INSPIRE

INSPIRE 

ADVANCING 

IMPROVEMENT 

in EDUCATION 

2 ND ANNUAL CONFERENCE 

SEPTEMBER 24–26, 2013 

AUSTIN, TEXAS

WELCOME, AIE CONFERENCE PARTICIPANTS! 

I would like to welcome you to the second annual Advancing Improvement in 

Education (AIE) Conference. The AIE conference is built upon the purpose, 

principles, and values of the former Texas School Improvement Conference (TSI), 

the TTIPS and School Improvement Programs, District Institute, and Secondary 

School Summit. 

It seems to me that each year is busier than the previous one and that each 

subsequent year moves more quickly than the last. It was explained to me 

once that each passing year counts as a smaller percentage of our lives so it 

actually feels shorter and, therefore, time appears to move faster. The result 

is we continually try to pack more work into each day, month, and year. I fear 

that if we are not careful, our focus becomes completion of tasks as opposed to 

purpose. As we start the new year, it is critical that each of us take a few moments 

and reflect on why we have chosen to become educators and whether we have 

established a vision for our role within the educational community. 

This year’s conference focuses on the “why” of our work. Re-visiting what drives 

our passion for education can re-energize our work and open our thinking to new 

ways of looking at school improvement. 

The annual Advancing Improvement in Education (AIE) Conference is a conference 

for educators with the mission of connecting leaders to inspire accountability, 

innovation, and possibility for school improvement through partnerships and 

research-based best practices.

Conference planners have assembled a cadre of researchers, 

consultants, practitioners, and educational peers to provide you 

a variety of opportunities for learning and interaction. This is an 

outstanding opportunity for educators around the state of Texas to 

learn new strategies and to share and exchange current best practices. 

We consider it a privilege to work with you and your school community. 

I wish each of you a successful and rewarding conference experience. 

Terry W. Smith 

Executive Director 

Education Service Center Region 13 

CONFERENCE MISSION 

The annual Advancing Improvement in Education (AIE) 

Conference is a conference for educators with the mission of 

connecting leaders to inspire accountability, innovation, and 

possibility for school improvement through partnerships and 

research-based best practices.

CONFERENCE INFORMATION 

CONFERENCE STRANDS 

This year’s featured conference strands are based on the Critical 

Success Factors used to drive school improvement efforts. The 

conference strands embody the mission of connecting leaders to inspire 

accountability, innovation and possibility for school improvement 

through partnerships and research-based best practices. 

Presenters will share approaches, experiences, and results that reflect 

one of the following strands: 

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE 

USE OF QUALITY DATA TO DRIVE INSTRUCTION 

LEADERSHIP EFFECTIVENESS 

INCREASE LEARNING TIME 

FAMILY/COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT 

SCHOOL CLIMATE 

TEACHER QUALITY 

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CONFERENCE PATHS 

The AIE Conference provides strands inspired through the Critical 

Success Factors. Each of our sessions is tagged with the strand it 

represents. As a conference attendee, you may find your inspiration 

to advance improvement through following one of the critical success 

factor strands. In addition to the strands, we have suggested PATHS that 

may also ignite your passion! PATHS are laid out for sessions related 

to the following: Turnaround, District Leadership, Campus Leadership, 

Teacher Leadership, and ESCs/PSPs. Take time to study the program 

through the lens of the 7 Critical Success Factor strands, as well as 

through the lens of the PATHS, to determine a conference schedule that 

will most inspire you to advance improvement in education! 

TEACHER LEADER PATH 

SEPTEMBER 25, 2013 

Time Title Room Page 

9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. Featured Speaker 

9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. Take Matters Into Your 

Own Hands: Dream 

Now! – Manuel Scott 

Exhibit Hall 5 80 

10:15 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. Distinguished Speakers 

Option 1 

“Simple Strategies the 

Everyday Hero Can 

Take to Keep Their Fire 

Alive!” - Aric Bostick 

Ballroom D 108 

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Option 2 

Champions of Hope: 

Inspiration & Ideas to 

Reach Disengaged 

Students - Jack 

Baldermann 

10:15 a.m. - 11:15 a.m. Breakout Sessions 

Option 1 

Option 2 

Option 3 

What is Non-Traditional 

About Traditional 

Schools? 

SUCCESS (STUDENTS) 

= STUDENTS ^ 

(COLLABORATION 

- COMPLACENCY + 

Weezy) 

Maximizing Professional 

Development to Drive 

Improvement 

Ballroom FG 110 

12A 111 

15 113 

16A 114 

Option 4 The Peaceful Classroom EH4-Stage A 119 

Option 5 

Intervention in the 

Digital Age 

11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Breakout Sessions 

EH4-Stage C 121 

Option 1 Tackling the "At Risk" 12B 123 

Option 2 

Option 3 

Keep Students In Class 

through Key Deescalation 

Strategies 

Developing Academic 

Discourse through 

Vocabulary 

15 125 

16A 126 

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Option 4 

Option 5 

Option 6 

This is Not Your Father's 

School-Nor Do You 

Want it to Be! 

Ten Minutes a Day to 

Algebra Readiness and 

New TEK Implement 

Effective Instructional 

Strategies: 7 Proven 

Methods 

12:15 p.m. - 1:45 p.m. Educator Luncheon 

Option 1 

Teacher Leadership 

Luncheon – Dr. Julie 

Schell 

2:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. Distinguished Speaker 

Option 1 

Five Fantastic Tips 

for Becoming An 

Inspirational and 

Credible School Leader 

- Bobb Darnell 

2:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. Breakout Sessions 

Option 1 

Option 2 

Option 3 

Assess More, but Grade 

Less 

Violence in the 

classroom, a sure cure 

for safety! 

Successful Discipline in 

Secondary Classrooms 

19A 129 

Stage B 132 

Stage C 133 




12A 141 

16A 145 

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Option 4 

Option 5 

Teaching Students 

to Ask Their Own 

Questions 

Using STAAR Mission 

Math to Improve 

Instruction 


17A 147 

EH4-Stage B 152 

Option 1 Fifty Shades of PBIS Ballroom E 154 

Option 2 

Option 3 

Option 4 

Option 5 

Option 6 

Teaching Strategies for 

Closing Achievement 

Gaps with ELLs 

SUCCESS (STUDENTS) 

= STUDENTS ^ 

(COLLABORATION 

- COMPLACENCY + 

Weezy) 

Embrace "Learning" 

Rather Than "Teaching" 

With Data Teams 

USDE Draft - High 

Performance Parental 

Involvement 

Using Academic 

Vocabulary to Increase 

Math Proficiency 

15 159 

16B 161 

19A 165 

19B 166 


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4:30 p.m. - 5:45 p.m. Evening Event 

Option 1 

Conference 

Extravaganza 


Option 1 AIE Educators Dinner - 

Mark McLeod 


Ballroom E 104 

“When I went to high school I was completely disengaged and 

saw no purpose for attending. I just floated through school. 

By luck, I graduated college in a randomly selected major 

and was in and out of many “adventures” during my 20’s. I 

am advancing improvement in education by creating purpose 

for students going to school. I promote programs of study 

and a college and career readiness culture for Texas schools. 

All Texas students should be able to identify their interest 

and know how to realize their dreams through education.” 

- Steve Frank 

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TEACHER LEADER PATH 



8:45 a.m. - 10:45 a.m. Distinguished Speaker 

Option 1 

Setting the Table for 

Success - Bill Cecil 


Option 1 

Option 2 

Option 3 

Option 4 

Option 5 

Checking for 

Understanding So 

Students Can Learn 

Tooling Around with 

Teacher Leaders 

Transformational 

Leaders, 

Transformational 

Teachers 

Parent Involvement - We 

Say Yes, but Act No 

Teaching Math 

Conceptually Promotes 

Student Math 

Achievement 


14 174 

16B 177 

17B 179 

19B 181 

EH4-Stage A 184 

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10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Distinguished Speaker 

Option 1 

Family Engagement: 

Education’s Best Kept 

Secret - Byron Garrett 


Option 1 

Option 2 

Option 3 

Option 4 

Option 5 

Option 6 

Helping Students 

Develop Effective 

Content Literacy Skills 

A Culture Where All 

Teachers Support All 

Children 

What's It All About, 

Anyhow? Life beyond 

formal schooling 

Getting Practical About 

Data: Prescriptive, 

Personal...and Practical 

STAARving for Simple 

Solutions? 

“The Solution You Have 

Been Waiting For! Math 

180” 


Option 1 

Teacher Effectiveness in 

Aldine ISD 



17A 192 

17B 193 

19A 195 



14 203 

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Option 2 

Option 3 

Option 4 

Making Leadership 

Count at Every Level... 

For All Kids 

Math Is Not Enough: 

Negotiation of Thought 

for Rigor 

Proven, Powerful, Fun 

Strategies to Accelerate 

Vocabulary Ac 

16B 206 

17A 207 

19A 210 

“So many of our kids, and the leaders who work with them, 

are in dire need of hope and practical help, and I have a 

burden on my heart to help them. That burden has me on 

the road almost 200 days a year.” 

- Manuel Scott 

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CAMPUS LEADERSHIP PATH 



9:00a.m. - 10:00 a.m. 

Option 1 

Featured Speaker 

Take Matters Into Your 





Everyday Hero can take 

to keep their fire alive!” - 

Aric Bostick 


Option 1 

Option 2 

Option 3 

What is Non-Traditional 

About Traditional 

Schools? 

Work Less, Produce 

More, and Still Get the 

Job Done 

Moving Schools: 

Lessons from Exemplary 

Leaders 



12A 111 

12B 112 

17 115 

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Option 4 

Create Quality Local 

Assessments with TAG 


Option 1 

Option 2 

Option 3 

Option 5 

Moving from the Data 

Summary to the “Need” 




Redefining Roles 

for Seondary Parent 

Involvement 

Support Science by 

Providing Effective PD 

12:15 p.m. - 1:45 p.m. Educators Luncheon 

Option 1 

Campus Leadership 

Luncheon - Principal 

Panel 

2:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. Distinguished Speakers 

Option 1 

Five Fantastic Tips 

for Becoming An 



– Dr. Bobb Darnell 


13AB/14 

19A 129 

19B 130 


Exhibit Hall 5 


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2:30 p.m. -3:30 p.m. Breakout Sessions 

Option 1 

Option 2 

Option 3 

Option 4 

Assess More, but Grade 

Less 

100% Culturally 

Motivated 

Building a Solid 

Behavioral RTI Process 

Building a Culturally 

Responsible Family 

Engagement Program 


Option 1 

Option 2 

Option 3 

Option 4 

Option 5 

Intervention Framework 

for Academic Success 

The Audacious 

Transformation of an 

Alternative School 

Embrace "Learning" 

Rather Than "Teaching" 

With Data Teams 

ZOOM-In on Next 

Steps for Your Campus/ 

District with Snapshot 

Building Literacy Across 

the Content Areas 


14 143 

15 144 

19B 150 

12B 157 

17A 162 

19A 165 



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Option 1 

Conference 

Extravaganza 



Mark McLeod 



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CAMPUS LEADERSHIP PATH 




Option 1 

Option 2 

Option 3 

Option 4 

Option 5 

Football, Algebra, and 

Using Data to Improve 

Student Learning - Kerry 

Gain - Distinguished 

Speaker 

Employing Cultural 

Competence to Improve 

Your School 

Accountability to 

Responsibility in a 

STAAR World! 

Right Seat on the 

Bus: Behavioral Event 

Interviews 

Accelerating Student 

Achievement with 

Imagine Learning 

17A 178 

12A 172 

12B 173 



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Education’s Best Kep 




Option 1 

Option 2 

Option 3 

Option 4 

Restorative Justice: 

An Alternative to 

Suspension 

Transforming Lives: 

Culture, Achievement & 

College Readiness 

Leadership Support to 

Move Teachers from 

Good to Great 

STEMscopes Online 

Science Curriculum K-12 


Option 1 

Option 2 

CPDI= Complete 

Campus Climate and 

Culture Change 

Beyond Academics: 

Making Each Student a 

STAR 

12A 186 

15 189 

16A 190 


12A 201 

12B 202 

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Option 3 

Option 4 

Option 5 

Motivation/Teacher 

Engagement/Student 

Engagement: Your ticke 

Crucial Conversations 

for Advancing 

Improvement in 

Education 

Shooting for the 

STAARs: Getting results, 

changing lives! 

16A 205 

17B 208 

19B 211 

“To use the gift that was given to me and demonstrating the 

passion within it. Then and only then will my purpose have 

breath to help others see their greatness, and attempt to 

diminish the pressure and overwhelming state that one may 

be experiencing in the healthiest and best possible way.” 

- April Briscoe 

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DISTRICT LEADERSHIP PATH 




Option 1 





Option 1 Your Leadership Makes 

the Difference!- Sheila 

Bethel 


Option 1 

P.L.U.G.S. for the Drain 

- Premont IDS's Story of 

Recovery 


Option 1 

Option 2 

Football, Algebra, and 

Using Data to Improve 

Student Learning - Kerry 

Gain - Distinguished 

Speaker 

Moving from the Data 

Summary to the “Need” 


18A-D 116 


17AB 128 

13AB/14 

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Option 3 

20% jump in scores... 

WHAT? 


Option 1 

District Leadership 

Luncheon 

2:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. Distinguished Speaker 

Option 1 Five Fantastic Tips 

for Becoming an 



- Bobb Darnell 


Option 1 

Option 2 

Teacher Hiring and 

Development for Active 

Student Engagement 

Six Practices to Improve 

School Board-Central 

Office Partn 


Option 1 

Option 2 

Achieving Success for 

Every Student 

Writing an Annual 

SMART Goal that Will 

Keep You on Track 

16B 127 

18A-D 137 


16B 146 

18A-D 148 


13AB/14 

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Option 3 

Creating a District-Wide 

Professional Learning 

System to Inc 


Option 1 

Conference 

Extravaganza 



Mark McLeod 

18A-D 164 



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DISTRICT LEADERSHIP PATH 




Option 1 

Launch Leaders 

Through Succession 

Planning 


Option 1 





Option 1 

How the PBM System 

Enhances the TAIS 


18A-D 180 


18A 194 

Option 1 What's in your DNA? 18A-D 209 

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STATEWIDE SUPPORT PATH 




Option 1 



Now!Featured Speaker – 

Manuel Scott 


Option 1 

Option 2 


Everyday Hero can take 

to keep their fire alive!” 

- Aric Bostick 

Champions of Hope: 

Inspiration & Ideas to 

Reach Disengaged 

Students - Jack 

Baldermann 


Option 1 

Option 2 

Analyzing AMAO Data 

to Improve Instruction 

for ELL Students 

36 #SchoolPR Tweets to 

Learn From 




19A 111 

19B 118 

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11:30-12:30 Breakout Sessions 

Option 1 

Option 2 

Option 3 

Do You Have What 

it Takes to be a 

Turnaround Leader? 

20% jump in scores... 

WHAT? 





Option 1 

Statewide Support 

Luncheon - Anabel 

Garza 

2:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. Distinguished Speakers 

Option 1 

Five Fantstic Tips 

for Becoming an 

Inspirational & Credible 

School Leader - Bobb 

Darnell 


Option 1 

Shame, Courage, 

and Vulnerability: 

Rehumanizing Education 

12A 122 

16B 127 

19A 129 



12B 142 

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Option 2 

Option 3 

Using STAAR Mission 

Math to Improve 

Instruction 

Critical Thinking – Vital 

for the Success of our 

Students 


Option 1 

Option 2 

Option 3 

Achieving Success for 

Every Student 

Lives on the Boundary: 

From Peril to Promise 

PD through Project 

Share: Online Resources 

for Educators 


Option 1 

Conference 

Extravaganza 



Mark McLeod 




16A 160 

17B 163 



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STATEWIDE SUPPORT PATH 



8:45 a.m. - 10:45 a.m. Distinguished Speakers 

Option 1 




Option 1 

Option 2 

Employing Cultural 

Competence to Improve 

Your School 

Right Seat on the 

Bus: Behavioral Event 

Interviews 


Option 1 




9:45 a.m. -10:45 a.m. Breakout Sessions 


12A 172 



Option 1 Support Specialist Live! 13AB/14 


Option 1 

Making Leadership 

Count at Every Level... 

For All Kids 

16B 206 

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TURNAROUND PATH 




Option 1 



Now!Featured Speaker – 

Manuel Scott 


Option 1 

Your Leadership Makes 

the Difference! - Sheila 

Bethel 


Option 1 

Option 2 

P.L.U.G.S. for the Drain 

- Premont ISD’s Story of 

Recovery 



Leaders 


18A-D 116 


17AB 115 

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Option 1 

Do You Have What 

it Takes to be a 


12:15 p.m. - 1:45 p.m. Educator’s Luncheon 

12A 122 

Option 1 

Choose One of the Four Lunches 

that Best Fits Your Current Title or 

Aspiration! 


Option 1 

Specific Leadership 

Programs and Tools 

to Increase Student 

Achievement - 

Jack Baldermann 

Distinguished Speaker 

103 


Option 2 Stay Calm and Lead On 19A 149 

Option 3 

Turnaround - Impacting 

Rapid, Dramatic, Positive 

Change 


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Option 1 

Start with WHY: 

Inspiring Everyone to 

Take Action 


Option 1 

Conference 

Extravaganza 



Mark McLeod 

12A 156 



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TURNAROUND PATH 



8:45 a.m. - 10:45 a.m. Distinguished Speakers 

Option 1 




Option 1 

Option 2 

Planning, Planning, 

Planning: The Three 

Most Important 

5 Steps to Creating an 

Exemplary School 


Option 1 




9:45 a.m. -10:45 a.m. Breakout Sessions 

Option 1 The Calm in the Storm - 

Teacher Leaders 


15 175 

16A 176 


12B 187 

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Option 2 

Solidifying the Moral 

Imperative within 

Education 

11:15 a.m. -12:15 p.m. Breakout Sessions 

Option 1 

Option 2 



Leaders 

20% Jump in Scores... 

WHAT! 

16B 191 


15 204 

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SUPPORT SPECIALISTS LIVE! 

Are you looking for a calming place to have fun and work on your improvement 

plan? Then come and grab a refreshment and a comfy seat to join the Support 

Specialists in the COLLABORATIVE SOLUTIONS LOUNGE! Live and in person 

you will find Support Specialists providing guidance and support to any of 

your questions. Whether your questions are about the improvement planning 

process or template itself, the Support Specialists will be there to meet with 

you about your needs. Throughout the duration of the AIE conference you can 

find the COLLABORATIVE SOLUTIONS LOUNGE located in rooms 13A and 13B. 

The lounge is offered to you on a “come and go as you please” basis, whatever 

works for you! Looking for something more structured? Concurrently, next door 

in room 14, there will be three 60-minute sessions provided on the following 

content that supports the improvement plan: 

SESSION 1: 

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2013, 11:30 - 12:30 

ROOM 14 

Moving from the Data Summary to the “Need”. 

Objective: Participants will understand how to use the data compiled from 

the data summary page to formulate the need on the improvement planning 

template. 

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SESSION 2: 

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2013, 3:45 - 4:45 

ROOM 14 

Writing an annual S.M.A.R.T. Goal That Will Keep You on 

Track. 

Objective: Participants will revisit the essential components to creating an 

annual goal to effectively measure the implementation of the improvement 

plan. 

SESSION 3: 

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2013, 9:45 - 10:45 

ROOM 14 

Selecting Strategies and Quarterly Planning. 

Objectives: Participants will learn how to identify a strategy that is aligned to 

the need and chunked into manageable quarterly segments. 

Each of these structured sessions will be provided to you with the guidance of 

the Support Specialist in 60 minute segments, the first 30 minutes of content, 

and the second 30 minutes dedicated to questions and working time. We are 

excited for the opportunity to meet and talk with you about all of the great work 

that is taking place, so feel free to come by! 

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INFORMATION DESK 

With over 100 breakout sessions, including guest speakers, the 

conference may inspire many questions in participants. Should any 

questions arise that you cannot find an answer to, please make your way 

to one of the information booths that are located on the first floor near 

the registration area and the fourth floor across from the elevator. There 

will be a conference staff member there to answer any question you may 

have. 

HOW TO DOWNLOAD HANDOUTS 

Handouts are available to download from the AIE mobile app. You can 

also download handouts from www.aieconference.net. Participants are 

encouraged to download handouts to their iPads or electronic devices 

in lieu of printing. 

INTERNET ACCESS 

The Austin Convention Center offers complimentary WiFi access 

throughout the entire facility. There is no access code necessary to 

connect to the WiFi. Connection speed is dependent on the number of 

participants using the Internet at any one time. 

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CERTIFICATE 

1. Visit the E-Campus Workshop Catalog at http://ecampus.esc13.net. 

2. Sign in to E-Campus with your username and password. 

3. After you successfully sign in, you will be directed to your Portfolio 

page. Scroll down to the workshop for which you’d like to print a 

certificate. Find the workshop and click “Take Post-Workshop 

Survey,” found to the right of the workshop title. 

4. Complete the survey for the course. Click “Next,” then “Finish.” 

5. You will be redirected to your Portfolio page. Scroll down to the 

workshop and click “Certificate.” You can now print a copy of your 

certificate. 

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MEALS PROVIDED 

Food and beverage service will be provided to registered 

conference attendees during the conference. We will not 

be able to provide food and beverage for guests and family 

members. 

NO RUBBER 

CHICKEN 

WELCOME RECEPTION 

4:00 p.m.–6:00 p.m. Snacks/Beverages Exhibit Hall 4 

GRAB & GO AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE 

Jo’s Coffee stand will be open September 24th–26th for concession 

purchases in the foyer between Exhibit Halls 4 and 5. Jo’s Coffee offers 

espresso drinks, hot and cold drinks, baked goods, sandwiches, salads, 

and other snacks for purchase. Cash and credit cards are accepted. 

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The following meals will be provided for all registered conference 

attendees: 

7:30 a.m.–8:30 a.m. Breakfast Exhibit Hall 4 

12:15 p.m.–1:45 p.m. Lunch Buffet 

As we explore our “why,” our lunch speakers will be serving up a special 

message for our varied audience members. Please choose the lunch 

that best represents your role as an educator. 

• Teacher Leaders Luncheon 

• PSP/ESC Luncheon 

Ballroom D 

Ballroom F & G 

• Campus Leaders Luncheon Exhibit Hall 5 

• District Leadership Luncheon 

18 A-D 

1:45 p.m.–2:15 p.m. Desserts Exhibit Hall 4 

4:30 p.m.–5:45 p.m. Light Snacks Exhibit Hall 4 

5:45 p.m.–7:30 p.m. AIE Educators Dinner* Ballroom E 

*$25.00 plate (Additional Fee and 

Registration Required) 


7:15 a.m.–8:30 a.m. Breakfast Exhibit Hall 4 

9:00 a.m.–11:30 a.m. Snacks Available Exhibit Hall 4 

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LOST AND FOUND 

In the event that you cannot find a personal item during the 

conference, do not fret. Leaving a personal item behind is a 

natural occurrence when your mind is engaged in the rich content 

of the Advancing Improvement in Education Conference. 

If you have lost an item: Check to see if your item has been 

turned in to the Information Desk (located on the first floor near 

the registration area). 

If you find an item: Bring the item to the Information Desk 

(located on the first floor). 

EMERGENCIES AND GROUP SAFETY 

The Advancing Improvement in Education Conference staff and 

the Austin Convention Center want to ensure that, as a participant, 

you have a safe and successful conference experience. 

In the unlikely event of a major emergency, please check with 

conference staff and facility personnel for evacuation directions. 

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SHUTTLE INFORMATION AND SCHEDULE 

Complimentary shuttle service will be provided to and from official AIE 

Conference hotels not within walking distance of the convention center. 

Shuttle assignments and schedules will be available at each hotel 

registration desk. 

Plan your shuttle departure times carefully to allow for traffic delays and 

sufficient time to walk to your destination in the convention center. 

PICKUP LOCATIONS: 

Route 1: DoubleTree University/Double Tree (Hwy. 290 and IH 35)/ 

Crowne Plaza 

Route 2: Wyndham Garden Inn/Holiday Inn (Lady Bird Lake) 

Route 3: Embassy Suites (Downtown)/Radisson 

SHUTTLE SCHEDULE 

Morning 

Afternoon/Evening 

9/24 7:00 a.m.–9:00 a.m. 3:00 p.m.–6:30 p.m. 

9/25 6:30 a.m.–8:30 a.m. 3:30 p.m.–8:00 p.m. 

9/26 6:30 a.m.–8:30 a.m. 11:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m. 

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CONVENTION CENTER MAPS 

FOURTH STREET 

TRINITY STREET 

RED RIVER STREET 

CESAR CHAVEZ STREET 

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AREA INFORMATION 

PARKING 

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CONFERENCE PLANNER 


Time 

Session 

2:30 p.m.–6:00 p.m. Early Check-In Exhibit Hall 4 Atrium 

SEPTEMBER 25, 2013: MAIN CONFERENCE —DAY 1 

Time Session Presenter Room 

7:00 a.m.–8:30 a.m. Check-In/Breakfast Exhibit Hall 4 

8:30 a.m.–10:00 a.m. 

AIE Kickoff and Featured 

Speaker 

Manuel Scott 

Exhibit 

Hall 5 

10:15 a.m.–12:15 p.m. Distinguished Speakers 

1st choice 

2nd choice 

10:15 a.m.–11:15 a.m. Breakout Session 

1st choice 

2nd choice 

11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. Breakout Session 

1st choice 

2nd choice 

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2:15 p.m.–1:45 p.m. 

“Advancing Academic 

Performance” Lunches 

Guest 

Speakers 

Teacher Luncheon 

PSP/ESC luncheon 

Campus Leaders Luncheon 

District Leadership 

Luncheon 

1:45 p.m.–2:15 p.m. Open Exhibit Hall 

2:30 p.m.–4:30 p.m. Distinguished Speakers 

2:30 p.m.–3:30 p.m. Breakout Session 

1st choice 

2nd choice 

3: 45 p.m.–4:45 p.m. Breakout Session 

1st choice 

2nd choice 

4: 30 p.m.–5:45 p.m. Conference Extravaganza 

Julie Schell 

Anabel Garza 

Principal 

Panel 

Networking 

Ballroom 

D 

Ballroom 

F & G 

Exhibit 

Hall 5 

18 A–D 

Exhibit 

Hall 4 

Exhibit 

Hall 4 

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4:50 p.m.–5:05 p.m. Micro Session 1 



Educators Dinner at the 

5:45 p.m.–7:30 p.m. 

