MARCIA TATE - Dr. Marcia Tate is the former Executive Director of Professional Development for the DeKalb County School System, Decatur, Georgia. During her 30-year career with the district, she had been a classroom teacher, reading specialist, language arts coordinator, and staff development director. In 2001, Dr. Tate received the Distinguished Staff Developer Award for the State of Georgia and her department was chosen to receive the 2002 Exemplary Program Award for the State. Marcia Tate is currently a national educational consultant and has presented to over 75,000 administrators, teachers, parents, business and community leaders throughout the U.S. Her first book, Worksheets Don't Grow Dendrites: 20 Instructional Strategies that Engage the Brain, has become a bestseller. Her second and third books are Sit and Get Won't Grow Dendrites and Reading and Language Arts Worksheets Don’t Grow Dendrites.Dr. Tate's workshops consistently receive rave reviews. In her presentations, Marcia uses brain-compatible strategies to engage her audience. Be prepared to learn and laugh!

JACK BERCKEMEYER - We welcome back Jack Berckemeyer, who is Assistant Executive Director for the National Middle School Association, Jack is known for his practical teaching ideas that involve and motivate young adolescents. Twice named outstanding educator of the year, he has taught language arts, social studies, health, expression skills, and physical education. He has presented to middle level educators in 30 different national and international locations with his humorous and motivational keynotes. Jack writes and edits, “Classroom Connections,” published in NMSA’s Middle Ground and judges for the Disney American Teacher Awards. He also coordinates on-site professional development for schools and school districts.

SPECIAL GUEST PRESENTERS

JAMES BELL - James Bell is the 2007-2008 North Carolina's Teacher of the Year. James is an 8th grade English teacher at Chowan Middle School, Edenton-Chowan Public Schools. James' presents on "Tricks of the Trade" for first year teachers, explicitly teaching reading strategies to middle grade students, reading strategies to be used during and after reading, reading strategies and teaming in the middle school, and using Thinking Maps while reading poetry. He is currently serving on Edenton-Chowan's System Wide Literacy Team and is spending this year traveling the state as an ambassador for the teaching profession.

PAUL GEORGE - Nationally and internationally renowned for his expert knowledge and passion for middle grades education, Paul George draws upon over 30 years of teaching, research, publishing, training and consulting to confront educational issues. He has presented in every state and dozens of foreign countries, published ten books and approximately 150 monographs, chapters in books, journal articles and multi-media materials. Dr. George's professional interests range from school leadership to the relationship between middle and high school to exemplary classroom instruction to social organization of schools. The American Association of School Administrators referred to Paul George as "the foremost expert on middle schools in the country." He is the recipient of the National Middle School Association's Lounsbury Award for lifetime achievement in middle school education.

MELBA JOHNSON - Melba Johnson, a national educational consultant, conducts staff development for middle school and high school teachers throughout North Carolina and across the country. The focus of her trainings includes curriculum alignment and the use of visual and tactile strategies in reading, writing, and grammar. As a consultant for Thinking Maps, Inc. and co-author of Write…for the Future, she does extensive trainings in writing workshops and Thinking Maps. Currently, she is developing another publication to assist students in preparing for college entrance exams such as the PSAT, SAT, and other standardized assessments.

JILL NORRIS - Popular author and presenter Jill Norris began teaching in a first grade classroom at the University of Colorado Laboratory School. Her varied teaching career has spanned grades PreK through eighth grade. She has directed a preschool program, been a remedial reading specialist, and acted as a technology coordinator. Following twenty years of classroom experience in Colorado, Texas, North Carolina, and California, she has transitioned to a role as presenter, author, and publisher.

LAURA ROBB - Laura Robb is author of 14 books, including Teaching Reading in Middle School, Teaching Reading in Social Studies, Science, and Math, Redefining Staff Development, and Literacy Links. She has taught language arts at Powhatan School in Boyce, Virginia, for more than 35 years. Laura is a co-author of the Reader's Handbooks for grades 3, 4-5, and 6-8, as well as the Reading and Writing Sourcebooks and the Summer Success: Reading Program. She also mentors and coaches teachers, and speaks at conferences throughout the country on reading and writing.