Constructing Foundations for Success:
Implications of the National Mathematics
Advisory Panel Report
Presenter Information
Darlene Morgan Brown
In her current role as a program associate in the Improving School Performance program of the Southeast Comprehensive Center (SECC) at SEDL, Darlene Morgan Brown, PhD, serves as liaison for the state of Louisiana. As a mother and former educator in the Louisiana public school system, her mission is to contribute to the creation of an excellent and equitable public education system for all students. Prior to joining SEDL, Dr. Brown served as the director of the Capital One/University of New Orleans (UNO) Charter School Network and as an assistant professor of professional practice in the College of Education, Educational, Leadership and Counseling Department at UNO. She has more than 10 years of school improvement experience, working with more than 50 schools and 20 school districts at the local, regional, state, and national levels. Dr. Brown retired in May 2008, with 25 years of experience and a background in both general and special education. Her areas of expertise include instructional leadership, school improvement and restructuring, professional development, group dynamics, inquiry-based instruction, and data-driven differentiated instruction. Dr. Brown received her bachelor’s degree as a speech, language, and hearing specialist from Northeast Louisiana University, currently operating as the University of Louisiana at Monroe. She earned her master’s degree in educational administration and doctor of philosophy degree from UNO.
Camille Chapman
Camille Chapman, MEd, is a program associate in the Improving School Performance program at SEDL. As an SECC staff member, Ms. Chapman provides technical assistance to and collaborates with staff at state departments of education in Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina with a focus on mathematics and on schools in need of improvement. Prior to joining SEDL in October 2008, she served over 8 years in the Mississippi State Department of Education as a division director working in the areas of student assessment, curriculum and instruction, and federal programs, including Titles I and III. She also has over 18 years of classroom experience as a teacher in middle grades mathematics. Ms. Chapman holds a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from the University of Louisville, Kentucky, and a master’s degree in elementary education with a focus in mathematics from Mississippi College.
Glenda Copeland
Glenda Copeland, MA, is a program associate with SEDL's Improving School Performance program. Ms. Copeland oversees the planning and delivery of technical assistance and professional development in Georgia and assists in providing similar services to other states that SECC serves. In her previous work with SEDL, she was a member of the Regional Laboratory Network Program (which developed Facilitating Systemic Change in Science and Mathematics Education: A Tool Kit for Professional Developers and A Tool Kit for Professional Developers: Alternative Assessment) and a member of both the Eisenhower Mathematics and Science Consortia as well as the National Model Professional Development Award Program, helping to plan the selection process and manage the site visit process for the U.S. Department of Education (ED). Ms. Copeland also led the development and production of Flashlight and Compass: A Collection of Tools to Promote Instructional Coherence for SEDL's Promoting Instructional Coherence (PIC) project. As project director of a national comprehensive middle and high school improvement program, she focused on leadership development and building collaborative relationships. Prior to joining SEDL in 1992, Ms. Copeland coordinated district gifted programs in social studies, language arts, and mathematics for the Austin Independent School District (ISD) in Austin, Texas, and was a classroom teacher (K–12) for 12 years. Her degrees are in secondary education, mental retardation, and gifted education.
Tricia Coulter
Tricia Coulter is a senior research associate with Learning Point Associates and the deputy director of the National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality (TQ Center). In this role, Dr. Coulter is responsible for coordinating the TQ Center’s work to build the capacity of regional comprehensive centers and states in implementing the highly qualified teacher requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB). Prior to assuming this position, she was director of the Teaching Quality and Leadership Institute at the Education Commission of the States where she created and managed the scope of work related to preparation, support, and compensation of quality teachers and leaders. Dr. Coulter has also worked as a senior research analyst at the State Higher Education Executive Officers organization where she developed experience and expertise in issues of teacher preparation and professional development. She has extensive experience analyzing policy and research and using this information to help states in their efforts to create quality policy and innovative practice in response to their own teacher quality and leadership related needs and challenges. In addition, Dr. Coulter has worked directly with states and districts in their work with federal reporting requirements and their efforts to ensure all their students are served by highly qualified teachers.
