Speaker Cadre - Hire an ILASCD Speaker
Bobb Darnell
Dr. Bobb Darnell is President of Achievement Strategies, Inc. and is an advocate for high student achievement professional growth. He served as Director of Staff Support for more than 1700 staff members in a Northwes
Topics/Areas of improvement include: Assessment, Classroom Management, Curriculum and Standards, Home Learning, Literacy, Math Instruction, School Improvement, School Leadership, Special Needs/ ELL, Technology
Megan Fuciarelli
Megan Fuciarelli serves as the Executive Director & Principal Consultant of US², Inc. As a retired school she has dedicated her entire professional career to navigating social justice issues and supporting people/teams in being inclusive
Topics/Areas of improvement Include: Increased Student Attendance Rates, Reduction in Office Referrals and Suspensions, Decreased Reports of Bullying, Improved Teacher Effectiveness, Increased Sense of Belonging Among All Stakeholders, Create Culturally Responsive Curriculum
Craig Gaska
Dr. Craig Gaska, is an educational consultant, presenter, and facilitator serving schools and school districts. He has been in the field of education for over 40 years. During his career he has been an elementary classroom elementary assistant principal, elementary principal, and college professor. He holds a bachelor’s degree in 
Topics/ areas of improvement Include: Next Generation Science Standards, C3
Social-Studies Standards, Writing Assessments, Assessment Literacy, Formative Assessment, Student-Led Conferencing, Science Inquiry, Dynamics of Organizational Change
Brandy Hempen
ASCD's class of 2018 Emerging Leader Dr. Brandy Hempen has experience teaching at the primary, intermediate, and junior high-grade levels. Over the past ten years, she has also served as a curriculum coordinator, response to interv
Topics/ areas of improvement Include: Integrating Technology into Everyday Instruction, Questioning, and Discussion Techniques, Making Math Meaningful in the K-8 Classroom, Recognizing and Alleviated Math Anxiety, Classroom Management Techniques, Student-Led Classroom Techniques, Whole Brain Teaching Emphasizing Air Punctuation, Question and Answer Relationships with Bloom's Taxonomy, Academic Vocabulary, Developing the Whole Child, Creating Standards-Based Assessments (ELA), Creating Standards-Based Assessments (Math), Increasing Student Engagement, Differentiated Instruction, Strategic Lesson Planning, The Charlotte Danielson Framework for Teachers (2-Day), Curriculum Alignment and Design, Teaching Teachers to Teach Students How to Use Resources, and The Growth Mindset and Providing Effective Feedback
Mica Ike
Mica Ike is a native of East St. Louis and a proud graduate of East St. Louis Senior High School. Mica is a graduate of SIUe for her bachelor's and master's degrees. She has worked in East St. Louis School District 189 in various capacities for 22 years. Her educational experience ranges from elementary classroom teacher to elementary school principal. Mica has taught grades 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 5th. She has also served as an instructional oach, assistant principal, and principal.
Topics/ areas of improvement Include: Decrease Stress and Improve Productivity, They Don't Know That They Don't Know-Teaching Post-Pandemic Students, Cultural Diversity in Education, Ethics in Elementary Schools, "TRIFECTA" Checking for Understanding, Collaborative Planning for Elementary Teachers, Writing Learning Objectives Using "By" Statements, Planning Effective Lessons, Small Group Instruction, Focused and Rigorous Classroom Observations, Differentiated Instruction That Works, Co-Teaching Strategies.
Terry Mootz
Dr. Mootz's professional journey has encompassed small rural and large urban districts with the diversity of staff and students these environments present. Terry has facilitated the Chicago Area Directors of Curriculum and (CADCA) net
Topics/ areas of improvement Include: Standards-based grading (in addition to participating in IL ASCD Guskey series, I was able to collaborate with math department teachers to initiate and develop SBG & as Assoc. Supt. Support the on-going evolution of SBG at the high school level across all departments and grade levels district wide). Professional Learning teams (involved with PLCs for over a decade from initiating to on-going support), developing a session for the library that will touch on data PLCs can use for improvement. Balanced Assessments (that was my job for 6 years as an assessment coordinator, so I’m familiar with Summative and Formative design and analysis, could also be for student growth/PERA). Danileson Teacher Evaluation (as an Assoc. Supt., we revamped our entire PERA evaluation process, based on the Danielson model to ensure our discussions were focused on growth and improvement, not a simple rating). Student Learning Outcomes (provided a PD strand on the development of SLOs at the classroom level and was a contributing author on a book, Teacher Clarity, put out by Corwin on the topic). Classroom management/Student Engagement (these topics are often co-mingled and a modern classroom should involve student voice as a component of successful management). SEL - already developed 10 instructional strategies to support student SEL (teacher SEL module also developed last year). Priority Standards (as a component of SBG, content areas need to identify 1-guaranteed that every student will master; 2-a majority of students will succeed; 3-if we have instructional time after 1 & 2 are accomplished, this would be nice for some students to have).
