Promoting High Intellectual Performance

Ahmes Askia began her educational career in 1976 with Prescription Learning Corporation as an education consultant in Houston Independent School District. She is currently part of an education foundation whose focus is research and training of educators.

Driving the Dream: Literacy and the Arts

Dr. Linda Michelle Baron is a former New York City public school teacher, earned her Master’s Degree in Reading and her Doctorate in Cross Categorical Studies from Columbia University’s Teachers College. Dr. Baron is currently a Professor in the Teacher Education Department at York College in New York City. She has written numerous acclaimed books and poems.

Everard Barrett

Cognitive Pathways to Mathematics

Dr. Meir Ben-Hur is vice president, Program Services, and lead math consultant for the International Renewal Institute, Inc. (IRI). Dr. Ben-Hur has bridged Feuerstein’s Instrumental Enrichment (FIE) into mathematics. His Cognitive Pathways to Mathematics is a professional development program for mathematics which has been internationally implemented.

Changing Children’s Minds: The Power of Feuerstein’s Instrumental Enrichment (Grades 4 – 12)

Feuerstein’s Instrumental Enrichment is a cognitive enhancement program. It has been studied extensively and consistently proven to be effective in the enhancement of learning abilities of grades 4-12 students, particularly those students who traditionally comprise the lowest achieving groups. In this session, Dr. Ben-Hur and Ms. Lavert will introduce the program, engage participants in activities that will demonstrate its nature, and present some of the research on its effectiveness.

Five Thoughts for a More Thought-full Curriculum

Dr. Arthur L. Costa is an Emeritus Professor of Education at California State University, Sacramento and Co-founder of the Institute for Intelligent Behavior in El Dorado Hills, California. He has served as a classroom teacher, a curriculum consultant, an assistant superintendent for instruction and as the Director of Educational Programs for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. He has made presentations and conducted workshops in all fifty states and around the world. He is author and co-author of numerous journal articles and books.

C3: Building Confidence and Competence through Communication

Dr. Michael Brandon Doubek is the Director of Evaluation for NUA, in addition to his role as a literacy and thinking skills consultant in NUA’s Seattle and Newark projects.  A former professor of Instruction and Educational Leadership in the New York City area, he taught courses in Educational Research, Foundations of Education, Evaluation and Assessment, Models of Teaching, Language Arts and Reading Education K-12, as well as Gifted and Talented Education.

Structural Cognitive Modifiability and Feuerstein’s  Instrumental Enrichment (FIE)

Dr. Reuven Feuerstein, a clinical psychologist who studied at the University of Geneva under Jean Piaget, Andre Rey, Barbel Inhelder, and Marguerite Loosli Uster, went on to earn his Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology at the Sorbonne. He is currently the director of the Center for Development of Human Potential in Jerusalem. From 1970 until the present Dr. Feuerstein has served as Professor in the School of Education at Bar Ilan University in Ramat Gan, Israel; he is also the Director of the Hadassah-Wizo-Canada Research Institute, in Jerusalem, Israel.

Who CAN Teach Our Kids? Who SHOULD teach our kids? Dispositions in Preservice Teachers.

Dr. Michael J. Froning, is Dean of University of Alabama Birmingham, School of Education. He is a member of the Council of Great City Colleges of Education steering committee and the Urban Educator Corps of the Great Cities Universities steering committee.

Research on Thinking Maps: A Transformational Language for Learning

Dr. David Hyerle is the Director of Research and Development for Designs For Thinking and facilitating new applications of Thinking Maps in the field. He is a frequent keynote speaker, author of two A.S.C.D. books focused on visual tools, and developer of a new online course: Visual Tools for Literacy. He is also co-author with Larry Alper of the new leadership guide and training: Thinking Maps: Leading with a New Language.

Workshop for School Administrators

Dr. Janice Jackson is an assistant professor in the Department of Education at Boston College. She holds an Ed.D. degree from Harvard University.

Reversing Urban Students' Underachievement: Nurturing High Intellectual Performance

Dr. Yvette Jackson is currently the Chief Executive Officer of the National Urban Alliance. She is a visiting lecturer at Harvard University, a member of ASCD’s Differentiated Instruction Cadre. Dr. Jackson received a BA from Queens College of the City University of New York. At Columbia University’s Teachers College, she was awarded an MA in Curriculum, an Ed.M. in Educational Administration, and a Doctorate in Educational Administration. She was Director of Gifted Programs and also Executive Director of Instruction and Professional Development for the New York City Board of Education.

