Assessment, Evaluation, and Curriculum Redesign


Expert Content Developer Bios

Heidi Hayes Jacobs
Dr. Heidi Hayes Jacobs is an education consultant who works internationally with schools, districts, companies and not-for-profit groups on K-12 curriculum reform, instructional strategies to encourage critical thinking, and strategic planning. She has written books on this subject as well, including: INTERDISCIPLINARY CURRICULUM:DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION (ASCD, 1989) and MAPPING THE BIG PICTURE: INTEGRATING CURRICULUM AND ASSESSMENT K-12 (ASCD, 1997). She has taught high school, junior high school, and elementary school in Utah, Massachusetts, and New York. She served as an adjunct associate professor at the Department of Curriculum and Teaching at Teachers College, Columbia University, NYC, from 1981 - 1996. She is also the President of Curriculum Designers Inc., and has consulted with numerous organizations, including: Children's Television Workshop; CBS National Sunrise Semester; Peace Corps; the International Baccalaureate; and state education departments.

Diane Ravitch
Diane Ravitch's research, writing and teaching focus on educational policy. She serves as Professor of Education at New York University; a Senior Fellow of the Brookings Institution in Washington, DC; and a member of the National Assessment Governing Board. Ravitch has also served as Assistant Secretary for Educational Research and Counselor to the U.S. Department of Education; professor of history and education at Columbia University's Teachers College; and advisor to Poland's Ministry of Education. Ravitch has also been a distinguished visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution and a member of the Koret Task Force on K-12 Education. She is the author of many books about education, including LEFT BACK: A CENTURY OF FAILED SCHOOL REFORMS (Simon & Schuster, 2000); NATIONAL STANDARDS IN AMERICAN EDUCATION: A CITIZEN'S GUIDE (The Brookings Institution, 1995); and THE TROUBLED CRUSADE: AMERICAN EDUCATION, 1945-1980 (Basic Books, 1985).

Lesson Plan Developers Bios

Werner Liepolt
Werner Liepolt is a multimedia designer, a consultant in education and entertainment, and an educator. He has taught both middle school and, as an Instructor at Columbia University's Teachers College, graduate school. He has written numerous pages regarding technology and education, theater, and multimedia, including: THE GREAT EXPECTATIONS STUDY GUIDE (http://projects.ilt.columbia.edu/dickens/ge.intro) and OKLAHOMA! INTERACTIVE, a Web page developed with Teachers College and The Rodgers and Hammerstein Organization to support production at high schools and colleges. Liepolt was named a National Endowment for the Humanities Scholar and an Apple Distinguished Educator.

Advisor/Reviewer Bios

Cyndi Kerr
Cyndi Kerr works with schools as a staff developer, using a project-based approach to model in-class uses of digital tools. She has been support manager with a team of progressive educators at the Center for Collaborative Education; she has also helped to launch the Eiffel project, a five-year initiative that integrates wide-area networking technologies into the public school curriculum in New York City. In addition, she has worked with the Institute for Learning Technologies to provide support for teachers.

Anthony Petrosino, Ph.D.
Anthony Petrosino is a professor whose research focuses on science education, with an emphasis on technology. He has been an assistant professor of Mathematics and Science Education at The University of Texas in Austin, and was a member of the Cognition and Technology Group at Vanderbilt's Learning Technology Center. He is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including: Otto Basser Award for Outstanding Dissertation in the Department of Teaching and Learning, Vanderbilt University, 1998; Cognitive Studies for Educational Practice Post Doctorate Fellowship (competitive), 1998-2000; Tennessee Space Grant Fellowship (NASA), Vanderbilt University, 1991-1996; Peabody Super Student Scholarship. (competitive) 1991-1994; New Jersey Governor's Teacher Recognition Award, 1990.

Anna Chan Rekate
Anna Chan Rekate is an educator with a special interest in literature. She serves as a high school English teacher at Trevor Day School in New York City, where she teaches ninth grade English along with electives for Juniors and Seniors. She has also been Upper School Coordinator at the Manhattan School for Children, and has taught all subjects for the sixth and eighth grades at the City & Country School in New York City. All three schools are known for their progressive philosophies and educational practices. Rekate has a master's degree in Educational Policy from Columbia University's Teachers College and a master's degree in Leadership and Supervision from Bank Street College of Education.

Thirteen Ed Online Staff Expert Bios

Brigitte Magar Matsuoka
Brigitte Magar Matsuoka is an educational media developer. She serves as Director of Thirteen/ WNET's Educational Technologies Department and Executive Producer of Thirteen's Ed Online Web site. She also develops, produces and distributes new educational technology projects for teachers, students and parents/caregivers. Her projects include: CONCEPT TO CLASSROOM, WHAT'S UP IN THE ENVIRONMENT?, the companion Web site to a post 9/11 three-part series for the PBS IN THE MIX series, THE NEW NORMAL, TeacherLine mini-courses, and STANDARDS IN ACTION: MAKING REAL WORLD CONNECTIONS WITH MATHEMATICS. She has also worked at Teachers College, Columbia University as an instructor, online content and tool developer, and K-12 consultant, and has received an Emmy award for her work in television production.

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