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Linda Alston
Kindergarten Guide, Author and Literacy Specialist
Sponsored by Scholastic
Ms. Alston attended college at Howard University in Washington, DC where she received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in African-American Studies and Education. She received her AMI Montessori Degree from the Midwest Montessori Institute in Milwaukee, Wisc. and a Master of Arts Degree in Language, Literacy and Culture from the University of Colorado at Denver. She has been a Reading Recovery teacher and adjunct college professor. Ms. Alston has a passion for travel and learning about the world. She visited Sierra Leone, West Africa as a Fulbright Scholar. Ms. Alston has also traveled to China, Brazil, Dominican Republic, Kenya, Ghana, Egypt, Greece, Amsterdam, Canada, and throughout the United States. Ms. Alston volunteers in schools in a small village in Kenya and with orphan children whose parents have died from AIDS. She is an International Education Consultant and public speaker. Ms. Alston’s professional awards include: The 2006 first-ever Kipp/ Kinder unrestricted $100,000 Excellence in Teaching Award, Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune Legacy Award, National Excellence in Teaching Award/National Council of Negro Women and Shell Oil, Walt Disney American Teacher Award, Denver Distinguished Teacher Award, Milken National Educator Award, and others too numerous to mention. She is author of the book Why We Teach: Learning, Laughter, Love and the Power to Transform Lives published by Scholastic (2008).
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Carl Anderson
Literacy Consultant
Carl Anderson is one of the nation’s leading experts on teaching writing to students in grades K-12. He taught students of diverse backgrounds in city, rural and suburban schools in New York City; Bardstown, Ky.; and Northbrook, Ill. Carl worked for the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project at Columbia University for eight years, where he was the lead staff developer. Carl worked side by side with teachers in classrooms in New York City and in its surrounding suburbs. He is the author of How’s It Going? A Practical Guide To Conferring With Student Writers (2000), Assessing Writers (Heinemann, 2005) and Strategic Writing Conferences: Smart Conversations That Move Young Writers Forward, Grades 3-6 (Heinemann, 2008). Today, Carl works as a consultant in schools across the United States. He continues to spend most of his days in classrooms with teachers and students.
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Nancy Anderson
Reading Recovery Trainer, Texas Woman's University
Nancy Anderson is a professor in the Reading department and a trainer of teacher leaders at Texas Woman's University.
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Janet Angelillo
Literacy Consultant
Janet Angelillo is a literacy consultant who has worked throughout the United States and Canada. She was a senior staff developer for the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project and worked beside teachers in New York City schools and the surrounding suburbs. A classroom teacher for many years, Janet taught upper grades and middle school. She is the author of several articles on writing, as well as the books, Writing about Reading: From Book Talk to Literary Essays in Grades 3-8 (Heinemann, 2003); A Fresh Approach to Teaching Punctuation: Helping Young Writers Use Conventions with Precision and Purpose (Scholastic, 2002); Making Revisions Matter: Strategies for Guiding Students to Focus, Organize and Strengthen Their Writing Independently (Scholastic, 2005); and Writing to the Prompt: When Students Don’t Have a Choice (Heinemann, 2005).
