School Improvement

The impact of Covid-19 will have a long-lasting effect on every facet of our society. Very few institutions were more disrupted than schools. The pandemic affected staffing, funding, morale, and the continuity of student learning. Participants explore the history of the field of education and examine why the tenants of the PLC at Work process were important before the global pandemic and why they are even more important after the pandemic. This is not the time to back away from the PLC at Work process; this is the time to reinforce its foundation.

Dr. Rosa Isiah has served students in her community for 27 years. Currently, she serves as director of elementary, equity, and access for Norwalk La Mirada USD in California. Dr. Isiah is passionate about equity and access, multilingual education, leadership, and closing opportunity gaps for historically underserved students. Dr. Isiah’s experiences as an immigrant, English learner, and a child in poverty add to her passion for her work.

Malik Muhammad is a consultant, speaker, and instructional specialist with 20 years of experience in public, charter, private, and homeschool education. He has served as a classroom teacher, instructional coach, dean of instruction, and assistant principal.

Jeanie Iberlin, EdD, associate superintendent of Johnson County School District in Wyoming, leads administrators, instructional facilitators, teachers, and other staff members in the areas of curriculum, instruction, assessment, evaluation, and professional development.

Mike Ruyle, EdD, has served as a classroom teacher, athletic coach, school principal, program director, university professor, and professional development presenter over a 30-year career.

Dr. Rivers Murphy, EdD, is a seasoned presenter and educational leader. A change agent for over two decades, she has helped transform some of the highest-needs neighborhoods and districts by improving student active engagement, teacher self-care, school culture, and academic success.

Kristyn Klei Borrero, EdD, is an accomplished educational leader and coach who strives to make a profound difference in the professional lives of educators. She is the cofounder of No-Nonsense Nurturer® and has served as a classroom teacher, principal, and superintendent.

Dr. Tonya Balch is a professor in the Department of Applied Clinical and Educational Sciences in the Bayh College of Education at Indiana State University and has been the program coordinator for the School Counseling M.Ed. program for 15 years. She is passionate about ensuring excellence in graduate programming and providing authentic experiences in practice.

Nathaniel Provencio is associate superintendent in Prince William County, Virginia. Under his leadership, Minnieville Elementary School was recognized as a Model Professional Learning Community and was the 2019 winner of the prestigious DuFour Award.

Josh McMahon, EdD, is the assistant superintendent of education programs for Morton District 201 in Illinois. Previously, he served as principal of Morton West High School.