Austin Convention Center 

(Pre-registration 

required —$25.00/plate) 

Mark McLeod 

Ballroom 

E 

SEPTEMBER 26, 2013: MAIN CONFERENCE—DAY 2 

Time 

Session 

7:15 a.m.–8:30 a.m. Check-In/Breakfast Exhibit Hall 4 


1st choice 

2nd choice 

8:45 a.m.–10:45 a.m. Distinguished Speakers 

1st choice 

2nd choice 


1st choice 

2nd choice 

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Time 

Session 

10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. Distinguished Speaker 

11:15 a.m.–12:15 p.m. Breakout Session 

1st choice 

2nd choice 

48 #AIEConf

Notes: 

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49

AIE CHALLENGE 

50 #AIEConf

AIE CONFERENCE CHALLENGE INFORMATION 

THE AIE CHALLENGE 

This year’s theme focuses on the “why” of your work. What inspires you 

to Advance Improvement in Education? Take the AIE Challenge to make 

new discoveries and open your thinking to inspire greatness within 

you and among others. After you complete 9 of the 12 components of 

the challenge, submit your completed challenge sheet to one of the 

two information tables or the registration booth closest to you. Two AIE 

Challenge winners will receive free admission to the 2014 AIE Conference. 

Winners will be individually notified and posted on the AIE website. 

#AIEConf 

51

AIE CHALLENGE 

MAKING THE MOST OF AIE 2013 

Three questions to make this the best conference you have ever 

attended: 

What 3 people will I commit to connect with after the conference? 

1. 

2. 

3. 

What 3 ideas will I take home to ponder and think about? 

1. 

2. 

3. 

What 3 ideas will I act upon immediately? 

1. 

2. 

3. 

“I will get out of this conference what I put into it!” 

©2013 Bethel Institute www.bethelinstitute.com 

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AIE CHALLENGE 

THE CHALLENGE 

• Download the AIE app to 

your smartphone 

• Attend the welcome 

reception 

• Explore the PATH 

opportunities provided 

for you 

• Visit the AIE video booth 

• Enjoy the Conference 

Extravaganza! 

• Tweet your thoughts to 

#AIEConf 

• Take your photo at the 

AIE photo booth 

• Attend the optional 

Educators Dinner with 

guest speaker Mark 

McLeod 

• Complete an AIE 

conference evaluation 

• Visit exhibitor booths 

• Explore your “Why” at 

the Why Wall 

• Visit the AIE Showcase in 


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53

AIE CHALLENGE 

DOWNLOAD THE AIE APP TO YOUR 

SMARTPHONE 

Go to the Android market or the Apple store to download the AIE 

conference app. Once you have the app on your smartphone or tablet, 

check out featured and distinguished speakers, discover breakout 

sessions, and choose the AIE Conference PATH that inspires you! 

ATTEND THE WELCOME RECEPTION 

This year’s welcome reception, located in Exhibit Hall 4, promises 

to inspire you to advance improvement in education! Visit our many 

exhibitors, network with colleagues from across the state, and enjoy 

light snacks. We want to welcome you to the conference and help 

inspire your conference experience. 

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AIE CHALLENGE 

EXPLORE THE PATH OPPORTUNITIES 

The AIE Conference provides strands inspired through the critical 

success factors. Each of our sessions is tagged with the strand it 

represents. As a conference attendee, you may find your inspiration 

to advance improvement through following one of the Critical Success 

Factor strands. In addition to the strands, we have suggested PATHS 

that may also ignite your passion! PATHS are laid out for sessions related 

to the following: Turnaround, District Leadership, Campus Leadership, 

Teacher Leadership, and ESCs/PSPs. Take time to study the program 

through the lens of the 7 Critical Success Factor strands, as well as 

through the lens of the PATHS, to determine a conference schedule that 

will most inspire you to advance improvement in education! 

VISIT THE AIE VIDEO BOOTH 

Don’t be shy! We challenge you to visit the AIE video booth and share 

your thoughts with us. Professional videographers want to capture what 

inspires you to advance improvement in education. Share your story of 

what inspires you to be an educator, how you keep your passion alive, 

or what drives you to do this work every day! Don’t miss out on this 

opportunity to look and feel like a movie star! 

The AIE video booth is located in Exhibit Hall 4. 

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AIE CHALLENGE 

ENJOY THE CONFERENCE EXTRAVAGANZA! 

The Conference Extravaganza is a unique opportunity for you to enjoy 

the exhibit hall and all of the many things that we are offering. Relax, 

enjoy a snack, visit the video booth, participate in the Why Wall, take a 

picture with your team at the photo booth, and visit exhibitors. While 

you are enjoying all of the activities, take a moment to check out our 

microsessions. The microsessions are short, 15-minute informative 

sessions happening in the three stages located in Exhibit Hall 4. Check 

them out! 

TWEET YOUR THOUGHTS TO #AIECONF 

All conference attendees are encouraged to share their experience 

or post any questions they may have on our conference Twitter page 

using the hashtag #AIEConf. Participants can also follow the conference 

@AIEConf for any last-minute session changes, answers to questions, 

and general excitement about the events taking place at the AIE 

Conference. 

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AIE CHALLENGE 

TAKE YOUR PHOTO AT THE AIE PHOTO BOOTH 

Visit the AIE Photo Booth by yourself, with your team, or with your 

newfound colleagues and friends from across the state. After you take 

your picture, have it sent to you electronically! Don’t forget to Tweet your 

pictures to #AIEConf. The AIE Photo Booth is located in Exhibit Hall 4. 

ATTEND THE OPTIONAL EDUCATORS DINNER 

WITH GUEST SPEAKER MARK MCLEOD 

Join educator Mark McLeod for dinner September 25th from 5:45 p.m.– 

7:30 p.m. Be inspired and re-ignite your passion for education while 

enjoying opportunities to network. The AIE Educators Dinner requires 

registration. Please register online or visit the registration booth. 

(Limited number of on-site tickets will be sold.) 

COMPLETE AN AIE CONFERENCE EVALUATION 

We challenge you to share your thoughts! Take a moment and 

complete an evaluation after each breakout session. Evaluations are 

available on the AIE app. If you are unable to access the app, leave 

your email address with the room facilitator. At the completion of the 

conference, an overall conference evaluation will be emailed to you. 

Please share your conference experience with us. 

#AIEConf 

57

AIE CHALLENGE 

VISIT EXHIBITOR BOOTHS 

Our exhibitors are here to serve you! Be brave, seek inspiration, and find 

new resources by making new contacts at the exhibitor booths. 

EXPLORE THE WHY WALL 

WHY ARE YOU ADVANCING IMPROVEMENT IN EDUCATION? 

Stop by the Why Wall in Exhibit Hall 4 to share your personal why 

statement with educators across the state. There will also be an 

opportunity for you to write a thank you letter to someone who has 

inspired you. 

ART SHOWCASE 

Fine arts serve an important role in developing college- and careerready 

students. Some will pursue a career in the arts, while others will 

learn about the arts from participating in extended learning experiences 

that facilitate the student developmental process. Students learn to 

understand the role of the fine arts as a vehicle of personal growth, as 

well as social, political, scientific, and technical expressions of change. 

Please visit the Arts Display in Exhibit Hall 4. Thank you to Kristen 

Marstaller and the Austin Independent School District for participating 

in our Fine Art Showcase. 

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AIE CHALLENGE 

Notes: 

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59

PRE-CONFERENCE 

60 #AIEConf #AIEConf


PRE-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE 

SEPTEMBER 24, 2013: Pre-Conference 

Time 

7:30 a.m.–9:00 a.m. 

9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. 

1:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m. 

4:00 p.m.–6:00 p.m. 

Pre-Conference Check-In 

Session 

Breakfast served on 4th floor near Ballroom D 

The “State“ of Education 

Introductions and Welcome—Dr. Terry Smith 

Opening—Commissioner Williams 

TEA updates—Shannon Housson 

Legal updates—Jim Walsh 

Data Set Go! Using a Data-Driven Inquiry Process to Take Action 

and Get Results 

Early Registration/Check-In/Welcome Reception 


MEALS PROVIDED 

Food and beverage service will be provided to registered conference attendees 

during the conference. We will not be able to provide food and beverage for 

guests and family members. 


8:00 a.m.–9:00 a.m. Breakfast Ballroom D 

12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m. Lunch Ballroom D 

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MICHAEL L. WILLIAMS 

Commissioner of Education 

Michael L. Williams was appointed Texas 

Commissioner of Education by Gov. Rick 

Perry on Sept. 1, 2012. As Commissioner, 

he heads the Texas Education Agency, 

which oversees pre-kindergarten through 

high school education for approximately 

five million students enrolled in both 

traditional public schools and charter 

schools. During his distinguished career, 

Williams has served as an assistant district attorney in hometown of 

Midland, a federal prosecutor in the Reagan Justice Department, 

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Law Enforcement at the U.S. Department 

of the Treasury under President George Herbert Walker Bush, and 

Assistant Secretary of Education for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department 

of Education. In 1998, Gov. George W. Bush appointed Williams to the 

Railroad Commission of Texas, the three-member commission which 

oversees oil and gas regulation. Texans subsequently elected him to the 

Commission in 2000, 2002 and 2008. The son of public school teachers, 

Williams holds a Bachelor’s, Master’s and law degree from the University 

of Southern California, and has been married to his best friend, Donna, 

for more than 25 years. 

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SHANNON HOUSSON 

Director, Performance Reporting 

Texas Education Agency 

1701 Congress Ave 

Austin, TX 78701-1402 

Tel: (512) 463-9000 

www.tea.state.tx.us 

Shannon Housson has served as director 

of the Division of Performance Reporting 

at the Texas Education Agency since 

July 2004. His division is responsible 

for the assignment of the state accountability ratings and distinction 

designations for all Texas public schools. He was formerly the director 

of the analysis and reporting team in the Student Assessment Division 

at TEA. Mr. Housson has a Masters of Business Administration degree 

from the University of Texas at Austin and a Bachelor of Arts degree also 

from UT Austin. 

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63


JIM WALSH 

Attorney at Law 

Walsh, Anderson, Gallegos, Green and 

Treviño, P.C. 

505 E. Huntland, Suite 600 

Austin, TX 78752 

Jim Walsh graduated from the University 

of Texas School of Law in 1975 and 

began his career in Texas school law by 

serving as the attorney for the Region 

XIII Legal Service Program, beginning in 1979. In 1983, Mr. Walsh, Joe 

Hairston, and Tom Doyal (now retired from the firm) founded the firm, 

now known as Walsh, Anderson, Gallegos, Green and Treviño, P.C., to 

focus on representing Texas public schools. He is the co-author of The 

Educator’s Guide to Texas School Law and the author of The Common 

Sense Guide to Special Education Law. He is publisher and managing 

editor of the Texas School Administrators’ Legal Digest, for which he 

writes the popular “Law Dawg” column. He is the author of a monthly 

newsletter on special education, This Just In..., and the monthly Walsh’s 

Word column in the IEP Team Trainer publication, and he is editor in 

chief and a regular columnist for Texas School Business magazine. He 

serves on the Advisory Board for LRP Publications. Mr. Walsh has taught 

school law at the graduate level. He has conducted inservice training 

sessions at every Education Service Center in the state and at hundreds 

of school districts. Mr. Walsh is a highly sought-after speaker in Texas 

and throughout the nation. 

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TOPIC GOALS OF THE INTERACTIVE KEYNOTE 

Data, Set, Go! Using a Data-Driven Inquiry Process to Take Action 

and Get Results 

Breakout Sessions by Level: Elementary, Middle, and High School 

Introduction—Introduction to the Data Use Theory of Action 

Using Questions to Initiate Inquiry—Learn a protocol to identify pressing 

questions to focus inquiry 

Analyzing Data–Learn a protocol for Collaborative Data Analysis to 

refine questions and sharpen focus 

Engaging Others–Learn how data can be a vehicle to engage others in 

inquiry and root cause analysis 

Prepare a Data Overview and Take Data-Based Action–Apply tools and 

protocols to implement an inquiry-driven engagement effort that will 

result in action 

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PRE-CONFERENCE PRESENTER BIOS 

JULIE MELTZER, PH.D. 

Julie has spent the past decade leading research, 

development, and program evaluation projects 

related to students’ K–12 literacy development 

and serving as a literacy, Response to Intervention 

(RtI), and school and district improvement 

consultant on national, state, and district 

projects. Her work is grounded in helping school 

leaders make the most of their educational data when designing wholeschool 

improvement initiatives. Julie has led many action planning 

efforts using A Leadership Model for Improving Adolescent Literacy, 

a research-based model developed by Julie and co-authors of Taking 

Action on Adolescent Literacy (ASCD, 2007). The Leadership Model 

and associated action planning rubrics help educators assess their 

school, set improvement goals, and develop an action plan. She also 

coauthored of Meeting the Challenge of Adolescent Literacy (IRA, 2009), 

and Taking the Lead on Adolescent Literacy: Action Steps for School 

Wide Success (Corwin, 2010). Other publications include Adolescent 

Literacy Resources: Linking Research and Practice (Education Alliance, 

2002) and Thinkquiry Toolkit I: Strategies for Improving Reading 

Comprehension and Vocabulary Development Across the Content Areas 

(PCG, 2011). A sought-after keynote speaker, reviewer, conference 

presenter, and workshop leader, Julie brings substantive experience 

as a teacher, teacher educator, and leadership coach to her work in 

the areas of systemic school improvement, data use, action planning, 

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capacity building, and design of professional development services 

and materials. Julie recently left PCG Education where she served as 

Strategic Education Advisor to take a district position as Director of 

Curriculum, Assessment and Instruction where she is focusing on 

establishing and sustaining a culture of data-informed decision-making 

at all levels of the organization. 

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67


ROBB GEIER 

Robb Geier is Director of Data Services for PCG 

Education. Robb has developed tools, protocols, 

and curricula for establishing district and school 

data teams focused on improving collaborative 

data use. He led the development of the District 

Data Team Toolkit for the Massachusetts 

Department of Elementary and Secondary 

Education and currently provides assistance and support to regional 

data specialists throughout the Commonwealth. He also recently 

developed a data quality curriculum, which consists of a handbook, 

facilitator’s guides, and PowerPoint presentations intended to help 

both data collectors and data users understand and address the issues 

that may affect the production of high-quality education data. His work 

also focuses on improving structural supports for data use through 

the development of curricula and professional development for data 

coaches and technical assistance providers. Robb also works with 

district data teams to assess supports for data use and build strategic 

plans to improve processes, access, and use of data throughout the 

districts. Robb’s past work with schools includes facilitating school 

data teams and teacher teams, as well as coaching and training data 

coaches to lead instructional change driven by data use and inquiry. 

Further, Robb has served as a Teaching Fellow during the Data Wise 

summer institute at Harvard University and provided professional and 

technical assistance for schools and districts related to data use and 

school reform throughout the United States and Canada. 

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MARY ELLEN HANNON 

Mary Ellen Hannon has over 30 years of 

successful educational systems experience, 

including extensive understanding in school 

leadership, data analysis, curriculum design, and 

school improvement management. Mary Ellen 

is currently an executive coach and facilitator 

for the Florida Rural Turnaround Leadership 

project. Her responsibilities include developing and facilitating training 

for superintendents, school board members, and district leaders on 

turning around low-performing schools and districts. At PCG, Mary Ellen 

focuses on supporting districts to use data for school improvement. 

Recently, Mary Ellen presented a webinar with Dr. Bena Kalick titled RTI, 

PLC, and Social Learning: A Powerful Marriage of Data and Knowledge 

for teachers and administrators that articulated the potential of data 

use and technology to increase student achievement. Prior to joining 

PCG Education, Mary Ellen served as a superintendent of schools in 

New Hampshire. Under her leadership, the district was recognized by 

New Hampshire Department of Education as a leader in data-based 

decision making. Mary Ellen also made presentations for the NH DOE 

on using data in a district to improve student achievement. Prior to 

that, she served as adjunct professor at Rivier University, assistant 

superintendent, curriculum director, and teacher. 

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MARK TORNOW 

Mark Tornow has over 30 years of successful 

educational systems experience, including 

extensive understanding of school leadership, 

data analysis, and school improvement 

management. Mark is currently Director of 

Special Projects for the Tennessee Academic 

Specialists program, where he is responsible for 

the application, interview, and hiring process to engage 125 independent 

contractors/educators to assist in Tennessee’s high-priority schools. In 

addition to the data use professional development that he provides in 

Tennessee, he recently presented at the Florida Reading Association 

conference in Orlando on the use of data to impact classroom instruction. 

His experience in effective data use spans the building to statewide 

level. Prior to joining PCG Education, Mark served as an elementary 

principal near Nashville, Tennessee. Under his leadership, the school 

was recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as an NCLB Blue 

Ribbon School in 2006 because of its significant improvement in student 

achievement, despite its high student poverty rate. Mark also served 

as executive director of a nonprofit educational organization and was 

a program manager with the Tennessee Department of Education in 

the Division of Assessment and Evaluation. Prior to that, he served as 

a principal, an assistant principal, a teacher, and a coach in elementary 

and high school settings. 

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BRETT BISHOP 

A Senior Consultant with PCG’s Focus on Results, Brett Bishop began 

his education career as a physical education and earth science middle 

school teacher for the Springfield Massachusetts Public Schools. During 

thirteen years in the district, Brett served as a teacher and assistant 

principal before becoming the principal of the East Street School in 

Ludlow. Under his leadership the school made significant gains in 

student achievement and was removed from In Need of Improvement 

status and the district was one of only two in the state to move out of 

Corrective Action. The school was also recognized by the Massachusetts 

Legislature for outstanding work in creating trauma-sensitive learning 

environments. Brett received his Master’s Degree in educational 

administration from Springfield College and spent two years on the 

teacher preparation faculty teaching methods courses and supervising 

student teachers. 

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JANICE HANADA 

A Senior Consultant with PCG’s Focus on 

Results, Janice has been a principal for 17 years 

in Glendale Unified School District in Glendale, 

California with a total of 35 years in the district. 

Most recently, she has served as the principal at 

Cerritos Elementary, a Title I school with 88% on 

free/reduced lunch, 70% Hispanic, and 50% ELL. 

She has served as presenter and curriculum writer for all Focus on Results 

district trainings. Through the hard work and dedication to instructional 

leadership, Janice and her staff have consistently met all AYP targets in 

both ELA and math, including targets for all subgroups. Her school is a 

frequent site for other school teams interested in learning more about 

the power of having a school-wide focus. 

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LINDA WURZBACH 

Linda Wurzbach is the president and founder of 

Resources for Learning, a consulting company 

that she formed in 1998 to carry out her vision 

of providing systemic support to educational 

organizations so that all students achieve success. 

As president of RFL, Ms. Wurzbach has facilitated 

numerous statewide initiatives in Texas and 

other states. Initiatives include beginning teacher support, advanced 

academics, professional development for fine arts educators, fine arts 

integration with core content areas, teacher licensure performance 

assessment for the state of New Mexico, awareness campaigns for 

new standards and testing requirements, and the Texas Best Practices 

Clearinghouse. Additionally, Ms. Wurzbach has overseen a number of 

statewide evaluations, such as Texas Migrant Education, Comprehensive 

School Reform Grant Program, Middle College/Early College Grant 

Program, Texas High School Redesign and Restructuring Grant Program, 

and the Legislative Budget Board’s Statewide Curriculum Review, as 

well as numerous district evaluations. 

Before founding RFL, Ms. Wurzbach served as Senior Project Associate 

for the Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium 

(INTASC), Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), in Washington, 

D.C. She also served as a project director at the Texas Education Agency, 

where she managed the development of Texas educator standards and 

assessments. Ms. Wurzbach began her career as a special education 

teacher and has an MEd in Special Education from the University of 

Texas at Austin. 

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JUDY JENNINGS, PHD 

Judy Jennings specializes in project management 

across curriculum areas and involving a variety of 

assessments. Her interests include the integration 

and interpretation of student and school 

performance measures, as well as integration 

of curriculum. Dr. Jennings’s expertise includes 

analysis of inter-rater reliability for performance 

assessment, elements of integrated curriculum, state education data, 

test administration procedures, and standard setting. Dr. Jennings 

serves as the project manager for RFL’s work with Regional Education 

Service Center XIII on the Texas Performance Standards Project, and 

she also creates and presents professional development in assessmentrelated 

topics for the Center for Educator Development in Fine Arts 

(CEDFA) conference. 

Before coming to RFL, Dr. Jennings was a manager in the Division of 

Performance-Based Monitoring for the Texas Education Agency. Prior 

to working at TEA, Dr. Jennings was a project manager for Evaluation 

Software Publishing, where she managed Web-based access to 

accountability data for teachers and administrators in school districts. 

She has also been a researcher at the University of Texas Measurement 

and Evaluation Center, where she assisted with data analysis using SAS 

and SPSS software. 

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GROUPS PRESENTING 

ABOUT PCG EDUCATION 

Since its founding, PCG Education has offered products and services 

that help states, districts, and schools achieve equity for all students, 

accountability for results, and continuous improvement. PCG Education 

staff members draw on a wide range of tools and approaches, including 

PCG Education—developed models, resources, and software, to build 

systemic capacity through the application of research-based knowledge, 

sustained professional development and coaching, cutting-edge 

technology, and collaborative partnerships. PCG Education currently 

has contracts in 37 states; Ontario and British Columbia, Canada; and 

Poland. Additionally, PCG has served 13 of the largest 25 school districts 

in the United States. 

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ABOUT RESOURCES FOR LEARNING 

Resources for Learning, LLC (RFL) is a woman-owned business begun 

by company president Linda Wurzbach in March 1998. RFL offers 

comprehensive services aligned with its mission of promoting learner 

success by building the capacities of educational organizations. To 

accomplish this mission, RFL applies to all projects its core values of 

collaboration, diversity, equity, flexibility, innovation, integrity, and 

quality. 

RFL provides a multi-faceted approach to projects and offers a wide 

range of services, including project management; professional 

development; evaluation; research, grant writing, and editing; 

assessment; and graphic and multimedia design. The organizational 

structure of RFL includes four teams: program evaluation, curriculum 

and assessment, professional development, and creative services. 

RFL staff members bring deep knowledge of pre-K–12 school systems 

to any project. RFL staff members understand the complexity of 

school and district instructional delivery and governance issues and 

are experienced in working with local education agencies in using 

multiple sources of data to assess current practices and advocate 

for change. With our experience as public school educators, RFL has 

built credibility among educators for its collaborations with schools 

and districts. Further, RFL staff members have extensive experience 

in school and district evaluation and leadership of statewide projects 

related to assessment, accountability, curriculum, educator standards, 

and professional development. 

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77

GUEST 

SPEAKERS 


FEATURED AND DISTINGUISHED SPEAKERS 

We are proud to welcome the AIE Distinguished Speakers. Each of these speakers 

will help us dig deeply into the “why” of our work and give us useful tools and 

strategies to Advance Improvement in Education. Each of these speakers will 

focus on one of the critical success factors, all of which are also highlighted 

throughout our suggested paths. 

Manuel Scott—AIE Conference Featured Speaker 

Jack Balderman—Increased Learning Time 

Sheila Bethel—Leadership Effectiveness 

Aric Bostick—School Climate 

Bill Cecil—Teacher Quality 

Dr. Bobb Darnell—Leadership Effectiveness 

Kerry Gain—Use of Quality Data to Drive Instruction 

Byron V. Garrett—Family/Community Engagement 

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FEATURED SPEAKER 

Manuel Scott 

Take Matters Into Your Own Hands: Dream Now! 

One of the original Freedom Writers—Inspiring Educators to Reach Out 

and DREAM 

The AIE Conference is pleased to announce featured speaker Manuel 

Scott. An original Freedom Writer whose story is told in the Hollywood 

movie, Freedom Writers, Manuel’s unique message is one that has 

inspired, educated, and empowered almost a million people, helping 

them make the most of their lives. 

At the age of 14, Manuel dropped out of school, and his English 

grammar was so poor that he was classified as an English as a Second 

Language student (ESL). He had already lived in 26 different places by 

the age of 16. At an early age, he began using drugs and alcohol. He 

says, “When I look back, I now see 

that I was heading down a path that 

would have destroyed me.” 

However, due to an amazing 

transformation, Manuel has defied 

all of the odds stacked against him. “I 

was once dismissed as ‘unreachable’ 

and ‘unteachable,’ says Scott, “but 

something special happened, 

and I love sharing that message 

80 #AIEConf

FEATURED SPEAKER 

with others.” The high school dropout now holds degrees from the 

University of California at Berkeley and Trinity International University. 

He is currently working on his PhD in Chicago, Illinois. 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION 

AIE PRESENTATION: 

Wednesday, September 25, 2013 

9:30 a.m.–10:00 a.m. 


www.mannyscott.com 

Twitter@InkByMannyScott 

YouTube http://youtu.be/oA1tKKbKSBU 

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INCREASED LEARNING TIME 

Jack Baldermann 

Champions of Hope: Inspiration and Ideas to Reach 

Disengaged Students 

Jack Baldermann, currently principal of Westmont High School in 

Illinois, has been an educational leader for over twenty years serving as 

a teacher, principal, director of secondary schools and superintendent. 

He has also presented to hundreds of school districts in 43 states and 

Canada. 

The teams he has worked with have consistently realized significant 

student learning increases. His team at Westmont achieved A.Y.P. and 

improvement in test scores and graduation rates. As superintendent 

and principal at Riverside Brookfield, the school was recognized as 

one of the most improved and top 

performing high schools in the 

state and nation and ranked by 

Newsweek as one of the top 100 

high schools in America. During his 

time as principal at Carl Sandburg 

High School (enrollment 3,500), 

Jack and his staff created a learning 

environment that led to a series of 

innovative programs and success 

in raising student achievement. He 

also supervised a talented group of 

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educational leaders for the Hartford Public Schools. 


Jack offers practical solutions and ideas to benefit practitioners and 

help them achieve success with all students. 




10:15-12:15 

Ballroom FG 


2:30-3:30 

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Sheila Bethel, PhD 

Your Leadership Makes the Difference! 

Business savvy and people smart, Sheila understands how and why 

people perform at their best and what it takes to build and sustain a 

successful business. She is a thriving entrepreneur and has built three 

successful companies. 

Sheila holds a PhD in Philosophy with a major in Communications and 

has served on the adjunct faculty of Indiana Purdue University, San 

Francisco State University, and the University of Southern California. She 

is a currently a member of the Advisory Council for Amsted University 

based in Malaysia. Her books are used as course material and are in 

libraries in 127 universities and colleges worldwide. 

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Why are you advancing improvement in education? 

The two most important structures that make our nation strong and 

sustainable are healthcare and education. Without well-educated 

people we cannot and will not move ahead and succeed, as people and 

as a country. Education is the very backbone of everything we dream of 

and hope for. 

