retrieved from U.S. Department of Education: http://idea.ed.gov/ Klingner, J., & Artiles, A. J. (2006, September).

ELLstruggling to learn to read: emergent scholarship on linguistic differences and learning disabilities, 39, 386-389.

Kratochwill, T. R., Hitchcock, J. H., Horner, R. H., Levin, J. R., Odom, S. L., Rindskopf, D. M., & Shadish, W. R. (2012, August 28, 2012). Single-case intervention research design standards. Remedial and Special Education, 20(10), 1-13.

McCardle, P., Mele-McCarthy, J., Cutting, L., Leos, K., & D’Emilio, T. (2005). Learning disabilities in English language learners: identifying the issues. Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, 20(1), 1-5.

Fien, H., Smith, J. M., Baker, S. K., Chaparro, E., Baker, D. L., & Preciado, J. A. (2011). Including English learners in a multitiered approach to early reading instruction and intervention. Assessment for Effective Intervention, 36(), 143157. Retrieved from

National Association of State Directors of Special Education. (2006). Response to intervention policy considerations and implementation [Policy brief].

Alexandra, VA: Seventh Printing.

Fitzgerald, J. (1995, Summer 1995). English as a second language learners’ cognitive reading processes: a review of research in the United States. Review of Educational Research, 65, 145-190.

National Reading Panel. (2000). National reading panel: teaching children to read: an evidence-based assessment of scientific research literature on reading and its implications for reading instruction.

Washington, DC: Government Printing Office.

Gerzel-Short, L., & Wilkins, E. A. (2009, Spring). Response to intervention: helping all students learn. Kappa Delta Pi, 106-110.

Hapstak, J., & Tracey, D. H. (2007). Effects of

Quirk, M., & Beem, S. (2012). Examining the relations between reading fluency and reading comprehension for English language learners. Psychology in the Schools, 49, 539-553. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/pits.21616 Rayner, K., Foorman, B. R., Perfetti, C. A., Pesetsky, D., & Seidenberg, M. S. (2001, November). How. How

psychological science informs the teaching of reading, 2, 31-74.

with disabilities education act [Policy brief].

Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

Ring, J. J., Barefoot, L. C., Avrit, K. J., Brown, S. A., & Black, J. L. (2012). Reading fluency instruction for students at risk for reading failure. Remedial and Special Education, 20, 1-11.

U.S. Department of Education. (2005). National center for educational statistics [Annual report].

Retrieved from U.S. Department of Education: http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=28

Slavin, R. E., & Cheung, A. (2005, Summer). A synthesis of research on language reading instruction for English language learners. Review of Educational Research, 75, 247-284.

Verdugo, R. R., & Flores, B. (2007, February).

English language learners: key issues. Education and Urban Society, 39, 167-193.

Tam, K. B., Heward, W. L., & Heng, M. A. (2006). A reading instruction intervention program for ELLwho are struggling readers.

U.S. Department of Education. (2004). Twenty-sixth annual report to Congress on the implementation of the individuals

Wessels, S. (2011). Promoting vocabulary learning for English learners. The Reading Teacher, 65, 4650. http://dx.doi.org/101598/RT Woodcock, R. W., Munoz-Sandoval, A. F., Ruef, M. L., & Alvarado, C. G. (2005). Woodcock Munoz language survey revised. Itasca, IL: Riverside Publishing.

Living Education Everyday

New Leaders Higher Education

Dr. Julio Frenk President University of Miami

Parent Talk Live Jeremy Goss, M.D. St. Louis Metro Market @STLMetroMarket Eliminating Food Insecurity and Deserts in the City of St. Louis with Host Dr. Michael Robinson Photography by Marcus Stabenow

Bio -Articles Dan Blanchard

Tracy Crooks

As an award-winning author, speaker, and educator Dan Blanchard shares real-life lessons and inspiring stories with audiences of teens, adults, educators, and sometimes a mixture of all three. His goal is to positively think what we think is possible, regardless of how old we are.

Tracy is a graduate of Kentucky State University class of 1988. Majored in Sociology with an emphasis & concentration in Corporate Business Populations Focusing on how to effectively work and manage different demographic groups through understanding behavioral decisions in sales and marketing.

Dan has seven educational degrees, has been an inner-city school teacher and athletic coach for over 20 years, and has a passion for teaching, inspiring, and working with teens. His “Granddaddy’s Secrets” book series was inspired by their lives, accomplishments, and struggles, and his own absolute belief in every teen’s potential.

