Student Engagement

Joan Reimer is a retired educator and former education officer at the Ontario Ministry of Education. With experience from K–12 classrooms to teacher education, most of her career was spent in Ontario, but she also taught in Manitoba, the Northwest Territories, and Malawi, Africa.

Ronald A. Beghetto, PhD, is Pinnacle West Presidential Chair and Professor of Mary Lou Fulton College for Teaching and Learning Innovation at Arizona State University. His work explores the psychology of human creativity, generative artificial intelligence, and what’s possible in educational settings.

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.

Ted Goergen, EdD, is the director of student activities at the award-winning Adlai E. Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, Illinois. A practitioner for 20 years, he also served as a middle and high school science teacher and curriculum team leader.

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

Teresa Cariglia-Bull is a former vice principal for York Region District school board, having served as an elementary school teacher and a psychometrist at both the York Region Separate School Board and with the Learning Disabilities Research Program.

Jill Colyer has worked in educational leadership positions for over 20 years. Throughout her career, Jill has committed to improving student outcomes and supporting teacher growth as a classroom teacher, coordinator, and principal in both public and private school systems.