Instruction

Shawn W. McCusker has 25 years of experience as a teacher and leader and is currently the director of professional learning at Digital Promise, a nonprofit dedicated to closing the digital learning gap.

How can teachers make everyday student learning more engaging, meaningful, relevant, and interesting? How can we better prepare students for a lifetime of learning? Author and experienced educator Elliott Seif uses real-life examples to explore four key goals of a lifelong learning education, and introduces a practical instructional framework that fosters student success and helps prepare students to become independent lifelong learners.

Jason McKenna is an established author, seasoned educator, and pioneering strategist in STEM education. Jason’s commitment to innovative learning has created lasting impacts in education over his expansive twenty-year journey.

Troy Hicks, PhD, is a professor of English and education at Central Michigan University, where he collaborates with K–12 colleagues to explore how they implement newer literacies in their classrooms.

Kate Grunow, MA, is an instructional technology consultant and Schoology implementation lead for Macomb Intermediate School District in Metro Detroit. She has more than a decade of experience in education as a K–12 digital media specialist and English teacher.

Jennifer Parker, EdD, is an instructional technology and school data advisor for Macomb Intermediate School District and adjunct faculty member for Central Michigan University. Co-creator of the 21things4 Project, she’s a leader in connecting standards and educational technology.

Closing student achievement gaps requires specific actions focused on acceleration and leveling up strategies to achieve grade-level proficiency or beyond. Acceleration is the pathway; we cannot continue to go backward if our goal is to move forward. Discover how to erase inequities in student learning while building hope and confidence in both teachers and students. This is equity in action.

Lorraine Radice, PhD, is an educator, author, and presenter. She is currently an assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction in New York and teaches courses in childhood education and literacy at Hofstra University.

Jennifer McCarty Plucker, EdD, is the director of learning and development and a literacy consultant at Mackin Educational Resources in Burnsville, Minnesota. Her current work with educators is grounded in an inquiry approach that puts students in the driver’s seat for learning.

Kristen Nelson is an elementary school principal for the Capistrano Unified School District in California. She also serves as a college professor, leadership teacher, educational consultant, author, and leader of her district’s Spanish dual-language immersion programs.