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Ann Ballantyne
Reading Recovery Trainer, New York University
Ann is an experienced Reading Recovery practitioner who has trained as a teacher, teacher leader and trainer in her home country of New Zealand. Ann spent a year as a teacher leader in Maine in 1994-5 and over the past 10 years has worked at university training sites in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and New Zealand. She is currently the director of the Reading Recovery Project at New York University. |
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Jenny Bender
Literacy Consultant
After teaching in New York City public schools, Jenny Bender worked for several years as a staff developer with Lucy Calkins at the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project. She currently supports K-8 teachers, literacy coaches and administrators across the country, helping them acquire and hone the skills they need to lead effective reading and writing workshops and improve the quality of their literacy programs. Jenny has taught the teaching of writing at Teachers College, Columbia, as well as methods of literacy instruction at Yale University. Her first book, The Resourceful Writing Teacher: A Handbook of Essential Skills and Strategies, was published through Heinemann in 2007, and it offers elementary and middle school teachers the information they need to teach the qualities of good writing. |
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Mary Anne Doyle
Trainer and Professor, University of Connecticut
Dr. Mary Anne Doyle is Professor of Education and Director of the Reading-Language Arts Center at the University of Connecticut. She is Director of Connecticut's Reading Recovery Project. Her previous experience includes positions as an elementary classroom teacher and a reading consultant. Dr. Doyle completed her master's and Ph.D. degrees at the State University of New York at Buffalo, and she completed training as a Reading Recovery Trainer of Teacher Leaders at Ohio State University. She has presented at international and national conferences as well as at numerous regional, state and local programs. Her research interests include early literacy development and reading-writing connections. Her related, co-edited text, published by the International Reading Association, is "learning from the research of Reading/Writing Connections." She has also been a co-author of the International Reading Association's "Annual Summary of Investigations Relating to Reading." Dr. Doyle has served the Reading Recovery Council of North America as President (1999-2000), executive officer (1998-2001) and as chair of the Publications Committee (1994-1999). She is currently editor of the Journal of Reading Recovery. She is also chairs the Executive Board of the International Reading Recovery Trainers' Organization.
Salli Forbes
Director/Trainer of the Reading Recovery Center of Iowa, University of Northern Iowa
Salli Forbes is the Director and Trainer at the Reading Recovery Center at the University of Northern Iowa. She co-edited the book, Research in Reading Recovery, Volume Two (Heinemann, 2003) and published several articles on topics related to early literacy. She is one of the editors of the Journal of Reading Recovery.
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Irene C. Fountas
Author and Professor, Lesley University, Cambridge, Mass.
Irene Fountas directs a comprehensive school reform project in the School of Education at Lesley University. She has been a classroom teacher, language arts specialist and consultant in school districts across the nation and abroad and has received numerous awards for her contributions to literacy. Irene and co-author Gay Su Pinnell have published several books with Heinemann, including Teaching for Comprehending and Fluency: Thinking, Talking, and Writing about Reading (Grades K-8) (Heinemann, 2006) and The Continuum of Literacy Learning, Grades K-8: Behaviors and Understandings to Notice, Teach and Support (Heinemann, 2007).
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Mary Fried
Trainer, The Ohio State University
Mary Fried is a Trainer at The Ohio State University Reading Recovery Center. She was part of the original 1984-85 pilot project for Reading Recovery in the United States. She received her Reading Recovery training from Dr. Marie Clay and Barbara Watson as part of the pilot project and has continued to work training teachers, teacher leaders and trainers since that time. Formerly, she was an elementary classroom teacher, a Reading Specialist and a Reading Coordinator for the Columbus, Ohio public schools. She did interviews and reviewed children’s books for the WBNS-TV programming department as part of a daily program for children. She has worked as a Trainer for the Literacy Collaborative project at the Ohio State University. Mary is an author and editor for the KEEP BOOK program, an Ohio State University school-to-home literacy project for pre-school through second grade.
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Linda B. Gambrell
Distinguished Professor of Education, Clemson University, SC
Linda B. Gambrell is Distinguished Professor of Education in the Eugene T. Moore School of Education at Clemson University where she teaches graduate and undergraduate literacy courses. She served as President of the International Reading Association from May 2007 to May 2008. Linda began her career as an elementary classroom teacher and reading specialist in Prince George's County, Md. She has written books on reading instruction and published articles in journals such as The Reading Teacher, Educational Psychologist, Reading Research Quarterly and Journal of Educational Research.
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Matt Glover
Principal and Author, Creekside Early Childhood School, Ohio
Matt Glover has been an educator for over 20 years. Matt is the author of Engaging Young Writers, Preschool-Grade 1 (Heinemann, 2009) and is the co-author with Katie Wood Ray of the book, Already Ready: Nurturing Writers in Preschool and Kindergarten (Heinemann, 2008). For the past 12 years he has been the principal at Creekside Early Childhood School, a school of 900 preschool, kindergarten and first-grade students focused on supporting the academic and intellectual growth of young children. He has also been an elementary school principal and taught first grade. Matt lives in Cincinnati, Ohio with his wife and four children.
