Instruction

Dr. Pattie Noonan is an associate research professor at the University of Kansas, where she centers her work on providing and evaluating professional development related to social-emotional learning.

Amanda L. Yurick, PhD, is an associate professor in special education at Cleveland State University. She currently teaches graduate and undergraduate students pursuing licensure in special education and/or applied behavior analysis.

Jennifer Parker, EdD, brings over three decades of experience as an educator, school leader, county consultant, state project lead, and faculty member, with expertise spanning instructional technology, coaching, and school improvement. Today, as an educational consultant, she facilitates professional learning on instructional coaching, AI strategy and implementation, and data-driven continuous improvement. Her AI workshops focus on creating district-to-classroom policies that balance purpose with AI literacy, ethics, academic integrity, and data privacy.

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.

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.

Randy Ross has over 50 years of experience as a writer, teacher, administrator, coach, and facilitator of dialogue and professional learning. She has worked with community, school, district, and state education leaders for nearly 30 years.

Nathaniel Hansford has taught every grade from preK to 12 in many interesting and diverse locations—from South Korea to the subarctic of Quebec. He specializes in using meta-analysis research to help teachers implement proven methodologies.

Attendees will learn practical ways to involve multiple stakeholders in developing a productive and celebratory reading culture in schools and classrooms.

Erin is a high school and continuing education teacher, curriculum writer, video producer, co-founder of PBL Path, and national project-based learning consultant and coach. Erin finds great meaning in guiding leaders’ and teachers’ identity and equity journeys, building assessment tools side by side with educators and students, and connecting project ideas to community partners.

Micki Evans is a writer, education consultant, and co-founder of the learning organization and consultancy PBL Path. Her work focuses on transformative liberatory teaching practices.