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Jelani Jabari, Ph.D., has had a stellar career in the educational field for more than seventeen years. Jelani  has served as teacher, teacher coach, curriculum leader, university instructor, and educational consultant for the State of Michigan.   His exemplary work in the field has afforded him opportunities to  present at national conferences such as National Staff Development Council, National Middle School Association, International Society for Technology in Education (I.S.T.E.), Ubiquitous Mobile Learning Tools, and many professional conferences. 

His areas of expertise include:

• Designing and implementing best instructional practices
• Strategic use of assessment practices
• Using data to achieve targeted outcomes
• Creating effective organizational management processes in the classroom 

Dr. Jabari wholeheartedly believes that all children possess the ability to excel academically when educators expect exemplary performance and inspire them to maximize their potential.

Barbara Hill, M.A., has had an exceptional career which has spanned more than fifteen years.  This doctoral candidate is recognized as one of the premier writing specialists in the region. While in the classroom, Barbara created an optimal learning environment for students through implementing critical literacy, content area literacy practices, and reflective pedagogy.  Her professional accomplishments include:

• Co-writing Awakening a Community of Writers, a series which  served as the writing model for high-priority K-8 schools 
• Improving writing in more than a dozen High Priority Schools.
• Infusing ELA co-planning and co-teaching models
• Obtaining and using baseline data to measure writing achievement
• Developing writing communities
• Recognition as 6 + 1 Writing Traits Expert
• Conducting interactive professional development which lifts metacognition

Judith Ableser, Ph.D., has greater than 30 years of exceptional experience in education.  She is a university researcher, accomplished author, and expert in designing and implementing sound educational pedagogy.  She has a stellar teaching record given the dozens of undergraduate and graduate courses taught in the college of education.

Her recently published work includes:

• Integrating Developmentally Appropriate Authentic Literacy Experiences to Teach and Support Young Children During Times of Violence and Stress
• Life Beyond Multiple Choice Tests: Alternative and Authentic Assessment

Her areas of expertise include:

• Differentiating instructional practices
• Adapting educational settings, inclusion, I.E.P.
• Early and emergent literacy
• Currriculum mapping and design

Peggy Thomas, M.Ed., has enjoyed an exemplary career in education for more than 30 years.  For more than 21 years, she was a high school teacher and department head. She was Social Studies Supervisor at the central office level for ten years.  Ms. Thomas earned a Masters in Educational Administration from Marygrove College and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Education from Wayne State University.

Ms. Thomas has extensive experience in the following:

• Development of curriculum (middle and high school social studies)
• Evaluating/monitoring effective teaching performance     
• Development of professional development for teachers and administrators
• Evaluation of instructional materials and resources.
• Data analysis (of MEAP/MME)

Ms. Thomas’ professional contributions include:

• Member of the state of Michigan MEAP/HST Range-finding Committee and the GLCE (Grade Level Content Expectations) Committee. 
• Development of the MEAP/HST Scoring for Persuasive Essay Writing 
• Development of a Social Studies High School  Exit Exam