Durham, NC, Nov. 30, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- EdReports, a nonprofit that provides free reviews of instructional materials, is proud to welcome the third cohort of Klawe (Kla-vay) fellows for 2021–2022. Since its launch in 2015, EdReports has trained more than 1,000 educators to conduct rigorous reviews of instructional materials and has released over 900 reviews of math, English language arts, and science curricula.
These nine exceptional educators will spend their Fellowship developing and executing impact projects that support EdReports’ mission to increase the capacity of teachers, administrators, and leaders to seek, identify and demand high-quality instructional materials. Previous fellows have implemented far-reaching efforts that include instructional materials training for preservice teachers, deepening family engagement within school systems, and addressing the need for quality materials via policy at the state level.
“I am honored to welcome this cohort of inspiring educators to the Klawe Fellowship,” said Eric Hirsch, Executive Director of EdReports. “EdReports was built on its by educator, for educator ethos, and we have seen firsthand how effective educators can be at advocating for and implementing meaningful change to improve student outcomes. The work of these fellows will shine a light not only on the critical need for improved access to quality curriculum, but how this access can create more equitable learning opportunities for all students.”
“This fellowship has made me realize that my voice as an educator is more impactful than I could have imagined,” said Shanimarie Ogilvie, New Jersey elementary school educator, and inaugural 2019 Klawe fellow. “The fellowship experience allowed me to see the power and change that happens when educators collaborate. The support of the cohort gave me the courage to step out of my comfort zone and enabled me to influence and give insight on the importance of selecting and using high-quality instructional materials to my senior administrators.”
The 2021-22 cohort represents a diversity of backgrounds and currently work in school districts and states across the country. They bring significant classroom and administrative experience including teachers, principals, professors of higher education, and instructional coaches, with decades of expertise in mathematics, science, and English language arts.
Throughout the program, the Fellows will be trained in policy, advocacy, research, and communications. They will develop the skills necessary to support local stakeholders to understand that what you select and how you select matters, and that current adoption practices are simply not good enough.
The Klawe Fellowship, named after founding EdReports Board President Dr. Maria Klawe, was envisioned as an opportunity for current and former EdReports reviewers to build their leadership skills through advocacy. Launched in 2019, Klawe Fellow alumni have implemented a range of initiatives to improve the awareness of curriculum in their local communities. The 2019 Klawe Fellow alumni are currently writing a book about their advocacy experiences that will be published by Kendall Hunt.
Meet the 2021-2022 Cohort:
Dr. Melissa Galloway is currently an Online Adjunct Instructor for the University of the People and founder of E3 Consulting, LLC. Prior to these roles, Melissa served as a building principal with Columbia Public Schools. Before transitioning to Columbia, Missouri, she was a building principal and assistant principal with Broken Arrow Public Schools in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. As a principal of Westwood and Creekwood Elementary Schools in Broken Arrow, both schools were Great Expectations (GE) Model Schools.
Heather Gauck is a special education teacher leader and has taught for Grand Rapids Public Schools for more than two decades. She is National Board Certified as an Exceptional Needs Specialist. She is the organizer and leader for a statewide team of eight educators that created Innovation Classroom. This team is funded by Mark Zuckerberg's StartUp Foundation on integrating technology into the classroom. She was chosen as one of PBS' Digital All-Stars. Most recently she was picked as a TeachPlus Fellow to work with education policy.
Neven Holland is a public school, fourth-grade teacher for Memphis-Shelby County Schools (MSCS) in Tennessee. Additionally, he works as a research assistant on a mixed-method, quasi-experimental study for the Chicago Arts Partnerships in Education around STEAM integration. Within his district, Neven serves as a mentor teacher on the Superintendent’s Advisory Council where he acts as a voice for MSCS educators in the district’s decision-making process. He was recently awarded the Association for Education Finance and Policy Pre-Doctoral Diversity Fellowship.
Jonathan Regino is a former middle school math and science teacher at Twin Valley School District in Pennsylvania. He left the classroom to be a Professional Development Specialist at Delaware County Intermediate Unit. Currently, Jonathan is a Supervisor of Teaching and Learning for Math and Science at the Marple Newtown School District in Newtown Square, PA. For the past six years, he has also been a facilitator and program manager for Code.org for Eastern PA.
Vanessa Shelburne is a Science Specialist at the Southwest Arkansas Education Cooperative in Hope, Arkansas. As an education service cooperative science specialist, Vanessa provides professional development and on-site support to teachers and administrators of science in the southwest Arkansas area which includes 30 schools in four counties. Vanessa was a part of the collaborative design of the Arkansas Guide for Life Social Emotional Learning (SEL) curriculum. She has 17 years of experience teaching middle school and high school science.
Tara Shepson is a reading interventionist in Fife, Washington. Prior to this role, Tara taught grades K-6 in the Central Kitsap School District. Tara is National Board certified in early childhood literacy and has principal certification. She also holds a BA in K-8 education and a MA in educational leadership and brings more than 20 years of experience in the field of education. She has future goals of becoming a Director of Curriculum and Instruction. Tara serves Washington state as an Early Learning Fellow and has worked as a reviewer for EdReports for the past 4 years, specializing in foundational skills.
Carolyn Streets is a veteran award-winning public school teacher in Connecticut. She has served as a curriculum facilitator and content reviewer for both her school district and the state department of education. Carolyn has received many honors, awards, and recognitions including serving on the Teacher Advisory Council for the National Humanities Center, the Yale School of Management Teacher-Research Prize, Harvard Teacher Grant Award, Yale Teachers Institute Fellow, National Academy of Advanced Teacher Education Fellow, and Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching Fellow.
Liza Vaughn is an Instructional Coach in Tennessee with over 15 years of classroom teaching experience in grades K-5. She has served in numerous leadership and curriculum development roles at the school, district, and state-level including her work as a TNReady Ambassador for the state of Tennessee. She is a graduate of the Aspiring Administrator’s Academy in both Rutherford and Williamson County Schools, is a Population Education Trainer, and was named Teacher of the Year for Mill Creek Elementary in 2017.
Arthur Everett is a social studies and instructional support services teacher at the High School of Telecommunication Arts and Technology in Brooklyn, New York. In 2016-2017, he was awarded a Classroom Teacher Ambassador Fellowship with the U.S. Department of Education and received the New York Empire State Excellence in Teaching Award from the Governor’s office in 2018. In July 2021, Arthur was awarded a fellowship at George Washington’s Mount Vernon. He is currently a national board member of the teacher advocacy organization Educators for Excellence (E4E).
###
Attachment
