Durham, NC, Oct. 04, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- EdReports, a nonprofit that provides free reviews of instructional materials, is proud to welcome the newest cohort of Klawe (Kla-vay) fellows for 2022–2023. Since its launch in 2015, EdReports has trained nearly 900 educators to conduct rigorous reviews of instructional materials and has released over 1,000 reviews of math, English language arts, and science curricula.
These seven 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 professional development improvements for teachers, identifying technology supports within curricula for diverse learners, and exploring cultural relevancy within mathematics materials.
“It is a privilege and an honor to welcome this tremendous group of educators to the Klawe Fellowship,” said Eric Hirsch, Executive Director of EdReports. “The past few years have been challenging for educators, students, and families—yet we have seen over and over again how instrumental educators are at advocating for and implementing meaningful change to support students to learn and grow. I’m excited to see the innovative ways these fellows will bolster curriculum literacy in their local communities and open up more equitable learning opportunities for all students.”
Tara Shepson, a reading interventionist based in Fife, Washington, and 2021–22 Klawe Fellow, said: “The Klawe Fellowship gave me an opportunity to pursue my passion for early learning with the support of like-minded colleagues. This experience pushed me to create networks with educators and stakeholders around the country, gave me the confidence to bring my action plan to district leaders and advocate for change, and presented a professional challenge that increased my capacity as a teacher leader.”
The 2022–23 cohort represents over a century of combined professional experience in classroom and administrative leadership. Roles include teacher, principal, instructional coach, and district leader with 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. Earlier this year, the inaugural cohort of Klawe Fellows partnered with Kendall Hunt to publish a book, Elevating Educator Voices Through Advocacy, about their advocacy experiences through the fellowship.
Meet the 2022–23 EdReports Klawe Fellows:
| Natalie Almasi is the director of curriculum, instruction & assessment at Oak Grove School District in Bartonville, IL. Her journey in education has taken her from first-grade teacher to technology specialist, assistant principal, and principal before finding her niche in supporting roles throughout the school district. She graduated with honors from Alverno College in Milwaukee and received her Masters in Educational Leadership from Aurora University. Educationally, Natalie is passionate about innovative instructional practices, high-quality curricular materials, and the joy of learning. Personally, she is fulfilled in her role as wife to a high school principal and mom to the most amazing, curious, and energetic little boy. | |
| Rhiannon Hartman Dunn is a ninth-grade ELA teacher and teacher leader at Science Hill High School, nestled in the mountains of northeastern Tennessee. She is in her 13th year teaching and has taught ninth and 10th-grade honors and regular-level courses both fully virtually and in-person. She is in her final year of an EdD program at East Tennessee State University in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis, studying the relationship between different pedagogical methods and student efficacy and achievement. Rhiannon has served on many assessment committees for the Tennessee Department of Education, and has served twice on the state’s textbook review committee. Rhiannon was named Teacher of the Year in both 2014 and 2018 and is the recipient of several graduate scholarships. | |
| Jamie Groark currently serves as an EdReports science reviewer, a K-12 science curriculum lead, and a high school chemistry teacher in the Milwaukee Metro area. In her current role, she supports teachers to provide students with equitable, quality instruction, leads professional development opportunities, and works in a team facilitating cross-curricular project-based experiences. Previously, Jamie worked with districts to implement the Next Generation Science Standards, standards-based grading, and developing curriculum and long-term sustainable plans for school forests. She is a proud alumnus of Carroll University, where she earned her Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science with minors in Biochemistry and Secondary Education. Jamie obtained her Masters of Science in Educational Leadership from Cardinal Stritch University. | |
| Dr. Kimberly Mucker-Johnson has been an educator for more than 20 years. Currently, she serves as an English language arts teacher for Jefferson County Public Schools in Louisville, Kentucky, and as a school counselor adjunct professor at Spalding University. Dr. Mucker-Johnson recently founded and became president of The Stoop Incorporated, a nonprofit dedicated to serving marginalized children, teens, and families through education, advocacy, and collaboration. Prior to these roles, she served as a school counselor, district instructional coach, teacher consultant for the National Writing Project, content reviewer and creator for LearnZillion Dream Team, reviewer for EdReports, and facilitator for the Adolescent Literacy Project at the University of Louisville. Dr. Mucker-Johnson earned a Bachelor’s degree in Humanities, multiple Master’s degrees in Teaching, Counseling, and Education, and a Doctorate degree in Education Leadership. She is a published author of various books for both children and adults. | |
| Patty Kelly is a district math coordinator for the Windsor Central Supervisory Union in Vermont, supporting district educators in collaboratively co-creating their PreK-12 math curriculum and assessment system. Prior to this role, Patty was a math instructional coach and elementary classroom teacher in neighboring districts for 15+ years. Her passion has always been creating environments for educators to reflect and grow, focusing on building strong content and pedagogical knowledge. Patty has a B.B.A. from Bishop's University, M.S.T. from the State University of New York College at Potsdam, and M.Ed. in Curriculum & Instruction from the University of Vermont, and is now completing her Ed.D. in Educational Leadership through Southern New Hampshire University. | |
| Christina Mullen Owen is an assistant principal for Collierville Middle School in Collierville, TN. She is from Memphis, TN, and has worked in education for 15 years. She received her B.A. in English from the University of Memphis, M.A.T from Belhaven University, and Ed.S. from Union University. Christina worked as an ELA teacher at Collierville Middle School from 2016-2021 where she was named CMS’ and Collierville School District’s Teacher of the Year in 2021. Christina has served in multiple leadership positions including instructional coach, data network facilitator, vanguard team member, Saturday school teacher lead, PLC leader, and SRTI admin team leader, and data/PLC coach for Collierville School District. She has been an adjunct faculty member at the University of Memphis and is a Vanderbilt University Peabody Institute Fellow. She is a member of the National Association of Elementary School Principals and The TN Association of School Superintendents Associate Leadership Institute. | |
| Leslie White has been in education for 12 years. She is currently a secondary science specialist for Duval County Public Schools in Jacksonville, FL with a focus on aligning and writing curriculum, developing, and leading professional development, and training science teachers district-wide. Prior to this role, the majority of her career has been at the middle school level as the lead science teacher specializing in a single-gender model. She was honored to be named one of the top five finalists for Duval County Teacher of the Year in 2020. She has earned several awards and fellowship opportunities from NSTA, the Jacksonville Public Education Fund, and NSELA. She earned a B.S in Biochemistry at Binghamton University and an M.Ed. in Secondary Science Education from the University of Florida and spent many years conducting research at both institutions and publishing research in the areas of analytical chemistry and physiology. |
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