Student Engagement

Shanna K. Helmke has been a dedicated educator since 2011. Alongside her work as an instructional coach, she also serves as an adjunct professor at Mount Mercy University in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, furthering her commitment to fostering excellence in education.

In this webinar, Jay Jackson will teach educators how to use simple tools to foster deep and meaningful discussions about student self-awareness, integrity, purpose, passion, positivity, courage, commitment, and grit. This process will help students understand how they can be successful and happy by meeting challenges head-on.

Dr. Amy Gaumer Erickson is an associate research professor at the University of Kansas whose practice-based research focuses on guiding educators to embed competency instruction within coursework and evaluate students’ social-emotional growth.

Dr. Ripley is currently teaching in the departments of elementary and secondary education at the University of Alberta and has over 35 years of experience at the elementary, junior high/middle school, high school, college, and university levels.

Brad Sever is an assistant principal at Carmel High School in Indiana. There, he has helped to create and sustain a successful instructional coaching program and grow the school’s International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme.

Students do not put up walls to avoid relationships, but to see who cares enough to break the walls down. Research shows that building relationships with students increases engagement, motivation, test scores, and grade point averages while decreasing absenteeism, dropout rates, and discipline issues.

Chepina Rumsey, PhD, is an associate professor of mathematics education at the University of Northern Iowa (UNI). In addition to teaching, Chepina leads professional development initiatives and contributes as a consultant for curriculum development companies.

Jody Guarino, EdD, is manager of the Teaching, Learning and Instructional Leadership Collaborative at the Orange County Department of Education and a School of Education lecturer at the University of California, Irvine (UCI).

Liz Davis is currently the superintendent in York Region District School Board in Ontario. She is passionate about school improvement with a particular interest in resilience and working to improve outcomes for students in underperforming/underserved schools.

Kjell Fenn has been an educator since 1995 as a teacher, coach, and curriculum coordinator. He is currently an assistant professor with the Center for Teaching Excellence at Liberty University and an educational specialist with KFenn Education.