Cristina Chen A highly credentialed, bilingual (Spanish speaking) professional educator, with over 22 years of experience in the areas of Bilingual/ESL, General Education, Gifted and Talented, and Special Education. Ms. Chen is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of North Texas. Her area of concentration is Mild/Moderate Disabilities. Her dissertation topic is focused on culturally competent evaluations for special education.

She has served as a special education coordinator for the past 12 years. Ms. Chen has presented at state and national conferences on varied topics related to students with disabilities and cultural diversity.

She holds certifications in the following areas: Administrative Certification: Principal, Special Education K-12, Classroom Teacher Generalist EC-4, Classroom Bilingual Generalist EC-4, Classroom Educational Diagnostician PK-12, Generic Special Education PK-12, and 30 Hour Training for Gifted and Talented. She is certified as a Texas Registered Professional Educational Diagnostician and Nationally Certified Educational Diagnostician She received the Outstanding Graduate Student in Educational Psychology at UNT in April 2015.

https://www.facebook.com/tracy.crooks.9?fref=ts Dr. Delic Loyde Dr. Delic Loyde is an educator with over thirty years of experience K – 12 as a teacher, middle school and high school principal, and central office director. She is a graduate of Angelo State University with a Bachelor of Music Education, earned her Masters of Education and Superintendent’s Certification from Stephen F. Austin University, and her terminal degree of Doctor of Education with a specialization in Educational Leadership from the University of Houston, Main Campus. Her scholarship focus is educational leadership and its effects on economically disadvantaged youth.

Dr. Delic Loyde completed the Harvard Principal Institute on the Urban Principalship and maintains membership via the Raise Your Hand Texas Alumni Harvard Updates. She has been recognized by the National Secondary School Principal's Association, and the International Center for Excellence in Education for her effective leadership efforts.

She has twice been selected Principal of the Year and was an HEB Semi Finalist for Principal of the Year. Dr. Loyde is a frequent presenter, most recently for the Texas Alliance of Black School Educators Emerging Leaders Series. She currently serves as a leadership consultant and professional learning coach.

Phyl Macomber Since completing a fellowship at Johns Hopkins Hospital's Kennedy-Krieger Institute in 1988, Phyl Macomber has become an award-winning national speaker, author, inclusion specialist, and curriculum strategist. As President of Make A Difference, Inc., Phyl has consulted with and

trained thousands of teaching staff and is a passionate catalyst for systems change in education. Phyl was featured in the Common Threads Trilogy book series as one of the top 100 empowering women from around the globe.

Her research-based teaching framework, T.H.E. P.A.C.T., is being successfully used across North America, and in parts of Australia and Italy, and is being referred to as the simple, evidence-based solution for differentiated instruction and meaningful inclusion.

Dr. Denise Mayo Moore Dr. Denise Mayo Moore Resides in Southwestern Tennessee. Dr. Denise holds several accredited degrees; a Bachelor of Professional Studies in Human Studies from Metropolitan College of New York, Master of Science: Community Economic Development from Southern New Hampshire University, Masters in Social Work (MSW) from Yeshiva University, Ph.D. in Psychology from Walden University.

Dr. Mayo Moore holds the distinction of being appointed the first women Director of the Bachelor in Social Work program at Touro University Worldwide, where she is a full Faculty Member. She passionately nurtures students to become reflective practitioners of change. Dr. Mayo Moore designed and implemented the curriculum for the Bachelor of Social Work Program. She serves on the Academic Council, Accreditation Committee and Chairwomen of the University Curriculum Committee. Dr. Mayo Moore has contributed the chapter Women as Leaders in The Refractive Thinker (vol. XI) in press.

Dr. Mayo Moore is a successful entrepreneur.

MOORE FOR YOUR NEEDS was created in 1995 to provide support for nonprofit organizations in the areas of board development, fund-raising, and SWOT analysis.

MOORE FOR YOUR NEEDS also provides consulting to students of all ages to make the right decisions regarding education. We keep students focused and on task throughout their educational experience.

To reach Dr. Denise Mayo Moore for information on consulting or coaching services please e-mail: denise@mooreforyourneeds.org Hamilton Raymond Hamilton Raymond is the Director of Veterans Affairs at CUNY-Medgar Evers College, in Brooklyn New York. He is a Brooklyn native and of Haitian decent who was raised by a single mother. Hamilton Raymond comes from a background where he saw the actions of young men his age not fostering success. After going through a life changing experience Hamilton decided to devote his life to finding out the barriers between young black men and the pursuit of higher education, speaking to young men in High Schools across New York City.