I began my professional career in education. I saw firsthand the power 

of passionate, committed, competent leaders. This is not a top-down 

issue; it is broad, wide, and deep within every successful education 

system. It is incredibly exciting to see people at every level of education 

pick up the challenge to build strong teams with shared values and then 

take them out to every school and community and, eventually, to each 

child and family. It is thrilling to be able to help in any way that I possibly 

can. It is personally rewarding and motivates me to continue my work. 

—Sheila Bethel, PhD 




10:15 a.m.–12:15 p.m. 

Room: 18 A–D 

PATH—District Leadership 

www.bethelinstitute.com 

Twitter@DrSheilaBethel 

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85


Aric Bostick 

Simple Strategies the Everyday Hero Can Take to Keep their 

Fire Alive! 

Aric Bostick has spoken to over half a million teens and adults leaders 

of youth across the country and holds the top Google search for “teen 

speaker” and “teen success speaker.” His success and leadership camp, 

The Camp of CHAMPS, is #1 in the search for Gen Y Camp, the name 

given to today’s generation of teenagers. He is known for helping kids 

set clear goals and develop their own plans for success so they can start 

living their dreams, not later in life, but right now. 

As an extension of his work with kids, Bostick also helps parents, 

educators, and adults learn how to “speak teenager.” He taps into 

what makes kids tick and shows the adults around them how to 

communicate effectively, respectfully, 

and authentically. “So much of what 

adults want to communicate to kids is 

great, but unfortunately, it gets lost in 

translation,” says Bostick. “My hope is 

to inspire adults to empower the kids 

they parent, teach, or employ.” 

While his speaking engagements with 

kids are highly effective, it’s the adults 

and educators who are “in the trenches” 

each day with our students whom Aric 

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works tirelessly to educate. “Our kids, although they sometimes seem 

so tough on the outside, are so impressionable. They can be lost with 

just one word, one look. Adults need to be aware of what they are saying, 

what they are not saying, and their manner of delivery in order to ensure 

success with today’s students.” 




10:15 a.m.–12:15 p.m. 

Ballroom D 

PATH—Teacher Leader/Campus Leader/PSP/ESC 

www.aricbostick.com 

Twitter@aricbostick 

#AIEConf 

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USE OF QUALITY DATA TO DRIVEN INSTRUCTION 

Kerry Gain 

Moving From the Data Summary to the “Need” 

Kerry Gain is in her 17th year in education. Her career path has led her to 

the high school classroom, where she taught students to love literature 

and writing; to the elementary school building, where she monitored 

instruction, discipline, and (literally) put out fires; and to the regional 

education service center, where she became the accountability and 

assessment “go-to” person for over 100 school districts and charter 

schools in the Dallas area. Kerry currently serves as the Director of 

Curriculum in Wylie ISD, where she monitors curriculum, instruction, 

assessment, and accountability for over 13,000 students...including her 

own daughter. 

For the past 10 years, Kerry has worked with school districts on 

analyzing data and understanding 

accountability implications. She has 

presented accountability information 

to teachers, school administrators, 

school boards, graduate students, 

and community groups. Some of her 

most impactful work was with a group 

of Dallas area high schools on the 

cleanup completion rate. In her time 

at the Region 10 ESC, she initiated a 

collaboration with area PSPs that led 

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USE OF QUALITY DATA TO DRIVEN INSTRUCTION 

to increased improvement efforts for schools, and she assisted in the 

development of a number of accountability-related tools for school 

administrators. She is a member of ASCD and currently serves on the 

board of the North Central Texas ASCD. 

Kerry and her husband, Chris, live in Murphy, Texas, with their daughter, 

Kendall, a second grader who loves to dance, and their son, Connor, a 

four-year-old whose dream is to work at PetSmart. 


AIE PRESENTATIONS: 


10:15 a.m.–11:15 a.m. 

Room: 16B 

Thursday, September 26, 2013 

8:30 a.m.–9:30 p.m. 

Room: 17B 

PATH—Campus Leader/District Leader/PSP/ESC 

Twitter@WISDCurriculum 

#AIEConf 

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Byron Garrett 

Family Engagement: Education’s Best Kept Secret 

One of the most compelling voices of our time, Byron V. Garrett is 

Chairman of the National Family Engagement Alliance (NFEA), a 

nonprofit dedicated to transforming education through meaningful 

family engagement. Byron serves as the Director of Innovative Schools 

for Microsoft and an Executive Consultant for Scholastic. 

Throughout his career, he has been a visionary agent of change, 

promoting the idea that everyone has an obligation and opportunity to 

serve the best interests of our nation’s most precious resource—children. 

Byron writes a monthly column, “Parent University,” for Parenting 

Magazine and serves on their Editorial Advisory Board. 

Byron served as a lead strategist and planner for NBC News Education 

Nation and produced the first annual 

Building a Grad National Summit 

for the America’s Promise Alliance, 

featuring Vice President Joe Biden. 

The former CEO of the National PTA, 

Byron has a unique combination of 

experience from both the nonprofit 

and governmental sectors, having 

served as the first Chief of Staff for the 

Office of Public Affairs at U.S. Customs 

and Border Protection (an agency of 

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the U.S. Department of Homeland Security). Prior to this, Garrett served 

as National Program Leader for the National 4-H Headquarters at the 

U.S. Department of Agriculture for the program’s 7 million participants 

and 90,000 clubs. While at USDA, he was appointed by the White House 

as co-convener of the Helping America’s Youth initiative, an interagency 

effort to address challenges facing youth and to promote successful 

solutions. 


I am advancing educational improvement because we have a shared 

and collective responsible to ensure that ALL children, not some, have 

an opportunity to achieve their dreams and education is central to that 

dream. 

-Byron Garrett 




10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. 

Ballroom FG 

PATH—Teacher Leader/Campus Leader/PSP/ESC 

www.byrongarrett.com 

Twitter@Byronvgarrett 

#AIEConf 

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Bill Cecil 

Setting the Table for Success 

Bill Cecil is a 26-year veteran teacher for the Waverly Community Schools 

in Lansing, Michigan. Bill believes that every teacher is a leader with a 

team to lead. He has created a program called “Best Year Ever!” that 

provides teachers with a clear vision, blueprint, and proven strategies 

to create a positive, safe, and productive learning environment where 

individuals strive for their personal best while working together to 

achieve team goals. 

Bill graduated with honors from Western Michigan University. While 

attending Western, Bill earned four varsity letters playing on the men’s 

soccer team and discovered his love of teaching while coaching youth 

soccer camps for the Broncos. Not only did Bill discover teaching 

through soccer, he learned the 

potential power that a group of 

individuals have when they work 

together with a shared purpose or set 

of goals. He has incorporated those 

same team-building strategies into his 

own teaching with great success. 

Bill was chosen Michigan Teacher of 

the Year for 2003–2004. Bill spent that 

year on sabbatical working for the 

Michigan Department of Education. 

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He set an ambitious goal to meet with as many educators, legislators, 

community members, and teachers-in-training as possible, in an effort 

to spread an “epidemic of hope and determination” by employing the 

message, “Now is still a great time to be involved in education.” 

In addition to teaching full-time in his classroom, Bill continues to speak 

at various colleges and universities, sharing ideas and strategies from 

the book he has written called Best Year Ever! Winning Strategies to 

Thrive in Today’s Classroom. 


As leaders, we can help to uplift our students, each other, and our 

profession by collectively sharing best practices and strategies that will 

help us lead and teach more effectively. 

- Bill Cecil 




8:45 a.m.–10:45 a.m. 

Ballroom D 

PATH—Teacher Leader/PSP/ESC 

www.aieconference.net/keynotes.html#sthash.mufcYS9Q.dpuf 

#AIEConf 

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Dr. Bobb Darnell 

Five Fantastic Tips for Becoming an Inspirational and 


Dr. Bobb Darnell has taught and been a professional developer for over 

30 years. He is an author, an international speaker, and a consultant 

for schools and corporations. Bobb has been on the board of trustees 

for a number of professional organizations and on numerous national 

educational task forces. His high-energy workshops are filled with 

“edutainment” and practical ideas that have resulted from blending 

research and tested practice. He is truly committed to helping teachers 

build high-performance classrooms and strong parental support for 

schools and learning. 

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Credible and inspirational leaders can improve teacher and 

organizational effectiveness and they can increase student learning. It 

is important that school leaders have the knowledge, skills, and tools 

necessary to articulate a clear vision, inspect the school environment, 

and provide tangible support for the school stakeholders. Leaders 

must know how to create a positive, respectful, and productive learning 

and working environment that ignites and invites motivation and high 

achievement. 

-Dr. Bobb Darnell 




2:30 p.m.–4:30 p.m. 

Ballroom D 

PATH–Teacher Leader/Campus Leader/PSP/ESC 

www.achievementstrategies.org/ 

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GUEST SPEAKERS 

Lunch Speakers 

Dr. Julie Schell – Teacher Luncheon 

Principal Panel – Principal Luncheon 

Stacy Morris – Woods Intermediate School 

RoseMary Garza – Smith Elementary 

Leeann Bartee – Richland Middle School 

Kermit Ward – Westview Middle School 

Monica Quintero – Lee High School 

William Stewart – Palestine High School 

Anabel Garza – Statewide Support Luncheon 

Dinner Speaker 

Mark McLeod – AIE Educators Dinner 

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Dr. Julie Schell 

Teacher Leader Luncheon 

Dr. Julie Schell is the incoming Director of OnRamps and Strategic 

Initiatives at the Center for Teaching and Learning at The University 

of Texas at Austin. Before joining UT, Dr. Schell served as the senior 

educational researcher in the Mazur Group at the School of Engineering 

and Applied Sciences at Harvard University, where she also completed 

a postdoctoral fellowship with Professor Eric Mazur. She received 

her doctorate in higher education from Teachers College, Columbia 

University and has an MS in Educational Psychology with an emphasis 

in instructional technology from the University of Nevada, Reno. Her 

dissertation, Venturing Toward Better Teaching: STEM Professors’ 

Efforts to Improve Their Introductory Undergraduate Pedagogy at Major 

Research Universities, was selected as Dissertation of the Year from the 

Higher and Postsecondary Education 

Division of the American Educational 

Research Association in 2010. Dr. 

Schell is an international expert in 

instructional innovation, specializing 

in collaborative, blended, and flipped 

learning. 

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Education has always been the great equalizer. Over time we’ve lost sight 

of the power of schooling to pave the road to true self-actualization. We 

need to recognize that the true genius of education rests in the heart 

of the teacher and find ways to awaken and support teachers’ inner 

innovator. Only then, by privileging one of our oldest vocations, will 

education serve its true purpose in American schools. 

-Dr. Julie Schell 




12:15 p.m.–1:45 p.m. 


PATH—Teacher Leader 

Twitter@julieschell 

#AIEConf 

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PRINCIPAL LUNCHEON 

Stacy Morris 

Elementary Principal Panel 

Stacy Morris is an 18-year educator with over 12 years in administrative 

experience in both urban and rural schools. Mrs. Morris currently serves 

as the principal for Woods Intermediate School in 

Wills Point ISD. Woods Intermediate is a rural,Title 

I campus with a diverse student population 

supported by educators who are committed to 

excellence. - Whatever It Takes! 

RoseMary Garza 

Elementary Principal Panel 

RoseMary Garza is a graduate of Corpus Christi Independent School 

District public school, Del Mar College, and Texas A&M University 

Corpus Christi, Texas. Ms. Garza has a bachelor’s degree in elementary 

education with an Early Childhood and Bilingual 

Certification and a master’s degree in Educational 

Administration. Ms.Garza has been an educator 

for 30 years and has been in the positions of an 

elementary classroom teacher, assistant principal, 

and for the past 16 years as an Elementary 

Principal in Corpus Christi ISD. 

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Leeann Michalek Bartee, Ph.D. 

Middle School Principal Panel 


As a secondary administrator of 9 years, Leeann Michalak Bartee 

has worked with school transformation funded by grants for 

Smaller Learning Communities, DATE, and TTIPS. Dr. Bartee 

develops learning communities based on reciprocal accountability, 

learning by doing, and building leadership capacity. She believes 

that the promise of school reform rests in the development and 

empowerment of teachers. 

Kermit Ward 

Middle School Principal Panel 

Kermit Ward joined Pflugerville ISD as assistant principal at 

PHS in 2009. He became principal of Westview Middle School 

in January 2012.The bulk of his experience in education is in 

Waco ISD, where he was a teacher, instructional specialist, 

assistant principal and principal, leading Wiley Middle 

School from 2006-2008. He holds a bachelor of science from 

Baylor University, and a master’s degree from Tarleton State 

University. 

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Monica Quintero 

High School Principal Panel 

Monica grew up in Houston, Texas. She received her 

bachelor’s degree from the University of Houston and 

a Master degree from Sam Houston State. Monica’s 

experience in Elementary, Middle and High School 

equip her for the challenges involved with taking on 

an Apollo 20 High School. Monica believes that all 

students can achieve at high levels and demonstrates 

a “no excuses” philosophy. 

William Stewart 

High School Principal Panel 

Mr. William Stewart is the principal at Palestine High School. 

In the 2 years as principal, he has transformed the culture and 

climate of the campus to help improve student attendance 

and create an atmosphere of engaged learners. Under his 

leadership, data driven decisions have significantly improved 

the quality of instruction and learning on the campus. Mr. 

William is a graduate of Commerce A&M. 

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Anabel Garza 

STATEWIDE SUPPORT LUNCHEON 

Statewide Support Luncheon 

Anabel Garza is the Principal of John H. Reagan Early 

College High School. She has been selected as a Leader 

in Social Justice by the University of Texas and The 

Austin Human Resource Management Association. She 

was featured in a national article, “Tackling the Toughest 

Turnaround-Low-Performing High Schools in Phi Delta 

Kappan.” Selected as the Principal of the Year for AISD 

in 2011 She is the founding Principal of the District’s 

International High School, a now nationally recognized 

program for English Language Learners. The work done 

with first generation Immigrant students is detailed in 

the book “ Care and Advocacy: Narratives from a School of Immigrant 

Youth.” Ms. Garza has served as Principal at Reagan High School since 

her appointment in 2008. Under her direction Reagan High School has 

left behind a history of low performance and instability to open it’s doors 

in 2011 as an Early College High School. The new designation will allow 

students to graduate with up to 60 college credit hours at no cost to the 

student. Ms. Garza has earned a bachelor’s degree from the University 

of Texas at Austin, and a master’s degree from Southwest Texas State 

University. Her work at Reagan High School was featured in the recently 

released book, “Saving the School” by Micheal Brick. Related articles 

have been featured in Texas Monthly, Latina Magazine, Oprah Magazine, 

Austin Woman’s Magazine, The Chronicle, The Washington Post and 

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Mark McLeod 

Featured Speaker: AIE Educators Dinner 

Known for his dynamic and motivating presentations, Mark McLeod is 

a rare speaker who can speak to the heart of an educator. He knows 

what it is like to “be in the trenches.” Recognized as one of Mississippi’s 

top school administrators, Mark has shared his expertise at state and 

national conferences and conducted many workshops and keynotes for 

schools and districts throughout the United States. 

As a lifelong educator, his educational experience includes teacher, 

coach, assistant principal, and principal. He was twice selected as 

Teacher of the Year for Lumberton Public School District. In 2002, he 

was selected as Covington County School District’s Administrator of 

the Year and Mississippi’s Region Four Administrator of the Year. He 

is currently a full-time motivational 

speaker, professional development 

instructor, and educational consultant. 

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His enthusiastic and encouraging presentations leave participants 

inspired to plant seeds of success in their students. He currently resides 

in Purvis, Mississippi with his wife, Kelli, and two children, a daughter, 

Erin, and a son, Ryan. 




5:45 p.m.–7:30 p.m. 

Ballroom E 

www.markmcleodpresentations.com 

www.aieconference.net/keynotes.html#sthash.uTUgQSfR.dpuf 

#AIEConf 

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DAY 1 

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SCHEDULE FOR THE DAY 

Time 

Session 

7:00 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. Breakfast and Check-In—Exhibit Hall 4 

8:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. 

AIE Kickoff and Featured Speaker Manuel Scott/ 

Sheila Bethel—Exhibit Hall 5 

10:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. Distinguished Speakers 

10:15 a.m. – 11:15 a.m. Breakout Sessions 

11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Breakout Sessions 

12:15 p.m. – 1:45 p.m. 

“Advanced Academic Performance” Lunches with Guest 

Speakers 

1:45 p.m. – 2:15 p.m. Open Exhibit Hall—Exhibit Hall 4 

2:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Distinguished Speakers 

2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Breakout Sessions 

3:45 p.m. – 4:45 p.m. Breakout Sessions 

4:30 p.m. – 5:45 p.m. Conference Extravaganza—Exhibit Hall 4 

5:45 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. 

Educators Dinner with Mark McLeod 

Pre-registration required—$25.00/plate 

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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2013 

BALLROOM D, 10:15 –12:15 

Simple Strategies the Everyday Hero Can 

Take to Keep Their Fire Alive! 


Being in the education field is one of the most 

rewarding fields one can choose to work in. However, 

it is also one of the most challening, underappreciated, 

and exhausting jobs one can possibly take on. If you 

have ever lost your focus, lost your passion or simply 

felt burnout by the enormous taks of being all things to 

all people, then this training will be just what the doctor 

ordered. Get ready to be rejuvinated, refocused and 

fired up to make a difference once again! 

ARIC BOSTIC 

Attendees will receive a FIRED UP Guide and will learn 

how to take the 7 steps to being FIRED UP! 

Attendees will learn how to implement these seven 

strategies to being FIRED UP and make an action plan 

to implement into their daily lives, as well as, learn tips, 

tools and techniques for building relationships with the 

students and educators they work with. Get ready to 

be FIRED UP!!! 

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ERNEST SINGLETON 

ehsingleton@gmail.com 

IGNACIO SALINAS JR. 

ignaciosalinasjr@ 

gmail.com 

PLUGS for the Drain—Premont ISD’s Story 

of Recovery 


BALLROOM E, 10:15 – 11:15 

Most schools are challenged with meeting the needs of 

diverse student populations that enter their doors each 

day. Many times, they refuse to acknowledge problems 

that are right in front of them. As a result, schools resist 

change because they are fearful of the impact that their 

decisions may have on the organization. Attend this 

session and hear how a small, rural South Texas school 

district freed itself from “Circling the Drain” to avoid 

closure by the Texas Education Agency. During this 

session, participants will learn about PLUGS through 

conversations about the importance of Paying attention 

to reality, the benefits of implementing effective 

Leadership Strategies, the power of Understanding 

Change, the impact of Guided Communication, and the 

dividends of a Successful Environment. By the end of the 

presentation, participants will leave knowing that it is 

possible for a district to take bold steps to defuse panic 

and act with urgency. 


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BALLROOM FG, 10:15 – 12:15 

Champions of Hope: Inspiration and 

Ideas to Reach Disengaged Students 


In this highly interactive session, research from 20 years 

of effectively working with disengaged/unmotivated 

students will be shared. The presentation will offer 

practical ideas and solutions that will make the difference 

in the lives of our students that struggle the most. 

We will focus on why students become disengaged and 

specific interventions that are researched based and 

have proven to be successful to increase learning for all 

students. 

JACK BALDERMANN 

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MATT POPE 

popem@hayscisd.net 

KRISTYNA BREWER 

brewerk@hayscisd. 

net 

What Is Non-Traditional About Traditional 

Schools? 


12A, 10:15 – 11:15 

Public schools are governed, to say the least, by federal 

and state guidelines. As leaders in education, how do 

we comply with those guidelines and still cultivate a 

school that clearly “thinks outside of the box” to increase 

academic performance for all students? In this session, 

leaders in education will learn about a school that has 

been able to accomplish this and more. Attendees will 

learn about our mission, vision, and goals, as well as, 

the primary structures, systems, and policies that work 

together to create an organization that is proactive on 

behalf of every student at every turn. 


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12B, 10:15 – 11:15 

Work Less, Produce More, and Still Get 

the Job Done 


By setting reading levels, differentiating non-fiction text 

based on each student’s unique academic profile, and 

continually assessing and increasing the complexity of 

text, you will achieve solutions that steadily increase 

students’ ability to read, comprehend, apply and 

communicate information derived from complex 

texts —prerequisites for success in school and beyond 

graduation. 

DR. CORDELL 

JONES 

cordell@ahisd.net 

112 

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ROHNY ESCARENO 

rohny.escareno@ 

gmail.com 

SUCCESS(STUDENTS)=STUDENTS^(COLLAB 

ORATION-COMPLACENCY+Weezy) 


15, 10:15 – 11:15 

Piñatas, scooters, Xboxes, Lil Wayne, and duct 

tape continue to work alongside word walls, data 

disaggregation, team planning, and goal setting 

and attainment in the recent successes actualized by 

Edcouch-Elsa High School’s Math Department. 

Confronting the challenges facing a Stage 5 school and 

new-and-increased academic requirements, the EEHS 

Math Department has instituted an eclectic approach to 

extended learning opportunities, student investment, 

academic vocabulary, and team collaboration to help 

raise student math scores to some of the highest in the 

region for the second year in a row—and meet federal 

AYP required improvement levels for the first time in 

nearly a decade. 


#AIEConf 

Our session will focus on strategies for increasing 

successful collaborative opportunities within and among 

departments; utilizing vocabulary strategies for LEP, 

SPED, and struggling learners; developing positive and 

exciting tutorial atmospheres; and tailoring instruction, 

assessment, and data usage to positively impact student 

success. 

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16A, 10:15 – 11:15 

Maximizing Professional Development to 

Drive Improvement 


Now more than ever, teachers are tasked with acquiring 

new skills to drive school improvement, a reality that has 

only increased the need for professional development 

that directly meets teachers’ needs. While wellintentioned, 

many professional development efforts 

fail to permeate the classroom as teachers face the 

challenge of transferring their learning from training to 

the classroom. This session addresses this fundamental 

challenge by providing school leaders and teachers with 

a context and structure for Teacher-Driven Observation 

(TDO), a schoolwide peer observation process that 

places professional development in the context in which 

teachers work each day: their classrooms. Through 

the utilization of peer-collected classroom data, TDO 

equips teachers to engage in professional learning 

that fosters immediate instructional improvements and 

student achievement. This session also examines how 

TDO enables school leaders to better leverage existing 

improvement efforts, ensuring that these efforts directly 

impact classroom instruction. 

DR. TRENT 

KAUFMAN 

tkaufman@ 

eddirection.com 

DR. DAVID DOTY 

ddoty@cicerogroup. 

com 

114 

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DR. MAX 

THOMPSON 

maxthompson64@ 

gmail.com 

JOE CLIFFORD 

jclifford@learningfocused.com 

Moving Schools: Lessons From Exemplary 

Leaders 


A recently released evaluation project conducted on 

400 Title I schools has identified specific practices that 

leaders in exemplary schools engage in consistently and 

pervasively that leaders in typical or struggling schools 

do not. Research from this study identified the specific 

patterns and practices that each of these 400 previously 

struggling schools used to directly attribute to their 

successes. By implementing the common practices that 

will be presented, each of these schools was ultimately 

able to raise its achievement by at least 35 points. This 

session identifies the distinct exemplary leadership 

practices that every leader needs to start immediately 

and provides strategies for implementing each one 

effectively. 

17AB, 10:15 – 11:15 


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18A-D, 10:15 – 12:15 

Your Leadership Makes The Difference! 


There has never been a time when inspired leaders have 

been needed more. The most powerful question anyone 

in a leadership position can ask is “Why?” Your answer 

is the basis for all that you do and hope to achieve. It 

is your personal mission–vision for making a difference. 

In this fast-paced, interactive track, Dr. Bethel helps 

clarify and identify the essential leadership qualities 

of commitment, leading by example, being a change 

master, pursuing personal excellence, and the power of 

servant leadership. These qualities are a fixed beacon, 

giving direction and purpose to every member of your 

organization. When you inspire others by leading with 

these qualities, leaders are more engaged, productive, 

and committed. Leadership is not something conferred 

upon only the most highly educated, rich or powerful. 

You can be an inspired leader who makes a difference. 

SHEILA BETHEL 

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DIANA MADRID 

diana.madrid@esc20. 

net 

19A, 10:15 – 11:15 

Analyzing AMAO Data to Improve 

Instruction for ELL Students 


The purpose of Title III Part A of the No Child Left 

Behind (NCLB) Act is to help ensure that ELL children, 

attain English language proficiency and meet the 

same challenging academic content and achievement 

standards that all students are expected to meet. Schools 

must use Title III Part A funds to implement language 

instruction educational programs designed to help 

ELL students achieve standards and are accountable 

to measure the effectiveness of their English language 

development programs in helping ELL students attain 

English language proficiency. In this session, teachers, 

instructional specialists and administrators will learn 

how to use Annual Measurable Achievement Objectives 

(AMAO) data to inform instruction and develop 

strategies to promote English language acquisition. 


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19B, 10:15 – 11:15 

36#SchoolPR Tweets to Learn From 


In a world that communicates with 140 characters or 

fewer, who has time for intense training? This rapidfire 

session will present 36 School PR pointers with 

breakneck speed. You’ll have to listen fast if you want to 

assimilate it all, but you’ll leave with some great advice 

on crisis communications, media relations, customer 

service, community engagement, and more. 

BRAD 

DOMITROVICH 

braddomitrovich@ 

gmail.com 

118 

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D’ETTE GRIFFIN 

dettegriffin22@ 

hotmail.com 

The Peaceful Classroom 


EH 4-STAGE A, 10:15 – 11:15 

Featuring dynamic, teacher-empowered 

encouragement, and excellence in every classroom, 

Time To Teach is a research-based program that 

increases test scores and lowers discipline referrals. 

We will show you how to eliminate low-level behavior 

problems with a common-sense approach: teaching 

students exactly what you expect from them. Based 

on the wisdom and skills of Coach John Wooden and 

Dr. Madeline Hunter and backed by current research, 

we will give you real systems for maintaining a safe 

and fun learning environment. If you have ever been 

frustrated because you knew what to do in the face of 

student challenges, but believed you had no options 

to handle the situation, we will give you real, tested, 

and practical methods that will ease the tension and 

restore your sanity. Time To Teach will give you real 

tools to create and maintain a peaceful classroom. 


#AIEConf 

119


EH 4-STAGE B, 10:15 – 11:15 

Create Quality Local Assessments With 

TAG 


Learn how DMAC’s online test item bank of more than 

50,000 questions can help you create customized 

assessments using quick filters, quality content, and 

user-friendly settings. 

PAULA JORDAN 

pjordan@esc7.net 

BEVERLY MARTIN 

bmartin@esc7.net 

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JASON DANIEL 

jason.daniel@ 

saplinglearning.com 

EH 4-STAGE C, 10:15 – 11:15 

Intervention in the Digital Age 


This collaborative talk will explore current best practices 

being utilized to address students who require 

intervention in high school science courses. We will 

discuss how digital content is changing the landscape 

of intervention. We will look at digital solutions for 

tracking student progress in the classroom and provide 

supplemental instructional material, and we will consider 

early intervention to prevent misconceptions. 


