Presenters
Dr. Jonathan Skolnick
Jonathan Skolnick is a senior consultant at Koru Strategy Group, which uses the science of learning and deep relationships to help educators develop new habits that result in measurably greater student success, particularly for those in our most underserved communities. He has over 15 years of educational experience as a teacher, administrator, consultant, and nonprofit leader. He most recently served as Executive VP at Educational Alliance, a social services and education nonprofit, and previously served in a variety of roles in the Office of Innovation and Office of School Leadership at the NYC Department of Education. Dr. Skolnick earned a doctorate in education leadership from Harvard Graduate School of Education and a masters in the science of teaching from Pace University.
Dr. Jorge Peña
Dr. Jorge Peña is the Andrew Greeley Endowed Research Fellow in the School of Education at Loyola University Chicago. In this role he conducts research connected to the instructional core in Catholic and public schools and teaches graduate students in the administration and supervision program. Before coming to Loyola University Chicago, he was the Director of School Improvement and Catholic School Accreditation for the Archdiocese of Chicago where he was responsible for supporting the system and schools on using evidence in the continuous school improvement process. He teaches and coaches schools across the United States and Internationally in using the Data Wise Improvement Process. Jorge holds a B.A. from The University of Vermont, a M.S. Ed. from Chicago State University, an Ed.D. from DePaul University, is a Certified Data Wise Coach, and earned the Certificate in Advanced Educational Leadership from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Dr. Rob Wessman
Dr. Wessman is a former high school teacher (2004-2010), school administrator, and author of a school turnaround grant for Granger High School (2010-2013) at which a Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports and Multi-tiered systems of support system resulted in reduction of chronic absenteeism by 50% and suspensions by 60% over the span of three years. Dr. Wessman is a graduate of the Harvard Graduate School of Education (2016) and is on the Executive Team at Harvard’s Data Wise Project (2017-present). He is a mentor for rising school leaders, and designs and executes data-informed executive coaching for C-level education leaders. He led an innovative project for Panorama Education (2015-16) at which the organization integrated student academic data with SEL and School Climate data survey data. He now leads an organization focused on developing leadership capacity to confront adaptive challenges that lead to positive changes in schools.
Erik Francis
Erik M. Francis, M.Ed., M.S., is an international author and presenter with over 25 years of experience working as a classroom teacher, a site administrator, an education program specialist with a state education agency, and a professional development provider and trainer. He is the author of Deconstructing Depth of Knowledge: A Method and Model of Deeper Teaching and Learning published by Solution Tree International (2021) and Now THAT’S a Good Question! How to Promote Cognitive Rigor Through Classroom Questioning published by ASCD (2016). Erik has also ranked as one of the World’s Top 30 Education Professionals for 2019, 2020, and 2021 by the international research organization Global Gurus.
Dr. Nancy Frey
Dr. Nancy Frey is a Professor in Educational Leadership at San Diego State University and a leader at Health Sciences High and Middle College. She has been a special education teacher, reading specialist, and administrator in public schools. Nancy has engaged in Professional Learning Communities as a member and in designing school-wide systems to improve teaching and learning for all students. She has published numerous books, including The Teacher Clarity Playbook and Rigorous Reading. Nancy is author of PLC+: Better Decisions and Greater Impact by Design and The PLC+ Playbook.
Dr. Tom Guskey
Thomas R. Guskey, Ph.D., is Professor Emeritus in the College of Education at the University of Kentucky. A graduate of the University of Chicago, he began his career in education as a middle school teacher and later served as a school administrator in Chicago Public Schools. He was the first Director of the Center for the Improvement of Teaching and Learning, a national educational research center. Dr. Guskey served on the National Commission on Teaching & America’s Future, the Task Force to develop National Standards for Staff Development, was named a Fellow in the American Educational Research Association, and was also awarded the Association’s prestigious Relating Research to Practice Award. He is author/editor of 25 award-winning books and more than 250 book chapters and articles. His most recent books include, Get Set, Go! Creating Successful Grading and Reporting Systems (2020), What We Know About Grading (with Brookhart, 2019), On Your Mark: Challenging the Conventions of Grading and Reporting (2015), Reaching the Highest Standard in Professional Learning: Data (with Roy & Von Frank, 2014), and Benjamin S. Bloom: Portraits of an Educator (2012). He may be contacted by email at guskey@uky.edu, Twitter at @tguskey, or at www.tguskey.com.
Dr. Terry McDaniel
Dr. Terry McDaniel is a former teacher, principal, and superintendent, spending 32 years in the public schools. He has served as an assistant professor at Ball State University for two years and just completed his 14th year as a professor at Indiana State University. His main research focus is the teacher shortage in Indiana with an emphasis on recruitment and retention of teachers. He has consulted with several school districts in Indiana and is a member of the University Search team serving as the ISU representative.
Register Now!
Space is limited so register soon! Though you’ll attend IN the LEAD as a team, you’ll need to register individually. If you are traveling over 50 miles for any training event we’re offering a $250 travel stipend (per person, not per strand), available after training is completed.