Cooperative Learning and Conflict Resolution

Drs. David and Roger Johnson are fellow professors in the College of Education and Human Development, University of Minnesota, Roger and David W. Johnson are the nation’s leading researchers on cooperative learning. They head the Cooperative Learning Center. David Johnson holds an Ed.D. in social psychology from Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, New York. Roger Johnson holds an Ed.D. from the University of California at Berkeley.

In a Perfect World…Listen to the Children

Linda Jackson Jones is a dynamic, award winning and highly respected educator and principal with more than 30 years of experience. She serves the In a Perfect World Foundation as senior program officer.

Cognitive Pathways to Literacy

Gwen Lavert has more than 30 years experience as a classroom teacher, reading mentor, assistant principal, principal, consultant for the Wright Group and SkyLight Professional Development. She has a certification as a Feuerstein trainer.

The Language of Discipline and Achievement

Dr. Jabari Mahiri holds a Ph.D. English, University of Illinois at Chicago. He is co-director of the Center for Urban Education and a principal investigator for the Diversity Project. An author and editor, he is also an Academy Instructor for the Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (INTASC) and serves on the board of the Bay Area Coalition for Equitable Schools (BAYCES).

In a Perfect World…Listen to the Children

Manuela Testolini Nelson is the founder of the In a Perfect World Foundation, a national, non-profit organization dedicated to developing compassionate, socially responsible leadership in children.

Expanding Students Visual Literacy: Exploring the Visual/Spatial Landscape

Dr. Donna Ogle is a professor in the Reading and Language Department of the National-Louis University. She is a co-author of a book and has authored many articles in journals, book chapters, and video tapes.

Workshop for School Administrators

Dr. Robert Peterkin is director of the Urban Superintendents Program and Francis Keppel Senior Lecturer on Educational Policy and Administration at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He has held school superintendencies in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He also served as a member of the GLEF National Advisory Board.

Learning Environment for Effective Schools

Stefanie Rome has 14 years of varied educational experiences. She has been a student, a teacher and trainer of teachers, she developed a strong belief in the power of teacher collaboration and a strong conviction that “teachers, teaching teachers” has a remarkable impact on student achievement.

Community Building Through Humor and Song

David Roth, award-winning singer/songwriter, joins NUA from his home on Cape Cod, MA.  The widely traveled Chicago native and Wind River recording artist appears at conferences, concert halls, coffeehouses, retreats, and trainings throughout North America, and his songs have appeared at the 40th Anniversary of the United Nations, in the repertoire of Peter, Paul, & Mary, and at the 100th Anniversary of Carnegie Hall in New York.

Merging Mathematical Intelligence with Linguistic Intelligence: A Powerful Partnership for Student Achievement

Dr. Evelyn Rothstein has been an Educational Consultant specializing in teaching writing across the curriculum for the past twenty years. With a background in classroom teaching and a specialization in linguistics and language development, she has trained teachers and implemented her strategy-based ‘Writing As Learning’ programs in hundreds of schools and school districts throughout the United States. Currently, she is a consultant for the National Urban Alliance.

Breaking the Silence: Ushering in “Courageous Conversation” About the Impact of Race on Student Achievement

Glenn Eric Singleton has a Bachelors degree from the University of Pennsylvania and a Masters degree from the Graduate School of Education at Stanford University. Singleton began his career as an Ivy League admission director and founded Pacific Educational Group, Inc. (PEG) to more closely support families in their transitions within and between K–12 and higher education.

Responsible Test Preparation: Teaching For Thinking With Tests

Dr. Dorothy Strickland is the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Professor of education at Rutgers University. A former classroom teacher, reading consultant and learning disabilities specialist, she is a past president of both the International Reading Association and the IRA Reading Hall of Fame. She has authored numerous publications.

The International Polytechnic High School: A Model for Educational Reform

Dr. Bob Suzuki is a past president of California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, California.

Reconceptualizing Literacy Development

Dr. Alfred Tatum is an assistant professor, Literacy Education at Northern Illinois University. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois, Chicago.

The School Change in Reading Framework: Helping Schools Succeed With and Sustain a School-Wide Reading Improvement Effort

Dr. Barbara Taylor is the director of the Minnesota Center for Reading Research.

Emerging Strategies for Strengthening Mathematics Teaching and Learning in Large Urban Districts

Dr. Uri Treisman is professor of mathematics and director of the Charles A Dana Center at the University of Texas at Austin. He was named a MacArthur Fellow. Dr. Treisman is a founding board member of AVID and of the National Center for Public Policy in Higher Education. He chairs the Chancellor’s Advisory Board for Mathematics in NYC and the steering committee of the Urban Mathematics Leadership Network.