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12A, 11:30 – 12:30 

Do You Have What It Takes to Be a 



What do the most effective principals do to get 

dramatically successful results in chronically 

underperforming schools? What abilities and 

behaviors set them apart from their colleagues? Learn 

what bold leaders do well to create significant, lasting 

change. This session will examine the 10 turnaround 

leader competencies identified through research of 

organizational turnarounds. All leaders can enhance 

their effectiveness by cultivating their skills in these 10 

competencies. 

DIANE FLAIM 

diane.flaim@esc13. 

txed.net 

LACEY PADGETT 

lacey.padgett@esc13. 

txed.net 

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MARIO 

BRACAMONTES 

mario.bracamontes@ 

psjaisd.us 

Tackling the At Risk 


12B, 11:30 – 12:30 

Involve the highly at-risk student to become part of a 

positive team with the collaboration of the community. 

This session will share how a student mentoring 

program will work for a campus in promoting positive 

relationships within the school and community. The 

motivation is for students to attend, stay in school, learn, 

and increase their self-esteem to hopefully become 

successful members of society. The collaboration of 

local organizations has helped promote the relationship 

between the school, students, parents, and community. 


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14, 11:30 - 12:30 

Support Specialists Live! 

Moving from the Data Summary to the 

“Need” 


Participants will revisit the essential components to 

creating an annual goal to effectively measure the 

implementation of the improvement plan. 

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LIN KUZMICH 

kuzenergy@gmail. 

com 

15, 11:30 - 12:30 

Keep Students in Class Through Key De- 

Escalation Strategies 


Students who are sent out of classrooms repeatedly 

cannot learn and achieve gap-closing results. This session 

targets increased learning time and the improvement of 

school climate through key strategies that all teachers 

and administrators should know but are not taught in 

preparation programs or most PD. Learn 10 essential 

strategies that help staff de-escalate behavior problems 

before students get sent to the office or kicked out of 

class. It is essential to take back control of your learning 

time and reduce office interventions to improve student 

achievement. Learn about results that other schools 

achieved using the strategies. These proven methods 

are easy to implement. Leave with all you need to kick 

off the school year with increased learning time, better 

parent communication, and success for all students. 


#AIEConf 

125


16A, 11:30 - 12:30 

Developing Academic Discourse Through 

Vocabulary 


Many students lack the academic language necessary 

to attain academic success. By not providing students 

with the opportunity to obtain language necessary for 

academic discourse, teachers are hindering student 

learning. Participants will go through the basics of 

understanding and comprehending why vocabulary 

development and academic discourse are crucial to the 

success of English Language Learners. They will also 

learn what to look for pertaining to academic discourse 

and vocabulary development when conducting 

classroom observations and walk-throughs. 

DR. GENE SHEETS 

gsheets@ 

muleshoeisd.net 

JENNIFER DE LEON 

jdeleon@esc17.net 

126 

#AIEConf

TAUSHA ROBINSON 

tausha.robinson@ 

amaisd.org 

MARY GAMBREL 

mary.gambrel@ 

amaisd.org 

20% Jump in Scores...WHAT? 


16B, 11:30 – 12:30 

See how a 90% low socioeconomic, 33% ESL (10 countries 

represented, including asylee and refugee students) 

school achieved a 20% increase in eighth-grade reading 

scores and an 11% jump in eighth-grade math scores. 

There is no magic silver bullet—it is hard work, dedication, 

and belief in the teachers, administration, and students. 


#AIEConf 

127


17AB, 11:30 - 12:30 

Football, Algebra, and Using Data to 

Improve Student Learning 


Data is everyhere, expectations are high, and the stakes 

are even higher. But how does a campus administrator 

really use data to improve practices on a campus? In 

this session, participants will receive practical tools and 

tips on how to choose the right data, how to analyze 

that data, and how to truly improve what happens in the 

classroom based on that data. 

KERRY GAIN 

128 

#AIEConf

FRANCISCO 

RODRIGUEZ 

frodriguez@esc17.net 

TORI MITCHELL 

tmitchell@esc17.net 

19A, 11:30 – 12:30 

This Is Not Your Father’s School—Nor Do 

You Want It to Be! 


Communication is the key to parental and community 

engagement. District personnel and campus leadership 

will recognize the effectiveness of proactive and 

engaging communication practices. Participants will 

examine various forms of parent survey data to determine 

implementation of best practices. Participants will 

determine next steps to effectively communicate 

expectations to parent and community members in 

order to ensure school and student success. 


#AIEConf 

129


19B, 11:30 – 12:30 

Redefining Roles for Secondary Parent 

Involvement 


Appropriate audiences are intermediate, middle, and 

high school educators who have responsibility for school 

improvement, transition, college and career readiness, 

and parent engagement. Participants will review a 

meta-analysis done by Nancy Hill, PhD, on 50 research 

studies showing what types of parental involvement 

work in secondary schools to promote academic 

success. Building on that knowledge, they will become 

familiar with parenting strategies that are critical success 

factors in promoting academic socialization and lifelong 

learning. Parallels will be made with the goals for college 

and career readiness and the objectives for effective 

transitions from upper elementary school through 

middle school and high school and on to college and 

career. 

DR. LUCY LONG 

drlucylong@gmail. 

com 

130 

#AIEConf

KATHY REEVES 

kathy@ 

scientificminds.com 

EH 4-STAGE A, 11:30 – 12:30 

Support Science by Providing Effective PD 


Learn how you can provide meaningful, researchbased 

professional development to improve teacher 

effectiveness. Scientific Minds offers complimentary 

Web-based professional development for all schools 

using the Science Starters program. Science Starters 

provides 100% TEKS coverage and can be used as a 

curriculum framework or a supplement to your existing 

curriculum. Professional development includes best 

instructional practices, the 5E model; vocabulary 

activities; and strategies for remediation, intervention, 

and English proficiency. Teachers love the professional 

training, and students benefit. Available for grades 1–8 

science, biology, and chemistry. 


#AIEConf 

131


EH 4-STAGE B, 11:30 – 12:30 

Ten Minutes a Day to Algebra Readiness 

and New TEK Implementation 


Make teaching easy with these daily assignments 

created by teachers for teachers! Prepare your students 

for algebra in just 10 minutes a day, and watch them 

experience confidence and success in mathematics. 

Learn how to implement the new TEKS into your 

classroom in a way that is stress free for your students. 

Let us show you how we recycle skills in our classrooms to 

enhance students understanding of algebraic concepts, 

making word problems and project-based learning 

fun! Learn how we use distributed practice and spaced 

repetition to enhance retention of base skills necessary 

for success in mathematics. 

RHONDA BRADY 

rbrady@ 

algrebrareadiness 

educators.com 

KATHERINE 

LACHANCE 

klachance@ 

algrebrareadiness 

educators.com 

132 

#AIEConf

BOB PARRISH 

bob@excelmath.com 

EH 4-STAGE C, 11:30 – 12:30 

Effective Instructional Strategies: Seven 

Proven Methods 


Presented with instructional strategies for effective 

direct instruction, attendees will learn tips to engage 

and reach all students regardless of their learning styles. 

Using a well-balanced mathematics curriculum with 

seven successful strategies, teachers will be able to 

track the successful development of student learning. 

This facilitates development of knowledge and skills as 

specified in TEKS standards. 


#AIEConf 

133


BALLROOM D, 12:15 – 1:45 

AIE Teacher-Leader Luncheon 


We want to celebrate teacher leaders Advancing 

Improvement in Education! Please join us for lunch and 

hear from distinguished speaker Julie Schell. Connect, 

network, and learn from other teacher leaders across 

Texas and re-connect with the “why” of your work. 

This luncheon is of no additional cost and is specially 

designed for teacher leaders across Texas. Thanks for 

joining us! 

JULIE SCHELL 

134 

#AIEConf

STACY MORRIS 

Wills Point 

Intermediate 

ROSEMARY GARZA 

Smith Elementary 

LEEANN BARTEE 

Richland Middle 

School 

KERMIT WARD 

Westview Middle 

School 

AIE Campus Leader Luncheon 


EH5, 12:15–1:45 

We want to celebrate campus leaders Advancing 

Improvement in Education! Please join us for lunch 

and hear from a powerful panel of principals across 

the state. Connect, network, and learn from other 

principals and re-connect with the “why” of your work. 

This luncheon is of no additional cost and is specially 

designed for campus leaders across Texas. Thanks for 

joining us! 


MONICA QUINTERO 

Lee High School 

WILLIAM STEWERT 

Palestine High 

School 

#AIEConf 

135


BALLROOM FG, 12:15 – 1:45 

AIE Statewide Support Luncheon 


We want to celebrate Educators Advancing 

Improvement in Education through providing support 

to districts and campuses across the state! This lunch 

is designed for ESCs and PSPs across the state. Please 

join us for lunch. Connect, network, and learn from 

other PSPs and ESC representatives and re-connect 

with the “why” of your work. This luncheon is of no 

additional cost and is specially designed for PSPs and 

ESCs. Thanks for joining us! 

ANABEL GARZA 

136 

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18 A-D, 12:15 – 1:45 

AIE District Leadership Luncheon 


District level administrators face unique challenges, 

frequently blazing new trails in leadership. This 

networking luncheon provides an opportunity for 

administrators to connect with their counterparts of 

similar districts and circumstances to share ideas, 

innovative and promising strategies, and leverage 

the power of collective thinking. Topics are loosely 

structured to launch conversations and allow them to 

flow in directions of most benefit to busy executives. 

Good food, good people, and good information is 

guaranteed to make this a valuable use of time. 


#AIEConf 

137


BALLROOM E, 2:30 – 3:30 

Specific Leadership Programs and Tools 

to Increase Student Achievement 


This session will offer practical leadership tools, 

templates, rubrics, interventions and programs that have 

been proven to increase student achievement. The ideas 

presented are supported by significant research and 

have been implemented in a variety of school settings 

resulted in measurable learning increases over time. 

JACK BALDERMANN 

138 

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DR. BOBB DARNELL 

BALLROOM D, 2:30 – 4:30 

Five Fantastic Tips for Becoming an 

Inspirational and Credible School Leader 


Discover how to become the powerful engine needed 

to increase achievement and reduce achievement gaps. 

Examine the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary 

to gain commitment to improvement initiatives and to 

earn leadership credibility that inspires colleagues to 

take decisive action. Explore how to expect and direct 

continual improvement and create a collaborative 

culture of inquiry and positive action in professional 

groups. Observe ways to efficiently inspect existing 

conditions and improvement progress. Feel what it is like 

to respect both effort and accomplishment. Learn how 

to encourage colleagues to continually reflect about 

current practices and celebrate incremental progress. 


#AIEConf 

139


BALLROOM FG, 2:30 – 3:30 

Assess More, But Grade Less 


One of the most misused, misunderstood, and 

mistrusted issues in public schooling is how we have 

communicated student achievement and progress to 

our students and parents. Grades must communicate to 

parents, students, and teachers exactly what students 

know and are able to do. However, in many cases, grades 

do not reflect relative mastery of what a student has 

learned. Students need to be assessed frequently, even 

daily, to determine their level of understanding. These 

frequent and ongoing assessments are considered as 

“checkpoints” on students’ progress and the foundation 

for feedback given. Often, these assessments should 

not be counted as part of a student’s “grade,” as they 

are simply a form of checking for understanding. 

Summative assessments are used by the teacher at the 

end of instruction to evaluate a student’s learning and 

assign grades. Participants will distinguish formative 

assessment from summative assessment and discuss 

how grading fits into assessments. 

DR. ALAN VEACH 

alan.veach@sreb.org 

140 

#AIEConf

CHRIS CANNON 

Chris@ 

Fighting4Youth.com 

12A, 2:30 – 3:30 

Violence in the Classroom, a Sure Cure for 

Safety! 


Every classroom has its issues; violence seems to be 

the overwhelming problem in classrooms around the 

country today. Learn the strategies to eliminate pesky 

and low-level behaviors that disrupt class time, distract 

students from learning, and strain relationships between 

teachers and administrators. 


#AIEConf 

141


12B, 2:30 – 3:30 

Shame, Courage, and Vulnerability: Rehumanizing 

Education 


This session will provide educators with an understanding 

of how shame exists in education, creates barriers to 

creativity and innovation, and what we can do about it. 

Participants will learn how the courage to be vulnerable 

in our approach to education can lead to cultural shifts 

through empathy and honest feedback. 

The information presented in this session is based on 

the work of research professor, speaker, author, and 

storyteller Dr. Brené Brown who has spent the past 

decade studying vulnerability, courage, worthiness, and 

shame. Your presenter, Liz Garcia, has been following 

Brené’s work for over two years and is in the process of 

completing her certification in The Daring Way. 

LIZ GARCIA 

liz.garcia@esc13. 

txed.net 

142 

#AIEConf

NITA PAGE 

npage@eisd.org 

KIMBERLY LITTLE 

klittle@eisd.org 

100% Culturally Motivated 


14, 2:30 – 3:30 

Do you want 100% graduation? Do you want buy-in from 

your staff and students? Do you want to change the 

culture of your campus? Striving to do the impossible, 

Everman High School, serving a student population 

of 85% low socioeconomic status, has accomplished 

these major challenges. Participants will gain insight 

on how to motivate staff and students to buy in to the 

vision/mission of your campus; learn how to implement 

a team approach yielding a 100% graduation rate; and 

understand how to develop a positive rapport with all 

students, which will help to increase attendance rates, 

as well as, decrease behavior issues. District/campus 

administrators and teacher leaders: come to hear how 

the “Fearless Leader” and “The Team” made it happen 

by using “out of the box” thinking. 


#AIEConf 

143


15, 2:30 – 3:30 

Building a Solid Behavioral RTI Process 


This session will focus on the process of building a 

successful behavioral Response to Intervention process. 

The discussion will include how to create your own 

Universal Screening Process, as well as information on 

building teams, creating intervention strategies, and 

collecting data. The objectives are to offer options for 

addressing behavioral issues on a budget, with minimal, 

yet key, participants, and to present information on 

collecting data in a simplified fashion. This session 

will present research-based, practical information for 

educators across the spectrum, specifically behavior 

specialists, administrators, counselors, and teachers. 

CHARLOTTE 

GOUDEAU 

charlotte.goudeau@ 

hotmail.com 

KAREN ADAMS 

kmadams66@yahoo. 

com 

144 

#AIEConf

JENNIFER DEGRAAF 

jmdegraa@episd.org 

16A, 2:30 – 3:30 

Successful Discipline in Secondary 

Classrooms 


By the time our students reach middle and high school, 

they have figured out that not all teachers are created 

equally. They will modify their own behavior to your 

expectations. It is critical that teachers implement solid 

classroom management techniques to motivate the most 

at-risk students. There are key strategies that do not 

require a lot of time, energy, or planning. The purpose 

of this session is to discuss these key strategies and 

provide methods for teachers to implement, execute, 

and maintain successful classrooms year-round. This 

session is intended for secondary classroom teachers, 

administrators, and other school personnel interested in 

improving the learning outcomes of students by building 

a solid discipline plan. 


#AIEConf 

145


16B, 2:30 – 3:30 

Teacher Hiring and Development for 

Active Student Engagement 


Increasing active student engagement starts with the 

hiring and employee initiation processes. A strategy 

that requires applicants to use the creativity and skills 

desired in the interview process helps in the identification 

of employees who will be successful with active student 

engagement once hired. In addition, the professional 

development provided before the teacher enters the 

classroom can set the expectations and provide the 

support for further success. This session looks at one 

school that requires evidence of creativity with projectbased 

learning in a video during the interview process, 

and workshops that model what is expected in the 

classroom once hired. 

DR. WESLEY HICKEY 

whickey@uttyler.edu 

ELI CROW 

jcrow@uttyler.edu 

146 

#AIEConf

DR. CORY DUTY 

cory.duty@sreb.org 

RAFFY GARZA- 

VIZCAINO 

rgvizcaino@hotmail. 

com 

17A, 2:30 – 3:30 

Teaching Students to Ask Their Own 

Questions 


Participants will learn how many educators are using a 

step-by-step process developed at the Right Question 

Institute called the question formulation technique 

(QFT). The process is easy to teach—it requires only 

about 45 minutes the first time it is used. Students will 

become proficient at writing their own questions. They 

become the leaders of their own learning, and teachers 

become facilitators of the learning. 


#AIEConf 

147


18A-D, 2:30 – 3:30 

Six Practices to Improve School Board- 

Central Office Partnerships 


Through an interactive exploration of six practices to 

build school board/superintendent partnerships that 

amplify the individual capacity of each party and lead 

to improvements in teaching and learning district wide, 

participants will understand how the roles of leaders can 

be best positioned to support professional learning and 

student achievement across a system. Participants will 

leave equipped to put practices in place that will enable 

them to leverage the partnership between the school 

board and superintendent more effectively. 

DR. DAVE DOTY 

ddoty@cicerogroup. 

com 

DR. TRENT 

KAUFMAN 

tkaufman@ 

eddirection.com 

148 

#AIEConf

JOHN SAMARA 

tcpoffice@ 

curriculumproject. 

com 

Stay Calm and Lead On 


19A, 2:30 – 3:30 

Instructional leadership is not so much about the 

personality traits of the building’s leaders; rather it is 

defined by the concrete actions that building leaders 

perform. Step 1 involves defining the instructional 

techniques that will serve your students well. Step 2 

involves identifying simple instructional leadership 

actions that support implementation of selected 

strategies. Step 3 involves organizing the actions into 

a plan. Join me for “Stay Calm and Lead On,” and I will 

encourage you to lead with specificity, perseverance, 

and positivity. 


#AIEConf 

149


19B, 2:30 – 3:30 

Building a Culturally Responsible Family 

Engagement Program 


This session highlights a school’s journey to becoming 

a culture of acceptance and care. Participants will be 

introduced to principles for becoming more culturally 

competent to effectively engage culturally diverse 

families. Participants will have the opportunity to 

discuss and brainstorm ways to effectively connect in 

multicultural communities. Current research will be 

highlighted. Extensive handouts will be provided. 

TERRI STAFFORD 

terri.stafford@esc16. 

net 

150 

#AIEConf

DIANE FLAIM 


txed.net 

EH 4-STAGE A, 2:30 – 3:30 

Turnaround–Impacting Rapid, Dramatic, 

Positive Change 


Are you looking for strategies that will impact student 

achievement in a rapid and dramatic way? The Texas 

Turnaround Leadership Academy (TTLA) is an effective 

strategy identified by the Texas Education Agency 

(TEA) as an initiative to build district- and campuslevel 

capacity to support the turnaround efforts at the 

district and campus level. This initiative empowers 

high-potential school leaders and positions them for 

turnaround through systemic professional development 

and ongoing customized support to turnaround 

academically under-performing schools. 


#AIEConf 

151


EH4-STAGE B, 2:30 – 3:30 

Using STAAR Mission Math to Improve 

Instruction 


Learn how the Web-based program of mathematics 

instruction, STAAR Mission Math, can be used to not only 

help students succeed but also to help teachers gain a 

better understanding of the 5E instructional model and 

inquiry-based learning. Participants will experience 

the video, printable, and projected components of a 

5E math lesson and then discuss how lessons like the 

one experienced could be used to grow teachers and 

improve instruction. Preliminary data will be shared 

demonstrating the effectiveness of STAAR Mission Math 

in increasing student performance as measured on state 

assessments. 

DR. PAUL GRAY 

paul@ 

cosenzaassociates. 

com 

GARY CONSENZA 

gary@ 

cosenzaassociates. 

com 

152 

#AIEConf

LESLI LAUGHTER 

Lesli@ 

learningblueprints. 

com 

EH4-STAGE C, 2:30 – 3:30 

Critical Thinking—Vital for the Success of 

Our Students 


Creating an atmosphere of critical thinking is crucial; 

learn practical strategies for putting critical thinking into 

action. Topics include an overview of critical thinking, 

implications from research, integrating critical thinking 

with instruction, how to get critical thinking in students’ 

hands, and getting parents to reinforce critical thinking 

at home. 


#AIEConf 

153


BALLROOM E, 3:45 – 4:45 

Fifty Shades of PBIS 


This session features how Lanier High School 

successfully implemented PBIS school wide. We will 

give details about how PBIS positively influenced our 

school climate and drastically improved our discipline 

data. Participants will be engaged in reflective activities 

and will leave equipped with great ideas and knowledge 

to plan PBIS implementation on their own campus. We 

will share our victories, data, ideas, and struggles and 

will leave plenty of time for Q&A. 

KELLY VEALE 

kelly.veale@austinisd. 

org 

JENNIFER SMITH 

jennifer.smith@ 

austinisd.org 

154 

#AIEConf



CASSANDRA 

MENDOZA 

BALLROOM FG, 3:45 – 4:45 

Achieving Success for Every Student 


The culture of assessment needs to reflect that every 

student is capable of—and expected to—produce 

acceptable work. Sub-standard work will not be 

accepted as final until it meets the grade-level and 

course standards. This type of grading embraces the 

conviction that all students can and will learn. Almost 

all students can and will make the effort to learn gradelevel 

and course standards if adults in the school create 

the right conditions. Students should not have the option 

not to turn in work. Participants will explore a range of 

strategies (e.g., grading, extra help, redo/revision, and 

re-teaching practices) to ensure that more students meet 

or exceed grade-level standards in academic courses. 


#AIEConf 

155


12A, 3:45 – 4:45 

Start With WHY: Inspiring Everyone to 

Take Action 


WHY do you do what you do? People don’t buy in to 

WHAT you do; they buy in to WHY you do it. Therefore, 

it follows that if you don’t know WHY you do WHAT you 

do, how will anyone else? This fun and introspective 

session will help provide you with learning your personal 

WHY to inspire and lead with clarity of purpose. Join Dr. 

Rob O’Connor and John Schumacher as they share and 

actively involve participants to learn how to use their 

“WHY” to effect and enhance their culture. 

DR. ROB O’CONNOR 

roconnor@mfisd. 

txed.net 

JOHN 

SCHUMACHER 

jschumacher@mfisd. 

txed.net 

156 

#AIEConf

NATOSHA SCOTT 

natosha.scott@ 

region10.org 

JAN MOBERLY 

Jan.Moberley@ 

region10.org 

12B, 3:45 – 4:45 

Intervention Framework for Academic 

Success 


This session is designed to assist administrators and/or 

leadership team members in the process of developing 

an intervention program on their campus. Participants 

will be provided a framework that is similar to the 

Response to Intervention (RtI) process but with key 

differences. Participants will also receive an intervention 

program quality checklist designed to assess the 

current intervention system. The intervention framework 

addresses the CORE Program and classroom-embedded 

interventions, which directly relate to Tier I of the RtI 

process. In addition, Formalized Interventions will be 

addressed in correlation to Tier II of the RtI process. 

Despite the similarities between the Framework and the 

RtI process, the framework is merely a structural plan for 

supporting at-risk students. 


#AIEConf 

157


14, 3:45 – 4:45 

SUPPORT SPECIAST LIVE! 

Writing an Annual S.M.A.R.T. Goal That 

Will Keep You on Track 


Participants will revisit the essential components to 

creating an annual goal to effectively measure the 

implementation of the improvement plan. 

158 

#AIEConf

DR. MARYLN 

APPELBAUM 

shannon@ 

atiseminars.org 

Teaching Strategies for Closing 

Achievement Gaps With ELLs 


15, 3:45 – 4:45 

Participants will recognize and understand researchbased 

facts and strategies to use for teaching English 

language learners. In this session, participants will learn 

about optimal classroom organizational strategies for 

teaching ELLs and be exposed to teaching strategies 

specific to stages of language development. Whether 

you are a K–5 educator or a 6–12 educator, this session 

will address teaching strategies applicable to both 

levels. 


#AIEConf 

159


16A, 3:45 – 4:45 

Lives on the Boundary: From Peril to 

Promise 


When 69% of your students are reading two to four years 

below grade level, their lives are on the boundary of 

peril! In this session, participants will learn how a highpoverty 

school district moved students from peril to 

promise by implementing a district-wide reading model 

that resulted in 98% of students reading on or above 

grade level at every grade level within three years. The 

intended audience for this session includes district and 

campus administrators and teachers. 

DR. LARRY LEWIS 

larrydlewis@hughes. 

net 

PATRICIA G LEWIS 

patricia.lewis@gpisd. 

org 

160 

#AIEConf


rohny.escareno@ 

gmail.com 

SUCCESS(STUDENTS)=STUDENTS^(COLLAB 

ORATION-COMPLACENCY+Weezy) 


Piñatas, scooters, Xboxes, Lil Wayne, and duct 

tape continue to work alongside word walls, data 

disaggregation, team planning, and goal setting 

and attainment in the recent successes actualized 

by Edcouch-Elsa High School’s Math Department. 

Confronting the challenges facing a Stage 5 school and 

new and increased academic requirements, the EEHS 

Math Department has instituted an eclectic approach to 

extended learning opportunities, student investment, 

academic vocabulary, and team collaboration to help 

raise student math scores to some of the highest in the 

region for the second year in a row – and meet federal 

AYP required improvement levels for the first time in 

nearly a decade. Our session will focus on strategies for 

increasing successful collaborative opportunities within 

and among departments; utilizing vocabulary strategies 

for LEP, SPED, and struggling learners; developing 

positive and exciting tutorial atmospheres; and tailoring 

instruction, assessment, and data usage to positively 

impact student success. 

16B, 3:45 – 4:45 


#AIEConf 

161


17A, 3:45 – 4:45 

The Audacious Transformation of an 

Alternative School 

ACADEMIC PERFOMANCE 

This session will illustrate how an alternative school of 

choice met the needs of the whole student by addressing 

the nutritional, physical, psycho-social, emotional, and 

educational needs of their students, 150 pregnant or 

parenting girls aged 13–21. Learn how a failing school 

was able to transform from an enabling culture to one 

of empowerment and success. This session will show 

how our school instilled exercise and proper nutrition 

into a normal day through simple expectations and 

adult leadership. Learn how positive expectations; zero 

tolerance for drama, and earning the right to remain at our 

school through good grades, attendance, and behavior 

changed the culture from one of enabling to one of 

empowerment. Teachers, administrators, and teacher 

leaders will learn how refinement of teachers’ pedagogy 

leads to more targeted and focused instruction, 

ultimately improving the relationship between teacher 

and student to create student academic success. 

VERA CANCELLARE 

vkcancel@episd.org 

ALISON CUNDARI 

162 

#AIEConf

KERRY BALLAST 

kerry.ballast@tea. 

state.tx.us 

PD Through Project Share: Online 

Resources for Educators 


17B, 3:45 – 4:45 

This session will provide an overview of online 

professional development opportunities available to 

Texas public school districts through Project Share, 

the statewide online learning network. Participants will 

receive information on current and future PD courses 

and instructions on how to find and enroll in courses. 

