Debra L. Meibaum
Program Associate

Debra Meibaum is a Program Associate with SEDL's Education Systems Support (ESS) program. Ms. Meibaum's current work involves the planning and delivery of technical assistance and professional development in Mississippi as well as assisting in providing these same services to other states served by the Southeast Comprehensive Center (SECC). Ms. Meibaum also works with SEDL’s Center for High Performing Schools. Her specialty areas are implementation of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), school improvement, and the provision of professional development and technical assistance.

Contact Information
You may contact Debra L. Meibaum at 601-605-2221

or by using SEDL's contact form.

Areas of Expertise

• Implementation of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA): Ms. Meibaum has 16 years of experience providing professional development and technical assistance at the state and regional levels on the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. She has conducted professional development sessions with state departments of education, educational service centers, districts, and schools in understanding and implementing the specific requirements of the ESEA, particularly as it pertains to federal programs. From 2011 to the present, Ms. Meibaum has served as facilitator and a member of the Mississippi Department of Education’s Office of Federal Programs Advisory Council. Ms. Meibaum also has 13 years of implementation experience at the Mississippi Department of Education, where she provided and directed services to local school districts on special education, English learners, national origin desegregation, race desegregation, and gender equity.

• School Improvement: Ms. Meibaum’s experience in school improvement for 1003(a) and 1003(g) School Improvement Grants includes providing professional development and technical assistance on effective schoolwide planning, school improvement plans, school support teams, comprehensive needs assessments, district/school monitoring and site visits, instructional best practices, and coordination of services. She also has conducted extensive reviews of related statutes, regulations, requirements, and guidance documents.

• Professional Development/Technical Assistance: Ms. Meibaum has 29 years of experience in providing professional development and technical assistance to educators on multiple educational topics, including English learners, parental involvement, grant writing, exploring federal resources, peer coaching, team building, comprehensive needs assessment, instructional best practices, school improvement, Response to Intervention, and the ESEA. She also has facilitated sessions in designing and planning professional development as well as in writing professional development plans.

Experience
Prior to joining SEDL in May 1996, Ms. Meibaum worked at the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) for 13 years: 10 years in desegregation and bilingual education/ESL programs and 3 years in special education/speech pathology. She also worked for more than 7 years in the Mississippi and Louisiana public school systems.

In 2002, Ms. Meibaum received SEDL’s Hindsman Award for excellence in service to children. In 2000, she was selected to serve on the Policy Studies Associates’ Technical Working Group. From 2003 to 2004, she served on the MDE English Language Acquisition Practitioners Committee. From 2010 to 2012, she served as the SECC liaison to the National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality. Additionally, from 2011 to the present, Ms. Meibaum has served as facilitator and a member of the Mississippi Department of Education’s Office of Federal Programs Advisory Council.

Education
Ms. Meibaum holds a BA in elementary education and speech correction from Southeastern Louisiana University and an MAT in speech pathology from Tulane University. She also is certified in Mississippi as an elementary administration and special subject supervisor.

SEDL Publications

• SECC Information Request: Best Practices for Alternative Charter School Programs and Charter School Programs (2016)
• SECC Information Request: Descriptions of State-Developed Alternative Intervention Models for School Improvement Grants in Colorado, Minnesota, New York, Rhode Island, and Texas (2015)
• SECC Information Request: Policies and Practices for Identifying and Supporting Underrepresented Students in Gifted Education Programs (2014)
• SECC Information Request: Sustaining Statewide School Improvement Initiatives (2014)
• SECC Information Request: Definition of High-Needs Districts Used in Math Science Partnership Request for Proposals (2013)
• SECC Information Request: State Input/Process Standards for Accrediting School Districts (2013)
• SECC Information Request: State Seal of Biliteracy for Proficient High School Graduates (2013)
• SECC Information Request: State Use of Autism Coordinators (2013)
• Information Request: Measuring Student Growth in Tested and Non-Tested Grades and Subjects (2012)
• Information Request: Preparation and Certification of State Evaluation System Evaluators (2012)
• Information Request: Preservice Teacher Clinical Experiences (2012)
• Information Request: State Policies Regarding Teacher Dismissal (2012)
• Rapid Response: Compensation Strategies to Address Teacher Shortages (2012)
• The Use of Student Perceptual Data as a Measure of Teaching Effectiveness: Texas Comprehensive Center Briefing Paper, Number 8 (2012)
• Rapid Response: Flex Quarter Schedules and Extended School Years (2011)
• Southeast Comprehensive Center eBulletin, Volume 5, Number 2: Increasing High School Graduation Rates and Improving College Enrollment for High-Need Students (2011)
• Constructing Foundations for Success: Implications of the National Mathematics Advisory Panel Report (2009)
• Rapid Response: Response to Intervention Progress Monitoring Resources for Grades K–12 (2009)
• Rapid Response: Statewide Uniform Grading Practices (2009)
• Rapid Response: Web-Based State Longitudinal Data Systems (2009)
• Rapid Response: Early Childhood Education Curricula and Programs for PreK Students (2008)

Selected Presentations

• Dungan, S. Gbbons, M., Hamilton, J., & Meibaum, D. (2012, August). District preparations for federal programs monitoring visits: The Revised SY 2012-2013 Monitoring Instrument and required documentation. Mississippi Department of Education’s regional meetings for federal programs coordinators, Hattiesburg and Oxford, MS.
• Johnson-Gros, K., Smith, R., & Meibaum, D. (2008, June). RtI in a nutshell. Mississippi Rising Summer Conference 2008, Biloxi, MS.
• Meibaum, D. L. (2008, January). Making sense of adequate yearly progress. Alabama-Mississippi Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages Conference, Meridian, MS.
• Meibaum, D. L. (2006, June). Exploring federal resources. Mississippi Department of Education’s Summer Conference, Oxford, MS.
• Meibaum, D. L. (2002, June). Writing a professional development plan. Alabama Department of Education Summer Conference, Mobile, AL.