Russell Gersten
Russell Gersten is executive director of Instructional Research Group, an educational research institute in Los Alamitos, California, as well as professor emeritus in the College of Education at the University of Oregon. Dr. Gersten recently served as a member of the National Mathematics Advisory Panel, cochairing the task group on instructional practices. In 2002, he received the Distinguished Special Education Researcher Award from the American Educational Research Association's Special Education Research Division. Dr. Gersten also chaired two recently released practice guides for the U.S. Department of Education on Response to Intervention (RtI) for both mathematics and reading. These are among the most frequently downloaded publications of the department. He has been interviewed frequently by Education Week for articles on various topics involving mathematics education, English learners, and reading instruction. At present, Dr. Gersten has over 150 publications and serves on the editorial boards of many prestigious journals. He currently serves as a principal investigator for the What Works Clearinghouse project on English learners and as a national consultant and technical expert for numerous national research projects involving evaluation. Dr. Gersten has conducted numerous randomized trials, many of which have been published in major journals in the field of education. He has either directed or co-directed 42 applied research grants addressing an array of issues in education and has received many federal and non-federal grants (more than $17.5 million).
Robin Jarvis
Robin Jarvis, PhD, is program manager of SEDL's Improving School Performance program. She oversees the work of SEDL's Metairie, Louisiana, office and serves as the director of the SECC. Prior to coming to SEDL, Dr. Jarvis served as the acting superintendent of the Recovery School District in New Orleans. Previous positions with the LDE include program manager with the Distinguished Educator Program; director of the Division of Professional Development; director of the Division of School Standards, Accountability, and Assistance; and assistant superintendent of the Office of Student and School Performance. In these roles, Dr. Jarvis worked with accountability, curriculum, assessment, and special education issues in Louisiana and served as state director for various federal programs, including Titles I, II, and V, as well as Reading First. She has 13 years' experience in K–12 public education as an elementary school principal and as a K–3 classroom teacher in East Baton Rouge Parish. Dr. Jarvis holds a bachelor's degree in elementary education and a master's degree in elementary education with a focus in early childhood education. She received her doctorate in educational leadership and research with a research emphasis on school effectiveness and school improvement in 1998.
Kristin L. McGraner
Kristin McGraner is the director of the Distinguished Fulbright Awards in Teaching Program and a research associate and project manager in the Department of Leadership, Policy and Organizations at Peabody College, Vanderbilt University. Dr. McGraner also serves as a research associate with the TQ Center. Her current research focuses on the role of leadership and policy in teacher induction and professional development. Dr. McGraner currently studies the effects of induction, mentoring, and professional development on beginning mathematics teachers’ knowledge, instructional practices, and student learning, a project supported by the National Science Foundation. She has presented her work at the annual conferences of the American Educational Research Association, the University Council of Educational Administration, and the New Teacher Center at the University of California at Santa-Cruz. Earlier in her career, Dr. McGraner collaborated with teacher education institutions in evaluating teacher education and school leadership programs, served as a lecturer in teacher education and organizational leadership, and served as a high school teacher. She has a doctorate of educational leadership and policy from Peabody College, Vanderbilt University.
Debra Meibaum
Debra Meibaum, MA, is a program associate with SEDL's Improving School Performance program. Ms. Meibaum oversees the planning and delivery of technical assistance and professional development in Mississippi and assists in providing similar services to other states served by the SECC. Her specialty area is NCLB. Prior to joining SEDL in 1996, Ms. Meibaum worked at the 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 7.5 years in the public school systems of Mississippi and Louisiana. Ms. Meibaum has a master’s degree in speech pathology from Tulane University of New Orleans, Louisiana, and a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and speech correction from Southeastern Louisiana University. She also has earned Mississippi certification in elementary administration and special subject supervisor.