The session will also include a demo of the Project Share 

Gateway and a discussion of how online resources can 

be used in and out of the classroom. 


#AIEConf 

163


18A-D, 3:45 – 4:45 

Creating a District-Wide Professional 

Learning System to Increase Educator 

Effectiveness 


SEED: the System for Effective Educator Development, 

developed by the Texas Center for Educator Effectiveness 

at ESC 18, is a district-wide professional learning system 

for educators including teachers, principals and district 

leaders. Learn how this professional learning system 

grows out of district professional development goals 

and school needs, providing a tiered, systemic structure 

for delivering quality professional development. Also, 

learn how SEED can foster alignment with your district’s 

curriculum, programs, and initiatives. 

DR. TAMMY KREUZ 

kmcdonald@txcee. 

org 

164 

#AIEConf

STACY MORRIS 

stacy.morris@wpisd. 

com 

Embrace “Learning” Rather Than 

“Teaching” With Data Teams 

USE OF DATA TO DRIVE INSTRUCTION 

19A, 3:45 – 4:45 

Do you believe that it’s not about us and that it’s all about 

them? If so, let’s change the professional dialogue 

we have from teaching to learning. What do we want 

students to learn? How will we know when they have 

learned it? What will we do differently if they are not 

demonstrating learning? What will we do differently 

if they are demonstrating learning? See firsthand how 

these guiding questions drive a collaborative process 

that inspires and empowers professionals to improve 

teaching, learning, and leadership for all. Come to be 

inspired and empowered! 


#AIEConf 

165


19B, 3:45 – 4:45 

USDE Draft—High-Performance Parental 

Involvement 


What does high-performance parental involvement 

look like? The USDE will be emphasizing effective, 

high-performance family engagement. In this session, 

participants will have a better understanding of 

“building capacity” as one pathway to success. Yet, 

family engagement is about building relationships. 

Participants will grasp ideas that will improve the 

likelihood for two-way communication through faceto-face 

meetings and by way of leveraging technology. 

Handouts and resources will be provided. 

VICTOR FORSYTH 

skip.forsyth@esc16. 

net 

166 

#AIEConf

ROBIN WARD- 

SOUTHALL 

robin.ward@esc13. 

txed.net 

SEAN 

MARCOULIDES 

sean.marcoulides@ 

esc13.txed.net 

EH 4-STAGE A, 3:45 – 4:45 

Zoom in on Next Steps for Your Campus/ 

District with Snapshot 


Come find out how a Snapshot can help you zoom in on 

prioritized opportunities for improvement at the campus 

or district level. Choosing a clear focus for improvement 

efforts is dependent upon a comprehensive and 

accurate assessment of current conditions. This 

innovative, site visit–based process utilizes multiple 

data perspectives to deeply examine campus or district 

systems for supporting student achievement. Visit the 

District Leadership Initiatives (DLI) booth to explore the 

benefits a Snapshot holds for your organization. 


#AIEConf 

167


EH4-STAGE B, 3:45 - 4:45 

Using Academic Vocabulary to Increase 

Math Proficiency 


A review of Robert Marzano’s research on emphasizing 

academic math vocabulary as it relates to math 

proficiency will be discussed. Strategies to master the 

meaning of math terms will be reviewed, as they relates 

to instruction and the utilization of math intervention 

software. 

BETSY SAPIENZA 

betsy@txedsol.com 

168 

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MITZI BRENNER 

mitzi.brenner@ 

achieve3000.com 

TIFFANY HICKS 

tiffany.hicks@ 

achieve3000.com 

EH4-STAGE C, 3:45 – 4:45 

Building Literacy Across the Content 

Areas 


Improving literacy is the surest path to preparing 

students for college and career; Achieve3000® 

believes in the power of truly differentiated online 

instruction to enable significant and sustained Lexile®/ 

reading growth—a belief supported by a decade-plus 

of scientifically proven performance. We also believe 

that the need for differentiated instruction has never 

been greater. With the increased demands of the Texas 

State Standards, the imperative for students to become 

independent readers of complex texts grows by the day. 

By setting reading levels, differentiating non-fiction text 

based on each student’s unique academic profile, and 

continually assessing and increasing the complexity 

of texts, Achieve solutions steadily increase students’ 

ability to read, comprehend, apply, and communicate 

information derived from complex text—prerequisites for 

success in school and beyond graduation. 


#AIEConf 

169

DAY 2 


BILL CECIL 

Setting the Table for Success 


BALLROOM D, 8:45 - 10:45 

“Setting the Table for Success” will provide teachers 

with four powerful strategies to help boost student 

achievement while providing a positive, safe learning 

environment for all learners in their classrooms. They 

will discover and implement the same philosophy and 

techniques that many of America’s best companies use 

to build successful teams with high morale, infectious 

enthusiasm, and increased performance. 

Teachers attending this high-energy presentation 

will explore the power behind the team approach to 

teaching, and receive an easy-to-follow blueprint to use 

with their students in helping to build, lead and be a 

member of their very own winning team. They will walk 

away with innovative ways to increase valuable teaching 

time by using classroom-tested ideas and strategies for 

establishing rules, dealing with conflict, creating a sense 

of teamwork, and organizing procedures that students 

will learn to follow each day. 

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2013 

#AIEConf 

171


12A, 8:30 – 9:30 

Employing Cultural Competence to 

Improve Your School 


This session will focus on developing and using cultural 

competence and self-awareness to build strong 

teams that will support the transformation of a school 

environment into a learning organization. As a result, 

leaders will develop a better understanding of how 

to build and increase capacity of teachers and other 

leaders to positively impact student achievement in 

schools. Participants will have an opportunity to take 

“scaled-down” research-based personality assessments. 

Research has shown that assessments help leaders 

learn more about their leadership and explore possible 

preferences or predilections. While assessments can be 

used to help leaders create a leadership development 

plan, they can also provide structures for learning 

more about team members in an engaging and nonthreatening 

way. Assessments can also help leaders 

identify individuals who might feel more comfortable at 

particular tasks. Finally, assessments can help leaders 

determine areas of growth and blind sides, especially 

relative to marginalized learners. 

DR. MARK GOODEN 

gooden@austin. 

utexas.edu 

172 

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TY DUNCAN 

tduncan@esc17.net 

SHAUNA LANE 

slane@esc17.net 

12B, 8:30 – 9:30 

Accountability to Responsibility in a 

STAAR World! 


This session will detail the implications of the 

accountability system as we move forward in Texas. We 

will explore both the procedural and cultural implications 

of STAAR on our districts and campuses, as well as, look 

at practical ways to ensure that campuses and districts 

are meeting student needs, while also meeting the goals 

of the accountability system in Texas. It is our contention 

that we can meet our responsibility to the students 

whom serve while working within the confines of a 

sophisticated accountability system. Come prepared to 

look at data and research that will influence your culture 

in a positive way. 


#AIEConf 

173


14, 8:30 – 9:30 

Checking for Understanding So Students 

Can Learn 


Does this sound familiar: “I taught it, but they just didn’t 

get it”? Checking for understanding goes far beyond 

asking, “Are there any questions?” or “Does everybody 

understand?” In their book, Checking for Understanding 

Formative Assessment Techniques for Your Classroom, 

Fisher and Frey state that “most of the checking for 

understanding in schools is ineffective.” This session will 

explore effective strategies to check for understanding 

as a systematic approach to formative assessment, to 

improve instructional delivery, and to provide student 

feedback throughout the teaching and learning process. 

DOLORES RAMON 

dolores.ramon@ 

pledge2teach.com 

LYNDA CAVAZOS 

lynda.cavazos@ 

pledge2teach.com 

174 

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KELLY BEVIS- 

WOODIEL 

kelly.bevis@esc2.us 

& SUZY HARTMAN 

suzy.hartman@esc2. 

us 

15, 8:30 – 9:30 

Planning, Planning, Planning: The 

Three of the Most Important Aspects of 

Teaching 


Reflective educators are always exploring ways of 

improving their practice. They are lifelong learners 

who have the desire to continually improve and are 

determined to succeed. To meet the demands of school 

improvement, identifying the essential elements of a 

lesson and implementing reflective practices has never 

been more important. Join me as we discuss precision 

and accuracy when identifying student progress in 

lesson development. Topics will address beginning 

with the end in mind and working backwards to design 

lessons that target assessed concepts within a lesson. 


#AIEConf 

175


16A, 8:30 - 9:30 

5 Steps to Creating an Exemplary School 


Based on the presenter’s proven success as a turnaround 

principal in a large Title 1 middle school, participants 

will learn the five key strategies necessary in creating an 

exemplary school. These most crucial practices include 

the importance of structured visibility, delegation 

to collaboration to change, common core culture, 

eliminating students at-risk, and coaching strategies at 

work. Implementing these strategies brought a failing 

school to one of high regard, resulting in the principal’s 

selection as Principal of the Year. Specific evidencebased 

examples will be used, along with references to 

successful business practices. This session is geared to 

the needs of school leaders at all levels. Participants will 

come away with practical and proven practices, which 

can be implemented immediately to create a school 

where teachers and students are working together and 

where everyone is appreciated and respected. 

DR. ALLAN BONILLA 

abonilla1@yahoo. 

com 

PAT BONILLA 

pat.bonilla@yahoo. 

com 

176 

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SHIRLENE 

BRIDGEWATER 

sbridgewater@mfisd. 

txed.net 

KENDRA POWELL 

Kpowell@mfisd.txed. 

net 

16B, 8:30 - 9:30 

Tooling Around with Teacher Leaders 


Districts in Texas are struggling with the transition from 

TAKS to STAAR. Teacher leaders, armed with effective 

tools, can dramatically help re-design and transform 

a school—with a focus on learning, collaboration, and 

results—to make that transition smoother. This session 

will provide all educational stakeholders with a tool belt 

full of ideas and strategies to build student-focused 

learning and collaborative teams. At the center of the 

teacher team: the heart. 


#AIEConf 

177


17A, 8:30 - 9:30 

Football, Algebra, and Using Data to 

Improve Student Learning 


Data is everyhere, expectations are high, and the stakes 

are even higher. But how does a campus administrator 

really use data to improve practices on a campus? In 

this session, participants will receive practical tools and 

tips on how to choose the right data, how to analyze 

that data, and how to truly improve what happens in the 

classroom based on that data. 

KERRY GAIN 

178 

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ROBYN FENDER 

robyn.fender@esc20. 

net 

CYNTHIA 

ZARAGOZA 

cyndi.zaragoza@ 

esc20.net 

Transformational Leaders, 

Transformational Teachers 


17B, 8:30 - 9:30 

Students with a strong sense of efficacy are self-confident 

and motivated, perform at high levels, and have the belief 

that they can reach educational goals. A student’s selfefficacy 

increases with positive educational experiences 

and successes. Campus leaders and teachers are able 

to support efficacy building in students by engaging 

in activities that empower and allow for reflection and 

refinement of learning and thinking processes. Join us 

as we explore some of these opportunities. 


#AIEConf 

179


18A-D, 8:30 - 9:30 

Launch Leaders Through Succession 

Planning 


What happens when key leaders leave the organization? 

How do we identify and cultivate new leadership? How 

deep is your leadership bench? Successful organizations 

actively identify and cultivate leadership talent and 

poise themselves for sustaining forward momentum. 

Learn what the research indicates schools and districts 

are doing to achieve new results. Come to this session 

to: 

• Understand succession planning and why it is 

important. 

DONNA JANSSEN 

donna.janssen@ 


• Take away tangible steps and tools to implement 

immediately and grow your organization’s 

leadership pipeline. 

• Reflect on your own goals as a leader and plan 

your path for success. 

180 

#AIEConf

SCOTT WARREN 

scott.warren@sreb. 

org 

19B, 8:30 – 9:30 

Parent Involvement—We Say Yes, But Act 

No 


We say we want parent involvement, but do we really 

just send a lip-service message that we want parents 

involved? In this session, middle and high school 

teachers, counselors, and leaders will learn strategies 

to align actions to thoughts and move from parent 

involvement to parent engagement. 


#AIEConf 

181


EH 4-STAGE A, 8:30 – 9:30 

Right Seat on the Bus: Behavioral Event 

Interviews 


Beep! Beep! Here comes the bus to success! Come 

and see how your district can utilize Behavioral Event 

Interviews (BEI) to effectively place administrators in the 

right seat on your bus to help drive turnaround. BEIs 

are research-based effective tools that can provide a 

more in-depth look at the turnaround competencies 

that your administrators may possess. BEIs can also 

assist with hiring individuals that you are looking for 

to help turnaround a campus. We will discuss why this 

innovative way to interview is critical to the success of 

turning around a campus and how it can be utilized 

to maximize the competency growth of your campus 

administrators for your journey on the road to success. 

All aboard! 

DIANE FLAIM 


txed.net 

LACEY PADGETT 


txed.net 

182 

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CLAYTON RENFROE 

clayton.renfroe@ 

imaginelearning.com 

EH 4-STAGE B, 8:30 – 9:30 

Accelerating Student Achievement With 

Imagine Learning 


To prepare our students to be college and career ready, 

we must embrace the power of technology and learn how 

it can be used effectively in the classroom. Experience 

how students are achieving academic success through 

the power of the effective technology-driven language 

and literacy intervention, Imagine Learning. Learn how 

research-based instruction, strategic first-language 

support and a sound, dynamic approach can enhance 

instruction and provide real-time assessments to help 

drive differentiated instruction for struggling readers, 

special needs, English language learners and all early 

childhood students, preparing all students for success. 

Enhance instruction, increase student achievement, and 

get students excited about learning, all with the power 

of technology. 


#AIEConf 

183


EH 4-STAGE C, 8:30 – 9:30 

Teaching Math Conceptually Promotes 

Student Math Achievement 


This session will demonstrate how a visually-based 

approach to teaching math builds deeper conceptual 

mathematical understanding for students. Participants 

will experience the visual approach to teaching math, 

discover how these practices can be integrated into 

daily teaching, and explore the research demonstrating 

the effectiveness of this approach. Students embrace 

problem solving and challenge when learning through 

discovering and questioning, rather than being told 

how to solve a problem. These techniques have been 

proven to drive student achievement on state tests and 

enable all learners to succeed. The intended audience is 

for elementary school educator, including teachers and 

administrators. 

DANA LUTHER 

dluther@ 

mindresearch.net 

184 

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DR. DONNA 

KNOELL 

dknoell@sbcglobal. 

net 

BALLROOM E, 9:45 – 10:45 

Helping Students Develop Effective 

Content Literacy Skills 

ADCADEMIC PERFORMANCE 

This speaker will offer research-based strategies to 

help students in grades 1-12 read and comprehend 

informational texts, and to read successfully across 

the curriculum. She will incorporate strategies to 

build domain-specific vocabulary and other academic 

vocabulary necessary to read and learn important 

concepts in all academic subjects. She will actively 

engage attendees with word-building activities, 

including the use of word roots and affixes. She will 

actively engage attendees with the identification 

of expository text structures, and with interactive 

strategies to construct meaning with content-rich text. 

She will demonstrate active thinking strategies and 

help attendees utilize discourse and visible thinking 

strategies to help students construct meaning of text 

and build background knowledge. She will demonstrate 

the power of visuals to communicate factual information. 

Attendees will receive classroom-ready materials 

to help them engage learners and increase student 

achievement. Handouts provided. 


#AIEConf 

185


12A, 9:45 – 10:45 

Restorative Justice: An Alternative to 

Suspension 


Restorative justice is focused on the belief that those 

affected by harm can work together to repair it and 

that this collaboration leads to true accountability. This 

session will focus on the basic principles of developing 

a restorative justice model on your campus. What 

are restorative practices and principles? How do 

restorative practices align with your multi-tiered levels 

of intervention that already exist? What do restorative 

meetings look like in a school? How does this impact 

suspension and expulsion rates on a campus? These 

questions and others will be answered, and participants 

will leave the session with enough information to begin 

to implement a restorative model on their respective 

campuses. These strategies can be implemented at a 

classroom, school-wide, or district level, so teachers, 

counselors, administrators, and central office personnel 

are encouraged to attend. 

ALBERT FELTS 

albert.felts@esc13. 

txed.net 

SHERRY DIMARCO 

sherry.dimarco@ 


186 

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VALERIE CAREY 

valeriecarey@ 

celinaisd.com 

KIM TINGLE 

kimtingle@celinaisd. 

com 

12B, 9:45 – 10:45 

The Calm in the Storm—Teacher Leaders 


What is the glue that holds a campus together and 

makes sure that change is sustained for improved 

academic performance? Teacher leaders provide 

passion, focus, collaboration, and longevity in the face 

of frequent turnover that occurs in high school campus 

administration. Processes used to sustain focused 

improvement are conversations with teachers, leading 

book studies, impacting campus belief systems, and 

analyzing and leading teachers through data analysis, all 

with a constant focus on improving student achievement. 

Even though campus administration changes, teacher 

leaders sustain the focus and change to meet the 

needs of students for all students to be successful. 

When changes in administration occur, teacher leaders 

assist new administrators in understanding the culture, 

climate, and vision of the campus for collaborative 

decision making and shared leadership to exist. 


#AIEConf 

187


14, 9:45 – 10:45 

SUPPORT SPECIAST LIVE! 

Selecting Stragtegies and Quarterly 

Planning 


Participants will learn how to identify a strategy that 

is aligned to the need and chunked into manageable 

quarterly segments. 

188 

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DR. SAMUEL AYERS 

sayers@lubbockisd. 

org 

15, 9:45 – 10:45 

Transforming Lives: Culture, 

Achievement and College Readiness 


Estacado High School was designated a “persistently 

low performing” campus. During the past three years, 

the campus has experienced incremental growth and 

improved culture, climate, attendance, achievement, AP 

participation and pass rates, dual credit participation, 

college acceptances (79%), and participation in 

extracurricular activities. The presentation will focus on 

specific strategies that can be duplicated or modified for 

implementation on other secondary campuses. 


#AIEConf 

189


16A, 9:45 – 10:45 

Leadership Support to Move Teachers 

From Good to Great 


Learn what successful principals and other teacher 

leaders do to help ordinary teachers become great 

teachers. This session will focus on research-based 

strategies for supporting teacher collaboration and 

will include evidence from the National Board for 

Professional Teaching Standards. Principals and teacher 

leaders will learn what looks different in schools that 

get the most from their students and be provided the 

tools necessary to duplicate these efforts in their current 

schools. 

DR. GARY WRINKLE 

gary.wrinkle@sreb. 

org 

190 

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ERIC PENROD 

epenrod@mfisd.txed. 

net 

LEE COURVILLE 

hcourville@mfisd. 

txed.net 

16B, 9:45 – 10:45 

Solidifying the Moral Imperative Within 

Education 


Campus and district transformation is difficult. In fact, 

it is downright exhausting! Join Eric Penrod and Lee 

Courville as they provide critical examples of the moral 

purpose of school leadership and it’s essential role in 

rediscovering the passion of public education. While 

exploring the moral imperative at the campus and 

district level, Eric and Lee will provide state-recognized 

examples of continuous improvement that shaped the 

reform efforts of a disconnected and struggling district. 


#AIEConf 

191


17A, 9:45 – 10:45 

A Culture Where All Teachers Support All 

Children 


The purpose of the session is to gain an improved 

understanding of collaborative work organized around 

the core work of a school: teaching and learning. Is the 

culture of collaboration translating into gains throughout 

the whole school? Where is the school’s “momentum” 

located? How do you get past the “stuck” spot? Is 

faculty rallying around data-identified, student-centered 

problems? Extensive data review and questioning 

strategies, along with interactive discussion and 

sharing, will provide participants with additional learnercentered 

sources and strategies for additional steps that 

their school can implement collectively to improve their 

culture of learning for both students and adults. 

DR. LURA 

DAVIDSON 

davidsonlura@ 

hotmail.com 

192 

#AIEConf

LINDA COTTLE 

linda.cottle@ 

devineisd.org 

17B, 9:45 – 10:45 

What’s It All About, Anyhow? Life Beyond 

Formal Schooling 


Participants will experience potentially life-changing 

strategies to help kids think beyond high school and 

college, through life choices. This session will provide 

research assignment ideas that connect community 

members and students in meaningful ways. Rediscover 

your purpose in life as you are invited to reflect on your 

dreams and aspirations. 


#AIEConf 

193


18A-D, 9:45 - 10:45 

How the PBM System Enhances the TAIS 

LEDERSHIP EFFECTIVENESS 

The Texas Accountability and Intervention System 

combines all intervention systems: federal 

accountability, state accountability, and Performance- 

Based Monitoring (PBM). Professional service providers 

and consultants have worked with federal and state 

accountability, but they may not be as familiar with the 

PBM system. This session will assist PSPs to learn how 

the PBM system and Performance-Based Monitoring 

Analysis System (PBMAS) report enhance the other 

intervention systems. PSPs will understand the PBM 

system to assist campuses to utilize the PBMAS data 

in conducting needs assessments and developing an 

improvement plan. What is the PBMAS report integrated 

with in the federal and state accountability system? How 

do I know what the report is telling me? How does the 

campus understand how it contributes to the district’s 

performance in the system? These questions and others 

will be answered to give PSPs the clear picture of how 

PBM is a vital part of TAIS. 

JUDY STRUVE 

Judy.Struve@tea. 

state.tx.us 

TED KERR 

Ted.Kerr@tea.state. 

tx.us 

194 

#AIEConf

DR. CAROL HARLE 

carolharle@ 

harlandale.net 

REYNALDO 

MADRIGAL 

rey.madrigal@ 

harlandale.net 

19A, 9:45 - 10:45 

Getting Practical About Data: Prescriptive, 

Personal,...and Practical 


Research conducted by Schmoker, DuFour, and Reeves 

depicts educators in “gap-closing” schools using data to 

collaborate and plan more frequently. One of the most 

powerful activities to improve instructional decision 

making is a mini data wall. Ideally, it is a portable display 

that utilizes a cardboard three-panel display typically 

used for science fairs. Each panel represents a different 

data source with aligned activities/goals. The mini walls 

are campus customized with educators sharing with 

each other at several Data Days. The data walls provide a 

robust source of information about successful initiatives. 

S.M.A.R.T. goals add a layer of depth for continued 

implementation. The mini data walls, when developed 

and used frequently, can be the focal point for PLCs, 

as well as department and team discussions regarding 

improving student achievement and enhancing teacher 

efficacy. Participants will see several mini data walls and 

hear about successful strategies from HISD educators. 


#AIEConf 

195


EH-4-STAGE A, 9:45 - 10:45 

STAARving for Simple Solutions? 


Is STAAR preparation leaving you STAARved for time, 

STAARved for space and STAARved for sanity? Join 

master teacher Sandra White in a hands-on, engaging 

session to learn simple solutions to stave your hunger. 

Feed your students minds with engaging visuals, 

activities and time-saving instructional tips. Leave this 

session “full” of inexpensive ideas sure to be gobbled 

right up by your students. Sandra will serve a fine menu 

of calorie-friendly solutions sure to streamline your 

STAARvation! 

MS. SANDRA WHITE 

snannyw@aol.com 

196 

#AIEConf

LISA LASTER 

LLaster@stemscopes. 

com 

EH 4-STAGE B, 9:45 - 10:45 

STEMscopes Online Science Curriculum 

K–12 


STEMscopes is a digital online STEM curriculum 

developed by Rice University’s Center for Digital Learning 

and Scholarship. STEMscopes provides educators and 

students with the keys to science achievement through 

online instructional materials that address the rigor of 

the STAAR and EOC state assessments and the newly 

adopted science TEKS. 

This comprehensive resource is 100% aligned to 

the new TEKS and STAAR readiness and supporting 

standards for the following grade levels and subject 

areas: kindergarten through eighth grades and biology, 

chemistry and physics. Each TEKS objective is built 

into a SCOPE, or unit, centered on the research-based 

5E method of teaching with additional resources for 

intervention and acceleration. 


#AIEConf 

197


EH 4-STAGE C, 9:45 - 10:45 

The Solution You Have Been Waiting For! 

MATH 180 


Join Nickie Rizzo, and be one of the first to hear about 

the development behind this personalized, blended 

solution that incorporates instructional strategies to build 

coherency between both conceptual and computational 

frameworks and targets the rigorous skills for problem 

solving applications to prepare students for algebra and 

beyond. Learn about the “Teaching Ecosystem”, which 

embeds professional development opportunities with 

high leverage teaching practices and videos of expert 

teachers modeling classroom strategies, all powered 

by Math Solutions, the premiere math pd organization 

founded by Marilyn Burns. 

NICKIE RIZZO 

nrizzo@ 

mathsolutions.com 

JACK DARDEN 

198 

#AIEConf

BYRON GARRETT 

BALLROOM FG, 10:00 – 12:00 

Family Engagement: Education’s Best 

Kept Secret 


Research shows that meaningful family engagement is 

equal to an additional $1K of per-pupil funding. More 

importantly, an engaged family is the leading indicator 

of student achievement. Come prepared to discuss 

and dialogue about the challenges of getting families 

engaged in the success of their children. Dispelling 

the myths that parents don’t care, we will focus on 

practical strategies to improve engagement beyond the 

classroom that will directly impact student success in the 

classroom. 


In this session, participants will comprehend that the 

family structure has drastically changed; utilize pop 

culture and current events as a means to connect to 

families; and gain the understanding that regardless of 

data and demographics, every family is different. 

#AIEConf 

199


BALLROOM E, 11:15 - 12:15 

Moving Schools: Lessons From Exemplary 

Leaders 


A recently released evaluation project conducted on 

400 Title I schools has identified specific practices that 

leaders in exemplary schools engage in consistently and 

pervasively that leaders in typical or struggling schools 

do not. Research from this study identified the specific 

patterns and practices that each of these 400 previously 

struggling schools used to directly attribute to their 

successes. By implementing the common practices that 

will be presented, each of these schools was ultimately 

able to raise its achievement by at least 35 points. This 

session identifies the distinct exemplary leadership 

practices that every leader needs to start immediately 

and provides strategies for implementing each one 

effectively. 

DR. MAX 

THOMPSON 

maxthompson64@ 

gmail.com 

JOE CLIFFORD 

jclifford@ 

learningfocused.com 

200 

#AIEConf

KAREN BUCKLAND 

kbuckland@ 

palestineschools.org 

JANICE MAGEE 

jmagee@ 

palestineschools.org 

12A, 11:15 – 12:15 

CPDI = Complete Campus Climate and 

Culture Change 


Participants in this session designed for secondary 

schools will learn the basics of the Collaborative 

Professional Development Initiative (CPDI), which is the 

teacher-created and data-driven initiative responsible for 

the culture and climate change at Palestine High School. 

