Christopher Lehman is the Founding Director of The Educator Collaborative, a K-12 Literacy think tank and professional development organization, working to innovate the ways educators learn together. Read his full bio here or request him for consulting or a speaking engagement. He is an international speaker, literacy consultant, and New York Times best-selling author. He holds degrees from UW-Madison, NYU, and Teachers College, Columbia University. Chris has been a middle-school teacher; a high-school teacher; a literacy coach; and a Senior Staff Developer with the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project at Columbia University. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the National Center for Families Learning. He is a past Chair of the NCTE Middle Level Section, past member of the NCTE Executive Committee. He has served as column editor for NCTE’s peer-reviewed journal, Voices from the Middle, and his articles and interviews have appeared in many journals and publications including ILA’s Reading Today, EdWeek, and Education SmartBrief. He has supported schools and districts across the United States and around the world in developing robust, research-based, effective literacy curricula and practices. Now with The Educator Collaborative, he is working to innovate the ways literacy educators learn in-person and online, providing professional learning for teachers, coaches, and administrators so students can hold their brightest futures. Follow him on Twitter @iChrisLehman.

Dr. Keri Orange-Jones is a member of The Educator Collaborative network.  Read her full bio here or request her for consulting or a speaking engagement.   Keri is an expert in reading and writing instruction, content area literacy, assessment strategies and anti-bias education. Keri currently teaches fifth-grade social studies and science in New Jersey. She has been an educator for 24 years, entering the profession as an Alternate Route Teacher.

Keri is an advocate of student choice in assessment. She believes that students should be able to choose the modality of assessment, thus allowing students to highlight their strengths when completing formative and summative assessment tasks. In her blog article for The Educator Collaborative entitled Kenny, The Student Who Taught Me about Giftedness and Assessment, Keri shares her belief that when given choice, students will develop a high sense of efficacy, take ownership of their learning and experience more success. She also shares these thoughts in her presentation, Student Choice: The Key to Enjoyable Assessments. Keri hopes to continue to focus on offering students various assessment choices as well as investigate alternatives to criteria for acceptance into Gifted & Talented Programs. Follow her on Twitter @DrKCOrange. [/su_row

Elizabeth Lacy Schoenberger  is a member of The Educator Collaborative network.  Read her full bio here or request her for consulting or a speaking engagement.  Elizabeth brings expertise in standards-based grading, curriculum development, and instructional coaching to The Educator Collaborative. Elizabeth draws on vast experience in urban education, serving as a classroom teacher, Professor of English education, Reading Specialist, Literacy Coach, Teacher Leadership Support and Design Manager, and Instructional Supervisor at the middle school and college levels. Her leadership in curriculum restructuring, developing standards aligned assessments, and facilitating interdisciplinary teams has had powerful effect on the teachers and students she serves. She has innovated methods for school-based data collection using online tools, including staff and student surveys that help to look at the whole school culture beyond only test scores. Follow her on Twitter @LacyLiteracy.