Concepcion Molina
Concepcion Molina is a program associate with SEDL's Texas Comprehensive Center (TXCC) and SECC. Dr. Molina is involved with systemic district and school reform efforts as a staff member of the TXCC. As a SECC staff member, he collaborates with state departments of education with a focus on NCLB and systems of support for schools in need of improvement. Previous SEDL duties under the Southwest Consortium for the Improvement of Mathematics and Science Teaching included the design and delivery of mathematics professional development training, research focused on the content knowledge of mathematics teachers, and assistance with projects ranging from regional and state level forums to long-term collaborations with school districts. Prior to joining SEDL in July 1998, Dr. Molina was a high school mathematics instructor for 14 years. He also has prior experience in higher education through his duties as a college representative and minority recruiter with Texas A&M University-College Station. Dr. Molina earned a bachelor of science in educational curriculum and instruction from Texas A&M University-College Station, a master of science in educational administration from Corpus Christi State University, and a doctorate in education from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.
Sandra Lindsay
Sandra Lindsay is currently serving as a clinical professor in the Educational Leadership and Policies Department of the College of Education at the University of South Carolina. Dr. Lindsay also is SECC’s state liaison for South Carolina. From 1999–2004, she served as deputy state superintendent for curriculum services and assessment at the South Carolina Department of Education. At the local school district level, Dr. Lindsay served for 27 years in leadership roles in Dorchester School District Two, including assistant superintendent for instruction for 16 years. She has assumed numerous statewide leadership roles including the presidency of both the South Carolina Association of School Superintendents and the South Carolina Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Teaching about leadership and helping leaders improve their skills and knowledge is an ongoing commitment. Dr. Lindsay has received numerous awards and honors for her work with public schools and has served at the national level as president of the Deputies Leadership Commission of the Council of Chief State School Officers. Dr. Lindsay has a doctorate in education in curriculum and instruction from the University of South Carolina, a master’s degree in education from The Citadel, and a bachelor’s degree in history from Winthrop College.
Dan Reschly
Dan Reschly is professor of education and psychology in Peabody College, Vanderbilt University, where he chaired the number one ranked Department of Special Education from 1998–2006. From 1975 to 1998, Dr. Reschly directed the Iowa State University School Psychology Program, where he achieved the rank of distinguished professor of psychology and education. He has published on the topics of RtI, special education system reform, overrepresentation of minority children and youth, and learning disability classification procedures. Dr. Reschly has been active in state and national leadership roles including president of the National Association of School Psychologists and editor of the School Psychology Review. He has served as chair, co-chair, and member of several panels related to the education of students with learning disabilities. Dr. Reschly currently is a principal investigator in the TQ Center. He also has trained teachers, principals, and related services personnel in 27 states regarding implementation of the RtI process in general, remedial, and special education.
Ed Tobia
Ed Tobia, EdD, has been a classroom teacher, assistant principal, principal, curriculum director, and director of professional development. After 26 years in public education, he joined SEDL and for the past 8 years has been working with state departments, regional service centers, and school districts to support their work in assisting schools not meeting state or federal standards. Dr. Tobia has also worked as an independent consultant for the National Staff Development Council, the Texas Education Agency, and local school districts. He also has served as adjunct professor in the educational administration program at Texas State University, San Marcos, for the past 6 years. Dr. Tobia’s current work focuses on providing technical assistance to state departments of education in Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina.
Maria Torres
Maria Torres, MA, is a program associate with SEDL's Improving School Performance program. Prior to her current work with both the Southeast and Texas Comprehensive Centers, she worked with SEDL's Southwest Consortium for the Improvement of Mathematics and Science Teaching, Rural Small Schools Initiative, and the Center for Language Minority Populations Projects. Before joining SEDL, Ms. Torres served as a superintendent of schools, a bilingual project director, an elementary school reading supervisor, a staff development specialist, and a classroom teacher at the elementary, middle school, and secondary grade levels. She also has been a program administrator and supervisor of student teachers. Ms. Torres holds a bachelor’s degree in secondary education with a mathematics and social studies specialization and a master’s degree in educational supervision from Texas A&I University in Kingsville.