Hamilton has been an award recipient for several Keynote speeches, including one at John Adams High School graduation. Hamilton attended Canarsie High School in Brooklyn, New York where he excelled both on the football field and in the classroom. He received his Bachelors from SUNY-Buffalo State, his Masters from Long Island University and is currently doing his Doctorate in Education. Hamilton is a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Incorporated, and currently resides in Brooklyn, New York.

Dede Rittman Dede Rittman is an author, speaker, and teacher.

After teaching high school English and Theater for 37 years, Dede published her first book Student Teaching: The Inside Scoop from a Master Teacher in 2014. (www.dederittman.com) Her children’s book Grady Gets Glasses, the first in the Grady series, debuted in February, 2016 (www.gradygetsglasses.com) Dede was the North Allegheny Varsity Head Girls Golf Coach, and then the Varsity Boys’ Head Coach for 33 years. She served on the WPIAL (Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League) Golf Committee for 38 years. A member of The WGAWP (Women’s Golf Association of Western Pennsylvania) for more than 20 years, she has served as a member of / Chair of the Rules Committee. Dede currently works as a volunteer rules official with the Western Pennsylvania Golf Committee, and she has volunteered at every US Open at Oakmont Country Club for the past 40 years. Dede often writes about

the inspirational lessons shared by golf and life at www.bunnyteacher.blogspot.com

Bios - Well Wishes Rhonesha Blaché Rhonesha Blaché has worked in the field of education for 20 years with students at each level from P-20 and around the globe. She is currently pursuing a Doctorate of Education in Interdisciplinary Studies at Teachers College, Columbia University. As the graduate assistant for the African Diaspora Consortium, she is committed to uplifting and bridging the gap between people of African descent worldwide.

Dr. Margarita Bianco Dr. Margarita Bianco, Associate Professor, Special Education, Teacher Education, University of Colorado Denver

members and their families, working closely with the Departments of Defense, Veterans Affairs and Labor.

Prior to becoming a college president, I was a tenured law professor for two plus decades. My academic areas of expertise include consumer finance, over-indebtedness, bankruptcy and community economic development. I served and continue to serve as a consultant to governmental and non-profit/for profit organizations; prior and subsequent to entering into government service, was on various non-profit boards. With a strong interest in athletics, I chaired the NECC and was on the NCAA DIII President’s Advisory Council.

Raised in New England, I am a cum laude graduate of Smith College where I was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and a cum laude graduate of Temple University School of Law, having spent my final year of law school at the University of Chicago. Prior to entering legal academia, I taught at the high school and college levels and practiced law in Chicago and New York.

Hamil Harris Hamil Harris, Journalist, Washington Post

Dr. Melissa Noland Chester Melissa Noland Chester, PhD is professionally trained as a college professor, however, she is a believer of multiple streams of income, so she is also a licensed real estate agent and auto broker.

She also serves in leadership positions for several nonprofits. She is the Director of Operations and co-founder for Black Educators Rock, Inc. Karen Gross For 8 plus years, I was President of Southern Vermont College, a small, private, affordable, four-year college founded in 1926 and located in Bennington, VT. The College offers a careerlaunching education with a liberal arts core. The College enrolls many first generation, low-income students and is dedicated to vulnerable student success.

From Jan. 2012 – 2013, I served as Senior Policy Advisor to the US Department of Education in Washington, DC. In that capacity, I was the Department's representative on the interagency task force charged with redesigning the transition assistance program for returning service

Nadine Haupt Nadine Haupt works with motivated and resultsdriven women who want to break through career plateaus, accelerate their impact and income, and fall in love with Monday mornings. Through professional speaking, private and group coaching and mentoring using the proprietary F.A.S.T. Formula for Success, Nadine shows them how --faster and more easily than by going it alone.

If you are looking for a proven professional who can guide you to address why you are not taking the right actions, what is standing in your way of financial success, and how to create endless opportunities for growth and advancement, you’re in the right place.

Since 1994, Nadine blazed a successful trail in male-dominated technical fields – including becoming the first female trackside engine engineer in IndyCar Racing. Now she shares her insider secrets with ambitious career women who are eager to follow her lead and create success on their terms.