Teacher leaders will share the design, research, and 

results of this job-embedded professional development 

project that addresses the campus as a unified body of 

active learners and includes the students, in addition 

to building capacity for teacher leadership through 

the seamless integration of professional learning 

communities. Participants will leave with ideas for their 

own campus initiatives and practical information for 

implementation. 


#AIEConf 

201


12B, 11:15 – 12:15 

Beyond Academics: Making Each Student 

a STAR 


By identifying students in need of mentoring, schools 

can move students beyond perceived expectations. The 

STAR mentoring program implemented three years ago 

at Celina High School has increased student academic 

achievement, improved responsibility of at-risk students, 

and provided opportunities for students to investigate 

post-secondary education. Participants will leave this 

session with an outline/protocol for the year, knowledge 

of how to begin a mentoring program, and examples of 

forms/meetings conducted. All administrators, teacher 

leaders, and teachers on campuses can benefit from 

learning the process for creating a successful mentoring 

program. 

SHERRY 

HUDDLESTON 

sherryhuddleston@ 

celinaisd.com 

COLETTE PLEDGER 

rccrpledger@att.net 

202 

#AIEConf

DR. JOHN 

SCHACTER 

schacter@sbcglobal. 

net 

DR. SELINA CHAPA 

schapa@aldine.k12. 

tx.us 

14, 11:15 – 12:15 

Teacher Effectiveness in Aldine ISD 


Recent research has confirmed what Aldine school 

leaders have known for decades. That is, the best 

way to increase student learning is to provide each 

child with a highly effective teacher. Discover how 

Aldine ISD is using statistical learning growth data 

(i.e., student growth percentiles) to evaluate and 

pay teachers based on performance. In addition to 

improving teacher quality through evaluation, Aldine 

ISD is also using learning growth data to assign each 

student to an effective teacher and to individualize 

the curriculum, time, and resources necessary for 

students and teachers to reach their potential. This 

session will show school leaders how to use data to 

better meet individual student and teacher needs. 


#AIEConf 

203


15, 11:15 – 12:15 

20% Jump in Scores...WHAT? 


See how a 90% low socioeconomic, 33% ESL (10 

countries represented, including asylee and refugee 

students) school achieved a 20% increase in eighthgrade 

reading scores and an 11% jump in eighth-grade 

math scores. There is no magic silver bullet—it is all 

achieved through hard work, dedication, and belief in 

the teachers, administration, and students. 


tausha.robinson@amaisd.org 


tausha.robinson@ 

amaisd.org 

MARY GAMBREL 

MARY GAMBREL 

204 

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THERESE SAMPERI 

htherese@swbell.net 

KIMBERLY CARROLL 

kimberly.carroll@ 

fortbend.k12.tx.us 

16A, 11:15 – 12:15 

Motivation/Teacher Engagement/Student 

Engagement: Your Ticket to Student 

Success! 


Getting tickets to the game will provide participants with 

techniques for change which include motivation, teacher 

engagement, and student engagement. The following 

“Tickets to the Game,” will allow participants to change 

the campus environment: 

• “Motivation” will include techniques needed to get 

students, staff, and the community involved in the 

school’s vision for improvement. 

• “Teacher Engagement,” using the research of Jon 

Saphier, will provide participants with practical ideas to 

get teachers to begin the process of being engaged in 

the learning prior to the students being involved. 

• “Student Engagement” will use the techniques taught 

by Eric Jensen to engage students and keep them 

involved in each lesson. 

• At the end of the session, the participants will walk 

away with three tickets showing the design needed for 

school improvement, and they will also walk away with 

a plan to use these tickets for improvement on their 

respective campuses. 


#AIEConf 

205


16B, 11:15 – 12:15 

Making Leadership Count at Every Level... 

All for the Kids 


“Making Leadership Count at Every Level...All for the 

Kids” is a session appropriate for all audiences and levels 

of leadership. Participants will consider how servant 

leadership with its particular skill set for building trust, 

has the capacity for elevating the level of thinking for 

solving complex problems. Attendees will learn to retell 

old stories (change mental models), learn to become 

more critically conscious, and will use action learning 

to clearly define the real problems confronting them so 

that intentional action planning can be accomplished. 

SANDRA 

ELLINGTON 

ske1222@aol.com 

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DR. TERI FOWLER 

tfowler@tamut.edu 

SHANNA BURTON 

sburton@dallasisd. 

org 

17A, 11:15 – 12:15 

Math Is Not Enough: Negotiation of 

Thought for Rigor 


This session highlights a Stage 4 school’s journey to 

meeting the rigors of STAAR and increasing Level 

III performance by emphasizing thought processes 

required to answer dual-coded items. STAAR blueprints 

will be used to determine relevance and specific 

strategies using question stems and visualization, and 

positive presuppositions will be described. This session 

is appropriate for stakeholders interested in increasing 

instructional rigor and helping all students achieve Level 

II performance standards and more students achieve 

Level III performance standards. 


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17B, 11:15 – 12:15 

Crucial Conversations for Advancing 

Improvement in Education 


Dialogue requires more than just one person being heard. 

When others haven’t been involved in conversations, 

we make decisions based on limited data. This causes 

others to have less conviction in their follow-through 

because they haven’t been involved. We want to be able 

to honestly and accurately share our views in a way that 

encourages others to share their perspective as well. 

“You can argue as strongly as you want for your opinion, 

as long as you are equally vigorous in encouraging 

others to disagree.” —Ron McMillan 

LIZ GARCIA 

liz.garcia@esc13. 

txed.net 

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DIANE FLAIM 


txed.net 

LACEY PADGETT 


txed.net 

What’s in Your DNA? 


18A-D, 11:15 – 12:15 

A district needs assessment is the best way to make 

evidenced-based decisions for the overall health and 

success of the district. This is a protocol that can be 

built into the systems and activities of your district. We 

will discuss an ongoing process, not a one time event, 

to gather, analyze, and prioritize data to determine the 

needs of the district. You will leave the session with 

practical protocols and tools that you can immediately 

use to enhance the process in your district. 


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19A, 11:15 – 12:15 

Proven, Powerful, Fun Strategies to 

Accelerate Acquisition of Academic 

Vocabulary—Making Words REAL! 


Gaps in vocabulary, clearly impede academic success. 

Using high-quality instructional strategies, teachers 

can create an enriched learning experience that will 

accelerate the acquisition of core vocabulary and critical 

literacy skills. Come experience neuroscience-based 

strategies that are proven to dramatically increase 

student-to-student opportunities for listening, speaking, 

reading, and writing using academic language. Acquire 

the skills needed to turn vocabulary lessons into multisensory 

interactive experiences as you learn to tap into 

the power of music and imagery. Learn to create and 

implement card sorts, multimedia trailers, sentence 

puzzlers, vocabulary-in-a-bag, and word games to 

expand academic language and increase content 

comprehension and retention. 

JOANNE 

BILLINGSLEY 

jbillingsley@satx. 

rr.com 

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RHONDA 

BARNWELL 

Rbarnwell@dallasisd. 

org 

ASHLEY TOOLE 

Atoole@dallasisd.org 

19B, 11:15 – 12:15 

Shooting for the STAARs: Getting Results, 

Changing Lives! 


At J. L. Long Middle School, our students with 

designated learning disabilities (SpEd) outperformed 

the district average for all students on the Math STAAR. 

In this session, you will learn how we are closing the 

achievement gap by focusing on our most needy 

students. If you are a teacher, administrator, or central 

office staff member, we invite you to come with us as we 

lead you through our journey from AYP Stage 4 to our 

current status as the top-performing comprehensive 

middle school in our district on both the Reading and 

Math STAAR. Within the past three years, we have put 

in place a system of supports based on a commitment to 

an inclusive philosophy, strategic planning, and fidelity 

of implementation. 


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Exhibitors 


EXHIBITORS 

EXHIBITORS 

The AIE Conference is proud to showcase innovative companies that are 

at the forefront of technology and provide cutting-edge resources and 

tools. Exhibitors strive to advance improvement in education through 

their introduction of quality products and services to attendees. Please 

join our exhibitors in the exhibit hall to explore what they have to offer by 

visiting their booth or by attending an exhibitor session. 

Don’t forget to visit the exhibit hall often to re-energize your 

spirit and re-connect with your ”why”. 

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EXHIBITORS 


214 

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EXHIBITORS 

Plan4Learning.com is the most used DIP/CIP planning tool in Texas. It allows your 

campus to focus on ambitious, clearly defined targets, while eliminating all efforts to 

format your document. Strategically focus your efforts on actions that will increase 

student achievement, build capacity, easily involve more staff, and shape school 

culture. 

mhailey@806technologies.com 

www.806technologies.com 

Booth #: 433 

\ 

Academic Core Group, Inc. is constantly working on removing the confusion from 

the STAAR test by providing easy-to-use, easy-to-comprehend products that are 

formatted in the exact style and format as TEA’s materials, and most importantly, as 

the STAAR exam. 

katie@academiccoregroup.com 

www.academiccoregroup.com 

Booth #: 813 

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EXHIBITORS 

ACHIEVE3000 

Achieve3000 offers a differentiated, online literacy solution for grades 

2–12 that reaches every student at his or her individualized Lexile®/reading 

level. Achieve3000 closely aligns with the TEKS to give students the 

content area literacy skills they need to succeed on STAAR and prepares 

students for college and career. 

mitzi.brenner@achieve3000.com 

www.achieve3000.com 

Booth #: 707 

AimTruancy Solutions is an early identification and intervention program 

for chronic truants. Aim is a proven, innovative truancy reduction program 

that identifies at-risk students and gets them back into the classroom and 

on track to graduate. Aim partners with schools, law enforcement, juvenile 

justice, and community-based organizations. 

sperez@aimtruancy.com 

www.aimtruancy.com 

Booth #: 431 

216 

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EXHIBITORS 

ALEKS is a unique, online math program for grades 3–12 that provides 

personalized instruction on topics a student is ready to learn next. This 

innovative approach results in a highly engaging and effective learning 

experience that meets the diverse needs of each student while ensuring 

math success. 

info@aleks.com 

www.aleks.com 

Booth #: 409 

ALGEBRA READINESS EDUCATORS, LLC 

Ten Minutes a Day to Algebra Readiness: Algebra Readiness Builders for 

Grades 6-8, Algebra 1, Geometry, and Algebra 2. Make teaching easy 

with these daily assignments! Come see how algebra readiness skills are 

recycled daily to enhance your students’ understanding of algebraic concepts. 

klachance@algebrareadinesseducators.com 

http://www.algebrareadinesseducators.com 

Booth #: 414 

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EXHIBITORS 

PEIMS DATA Plus is a Web-based district data warehouse. No complex 

report writing skills needed! Simply upload PEIMS, TAKS, and STARR data 

files into the system, and the files are automatically disaggregated into 

thousands of reports. There is no need for the user to learn complex report 

writing. 

ppolasek@aloesoft.com 

www.aloesoft.com 

Booth #: 827 

Bookshare is an online library of accessible eBooks for people with print 

disabilities. Funded by the U.S. Dept of Education OSEP, it is free for all 

qualified U.S. students. Accessible Books for Texas is funded by the TEA 

and provides free, customized support for educators of students with print 

disabilities 

mckenzie.e@benetech.org 

www.bookshare.org 

Booth #: 301 

218 

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EXHIBITORS 

A privately-owned, fast-growing educational publishing company, Curriculum 

Associates specializes in affordable, research-based standards 

preparation materials, online intervention, supplemental reading and 

math programs, and special education assessment and instruction to help 

students succeed. 

KWalsh@cainc.com 

www.CurriculumAssociates.com 

Booth #: 926 

DISTRICT LEADERSHIP INITIATIVES 

District Leadership Initiatives (DLI) provides tools, strategies, and support 

to districts across the state of Texas. Putting research-based processes in 

the hands of district leaders to move their schools forward, DLI assists with 

leadership development, long-range planning, and models for systems of 

support to campuses. 

donna.janssen@esc13.txed.net 

http://www.tcdss.net 

Booth #: 436 

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EXHIBITORS 

DMAC Solutions® offers Web-based software to efficiently enhance the 

quality of education provided to students. Schools select from a suite of 

applications to assist with STAAR data analysis and reporting, local assessments, 

student achievement, progress monitoring (RtI, PGP), credit acquisition, 

campus/district improvement plans, PDAS, generating custom online 

forms, and more. 

lsingleton@esc7.net 

www.dmac-solutions.net 

Booth #: 633/732 

DynaNotes Tools for Explosive Learning: student review guides in printed 

cardstock, tablet apps, teacher CDs, and booklet formats, plus TEA charts, 

card decks, intervention programs, and more for grades 3–12 (math, science, 

social studies, ELA, and Spanish versions). Come learn how DynaNotes 

tools help build strong foundations for higher-order thinking. 

eharris@dynastudy.com 

www.dynanotes.com 

Booth #: 530 

220 

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EXHIBITORS 

Our purpose is to support districts in their role to educate our students. 

haley.keith@esc13.txed.net 

WWW.ESC13.net 

Booth #: 400 

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EXHIBITORS 

EDUCATION SERVICE CENTER REGION 20 

We will be showcasing the Accountability Guide and Education Coaching 

Track. 

yvette.gomez@esc20.net 

www.esc20.net 

Booth #: 438 

The mission of ETA hand2mind is to support P–12 educators in their quest 

to inspire and champion learning by going with research-based, hands-on 

solutions. The company’s innovations in mathematics, science, and literacy 

provide instructional curriculum, custom-kit options for content providers, 

manipulatives, interactive digital applications, and teacher coaching and 

development. 

jciborowski@hand2mind.com 

hand2mind.com 

Booth #: 426 

222 

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EXHIBITORS 

Excel Math is K–6 math materials that successfully build proficiency and 

raise test scores. The cost is $11 per student per year. An intervention/ 

afterschool curriculum is also available. 


www.excelmath.com 

Booth #: 506 

FORDE-FERRIER LLC 

STAAR workbooks, activities, common assessments, and training for grade 

levels 2–8. 

fmarianne27@aol.com 

www.forde-ferrier.com 

Booth #: 806 

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EXHIBITORS 

GENERATION READY 

Generation Ready is a provider of school leader and professional development 

services that support and sustain teacher skills and capacity to ensure 

a tight connection between professional development and student 

achievement. 

nancy.fowler@generationready.com 

www.generationready.com 

Booth #: 501 

IMAGERY GRAPHICS 

Imagery Graphics is a distributor for Variquest Learning Tools, including 

Poster Maker (Color and Monochrome, Digital Die Cut System and Awards 

Maker). 

jskaggs@imagerygraphic.com 

www.imagerygraphic.com 

Booth #: 631 

224 

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EXHIBITORS 

Imagine Learning is an award-winning language and literacy software program 

used by students around the world. Through nearly 3,000 engaging 

activities, students in pre-K through eighth grade learn essential reading 

and speaking skills, including academic language. 

shelly.scofield@imaginelearning.com 

www.imaginelearning.com 

Booth #: 818 

STAAR Preparation—K-EOC Assessments in English and Spanish, TEKSbased 

board games, software for scoring assessments, data reporting and 

management, and professional development. 

kmichael@kamico.com 

www.kamico.com 

Booth #: 730 

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EXHIBITORS 

Knowsys has a secondary math remediation program, a secondary vocabulary 

program, and a college readiness curriculum that focuses on study 

skills. Knowsys has a professional development program to assist teachers 

with classroom management, especially with at-risk students. 

kgriffith@ktprep.com 

www.myknowsys.com 

Booth #: 825/924 

For over 20 years, Learning-Focused has provided teachers and school/ 

district leaders with professional development on research-based strategies 

and exemplary practices for increasing teacher effectiveness and accelerating 

learning. 

With Learning-Focused, you will get engaging professional development, 

impressive resources, and access to ongoing quality support. Most importantly, 

you get great results. 

dmarlett@learningfocused.com 

www.learningfocused.com 

Booth #: 315 

226 

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EXHIBITORS 

Lone Star Learning is a teacher-owned curriculum development company 

offering unique, easy-to-use visuals and interactive bulletin boards that 

give students specific practice needed to achieve mastery in math, science, 

and language arts. We strive to decrease teacher effort while increasing 

student success with our innovative products! 

gala@lonestarlearning.com 

www.LoneStarLearning.com 

Booth #: 424 

IXL LEARNING 

IXL is a math practice website completely aligned to all state standards and 

the Common Core. IXL offers unlimited questions from pre-K through high 

school in a fun, visuallystimulating format that students love. Plus, teachers 

can view detailed reports on students’ progress and trouble spots—including 

complete question histories for individuals. 

orders@ixl.com 

www.ixl.com 

Booth #: 436 

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EXHIBITORS 

The Markerboard People offer student dry erase markerboards and response 

boards in class sets. Great for instant response and assessment. 

Unbeatable prices! Single- and double-sided boards available. Perfect for 

math, science, language arts, graphing, handwriting, and more. Long-lasting, 

non-toxic, ultra-low odor markers, too! 

feedback@dryerase.com 

www.dryerase.com 

Booth #: 808 

Math GPS provides supplementary math curricular support materials for 

grades 2–8. If you are preparing to improve curriculum delivery or support 

for STAAR, please visit our booth. Our new second-grade material is correlated 

to the new TEKS—a pivotal resource for the 2013–14 school year. 

info@mathgps.org 

www.mathgps.org 

Booth #: 402 

228 

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EXHIBITORS 

Mentoring Minds provides instructional materials that reflect the rigor, 

structure, and format of STAAR. Our resources include math, reading, writing, 

and science supplementary products, STAAR Standards and Strategies 

Flip Charts; RtI tools; intervention and instructional strategies; critical 

thinking; and vocabulary development. 

info@mentoringminds.com 

www.mentoringminds.com 

Booth #: 912/914 

MIND RESEARCH INSTITUTE 

MIND Research Institute’s ST Math is a fully Web-delivered solution that 

allows students to access the program from any computer or tablet. ST 

Math concepts are initially taught visually, with minimal or no abstract symbols 

or math vocabulary. This strategy provides access for students, especially 

English Language Learners. 

mlimon@mindresearch.net 

www.mindresearch.net (right click to open in new tab) 

Booth #: 721 

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EXHIBITORS 

New print and online products for the STAAR. 

msakow@peoplesed.com 

www.PeoplesEducation.com 

Booth #: 930/932 

Visit Pitsco’s booth, and discover new and exciting opportunities to teach 

science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) concepts. You will find 

a robust array of hands-on activities and tools: dragsters, trebuchets, alternative 

energy, structures, robotics, and more popular activities that provide 

real-world relevance to STEM subjects. 

goquinn@pitsco.com 

www.pitsco.com 

Booth #: 719 

230 

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EXHIBITORS 

Renaissance Learning is a leading provider of technology-based school 

improvement and student assessment programs. Renaissance Learning’s 

tools provide daily formative assessment and periodic progress-monitoring 

technology to enhance curriculum, support differentiated instruction, and 

personalize practice in reading, writing, and math. Renaissance Learning is 

also a leading provider of school-improvement solutions. 

peggy.packer@renlearn.com 

www.renlearn.com 

Booth #: 833 

Reaching Individual Goals through Online Readiness (RIGOR) is a quickly 

growing privately owned online educational company that focuses on 

EOC/STAAR Assessment. That is, STAAR Algebra 1, STAAR Biology, STAAR 

English/Reading and more to come. RIGOR is data-driven coursework 

with data-driven results of 90–95% mastery in English/Spanish. 

pnich25bab@yahoo.com 

Booth #: 503 

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EXHIBITORS 

Created and supported by educators, Sapling Learning’s online curriculum 

and homework drive student success and save educators time. 

diana.balakirov@saplinglearning.com 

www.saplinglearning.com 

Booth #: 532 

SCHOLASTIC 

Scholastic is the most trusted name in learning, specifically in literacy and 

math intervention. Come see the brand-new Math 180 and how it can help 

you turn around your struggling math students who are not algebra ready! 

jdarden@scholastic.com 

www.scholastic.com 

Booth #: 327 

232 

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EXHIBITORS 

Scientific Minds is an award-winning, K–12 company specializing in online 

resources for science education. Products are research based and TEKS 

aligned and will enhance any curriculum. They include strategies for RTI, 

bilingual support, and vocabulary enrichment. Online professional development 

is available, including “Launching Literacy with Science Starters” 

and “Chunk the Science Standards.” 

travis@scientificminds.com 

www.scientificminds.com 

Booth #: 831 

SPIRIT MONKEY 

Spirit Sticks® are the latest schoolyard craze, and educators love them! They offer 

rewards and incentives with measurable results. 

lisa@spiritmonkey.com 

www.spiritmonkey.com 

Booth #: 600 

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EXHIBITORS 

STAAR Mission Math is a Web-based program of instruction covering 

mathematics for grade 3 to algebra 2. Each grade level contains vertically 

and horizontally aligned 5E lessons developed by Texas educators to 

address the depth and complexity of the TEKS. This teacher tool contains 

videos, activity sheets, practices, and assessments. 

gary@cosenzaassociates.com 

www.staarmission.com 

Booth #: 709 

STAAR One 2.0, a Texas STAAR-aligned assessment item bank with over 

60,000 aligned assessment items, creates quality benchmarks in all STAAR 

assessed content areas, transadapted for ELLs and maximally accessible 

for students receiving special education services. Easily publish benchmarks 

by selecting readiness/supporting standards and levels of cognitive 

complexity. 

tmcintyre@esc1.net 

www.esc1.net/staarone 

Booth #: 508 

234 

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EXHIBITORS 

Easy-to-use progress monitoring and benchmark assessment software. 

Our STAAR-aligned item bank is also available in eduphoria! Call 800-930- 

8378 to learn more. 

shill@progresstesting.com 

www.STAARTestMaker.com 

Booth #: 412 

STEMscopes, a digital online STEM curriculum developed by Rice University, 

provides educators and students K–12 the keys to science achievement 

through instructional materials that address the rigor of state assessments 

and new science standards. Each SCOPE is centered on the 5E 

method of teaching with resources for intervention and acceleration. 

lwebber@rice.edu 

www.stemscopes.com 

Booth #: 607/609 

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EXHIBITORS 

TEXAS 

COLLEGE AND CAREER 

READINESS 

The Texas College and Career Readiness Profile Planning Guide was developed 

by a 19-member, statewide task force and funded by the Texas 

Higher Education Coordinating Board. Discover this popular tool through 

your local ESC. Build a strong college- and career-ready culture in your 

school today! 

stevefrank@austin.rr.com 

www.esc13.net 

Booth #: 325 

Sole source providers of award-winning, research-based software. Programs 

deliver instruction and provide remediation in reading and math 

for grades preK–12. Programs include Lexia Reading, Mindplay Virtual 

Reading Coach, Fluent Reading Trainer, RAPS 360, HELP Math Program, 

Virtual Nerd, Symphony Math, PBS Kids Play, Orchard Learning software, 

and PIPO Spanish software. 


http://www.txedsol.com 

Booth #: 815 

236 

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EXHIBITORS 

Test Prep Seminars offers intensive SAT and ACT boot camps held on campus, 

during a selected school day, targeting sophomore, junior, and senior 

class students. This is a convenient and economical program based on 

specific test strategies and time management tools that can also be applied 

to current class activities. 

dmanning@testprepseminars.org 

www.testprepseminars.org 

Booth #: 706 

Think Through Math is America’s premier math differentiation system—a 

Web-based curriculum proven to raise math achievement for students in 

grades 3 through algebra I. The program is designed to meet the rigors of 

the Common Core and accelerate students to grade level. 

azappasodi@thinkthroughmath.com 

www.thinkthroughmath.com 

Booth #: 708 

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EXHIBITORS 

THINKING MAPS, INC. 

Thinking Maps endeavors to transform schools and increase student performance 

by providing specific visual patterns for limitless learning. Our 

training provides a clear, concise framework, derived from brain-based 

research, for teachers, students, and entire learning communities to share 

a common visual language that connects throught processes to promote 

critical thinking. 

kristie@thinkingmaps.com 

thinkingmaps.com 

Booth #: 337 

TITLE I STATEWIDE SS/FACE INITIATIVE 

We will be showcasing all of the parental involvement publications that 

TEA has requested. 

terri.stafford@esc16.net 

www.esc16.net 

Booth #: 602 

238 

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EXHIBITORS 

Leading provider of high-quality, supplemental, instructional materials for 

K–12 education. Literacy, math and ELA products are designed for supplemental, 

enrichment, or intervention strategies in the areas of core curriculum, 

enrichment curriculum, RTI, and special education. Materials are fully 

aligned with the TEKS and steeped in scientifically based research. 

kscott@triumphlearning.com 

www.triumphlearning.com 

Booth #: 820 

VELAZQUEZ PRESS 

Velazquez Press develops tools and resources for teachers and students 

that help with academic vocabulary and testing accommodations. The 

goal of Velazquez Press is to improve students’ understanding of the 

teacher and textbook by enhancing academic language skills and helping 

English learners improve test scores by using word-to-word dictionaries 

effectively in class and on tests. 

jruiz@academiclearnigcompany.com 

www.VelazquezPress.com 

Booth #: 339 

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EXHIBITORS 

WORD WALLS BY AMY LITTLETON 

Word walls based on the TEKS tested on STAAR. Sold in PDF form to be 

used in presentations and lectures on any device. Kindergarten through 

high school in all subjects now available. Sign up for a free word wall with 

chances to win twice daily. 

abeaman70@aol.com 

www.wordwallsbyamylittleton.com 

Booth #: 407 

240 

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Special Thanks 

Andie Hadeed, 

AISD’s Bowie Theatre Department 

and Directors Betsy Cornwell and Marco Bazan 

Austin ISD Fina Arts Program and 

Kristen Marstaller, Fine Arts Instructional Coordinator 

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PRESENTER 

BIOGRAPHIES 

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PRESENTER BIOS AND EMAIL ADDRESSES 


KAREN ADAMS 

Karen Adams is presently a Behavior Specialist with Crosby ISD directly responsible for Behavior 

RTI and all Behavioral programming. She taught Elementary for twelve years before becoming 

a Related Services Counselor working with multiple districts. Adams has a Master’s Degree in 

Counseling. 

kmadams66@yahoo.com 

DR. MARYLN APPELBAUM 

Dr. Maryln Appelbaum is a sought after presenter on today’s tough issues facing educators 

and parents. Dr. Appelbaum has a Doctorate in Psychology and Master’s degrees in both 

Psychology and Education. Her credentials include being a family therapist, a crisis consultant 

and a best-selling author. She has appeared on ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN and Fox and has authored 

more than 30 “how to” books for educators and parents. 

shannon@atiseminars.org 

DR. SAMUEL AYERS 

Dr. Sam Ayers is an educator with 29 years experience in schools located in San Antonio and 

Lubbock. He has served as an elementary, middle school and high school principal. He has 

served as a central office administrator and an adjunct professor at Lubbock Christian University. 