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Andrew Green
Poet and Teacher, Potato Hill Poetry
Andrew Green is a poet, writer and teacher currently living in Natick, Mass. He is the founder of Potato Hill Poetry, an organization devoted to promoting poetry in schools. For the past 20 years, he has been conducting writing, portfolio and poetry workshops for teachers and students in schools and conferences throughout the country. He believes that poetry has the power to transform lives and help us discover the power of word and sound and the joys of reading and writing in the classroom and beyond.
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Betsy Kaye
Reading Recovery Trainer, Texas Woman's University
Betsy Kaye is a Reading Recovery trainer of teacher leaders at Texas Woman’s University. She has been involved in Reading Recovery since she trained as a teacher in 1988-89. Betsy has also worked as special education teacher and classroom teacher. Betsy has a recent article about taking words apart in the Journal of Reading Recovery. She currently serves on the RRCNA Board and the Executive Committee of the North American Trainer Group.
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Lester L. Laminack
Professor Emeritus, Author, and Consultant
Lester L. Laminack is Professor Emeritus from department of Birth-Kindergarten, Elementary and Middle Grades Education, at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, NC where he has received two awards for excellence in teaching (the Botner Superior Teaching Award and the Chancellor’s Distinguished Teaching Award). Lester is now a full-time writer and consultant working with schools throughout the United States. His academic publications include several books, including Learning with Zachary (Scholastic, 1995); Spelling in Use (NCTE, 1996); Volunteers Working with Young Readers (NCTE, 1998); and his contributions to The Writing Workshop: Working Through the Hard Parts (And They're All Hard Parts) (NCTE, 2001); Learning Under the Influence of Language and Literature: Making the Most of Read Alouds Across the Day with Reba Wadsworth (Heinemann,2006); Reading Aloud Across the Curriculum (Heinemann, 2006); and Cracking Open the Author’s Craft: Teaching the Art of Writing (Scholastic Teaching Resources, 2007). His forthcoming book is Unwrapping the Read Aloud, from Scholastic. He has several articles published in journals such as The Reading Teacher, Science and Children, Language Arts, Primary Voices, and Young Children. Lester is also the author of five children’s books, all published by Peachtree Publishers: The Sunsets of Miss Olivia Wiggins (1998); Trevor’s Wiggly-Wobbly Tooth (2002); Saturdays and Tea Cakes (2004); Jake’s 100th Day of School (2008); and Snow Day! (2007). Look for his new picture book, Three Hens and a Peacock, published by Peachtree Publishers, Ltd.
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Barry Lane
Author and Teacher, Discovering Writing
Barry Lane is a writer and a teacher. His many professional books for teachers include After THE END: Teaching and Learning Creative Revision (Heinemann, 1992); The Revisers' Toolbox (Discover Writing Press, 1999); Why We Must Run with Scissors: Voice Lesson in Persuasive Writing (Discover Writing Press, 2001); 51 Wacky We-Search Reports: Face the Facts with Fun (Discover Writing Press, 2003), and many more. For 20 years, he has traveled throughout the United States and abroad, helping teachers experience the joy of teaching writing.
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Steven Layne
Author and Literacy Professor, Judson University, Ill.
Dr. Steven L. Layne serves as a full-time faculty member at Judson University in Elgin, Ill., where he teaches courses in children’s literature and directs the university’s Master of Education in Literacy program. He is a 15-year veteran classroom teacher and has been the recipient of multiple awards for his teaching, writing and research. Dr. Layne resides in St. Charles, Ill. with his wife and four children. He is the author of children's books, Teachers' Night before Halloween (Pelican, 2008); Number 1 Teacher: A School Counting Book (Sleeping Bear Press, 2007); and P is for Princess: A Royal Alphabet (Sleeping Bear Press, 2007).
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Mary K. Lose
Associate Professor and Director of the Reading Recovery Center of Michigan, Oakland University
Mary Lose, EdD, is Associate Professor in the Department of Reading and Language Arts and the Director of the Reading Recovery Center of Michigan at Oakland University. Mary’s research interests focus on early intervention policies and initiatives, teachers’ professional development and contingent teaching. Mary has published articles in the Journal of Reading Recovery, The Clearinghouse and Teaching Pre-K 8. In 2006 she co-authored an article on Response to Intervention (RTI) that appeared in Reading Research Quarterly and has additional articles on RTI in the November 2007 issue of The Reading Teacher and the January/February 2008 issue of Principal. A 2002 Fellow of the Marie Clay Literacy Trust, she studied literacy teaching and learning in New Zealand schools. She finds working with teachers and their students among the most interesting and rewarding work of all.