By helping women to continually take proactive action with focus and confidence, Nadine is

creating a community of F.A.S.T. Women who are wildly successful, financially independent, and thriving in their professional and personal lives. Her new book, Fall in Love with Monday Mornings: A Career Woman’s Guide to Increasing Impact, Influence, and Income, will be released in June 2015.

Nadine’s clients are drawn to her passion, authenticity, professionalism, and down-to-earth style.

Her no-nonsense approach challenges clients while her compassion and support encourages them to make bold moves. Clients are inspired to do more, be more, and have more…because that’s what being a F.A.S.T. Woman is all about.

Proceed full speed ahead by booking your Introductory Consultation Session NOW by calling (888) 277-0610 or online at www.FASTWomeninBusiness.com. Follow Nadine on Twitter @FASTWomeninBiz and connect on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/nrhaupt.

Dr. Shanelle R. Reid Dr. Shanelle R. Reid is the President and CEO of ACCESS Global: The Coaching and Consulting Organization. She is a proponent of equity and empowerment in education for students who represent diverse backgrounds and situations.

Christina Smith Christina Smith is an entrepreneur, consultant, mother, and published author. She was born and raised in the Bay Area. In 2014 she was able to cross ONE ITEM off of her bucket list and perform stand-up comedy in front of a live audience When she's not homeschooling her son or driving him all around town to his various activities, some of Christina's favorite things to enjoy are: the local library, a throw-your head back, "that brought tears to my eyes" kind of laugh and good music.

Bio -Articles Dmitri Mehlhorn Dmitri Mehlhorn is a partner with Vidinovo, a venture capital group. He is also a Senior Fellow with the Johns Hopkins University Institute for Education Policy, and a Senior Fellow with the Progressive Policy Institute. He has previously served as an executive with the company Bloomberg LP, and with the nonprofit StudentsFirst. He holds degrees from Stanford, Harvard, and Yale. He is a father and serves as a volunteer officer with his local school

parent-teacher organization.

Denise Parker At the age of 10, Denise started shooting archery after having been introduced to the sport by her father. Four years later, Denise took home a team bronze medal as the youngest member of the U.S. Olympic Team at the 1988 Seoul Games. She also competed in the 1992 and 2000 Olympics. At age 13, she was the youngest archer ever to win a gold medal at the Pan American Games and at age 15 she placed third at the 1989 World Championship. She is also a past Junior World Champion.

Denise is the co-author of Denise Parker: A Teenage Archer’s Quest for Olympic Glory (Woods and Water Press, 2007). A five-time National Outdoor Archery Champion and a seven-time National Indoor Archery Champion, Denise served as archery analyst and commentator for NBC during their coverage of the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games.

A 1997 Summa Cum Laude graduate of Westminster College in Salt Lake City, Denise earned her B.S. degree in Marketing. She also earned her M.B.A. in 2016 from the University of Utah through their Executive program. She has been the editor of Archery Focus; Marketing Manager for Hoyt USA, Vice President of the Archery Trade Association and is currently the CEO of USA Archery, the national governing body of archery for Olympic competition in the United States.

In addition to her duties as CEO of USA Archery, Denise is also on the Board of Directors for the United States Olympic Endowment, as well as the Advisory Board of Directors for the Utah Sports Commission. She serves on World Archery’s Committee for Gender Equity and served as Chair of the Unites States Olympic Committee’s Diversity and Inclusion Task Force to develop and recommend strategies for equity and inclusion. Denise is USA Archery’s representative in all international meetings, including the World Archery Americas and World Archery’s Congress meetings.

Living Education Everyday

Living Education eFocus News

Daniel J. Losen, J.D., M.Ed. Director of the Center for Civil Rights Remedies The School To Prison Pipeline

Living Education eFocus News

Dr. Janeene Montgomery Reading Facilitator Detroit Public Schools A Teacher's Passionate Conv ersation About Detroit Public Schools

Our

CEOs are available for speaking engagements. To schedule Michel Davis Robinson, M.S. or Michael A. Robinson, Ed.D. for your educational events. Send your request to forestoftherain@gmail.com Follow Us: Twitter: @anaturalbridge Twitter: @DrMikeRobinson Facebook: @MichelDavisRobinson Facebook: @DrMikeRobinson

Contact Us: Forest Of The Rain Productions P.O. Box 12 Savage, Maryland 20763 www.forestoftherain.net