Dr. Ayers has made presentations to audiences at multiple state and national conferences and 

writes non-fiction and biographies targeted for elementary and middle school readers. 

sayers@lubbockisd.org 

244 

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KERRY BALLAST 

Kerry Ballast is the Director of Special Projects, Standards and Programs, at the Texas 

Education Agency. 

kerry.ballast@tea.state.tx.us 

RHONDA BARNWELL 

Rhonda Barnwell has been in education for six years, all of those years she has been both at 

Long Middle School and Special Education. During her first year as a teacher, she worked in 

the Behavior Unit, after that she became an Inclusion teacher in the English Language Arts 

Department. She has also been the Special Education Department Chair for the last four years. 

During such time students have shown gains across subject areas. 

Rbarnwell@dallasisd.org 

KELLY BEVIS-WOODIEL 

Kelly Bevis Woodiel is the Associate Director of Instructional Services at the Education Service 

Center, Region 2 in Corpus Christi, Texas. Prior to working at ESC 2, Kelly worked at ESC 20 in 

the areas of curriculum, school improvement, and special education. 

kelly.bevis@esc2.us 

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JOANNE BILLINGSLEY 

Joanne Billingsley, is a consultant, author, keynote speaker and internationally- acclaimed 

lecturer for the Bureau of Education & Research and Greenleaf Brain Institute. She is the 

recipient of numerous teaching awards, including regional Texas Teacher of the Year 2007. 

jbillingsley@satx.rr.com 

DR. ALAN BONILLA 

Dr. Allan R. Bonilla is an educator experienced as a teacher, counselor, assistant principal, 

and principal. He holds a Master’s in Counseling and a Doctorate in School Administration 

& Supervision. He currently serves as a Leadership Coach through ESC, Region 13 and has 

completed his first book on school leadership to be published by Corwin Press. His claim to 

fame is being selected Principal of the Year in the Miami-Dade School System. 

abonilla1@yahoo.com 

PAT BONILLA 

Pat Bonilla completed a career as a teacher in grades K-8 and holds a Master’s in Exceptional 

Student Education and Computer Education with an endorsement in Gifted Education. 

pat.bonilla@yahoo.com 

246 

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MARIO BRACAMONTES 

Mario Bracamontes is currently the Principal at Liberty Middle School in Pharr, Texas. Mr. 

Bracamontes has worked in public education in various capacities for over 12 years. He 

started his teaching career as an 8th grade History teacher and taught for 9 years. 

mario.bracamontes@psjaisd.us 

RHONDA BRADY 

Rhonda Brady graduated from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington in 1992. She 

has a Bachelors Degree in Education with a specialization in Mathematics and Science and 

has 15 years teaching experience. Brady was selected as Teacher of the Year for her campus 

in 2013. 

rbrady@algebrareadinesseducators.com 

MS. MITZI BRENNER 

Mitzi Brenner is an instructional specialist, curriculum writer and former teacher and 

administrator in Texas schools for over 20 years combined. Mitzi has a passion for building 

literacy for all students and for improving instructional strategies for English Language 

Learners and struggling readers. Mitzi received her undergraduate and Master’s degrees 

from Texas State University and currently serves as Regional Director of Sales in Central and 

North Texas for Achieve3000. 

mitzi.brenner@achieve3000.com 

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KRISTYNA BREWER 

As a classroom teacher in language arts, Kristyna Brewer always managed to make an 

indelible impression on her students and change their academic lives through her classroom 

intervention. As a teacher leader, through her dual role as a coach for both Instruction and 

Literacy at Simon Middle School, she guides teachers toward instructional practices that are 

both student-centered and research-based. 

brewerk@hayscisd.net 

SHIRLENE BRIDGEWATER 

Shirlene Bridgewater is currently an ELA Teacher Leader at Marble Falls HS. Considering 

teaching a “calling,” she strives to inspire educators--with compassion and a love of words-- 

to focus on student-centered learning, collaboration, and data to achieve optimal results. Her 

honors include Texas Region 13 Secondary Teacher of the Year; Outstanding Teaching of the 

Humanities Award given by Humanities Texas; and MFHS AP Teacher of the Year. Shirlene also 

serves as a board member of Humanities Texas. 

sbridgewater@mfisd.txed.net 

KAREN BUCKLAND 

Karen Buckland has been teaching high school English Language Arts for more than 10 years 

to students whose skills range from illiterate to gifted. She teaches English III and serves as 

English Department Chair at Palestine High School in Palestine, Texas. 

kbuckland@palestineschools.org 

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SHANNA BURTON 

Ms. Shana Burton is the associate principal at Hillcrest High School in Dallas ISD. She has 

experience as a classroom teacher and assistant principal at both middle and high school 

levels. She is active in campus planning, working with PLCs, and providing professional 

development to campus stakeholders. 

sburton@dallasisd.org 

VERA CANCELLARE 

Vera Cancellare is the Principal of School-age Parent Center in El Paso, Texas. She has been an 

educator for 33 years and all of her educational experience has been spent in at-risk schools. 

For the last 10 years, she has been a principal in EPISD Alternative schools and has helped 

lead each of them to educational excellence through high expectations, enthusiasm and love. 

Education is her passion not just her job! 

vkcancel@episd.org 

CHRIS CANNON 

Chris Cannon, author of WINNING back our BOYS is a national youth development trainer, 

whose mission is to empower and equip teachers to maximize their interaction with today’s 

youth. He developed his key insights from being on the frontlines and working with youth 

and educational systems across the country. As a national trainer, former high school teacher 

and coach, he’s earned a reputation as one who knows first hand how to effectively reach 

today’s youth. 

Chris@Fighting4Youth.com 

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VALERIE CAREY 

Valerie Carey has 32 years of teaching and leading experience on secondary campuses. 

She has led the math department for over 10 years in informal and formal manners. With 

a masters degree from TWU, she leads with passion, focus, and drive that encourages all 

around her to always do what is best for students. 

valeriecarey@celinaisd.com 

KIMBERLY CARROLL 

Kimberly Carroll has 18 years of experience in Fort Bend ISD where she served as an English 

teacher, counselor, assistant principal, associate principal and currently serves as the principal 

of Lake Olympia Middle School. As a first year principal, Ms. Carroll was selected to be the 

principal of an Academically Unacceptable campus where she has set a structure for student 

success. 

kimberly.carroll@fortbend.k12.tx.us 

DR. SELINA CHAPA 

Selina H. Chapa, Ed.D. is Director of Human Resources at Aldine Independent School District 

in Houston, Texas. She received a doctorate degree in Educational Leadership from the 

University of Houston, a master degree in Administration from Texas A&M International, and 

a bachelor degree in Elementary Education from Texas A&I University. Mrs. Chapa has 27 

years of experience in the field of education. In addition to her current position, she has 

served the district in the role of assistant principal and principal. Prior to joining Aldine, 

she was a teacher and assistant principal at United ISD in Laredo, Texas. As a teacher she 

received the Teacher of the Year award, served as grade level chair and as a teacher mentor. 

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As assistance principal and principal, she was the instructional leader for the Title I schools 

and lead district initiatives that promoted high student achievement. Her greatest growth 

has come as a member of the Human Resources Department. She serves as the project 

director for the districts reform initiative to develop a new teacher evaluation system. She 

also wrote, was awarded, and served as the project director for an initiative to implement a 

comprehensive mentor program. 

JOE CLIFFORD 

Joe Clifford is a retired school administrator with thirty-eight years of experience. He has 

worked as a state social worker assisting developmentally disabled adults and as a classroom 

teacher working with emotionally disturbed, disruptive and disinterested teenagers. Prior to 

entering the administrative arena, he was an elementary and high school guidance counselor. 

Clifford has been fortunate enough to garner a reputation as a building principal that 

transitions schools which have been struggling to higher performing levels. In this capacity, 

he was able to bring a middle school, which was also an exceptional student education center 

school and a Title I eligible school, from a perennial “C” school to a letter grade of “A” and, 

upon his retirement in January, was able to move one of his district’s high schools, which was 

perilously close to a letter grade of “F”, to within six points of an “A”. He attributes part of his 

professional success in transitioning struggling schools to his concentrated attention to the 

Learning Focused philosophy. 

jclifford@learningfocused.com 

GARY CONSENZA 

Gary Cosenza is the President and CEO of Cosenza & Associates, LLC, and is also a project 

manager for the Institute for Public School Initiatives at the University of Texas at Austin. Gary 

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has over 40 years of experience in education, including experience as a classroom teacher, 

regional mathematics specialist, director of curriculum, and project manager. As a classroom 

teacher, Gary taught mathematics, and has extensive experience in curriculum development 

and delivery of professional development. 

gary@cosenzaassociates.com 

LINDA COTTLE 

A professional educator since 1979, Linda Cottle has taught in New Mexico, California, 

and Texas. Her experience includes every size high school from 1A to 5A, Community 

College, Junior College, University, and online university classes. In 2010, Linda received the 

Outstanding Teaching of the Humanities award given by Humanities Texas. Cottle lives with 

her husband and two teenaged daughters in Devine, Texas. Her Navy Rescue Swimmer son is 

currently stationed in Norfolk, VA. 

linda.cottle@devineisd.org 

LEE COURVILLE 

Lee Courville has been in education for 24 years, beginning his career as a classroom teacher 

in Title I schools. Recently, he served as the Coordinator of the School Improvement Program 

with the School Improvement Resource Center, providing support to campuses and districts 

throughout the state of Texas failing to meet Adequate Yearly Progress. Currently Mr. Courville 

is the Director of Elementary Academics in Marble Falls ISD. 

hcourville@mfisd.txed.net 

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ELI CROW 

Eli Crow is the superintendent of the Innovation Academy Charter School. This university 

charter uses a STEM framework to promote active student engagement through projectbased 

learning. 

jcrow@uttyler.edu 

ALISON CUNDARI 

Alison Cundari is an instructor at the School-age Parent Center, El Paso, Texas. She received 

her Bachelor of Arts Degree in History from Northern Illinois University. After moving to Texas 

she took a Master of Arts in History from the University of Texas at El Paso. She has taught 

19 years for the EPISD and has worked as part of the district’s American History curriculum 

writing team for the last 9 years. 

JASON DANIEL 

Jason Daniel is a customer experience agent and content author with Sapling Learning. He has 

10 years of experience as a science teacher and 4 years experience as a school administrator. 

jason.daniel@saplinglearning.com 

JACK DARDEN 

Jack is the Scholastic Inc. Account Executive for Central Texas. 

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DR. LURA DAVIDSON 

Lura Davidson has over 20 years within school improvement. Her doctorate is in Curriculum 

& Instruction/Administration. She has teaching/admin work experience from PreK through 

graduate classes. As a former superintendent, after five years of cultural change through 

focused school improvement using the John Goodlad model of Restructure, Reform and 

Renewal, the district was identified “Distinguished” for improved learner achievement results. 

davidsonlura@hotmail.com 

JENNIFER DE LEON 

Jennifer Saldaña De Leon received her BS in Biology/Wildlife Sciences and worked for the U.S. 

Department of the Interior for 9 years. She received her Alternative Teacher Certification in 

Bilingual Education and taught mathematics, science, and English Language Arts. Mrs. De 

Leon served as Administrative Assistant to the campus principal and earned her master’s 

degree in Educational Administration. Currently, Mrs. De Leon is an Education Specialist for 

Region 17. She and her husband have three children. 

jdeleon@esc17.net 

JENNIFER DEGRAAF 

Jennifer DeGraaf has spent the past 16 years educating students in El Paso ISD. She began as a 

SPED paraprofessional, eventually teaching ESOL, English, Reading, and Special Education. In 

2006 she became an instructional coach for EPISD and in 2012 became an assistant principal 

at Irvin High School in El Paso, Texas. 

jmdegraa@episd.org 

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SHERRY DIMARCO 

Sherry DiMarco, LCSW, has over 15 years of experience working with children, adolescents, 

and adults in the areas of mental health, school social work, school-based mental health 

and foster care. Ten of those years have been spent working directly with schools to design 

and implement services to increase the academic success of children experiencing difficult 

situations. 

sherry.dimarco@esc13.txed.net 

DR. DAVID DOCKTERMAN 

David Dockterman is chief architect, learning sciences at Scholastic Education where he 

provides guidance on turning research into practice and programs. Over his 25-plus years in 

the industry, Dockterman has led the development of scores of award-winning instructional 

technology programs, including Decisions, Decisions; Thinking Reader; FASTT Math; and 

TimeLiner. Most recently he served as a key adviser for the creation of Scholastic’s MATH 180. 

ddockterman@scholastic.com 

BRAD DOMITROVICH 

Brad Domitrovich is a veteran communications and public relations professional with over 

thirty years of experience in the academic, entrepreneurial, and corporate environment. An 

accomplished speaker and presenter, he has accepted invitations to present at leadership 

conferences and seminars throughout Texas and the United States. Brad is a Past President 

of the Texas School Public Relations Association and spent six years serving on the TSPRA 

Executive Committee. His areas of expertise include: school public relations, customer service, 

crisis communications, and strengthening community partnerships. 

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DR. DAVE DOTY 

During his time as a school district superintendent, Dr. David Doty built districtwide 

structures for professional development and teacher collaboration that resulted in consistent 

improvements in student learning. In addition to his role as a district leader, Dr. Doty has also 

served as a university professor and classroom teacher. Dr. Doty holds a law degree and Ph.D. 

in Educational Leadership from BYU, as well as a master’s degree from Stanford University’s 

Graduate School of Education. 

ddoty@cicerogroup.com 

TY DUNCAN 

Ty Duncan is currently Coordinator of Accountability and Compliance at Region 17 in Lubbock. 

He and his team work hard to create compulsory learning environments. Duncan is currently 

serving on the Accountability Technical Advisory Committee for the Texas Education Agency. 

Big Red Raider!! Wreck’em Tech!! 

tduncan@esc17.net 

DR. CORY DUTY 

Cory Duty is presently serving as a School Improvement Consultant for SREB, a school 

improvement initiative originating from the Southern Region Education Board in Atlanta 

Georgia. Cory has served as an elementary and secondary principal and teacher at the 

elementary and middle school level. Cory has worked in San Antonio, Austin, and the Central 

Texas area districts as well as a school improvement coach in Texas, New Mexico, Louisiana, 

and Mississippi. 

cory.duty@sreb.org 

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SANDRA ELLINGTON 

Sandra K. Ellington has been an administrator and ESC consultant for leadership professional 

development focused on the principalship. She is CEO of Administrative Leadership 

Development & Life/Leadership Coaching. She authored two SBEC approved principal 

assessments used across the state. She has served as a PSP since before 2009, a mentor coach 

for CLDC, and currently coaches statewide leaders for that organization. She was a coach for 

TEPSA’s CLASS and worked with senior leaders across Texas. 

ske1222@aol.com 


Rohny Escareño graduated from Harvard University with a degree in Visual & Environmental 

Studies and returned to his native Rio Grande Valley to positively impact student postsecondary 

success. Mr. Escareño has taught SAT & ACT Preparation/College Success, 

Geometry, and Precalculus over the past 5 years at Edcouch-Elsa High School. He serves as 

UIL Mathematics Coach, National Honor Society Advisor, and Mathematics Department Head. 

He was recently voted EEHS and District Secondary Teacher of the Year. 

rohny.escareno@gmail.com 

ALBERT FELTS 

Albert Felts is the Senior Coordinator of the Learning Systems team with the Region 13 

Education Service Center. He has worked with Region 13 for the last 13 years. He has 

extensive knowledge in the areas of behavior, mental health, school safety, and school-wide 

change processes. 

albert.felts@esc13.txed.net 

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ROBYN FENDER 

Robyn Fender has been an educator for over 23 years, teaching at both elementary and 

secondary levels. She also worked in a leadership role as an instructional coach on a high 

school campus for five years. Currently, she serves on the School Support Team at Educational 

Service Center, Region 20, providing professional development and technical assistance to 

districts and campuses in all stages of improvement. 

robyn.fender@esc20.net 

DIANE FLAIM 

Diane Flaim is currently the Project Coordinator for the Texas Turnaround Leadership Academy. 

She has been a classroom teacher, principal, district director and education specialist over the 

course of her career. The majority of her work has been with high risk schools, implementing 

systems that move those schools from missing state and national targeted mandates to 

exceeding those expectations for all student groups. 

diane.flaim@esc13.txed.net 

VICTOR FORSYTH 

Skip Forsyth entered the education profession in 1995: 8 years as a middle school and high 

school science teacher and 10 as years a consultant at Region 16. Prior to that he was a pastor 

at El Paso, Texas and Sydney, Australia. He enjoys golf, camping, hiking, and photography. 

He has been married for 33 years - one wife! He is blessed she has put up with him that long. 

skip.forsyth@esc16.net 

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DR. TERI FOWLER 

Teri Woods Fowler is a Professional Service Provider for Dallas ISD and a graduate instructor at 

Texas A&M University-Texarkana. She has experience as a campus principal, Special Education 

Director, and Executive Director of School Improvement. She has participated in the Oxford 

Roundtable and visited schools in Hong Kong, New Zealand, Mexico City, and Scotland. She 

is a graduate of Leadership Texas and is included in the 100 Distinguished Alumni of Texas 

A&M University-Commerce. 

tfowler@tamut.edu 

MARY GAMBREL 

Mary Gambrel has been in education for 17 years (all at Travis Middle School). However, all 

of her previous job duties have revolved around training. Her passsion is her students and 

she takes it personally when they are not successful. Gambrel’s goal is to continue to see her 

students become better mathematicians and ready for college. 

mary.gambrel@amaisd.org 

LIZ GARCIA 

Liz Garcia is an Educational Leadership Coach; a Life Coach; teacher; student; and a facilitator 

of learning for conversations, holding people accountable, influencing change, and the 

Daring Greatly curriculum created by Brene Brown. She has a master’s degree in Educational 

Administration and is currently working to complete her doctorate degree in School 

Improvement from Texas State University. 

liz.garcia@esc13.txed.net 

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RAFFY GARZA-VIZCAINO 

Raffy Garza Vizcaino is presently serving as a School Improvement Consultant with Making 

Middle Grades Work, a school improvement initiative originating from the Southern Region 

Education Board in Atlanta Georgia. Raffy has served as an elementary and middle school 

principal, as well as, a Master teacher and instructional coach in the English Language Arts 

area and, has also served as Austin ISD’s Principal Academy middle school principal coach 

and mentor. 

rgvizcaino@hotmail.com 

DR. MARK GOODEN 

Dr. Mark A. Gooden’s research interests include the principalship, anti-racist leadership, urban 

educational leadership and legal issues in education. He currently serves on the Executive 

Committee for University Council for Educational Administration (UCEA). 

Mark has served as a secondary mathematics teacher and department chairperson who 

facilitated professional development workshops for and with teachers and educational 

leaders. He has spent 11 years in higher education developing and teaching courses in 

leadership, diversity, law, and research methods. 

gooden@austin.utexas.edu 

CHARLOTTE GOUDEAU 

Charlotte Goudeau is a Certified Special Education Teacher, School Counselor, Certified 

Special Education Counselor, and Certified Principal. She has taught students in Resource 

and in Behavior Adjustment Classes. In addition, she has been an Elementary Counselor, 

High School Counselor and District Related Services Counselor. Goudeau has also served as 

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Transition Supervisor and is currently the District Behavior Specialist responsible for Behavior 

RTI and oversight of Behavior Adjustment Classes. She has a Master’s Degree in Education. 

charlotte.goudeau@hotmail.com 

DR. PAUL GRAY 

Dr. Paul Gray is a curriculum developer and professional development consultant for Cosenza 

& Associates, LLC, as well as a project manager for the Institute for Public School Initiatives 

at the University of Texas at Austin. Paul has also served on several statewide committees: 

President of the Texas Council of Teachers of Mathematics (TCTM), Secretary of Texas 

Association of Supervisors of Mathematics (TASM), and President of the CAMT Board of 

Directors. 

paul@cosenzaassociates.com 

D’ETTE GRIFFIN 

D’Ette Griffin taught Special Education in Northern New Mexico for 8 years and taught in 

residential treatment facilities, BIA schools and for New Mexico Public Schools. She has 

worked extensively with the ancillary staff and school psychologists and was responsible for 

setting up an alternative school in a residential treatment facility. Having taught life-skills, 

resource, full inclusion and pull out, Griffin holds two Masters Degrees, one in Behavioral 

Science and one in Teaching and Learning in Technology. 

dettegriffin22@hotmail.com 

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DR. CAROL HARLE 

Dr. Carol Harle received her PhD in Curriculum Studies at the University of Texas at Austin and 

has been a teacher, an academic Dean/Vice Principal for Academics, Professional Development 

Coordinator, Curriculum Director Pre-12, Executive Director for School Improvement PreK-12, 

Professional Service Provider and is currently the Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and 

Instruction in Harlandale ISD, San Antonio, Texas. 

carolharle@harlandale.net 

SUZY HARTMAN 

Suzy Hartman has been touching the future through education for 21 years. She was a teacher 

at Three Rivers ISD for 10 years and a Reading First Grant Coordinator for 3 years. After living 

out of the country for one year, she could not wait to get back to Texas students and schools. 

Suzy returned to her passion of teaching in Calallen for two years as a Reading Intervention 

Specialist. Subsequently, she was an elementary school principal for 5 years with Gregory- 

Portland ISD where she led an Exemplary and Title I Distinguished School. Most recently, 

Suzy joined the staff at the ESC, Region 2 where she works with NCLB, Title I, Homeless and 

Turnaround Programs. 

suzy.hartman@esc2.us 

DR. WESLEY HICKEY 

Wes Hickey is an associate professor of educational leadership at The University of Texas at 

Tyler. He has worked as a Professional Service Provider for several years with many different 

school districts. 

whickey@uttyler.edu 

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TIFFANY HICKS 

Tiffany Hicks has been an active member of the education community for 20 years, with 7 

years of experience in the classroom combined with 13 years of experience in educational 

publishing and solutions. She has worked with all levels of students in education, as well as a 

variety of learners, with a special interest in educational technology and student engagement. 

An alumnus of Texas Tech University, she currently serves as Regional Director of Sales for 

Achieve3000. 

tiffany.hicks@achieve3000.com 

SHERRY HUDDLESTON 

Sherry Huddleston has over 30 years of teaching experience. She currently teaches CTE 

courses, as well as serves as the CTE/mentoring coach for Celina High School. She is focused 

on meeting the needs of diverse students to give them the opportunity to become responsible 

for his/her academic success. 

sherryhuddleston@celinaisd.com 

DONNA JANSSEN 

As Coordinator of District Leadership Initiatives (DLI) at the Texas Center for District and School 

Support, Donna Janssen contributes her knowledge of leadership and over two decades of 

experience in Texas educational administration. Her current work includes development and 

oversight of district level tools and support to hone effective district practice based on solid 

research. Donna is also an executive leadership coach and leadership development trainer. 

donna.janssen@esc13.txed.net 

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DR. CORDELL JONES 

Cordell Jones has been in education for 20 years, serving as an administrator at the elementary, 

middle and high school levels. In 2012, he was the HEB Elementary Principal of the Year for 

south Texas. Currently, he is principal of the Alamo Heights Junior School. Additionally, Cordell 

is on the Executive Board of the School Leaders Network and is the past President of the 

Alamo Area Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development. 

cordell@ahisd.net 

PAULA JORDAN 

Paula Jordan trains educators across the state in the use of a web-based software suite of 

applications designed to improve the quality of education provided to students. Jordan has 

presented at regional service centers and school districts across the state. Jordan worked as 

an educator at the elementary and middle school levels. She holds an A.A. in Accounting, a 

B.S. in Business Administration and Management, and a Master of Education/ Educational 

Leadership. 

pjordan@esc7.net 

DR. TRENT KAUFMAN 

Dr. Trent Kaufman developed a strong interest in the ways in which data is used in schools 

during his time as a high school teacher and administrator. After earning his Ed.D., he used 

his collective experience to found Education Direction, a school reform organization. He is 

an author of Collaborative School Improvement (HEP, 2012) and The Transparent Teacher 

(Jossey-Bass, March 2013). Dr. Kaufman has supported implementation of TDO in dozens of 

schools across the country. 

tkaufman@eddirection.com 

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TED KERR 

Ted Kerr serves as one of the managers for the Division of Program Monitoring and 

Interventions. He has been with the Texas Education Agency for nine years. Prior to coming 

to the agency, he served as a coach, teacher, principal, and superintendent. He has been vital 

in developing the integrated intervention system for PBM. 

Ted.Kerr@tea.state.tx.us 

DR. DONNA KNOELL 

Dr. Donna Knoell is an educational consultant, author, and instructional specialist. She 

has a proven record of working with schools throughout the USA, to help improve 

academic achievement of students. She is a recognized expert in content reading, reading 

comprehension, and vocabulary development, and is also recognized for her expertise in K-8 

mathematics, science and social studies. She has spoken internationally and at IRA, LDA, CEC, 

IDA, NCTE, ASCD, NCTM, NSTA, NCSS, and TAGT. 

dknoell@sbcglobal.net 

DR. TAMMY KREUZ 

Dr. Tammy Kreuz is Executive Director at the Texas Center for Educator Effectiveness (ESC 18). 

Kreuz previously served as Director for Educator Quality Initiatives at the Institute for Public 

School Initiatives and as a program manager at the TEA. She began her career as a high school 

business teacher. Kreuz holds a B.B.A. and an M.B.A. from Texas State University. She also 

holds a Ph.D. in Educational Administration from the University of Texas at Austin. 

kmcdonald@txcee.org 

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LIN KUZMICH 

Lin Kuzmich is a consultant and bestselling author. She served school districts in several roles 

as a regular and special education teacher K-12, principal and district administer. Lin currently 

works with schools struggling to meet the needs of diverse learners, requirements of AYP, 

and challenging standards. Lin’s work with schools improves achievement results, as PSP she 

helped two schools off AU status. Lin is passionate about helping educators prepare students 

for a successful future. 

kuzenergy@gmail.com 

KATHERINE LACHANCE 

Katherine LaChance graduated from Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas in 2001. She has a 

Bachelors Degree in General Studies with a specialization in Mathematics and has 12 years 

teaching experience in Mathematics. LaChance was selected as Teacher of the Year and is a 

Reaud Excellence in Education Award nominee. 

klachance@algebrareadinesseducators.com 

SHAUNA LANE 

Shauna Lane is currently a School Improvement and School Counseling Specialist at Region 

17 in Lubbock. Shauna served as Curriculum Director and School Counselor in Region 17 

before moving to the Service Center in April. She has worked extensively in testing and 

program coordination and brings a wonderful perspective to improving our systems. 

slane@esc17.net 

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LISA LASTER 

Lisa Laster is currently the sales and training representative of STEMscopes where she 

oversees East and South Texas accounts. She was a 5th-8th grademath teacher and 6th grade 

science teacher. Lisa left the classroom after 14 years to become a science and math content 

specialist for Lee and Fannin Elementary schools in the Grand Prairie ISD. For the past 2 years, 

Lisa has served as a trainer and sales rep for Rice University STEMscopes online science 

curriculum. 