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Carol Lyons
Author and Professor Emeritus, The Ohio State University
Carol A. Lyons is Professor Emeritus at The Ohio State University where she taught graduate courses in reading, learning and cognition, and professional development courses for university and district-level trainers in Reading Recovery and the Literacy Collaborative. She is the author of many books and articles on reading and learning disability, Reading Recovery and teacher education. For the past 20 years, she has conducted research and published numerous articles and book chapters on teacher thinking, learning and practice. Carol is the author of Teaching Struggling Readers: How to Use Brain-based Research to Maximize Learning (Heinemann, 2003); co-author of (with Gay Su Pinnell and Diane DeFord) Partners in Learning: Teachers and Children in Reading Recovery (Teachers College Press, 1993); and co-editor of (with Diane DeFord and Gay Su Pinnell) Bridges to Literacy: Learning from Reading Recovery (Heinemann, 2001). She lives in Hilton Head, SC.
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Donalyn Miller
Sixth Grade Language Arts and Social Studies Teacher,
Trinity Meadows Intermediate School, Texas
Donalyn Miller is a sixth grade language arts and social studies teacher at Trinity Meadows Intermediate School in Keller, Texas. Her staff development presentations, articles and book, The Book Whisperer: Awakening the Inner Reader in Every Child (Jossey-Bass, 2009) describe her successful methods for inspiring and motivating students to read. Donalyn currently writes a blog, The Book Whisperer, for the web site teachermagazine.org.
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Lori Oczkus
Literacy Coach and Author, Orinda, Calif.
Sponsored by Pacific Learning and Scholastic
Lori Oczkus is a nationally recognized literacy consultant, author and speaker. A highly sought-after literacy coach, she works with thousands of teachers across the United States and Canada. She teaches in classrooms every week and has extensive experience working with struggling readers and English language learners. Her latest book, Interactive Think-Aloud Lessons: 25 Surefire Ways to Engage Students and Improve Comprehension (Scholastic Teaching Press, 2009) is endorsed by researchers Cathy Collins Block and Tim Rasinski. Her other books include Super Six Comprehension Strategies: 35 Lessons and More for Reading Success (Christopher Gordon, 2004); Reciprocal Teaching at Work: Strategies for Improving Reading Comprehension (IRA, 2003, Award Winning DVD, 2005); and Guided Writing: Practical Lessons, Powerful Results (Grades K-6) (Heinemann, 2007).
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Mary Rosser
Reading Recovery Trainer, University of Maine
Mary Rosser is the Director of the University Training Centre for Reading Recovery and Coordinator of Literacy Professional Development Programs at the University of Maine. She was formerly the State Trainer for Reading Recovery and lecturer in the School of Cultural and Language Studies at the Queensland University of Technology in Australia. Mary’s particular areas of expertise are language education, curriculum development and early literacy intervention. She has worked at primary, secondary and tertiary levels of education and has extensive international experience as a literacy consultant and popular conference presenter. Mary’s current research interests focus on analysis of pedagogy with particular attention to teacher/student interactions that promote powerful learning.
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Karen Ruzzo
Literacy Consultant
Karen Ruzzo has worked across the grades as a literacy consultant and staff developer. She is the former principal of the Manhattan New School, where she spent much of her career teaching second grade. Prior to teaching at MNS, Karen taught in the Bronx, Providence and Boston as a classroom teacher and teacher of Reading Recovery. Karen co-authored Significant Studies for Second Grade: Reading and Writing Investigations for Children with Mary Anne Sacco (Heinemann, 2004).
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Martha Zschock
Author and Illustrator
Martha Zschock is the author and illustrator of the well-known Journey Around series (Commonwealth Editions) of books, numbering nine titles to date. She is a former elementary school teacher and a graduate of Lesley University.
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