A New Chapter

Greetings blog readers! I haven't been very active on this blog lately. There is a good reason for that. I have been in the process of pursuing a new professional opportunity. And I took a vacation. Ok, that's two reasons. So, I've been sorta busy :). Let me fill you in.

Effective August 16th, 2012, I will no longer be an employee of the Midwest Instructional Leadership Council (miLc). miLc is an outstanding organization, full of people for whom I have the highest respect. It has been an absolute honor working at miLc this past year. We have successfully put on our fifth annual RtI Leadership Summit, as well as research-to-practice learning institutes for the early childhood and high school levels. We have provided a wide range of consultative services for schools, districts, and state departments of education. milc will continue to provide these services, as well as new ones, after I leave. I have learned a lot, and received a lot, this past year. I hope that I've made my share of positive contributions as well.

The reason I am leaving miLc is because of an incredibly exciting new opportunity in my home state of Iowa. As of August 17th, 2012, I will be the Iowa Core Curriculum Consultant for Teachers of Students on IEPs for the Iowa Department of Education. Although there is still plenty of defining to do in terms of what my roles and functions will be, in general my focus will be supporting the AEAs, districts, and schools to increase achievement for students with disabilities within a standards-based system. This position represents an intersection of standards, RtI, and alignment that were the focus of my graduate school minor. I am incredibly passionate about this work, and am blessed to have an opportunity to pursue it in my home state of Iowa.

So, that's the scoop. I still plan to keep blogging and tweeting. I imagine that in time I'll find some new communication methods in a more official capacity as well. I'm super excited! Thanks for reading, and I'll be back soon.