LLaster@stemscopes.com 

LESLI LAUGHTER 

Lesli Laughter served 32 years in public schools as an assistant superintendent, middle school 

principal, elementary principal and teacher. As a principal, Lesli led both her elementary 

campus and middle school campus to Exemplary ratings. As Assistant Superintendent 

over Curriculum and Instruction, Lesli facilitated the implementation of a comprehensive 

curriculum management system resulting in higher levels of academic achievement. Lesli is 

passionate about creating and sustaining systems where all students succeed. 

Lesli@learningblueprints.com 

DR. LARRY LEWIS 

Dr. Larry D. Lewis has been on the cutting edge of education reform for many years. While 

currently serving as the Coordinator of Student Achievement and Involvement, Dr. Lewis has 

experience as Superintendent, Principal, Assistant Principal, Teacher and Consultant. Dr. Lewis 

is committed to ALL children learning at the high end of academic excellence and ALL means 

ALL! 

larrydlewis@hughes.net 

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PATRICIA G. LEWIS 

Patricia G. Lewis, Chief School Improvement Officer in Grand Prairie ISD, is a gifted and 

committed educator. Her expertise in teaching and learning is only surpassed by her love 

for the students. With over 30 years of experience, Mrs. Lewis consistently encounters 

former students and parents who thank her for IMPACTING their lives and family. With her 

colleagues, she has earned the utmost trust and respect. Mrs. Lewis makes everyone and 

everything better! 

patricia.lewis@gpisd.org 

KIMBERLY LITTLE 

Kimberly Little is the 12th grade Assistant Principal of Everman High School. She taught 

English for seven years in grades 6-12 and was AVID Coordinator and teacher for three years. 

klittle@eisd.org 

DR. LUCY LONG 

Lucy Long Ph.D. is an educational consultant who worked 35 years in public education as an 

English teacher, school administrator and executive director of parent education and family 

services. The majority of those service years were in Richardson ISD (1975-1995) and Plano 

ISD (2002-2008). Since 2002, her focus has been on creating parent engagement programs 

that are easy to implement, culturally comfortable for families, and bring about academic 

improvement. 

drlucylong@gmail.com 

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DANA LUTHER 

Dana Luther taught high school math in Philadelphia before moving out to California to 

pursue a career with MIND Research. She trained educators for a year on how to use the 

software, and then moved into the Product Management department. Dana is now the 

Associate Product Manager, focusing on customer usage, understanding, and satisfaction 

with the range of ST Math products. 

dluther@mindresearch.net 

DIANA MADRID 

Diana Madrid is currently a Coordinator of Bilingual/ESL Programs and Early Childhood at 

Education Service Center, Region 20 in San Antonio, Texas. In this role, she oversees the 

support provided to local education agencies to ensure accountability and implementation of 

best practices for English language learners in the San Antonio and surrounding areas. Diana 

has also worked as an elementary bilingual educator, literacy leader and a bilingual reading 

intervention teacher in the El Paso/New Mexico area. 

diana.madrid@esc20.net 

REYNALDO MADRIGAL 

Rey Madrigal has served as Superintendent of the Harlandale ISD since 2012. He graduated 

from Harlandale High School, received his BS from University of Texas at San Antonio, his 

Master of Science in School Administration from Texas A&M University at Kingsville and his 

Superintendent’s Certification from the Region 20 Texas Superintendents’ Certification. He 

was a Special Education Teacher, a Coach, and an Athletics Coordinator. He served as Principal 

at both Harlandale Middle and Harlandale High School where he led “transformation” from 

AU to Recognized status. 

rey.madrigal@harlandale.net 

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JANICE MAGEE 

Janice Magee has been teaching math for more than 15 years and has education experience at 

every level from elementary through high school. She currently teaches Algebra and Geometry 

at Palestine High School in Palestine, Texas in addition to serving as Math Department Chair. 

jmagee@palestineschools.org 

SEAN MARCOULIDES 

Sean Marcoulides is currently the Technical Specialist for Statewide Snapshot housed within 

the District Leadership Initiatives work-group of TCDSS. He has served as the heart of 

the innovation and improvements that have made the Snapshot program a success. Sean 

manages and makes meaning of the collection of statewide snapshot data. He also develops 

and provides ongoing technical assistant to Education Service Center staff members and 

educational consultants across the state of Texas. 

sean.marcoulides@esc13.txed.net 

BEVERLY MARTIN 

Beverly Martin trains educators across the state in the use of a web-based software suite 

of applications designed to improve the quality of education provided to students. Martin 

worked as an educator in a variety of roles at multiple grade levels for more than 20 years. 

bmartin@esc7.net 

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CASSANDRA MENDOZA 

Ms. Mendoza is currently the Career Academies Dean for Dr. Leo G. Cigarroa High School in 

the Laredo ISD. Her duties include overseeing all of the academic departments and all grant 

activities. She works closely with all consultants in implementing best practices to provide 

quality teaching for all students. Ms. Mendoza received her Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree 

from Texas A&M International University. Prior to being an administrator, Ms. Mendoza 

taught secondary English for ten years. 

TORI MITCHELL 

Tori Mitchell has been in education for 17 years. She has served as a classroom teacher and 

program coordinator. Currently, Tori serves on the Accountability and Compliance Team at 

Region 17 Education Service Center. 

tmitchell@esc17.net 

JAN MOBERLY 

Jan Moberley is the Director of Instruction at Region 10 Education Service Center where she 

leads programs related to content area instruction, special programs, student and counselor 

support, school improvement, federal programs and curriculum and assessment. She has 

served as the national assessment consultant for several textbook publishers and developed 

many instruction and planning products over the years. A veteran of urban, suburban, and 

rural schools, she has worked in creating audit tools across many programs. 

Jan.Moberley@region10.org 

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STACY MORRIS 

Stacy Morris is an 18-year educator with over 12 years in administrative experience in both 

urban and rural schools. Mrs. Morris currently serves as the principal for Woods Intermediate 

School in Wills Point ISD. Woods Intermediate is a rural,Title I campus with a diverse student 

population supported by educators who are committed to excellence. - Whatever It Takes! 

stacy.morris@wpisd.com 

DR. ROB O’CONNER 

Dr. Rob O’Connor received his doctorate from Texas A & M Commerce in Educational 

Leadership in 2011. Over the last 8 years, he has served as Superintendent of schools. As a 

superintendent, he has had two high schools make double digit gains in math and science on 

state assessments. Dr. O’Connor has served in public education over 20 years having worked 

on all grade levels from K-12. 

roconnor@mfisd.txed.net 

LACEY PADGETT 

Lacey Padgett is currently an Education Specialist for the Texas Turnaround Leadership 

Academy. She has been a teacher, mathematics curriculum specialist, district director, and 

principal over the course of her career. The majority of her work has been a focus on building 

a culture of teaching and learning through data driven instructional decision making. She has 

been effective at closing achievement gaps and raising the bar for all learners. 

lacey.padgett@esc13.txed.net 

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NITA PAGE 

Nita L. Page, an educator for 21 years, has taught High School English; served as an Assistant 

Principal for four years; Principal of Spring Lake Middle School in Spring Lake, North Carolina 

for four years; Principal of North Crowley Ninth Grade Campus for three years; and is currently 

serving as Principal of Everman High School (5th year). 

npage@eisd.org 

BOB PARRISH 

Bob Parrish has been the Executive Vice President of AnsMar Publishers Inc, publishers of 

Excel Math, for 17 years. He has presented at numerous conferences speaking on effective 

direct instruction. Before coming to AnsMar Publishers he worked for 21 years at KFMB-TV, a 

CBS affiliate, in San Diego. 


ERIC PENROD 

Eric Penrod has fourteen years of experience in education at the secondary level. He has 

served as a biology teacher, high school assistant principal, and high school principal in 

several districts. Currently, he serves as the Director of Secondary Academics in Marble Falls 

ISD. He is also the proud husband of an educator and father of three girls, ages 6, 7 and 8. 

epenrod@mfisd.txed.net 

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COLETTE PLEDGER 

Colette Pledger has served as a teacher, campus administrator, and central office 

administrator including District Shepard for TTIPS at Celina High School. With a Masters 

degree in Educational Administration, she has led campuses and districts to improve student 

performance by following the transformation process using the critical success factors. For 

the past four years, working in Celina ISD as District Director of Instruction, she currently 

serves as Director of Curriculum and Instruction in Robinson ISD. 

rccrpledger@att.net 

MATT POPE 

After achieving success in the classroom, Matt Pope’s passion for making change happen 

moved him to seek leadership roles. After a short tenure as an Elementary Instructional 

Coach, he became Assistant Principal at Simon Middle School. At the age of 30, he was 

chosen to be the Principal at Simon and quickly achieved remarkable success, making a name 

for himself as a leader unafraid to make difficult, brave choices in the name of student success. 

popem@hayscisd.net 

KENDRA POWELL 

Kendra Powell, a graduate of Texas Tech University with a B.S. in Biology, is currently the 

Secondary Content Specialist for Science in Marble Falls ISD, where she has also served as 

the high school science Teacher Leader and Department Chair. She has also spearheaded 

curriculum writing for the district. Kendra has presented at the Texas Middle School 

Conference and CAST. She is a recipient of a Highland Lakes Legacy Foundation Teacher of 

the Year Award. 

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DOLORES RAMON 

Dolores Ramon is co-founder of pledge2teach, an education coaching and consulting 

company. She currently serves as a consultant and DCSI for a charter school and works 

as a Field Supervisor for Alamo Colleges. She has over thirty years of experience in public 

education and has taught in United ISD, Conroe ISD and has served as a teacher, vice-principal 

and principal in North East ISD. 

dolores.ramon@pledge2teach.com 

KATHY REEVES 

Kathy Reeves, the founder and president of Scientific Minds LLC, is an award-winning science 

educator. With 24 years of teaching and department chair experience, she developed the 

highly effective Science Starters program. She continues to develop technology-based 

programs built on sound brain research and best instructional practices. 

kathy@scientificminds.com 

CLAYTON RENFROE 

Clayton Renfroe, Area Partnership Manager for Imagine Learning serving ESC Regions 9, 11, 

14, 16 and 17 in Northwest, Texas has been an active member of the education community 

for over 12 years. Clayton has trained educators across the state helping them to improve 

passing rates in ELA by using differentiated software. He has worked as the regional manager 

of the journal in education, “The Wall Street Journal”. He obtained a BA degree from Texas 

Tech University in History and English. 

clayton.renfroe@imaginelearning.com 

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NICKIE RIZZO 

Nickie Rizzo, an educator for 30 years, is currently the Director of Professional Development 

for Math Solutions. She recruits new consultants and ensures quality professional learning 

opportunities for all consultants. Nickie is a former K-12 math instructional specialist and 

middle school mathematics teacher for North East Independent School District in San 

Antonio, Texas. She lives in San Antonio, TX. 

nrizzo@mathsolutions.com 


Tausha Robinson has been an Assistant Principal of Travis Middle School for seven years. She 

was previously a 7th grade science teacher and a high school chemistry teacher before going 

to Travis. Robinson’s entire career in education has been at Title 1 schools and her passion is 

to break the vicious cycle of poverty through a commitment to education beyond high school. 

tausha.robinson@amaisd.org 

FRANCISCO RODRIGUEZ 

Francisco Rodriguez has been with Region 17 ESC for over six years. Mr. Rodriguez started 

as a Migrant Education Program Facilitator where he began his work with many families 

and students on a one-to-one basis. Mr. Rodriguez currently serves on the Accountability 

& Compliance team as an Education Specialist in the following program areas: No Child 

Left Behind/Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the Migrant Education Program, and 

Parental Involvement. 

frodriguez@esc17.net 

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DR. IGNACIO SALINAS, JR. 

As an educator for 24 years, Ignacio Salinas, Jr. has served Texas public schools as a teacher, 

principal, and superintendent. Before recently taking over leadership at Premont ISD, Ignacio 

served as superintendent in two other South Texas school districts, one of which was in 

crisis and under TEA monitoring status. His expertise in leadership development, curriculum 

design, financial systems, and community partnerships has helped empower school districts 

to successfully transform their organizations. 

ignaciosalinasjr@gmail.com 

JOHN SAMARA 

John Samara, Director of The Curriculum Project, has served as a classroom teacher, 

coordinator of a gifted program, instructor at university sites, and coordinator of a university 

outreach program. Currently, he provides staff development, administrator training and long 

term technical assistance to education agencies implementing the Model Classrooms Project 

(MCP). Studies have confirmed a “statistically significant improvement in student performance 

on standardized test scores” as a result of continued use of strategies embedded in MCP. 

tcpoffice@curriculumproject.com 

THERESE SAMPERI 

Ms. Samperi served 36 years in Aldine ISD as a teacher, counselor, assistant principal and 

principal. During this time she was the principal of two different high school campuses. The 

first campus held a rating of exemplary. Under her leadership, the second campus moved 

from Year 1 AYP to no longer being in trouble with AYP. Currently, Ms. Samperi is serving as an 

External PSP, through the PSP Network where she works with three campuses. 

htherese@swbell.net 

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BETSY SAPIENZA 

Betsy Sapienza has served as a Curriculum and Instruction Director for Chartiers Valley School 

District, a Principal for Chartiers Valley Middle School for 17 years and a teacher of Family 

and Consumer Science. She is a DDI Certified Trainer and Consultant and is Hands on Math 

certified. 


DR. JOHN SCHACTER 

John Schacter, Ph.D. has served as vice president of research for the Milken Family Foundation, 

Senior Fellow at Stanford’s Educational Leadership Institute, and currently teaches at San Jose 

State University. Dr. Schacter has been invited to testify to numerous state legislatures on 

the topics of teacher evaluation, comprehensive school reform, & statistical growth analyses. 

John has appeared on National Public Radio, and been cited in USA Today, The LA Times and 

other prominent national newspapers. 

schacter@sbcglobal.net 

JANA SCHREINER 

Jana Schreiner has been in education for 17 years. She started as an English teacher and 

has taught journalism. She has worked as an assistant principal and as a district Coordinator 

of Accountability and Assessment. Jana is currently the consultant of Accountability and 

Assessment at Region 10. Jana’s believes that educators should know the data in order to 

meet the students where they are because all students can learn. 

jana.schreiner@region10.org 

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JOHN SCHUMACHER 

John Schumacher has 29 years of experience in education. He has had the privilege to teach, 

coach and be an administrator at all levels at some time during his career. He currently serves 

as the Principal at Marble Falls Middle School, in Marble Falls ISD. In the past two years, he 

implemented systemic changes that have increased learning by double digits. He is married 

and has four children and five grandchildren. 

jschumacher@mfisd.txed.net 

NATOSHA SCOTT 

Natosha works at the Region 10 Educational Service Center as the Program Coordinator of 

the State and Federal Initiatives Team. She has been in education for 14 years and worked 

as a general education teacher, special education teacher, Educational Diagnostician and as 

a Lecturer at the University level. She is passionate about working with under-served and 

under-considered students. She believes that if we empower our studentsand their parents 

then nothing can stop their success. 

natosha.scott@region10.org 

DR. GENE SHEETS 

Gene Sheets received his B.S.Ed. and M.S.Ed. from Abilene Christian University. He taught 

math for 5 years and was a Secondary Principal for 5 years in Abilene, Texas. He received his 

Doctor of Education degree from Texas Tech University. He was Superintendent in Hedley ISD 

for 2 years, Hamilton ISD for 2 years, and Muleshoe ISD for 13 years. He has been married to 

Melody for 40 years, and they have three children. 

gsheets@muleshoeisd.net 

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ERNEST SINGLETON 

For the past thiry-one years, Ernest Singleton has served educational organizations 

throughout Texas as teacher, principal, curriculum director, TEA and ESC2 program and 

leadership specialist and superintendent. His motivation and energy is driven by his passion 

to ensure success for every child. Practical and successful experiences in transformational 

change has earned him credibility in school districts across the state, motivating them to also 

take bold and courageous steps to turn around and reinvent their organizations. 

ehsingleton@gmail.com 

JENNIFER SMITH 

Jennifer Smith is a teacher of Social Studies at Lanier High School in Austin ISD. She is a 

graduate of Southeastern Louisiana University. She participated in a four year professional 

development partnership with Dr. Aida Walqui at QTEL and is a certified QTEL Building the 

Base professional developer. During the 2012-2013 school year, Jennifer served on the PBIS 

committee that spear headed the campus-wide implementation of PBIS level I interventions. 

jennifer.smith@austinisd.org 

TERRI STAFFORD 

Terri Stafford is the Coordinator for the Title I Statewide School Support and Family & 

Community Engagement Initiative and specializes in the areas of family engagement, school 

support, school climate, and communication. For 15 years, Terri has been developing and 

presenting techniques that are practical and easy-to-use within a traditional educational 

system. Her innovative presentations are characterized by her hands-on, no-nonsense 

approach combined with her humor and personal experiences to teach, challenge, and inspire 

audiences. 

terri.stafford@esc16.net 

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JUDY STRUVE 

Ms. Struve serves as one of the managers for the Division of Program Monitoring and 

Interventions. She has been with the Texas Education Agency for seven years. Prior to coming 

to the agency, she worked in all aspects of special education in school districts and Region 17 

ESC. She has been vital in developing the integrated intervention system for PBM. 

Judy.Struve@tea.state.tx.us 

DR. MAX THOMPSON 

Dr. Thompson is the Project Director and Leadership consultant for the Learning-Focused 

Schools Model with a specialty on academic performance through leadership coaching. He 

has participated and directed numerous district and school evaluations for projects through 

the US DOE, authored numerous articles, chapters, teachers’ handbooks and guides, and 

delivered a number of presentations and workshops across the United States, Canada, and in 

Europe. He has been a teacher, school/district administrator, and university professor. 

maxthompson64@gmail.com 

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KIM TINGLE 

Kim Tingle has 23 years of teaching experience, and three years in a department leadership 

capacity. By devoting herself to science department improvement, she has led the science 

department at CHS to utilize best practices in the classroom, update equipment to meet 

current standards which allow for science project based learning to occur, and led others to 

collaboratively plan within a unified environment. 

kimtingle@celinaisd.com 

ASHLEY TOOLE 

Ashley Toole moved to Dallas in 2011 to begin teaching as part of Teach For America and 

has been at J.L. Long Middle School for 2 years as the 7th grade Math Inclusion Teacher and 

Special Education Case Manager. Because of her expertise, she is a member of the Campus 

Instructional Leadership Team and is also part of a non-profit organization aspiring leaders 

program focused on urban schools and the closing of the achievement gap. 

Atoole@dallasisd.org 


Alan Veach is in his eighth year as a Lead School Improvement Consultant with SREB. Alan 

served as a middle and high school principal for over twenty years in Texas. Three of his 

schools were selected as State Mentor Sites and one earned the National Blue Ribbon Award 

for Excellence. Alan was recognized as State Principal of the Year in 1995. Alan has also served 

as an adjunct professor at The University of Texas 


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KELLY VEALE 

Kelly Veale has a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a Master’s degree in Education with 

a focus in school counseling. She has been a special education teacher for 6 years and has 

received training on effectively dealing with a variety of behaviors. Veale has 6 years of 

experience using a positive reinforcement system in her own classroom and successfully led 

her PBIS team through their first year of implementation in the 2012-2013 school year. 

kelly.veale@austinisd.org 

ROBIN WARD-SOUTHALL 

Robin Ward-Southall is currently the Project Coordinator for Statewide Snapshot housed 

within the District Leadership Initiatives work-group of TCDSS. She has served at the 

classroom, district, regional and state levels over the course of her career. The majority of her 

work has been focused on developing and supporting systems of continuous improvement 

for campuses and districts. 

robin.ward@esc13.txed.net 

SCOTT WARREN 

Scott Warren was a mathematics and physical education teacher, basketball coach and school 

administrator in Indiana, Kentucky and the Department of Defense Dependent Schools. He 

was selected as a Highly Skilled Educator by Kentucky’s Department of Education and provided 

technical support to low-performing schools in the state and led a team that developed 

Kentucky’s School Standards. Since 2000 he has led efforts working with low-performing 

schools across the country as they implemented the HSTW/MMGW improvement framework. 

scott.warren@sreb.org 

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SANDRA WHITE 

Sandra White’s passion is teaching! She successfully taught elementary and middle school 

students for 24 years, receiving awards including Region XVII Teacher of the Year and Texas 

Tech’s Distinguished Teacher Award. She has presented extensively at state and national 

conferences and provides teacher training across the state giving practical ways to ensure 

every child’s success. She has written Mastering Multiplication in Ten Minutes a Day for Ten 

Days and games for Lone Star Learning. 

snannyw@aol.com 

ADAIRE WOODING 

Adaire Wooding is currently the Primary Language Arts Coordinator in Alief ISD. Adaire 

supports 24 schools by providing professional development for classroom teachers, Language 

Arts Specialists, Reading Interventionists and district leadership teams in reading and writing. 

Adaire has taught and learned from children for 24 years. She builds upon current research to 

provide practical and realistic application in the classroom. 

adaire.wooding@aliefisd.net 

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DR. GARY WRINKLE 

Dr. Gary Wrinkle serves as the lead school improvement consultant for Texas High Schools 

That Work. Prior to his current position, Dr. Wrinkle served a number of Texas schools as 

an administrator, teacher, and adjunct professor and also consulted independently in Texas, 

Ohio, and North Carolina. In addition he was selected as the “High School Principal of the 

Year” for Region III in 2000. Today, Dr. Wrinkle works tirelessly helping fellow educators 

improve their schools. 

gary.wrinkle@sreb.org 

CYNTHIA ZARAGOZA 

Ms. Zaragoza has worked as an educational specialist at Education Service Center, Region 

20 for the last 6 years. Although currently part of the School Support Team working to assist 

schools in improvement, she previously provided training and technical assistance as a math 

specialist. Prior to becoming a specialist at ESC20, Ms. Zaragoza was a middle school math 

teacher and instructional coach. 

cyndi.zaragoza@esc20.net 

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CONTACT INFORMATION 

AIE CONNECTIONS 

Contact Phone Number Email 

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TEXAS CENTER FOR DISTRICT AND SCHOOL SUPPORT 


Adrienne Aldaco 512-919-5141 adrienne.aldaco@esc13.txed.net 

John Andrews 512-919-5114 john.andrews@esc13.txed.net 

Dixie Binford 512-919-5174 dixie.binford@esc13.txed.net 

April Briscoe 512-919-5106 april.briscoe@esc13.txed.net 

Blaine Carpenter 512-919-5134 blaine.carpenter@esc13.txed.net 

Nicole Cortez 512-919-5132 nicole.cortez@esc13.txed.net 

Angie Currie 512-919+5481 angie.currie@esc13.txed.net 

Amy DeAnda 512-919-5277 amy.deanda@esc13.txed.net 

Pam Dowd 512-919-5488 pam.dowd@esc13.txed.net 

Diane Flaim 512-919-5407 diane.flaim@esc13.txed.net 

Lisa Gonzales 512-919-5173 lisa.gonzales@esc13.txed.net 

Mike Hanson 512-919-5133 michael.hanson@esc13.txed.net 

Krystal Herrington 512-919-5492 krystal.herrington@esc13.txed.net 

Janet Hodges 512-919-5483 janet.hodges@esc13.txed.net 

Cody Huie 512-919-5117 cody.huie@esc13.txed.net 

Jennifer Irrobali 512-919-5458 jennifer.irrobali@esc13.txed.net 

Allison Ivey 512-919-5202 allison.ivey@esc13.txed.net 

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Donna Janssen 512-919-5136 donna.janssen@esc13.txed.net 

Janette Johnson 512-919-5491 janette.johnson@esc13.txed.net 

Christine Kent 512-919-5493 christine.kent@esc13.txed.net 

Millie Klein 512-919-5105 millie.klein@esc13.txed.net 

Sean Marcoulides 512-919-5230 sean.marcoulides@esc13.txed.net 

Yvonne Martinez 512-919-5422 yvonne.martinez@esc13.txed.net 

Garrett Matthews 512-919-5135 garrett.matthews@esc13.txed.net 

Erin O'Keiff 512-919-5455 erin.okeiff@esc13.txed.net 

Lacey Padgett 512-919-5211 lacey.padgett@esc13.txed.net 

Valerie Phipps 512-919-5250 valerie.phipps@esc13.txed.net 

Stacey Shackelford 512-919-5226 stacey.shackelford@esc13.txed.net 

Rachel Simic 512-919-5461 rachel.simic@esc13.txed.net 

Brandon Spenrath 512-919-5169 brandon.spenrath@esc13.txed.net 

Randall Taylor 512-919-5255 randall.taylor@esc13.txed.net 

Robin Ward-Southall 512-919-5176 robin.southall@esc13.txed.net 

COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS 


Steve Frank 512-919-5221 steve.frank@esc13.txed.net 

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ESC TURNAROUND TEAM LEADS 

Region Contact Phone Number Email 

1 Tina McIntyre 956-984-6027 tmcintyre@esc1.net 

2 Kelly Bevis 361-561-8551 kelly.bevis@esc2.us 

3 Charlotte Baker 361-576-4804 cbaker@esc3.net 

4 Kelly Ingram 713-744-6596 KIngram@esc4.net 

5 Monica Mahfouz 409-923-5411 mmahfouz@esc5.net 

6 Ingrid Lee 936-435-8294 ilee@esc6.net 

7 Diana McBurnett 903-988-6909 dmcburnett@esc7.net 

8 Karla Coker 903-575-2731 kcoker@reg8.net 

9 Micki Wesley 940-322-6928 micki.wesley@esc9.net 

10 Jan Moberley 972-348-1426 jan.moberley@region10.org 

11 Kathy Wright-Chapman 817-740-7546 kwc@esc11.net 

12 Stephanie Kucera 254-297-1154 skucera@esc12.net, 

13 Jennifer Womack 512-919-5308 jennifer.womack@esc13.txed.net 

14 Emilia Moreno 325-675-8674 emoreno@esc14.net 

15 Dean Munn 325-658-6571 dean.munn@netxv.net 

16 Shirley Clark 806-677-5130 shirley.clark@esc16.net 

17 Ty Duncan 806-281-5832 tduncan@esc17.net 

18 Kaye Orr 432-567-3244 kayeorr@esc18.net 

19 Tony Fraga 915-780-6553 afraga@esc19.net 

20 Yvette Gomez 210-370-5420 yvette.gomez@esc20.net 

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