Dave Nagel
Dave Nagel is an international consultant, researcher, and published author. Dave’s educational career started as a middle school science and high school biology teacher. His administrative experiences involved elementary and secon
Topics/ areas of improvement Include: Effective Grading Practices for Secondary Teachers (6-12 Teachers and Administrators), Standards-Based Grading -Without Abandoning Letter Grades (6-12 Teachers and Administrators), Leading with a Formative Mindset - Adult Clarity (6-12 Leaders), Leading PLC's and CTE Teams
Jason Ness
For over two decades, Dr. Jason Ness has dedicated himself to the improvement of people’s lives. As a licensed clinical psychologist, certified school psychologist, and veteran high school principal, Dr. Ness specializes in working w
Topics/ areas of improvement Include: Parenting Strategies and Skills, Leveraging SEL Skills for Equity,
Building Principal Leadership, Mindset and Capacity Base on Ancient Philophosy
Steve Oertle
Steve Oertle is a former teacher, principal and currently an Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum. He is the developer of the Course Mason program for facilitating the use of standards in school districts. Steve is a presente
Topics/ areas of improvement Include: Curriculum Mapping and Development, Vertical and Horizontal Alignment -Developing a Connected and Scaffolded Scope and Sequence, Cycles of Improvment - Getting Away from initiative Fatigue and Moving Toward Fidelity, Developing Rigorous Standard-Aligned Common Formative Assessments, Develping Rubrics and Success Criteria Driven Performance Tasks, Creating Indepedent Learners in 10 Steps,filling Your Danielson Toolbelt - What Does That Look Like in the Classroom, SLOs and Growth Model Evaluation Development, Evaluation in the Classroom - Look and Listen, Using Exemplars to Drive Learning, Using Hattie's 3 Questions to Drive Learning, PLC and Data Team Data Team Development, From PLCs to RtI - How to Move from Data Analysis to Intervention, Developing Learner Qualities and Soft Skills that Drive Deep Learning, Navigating the PIT using Learner Qualities
Adam Peterson
Adam Peterson is an educator, speaker, author, and vlogger most known for his YouTube channel, Teachers Learn Too. A kindergarten teacher with over 13 years in the classroom, Adam now dedicates his time to helping 
Topics/ areas of improvement Include: This is the BEST Day Ever, Play Based Writing, Reading, Science, Classroom Management
Debbie Poffinbarger
Dr. Poffinbarger is a visionary leader who is focused on the instructional design and sustainability of student-centered teaching and learning. Debbie's focus is on curriculum, intensifying the district’s efforts to prepare students for the 21st century. Earlier roles have found 
Topics/ areas of improvement Include: Instructional Coaching, Workshop Model, Best Practices, Assessment, Creating Units of Study, PLC Implementation, Curriculum Analysis, Climate and Culture, Mentoring of Administrators/Teachers/Parapros, School Improvement Planning, Creating and Implementing Standards-Based Report Cards, RtI, and Writing (Grades K-8)
Book Debbie Poffinbarger Today!
Paul Solarz
Paul Solarz was a former teacher at Westgate Elementary School in Arlington Heights, Illinois. He advocates for student-centered teaching practices and a focus on 21st-century skills attainment. Fortunately for Paul, his school and district administration has given him plenty of autonomy to take risks and be innovative over the years. This has led to his unique style of teaching and the motivation to share his strategies with the broader education community. In 2015, Paul was named a Top 50 Finalist for the Varkey GEMS Global Teacher Prize. The Global Teacher Award seeks to do for education what the Nobel Prize has done for science, literature, and peace. He was also named the 2014 Educator of the Year by ICE (Illinois Computing Educators) for his work with integrating technology effectively in his classroom. He earned his master's degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Illinois State University and is a National Board Certified Teacher. He also earned his bachelor's degree in Elementary Education from Winona State University in Minnesota. Visit http://www.learnlikeapirate.com for more articles and resources.
Topics/ areas of improvement Include: Learn Like a PIRATE - Creating Classrooms that Empower Students to Collaborate/Lead/Succeed, Increasing & Improving Student Collaboration in the Classroom, Ditching Grades to Increase Feedback and Improve Work Quality, Empowering Students to Take on More Ownership & Responsibility in the Classroom, Transforming Passive Learning into Active Learning, Rethinking the Way We Teach - Improving Instruction/Student Learning/Technology Usage, Implementing & Improving Genius Hour/Passion Time - Personalizing Learning While Practicing Vital Academic Skills, Blended Learning/Student ePortfolios & Classroom Websites - Using your Classroom Website as a Hub for Learning & Sharing, Social Emotional Learning in Our 5th Grade Classroom - Embedding SEL Lessons into Your Everyday Practice, Developing Units through Backwards Planning with 21st Century Skills in Mind - Maximizing Instructional Time & Minimizing Boredom, Mastering the Danielson Evaluation - Creating a Portfolio of Evidence to Show just how Distinguished You really are, Teaching Students Metacognition/Reflections/Self-Assessment/Goal-Setting & Progress Monitoring Skills to Increase Student Ownership of Their Learning
Carla Tantillo Phillibert
Carla Tantillo Philibert, the founder of Mindful Practices and a former classroom teacher, understands the stresses that come with teaching and will guide you through a variety of interactive activities to help you identify your own well-being needs and implement helpful practices in your daily life.
Topics/ areas of improvement Include: Mindfulness, Yoga in the Classroom, class Catalyst (Classroom Check-In Tool), Teacher/Administrator/Student Wellness, Self-Regulation and Interpersonal Skills, SEL in Class Coaching and Modeling
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Crystal Wash
Experienced Project Consultant with a demonstrated history of working in the education man
in Nonprofit Organizations, business development, Coaching, and Education. Strong program and project management professional who graduated from Northwestern University.
Topic areas of improvement Include: SEL, Culturally Responsive Practices, Design Thinking for Schools, Implementing 21st Century Learning Standards, Creating Climate and Culture, Implementing Math Shifts, Planning for MTSS
Jennie Winters
Jennie Winters is an enthusiastic and engaging national presenter who is known for her creativity and practical i
Topics/ areas of improvement Include: Math Standards, Writing Assessments, Assessment Literacy, SLO Guidance and Evaluation, Monitoring Student Growth.
