Overview2009 Annual MSAN Conference
Conference Theme: Accelerating Growth: Aligning Beliefs and Actions
June 24-25, 2009, Dearborn, MI
Conference Program
Conference Presenters
Deborah Loewenberg Ball is Dean of the School of Education and William H. Payne Collegiate Professor at the University of Michigan. Her research focuses on mathematics instruction and on interventions designed to improve its quality and effectiveness. Her research groups study the nature of the mathematical knowledge needed for teaching and develop survey measures that make possible analyses of the relations among teachers' mathematical knowledge, the quality of their teaching, and their students' performance. Ball has authored or co-authored over 150 publications and has lectured and made major presentations around the world. Her research has been recognized with several awards and honors, and she has served on national and international commissions and panels focused on policy initiatives and the improvement of education, including, most recently, the National Mathematics Advisory Panel.
Ian Smith has worked in Scottish education for over 30 years. He was a secondary teacher before holding various posts at the national level. In 1998 he founded Learning Unlimited which has been described as Scotland's most successful teacher development agency. Ian is an accomplished speaker, workshop leader and author. In the past twelve years he has run workshops with over 40,000 of Scotland's teachers face-to-face--over half the profession! He is the principal author of a set of training materials on Assessment for Learning which is used in more than half the schools in Scotland. Ian is best known for running interactive seminars and workshops with large groups of teachers on a range of aspects of learning and teaching. He is currently involved in developing training materials for teachers on motivation. In recent years he has been asked to run workshops on classroom methodology in Hong Kong and in the United States. He worked in New Jersey to develop a training program on Assessment for Learning which is being rolled out across the state.
John Diamond, Associate Professor of Education, is a principal contributor to the Harvard Achievement Gap Initiative. Diamond is a sociologist of education who focuses on how race, ethnicity, and social class intersect with school leadership, practices, and policies to shape the educational opportunities and outcomes of children. His recent research includes a four-year study of urban school leadership (The Distributed Leadership Study); an examination of the implications of social class for African-American parents' educational participation; a study of race, social class, and student achievement in suburban schools; and a study of the development and diffusion of teachers' expectations of students. For the last study, Diamond was the recipient of a National Academy of Education/Spencer Postdoctoral Fellowship. In addition to the NAE/Spencer Fellowship, he has received research awards from the National Science Foundation and the American Educational Research Association/Institute for Education Sciences. His fields of interest include the sociology of education; stratification; race and class stratification; parent involvement; and leadership and organizational change. Diamond has a B.A. in sociology and political science from the University of Michigan and a Ph.D. in sociology from Northwestern University.
Bonnie M. Davis, currently serves as a consultant to schools, districts, and professional organizations on literacy coaching, writing across the content areas, and culturally proficient instruction. For 30 years, Bonnie taught English in middle schools, high schools, universities, homeless shelters and a men's prison. She is the recipient of several awards, including The Teacher of the Year Award, The Governor's Award for Teaching Excellence, and The Anti-Defamation League's World of Difference Community Service Award. Bonnie holds a Ph.D. in English from Saint Louis University. Her publications include The Biracial and Multiracial Student Experience: A Journey to Racial Literacy (2009), How to Teach Students Who Don't Look Like You: Culturally Relevant Teaching Strategies (2006), African-American Academic Achievement: Building a Classroom of Excellence (2001), and numerous articles on literacy and cultural instruction. She also appears in The School Improvement Network's video program, No Excuses! How to Increase Minority Student Achievement (2006) along with experts James Comer, Kati Haycock, Sonia Nieto, Beverly Tatum, and others.
President of Resiliency Inc., Horacio Sanchez applies brain-based science and best practice research to a framework that helps agencies learn how to accomplish reform in order to achieve identified goals and outcomes. Resiliency Inc. provides a revolutionary paradigm that trains individuals on how to successfully educate and treat the most difficult to serve children and their families. Horacio Sanchez did his graduate work at Duke University. His diverse education and background has helped him to merge research, science, and practice. He has utilized his training as an educator and clinician toward the education and treatment of children with severe emotional disorders. His approaches are not only based on sound scientific research but have been the foundations of his award winning mental health and educational programs.
Thanks to the Conference Sponsors
