Debra L. Meibaum

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.

• 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.

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.

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.