Catapult Corner: An EduBlog
March 19th, 2013Student Creativity and the Common Core
written by Diane Rymer
One of the factors that led to the development of the Common Core Standards was a desire to prepare our students for success in the global economy. The United States has traditionally led the global economy in the area of innovation. In his book The Rise of the Creative Class (2012), economist Richard Florida defines a growing group of people finding success in jobs that require them to “create new ideas, new technology and/or creative content.” But how will adopting the Common Core Standards help to prepare our students for global competitiveness through creativity, entrepreneurship and innovation?
March 12th, 2013A Perfect Storm: Leading for Academic Excellence
written by Dr. Susan Abelein
Perfect Storm. Noun. A critical or disastrous situation created by a powerful concurrence of factors.
The connotation of a perfect storm is unfavorable, and given the definition above, the denotation isn’t much better. So, why choose A Perfect Storm as the title for a blog about academic excellence? A couple of reasons: 1. it’s catchier than A Confluence of Factors that Lead to Academic Excellence and, 2. it speaks to the need for a multi-faceted, convergent approach to leading for academic excellence.
March 5th, 2013Sequestration: In Like a Lion, Out Like a Lamb?
written by Michelle Doyle
Sequestration and It’s Effect on Education Funding
Over the past several weeks, there has been plenty of press about the consequences of sequestration–cuts to Title I and IDEA, laying off teachers, and furloughs for government workers (including air traffic controllers and TSA screeners!) The President and members of the Administration have taken the case around the country, members of Congress have either echoed or contradicted those sentiments, and the press has covered the implications extensively. After all that, Congress left town last Friday, on the eve of sequestration.
February 27th, 2013Content Roundup: Common Core and Teacher Resources
written by John Fergus
February Content from Catapult Learning
February is one of the coldest months of the year. However, this month brought us some of the hottest content that Catapult has ever produced! So, this month we are offering a recap of all the fabulous content that our Common Core expert team produced over the past thirty days. In case you missed some or even all of it (shame on you), it’s all listed here for your reading and viewing pleasure. The blog posts, the webinar, the new products. Enjoy.
February 21st, 2013Catapult Learning Educator Spotlight: February 2013
written by John Fergus
Educator Spotlight:
Catapult Learning has long recognized that our teachers, coaches, specialized services professionals, and consultants are the foundation upon which our company stands. We literally wouldn’t be here without their tireless efforts to help struggling students succeed! We thank them for all that they do each and every day.
In May 2012, we introduced the Catapult Learning Educator Spotlight where we honored some of our most dedicated teachers and education professionals. They are our very own shining stars!
The Catapult Learning Educator Spotlight is now a monthly feature on our Catapult Corner Blog. The educators that are highlighted are nominated by their Catapult colleagues in recognition of the positive impact they have on children and schools throughout the country.
We are extremely excited to announce our honorees for February 2013!
Maggie Flood – Teacher – Chicago, IL
Mary Mleziva – Literacy First Consultant
Leilani Echezabal – Teacher – Miami, FL
Sr. Brigid Layden – Teacher - Milwaukee, WI
February 20th, 2013STEM: Failure is Now an Option
written by Jessica Bianculli
On a recent Southwest Airlines flight, a quote from an article caught my eye. “When kids are successful in school, that’s great, but we’re interested in seeing kids fail.” As a teacher, I was intrigued. Wanting to see kids fail? Isn’t our goal the complete opposite? Hooked by this proposition, I read on—and to my surprise, I was quickly on board with Sparktruck’s lessons on failure.
Let me explain.
February 14th, 2013So What? The Importance of Asking the Right Questions for the Common Core
written by Dr. Andrew Ordover
When the Common Core State Standards were first released, our main concern—and panic—was about alignment. We always taught time in __ grade; now we have to teach it in __ grade. We used to teach book X, but now they’re telling us the Lexile rank is too low. These were certainly valid concerns. Alignment had to be done; crosswalks had to be constructed.
But now, a few years into implementation, it’s becoming clear that the heart and soul of the Common Core lies in the questions we ask our students, not the facts or skills we teach at particular grade levels. I would argue that if we could do only one thing in our classrooms to implement the Common Core, changing our questions would be vastly more effective and important than any other thing we could choose.
February 7th, 2013Let’s Get Formative: Teacher Assessment and Professional Development
written by Dr. Susan Abelein
Formative assessment is integral to teaching and learning. Daily, teachers are assessing the degree to which their students have mastered content objectives. Teachers may circulate the classroom to observe and diagnose, review classwork, or engage students in question-and-answer dialogues to determine student learning. What if these same concepts of effective formative assessment that teachers use with students were used by school leaders to assess teachers?
January 30th, 2013Skype in the Classroom
written by Diane Rymer
Bringing in the Experts
Field trips. Every kid loves a field trip. It is a time to get outside the four walls of the classroom and beyond the school building out into the real world. In today’s tough economic times many schools are cutting back on field trip opportunities, but current technology tools like Skype in the Classroom afford teachers and students access to endless information, data, images and experts from all over the globe. In order to prepare students for careers within this globally connected marketplace, educators should seek opportunities to leverage technology to engage, excite, inform and inspire their students.
January 24th, 2013Catapult Learning Educator Spotlight: January 2013
written by John Fergus
Educator Spotlight:
Catapult Learning has long recognized that our teachers, coaches, specialized services professionals, and consultants are the foundation upon which our company stands. We literally wouldn’t be here without their tireless efforts to help struggling students succeed! We thank them for all that they do each and every day.
In May 2012, we introduced the Catapult Learning Educator Spotlight where we honored some of our most dedicated teachers and education professionals. They are our very own shining stars!
The Catapult Learning Educator Spotlight is now monthly feature on our Catapult Corner Blog. The educators that are highlighted are nominated by their Catapult colleagues, in recognition of the positive impact they have on children throughout the country.
We are extremely excited to announce our honorees for January 2013!
Kathy Gotthold- Teacher - Vineland, NJ
Marybeth Williams - Teacher- Detroit, MI
Camilla Tamargo – Counselor – Miami-Dade, FL
Andrew Ordover manages the design and creation of all of Catapult Learning instructional programs. Andrew has worked in curriculum development at public and private schools in Atlanta, New York City, and the Slovak Republic. He has created print and online programs for K12 students and has developed live and online professional development workshops and courses for teachers. Most recently, he served as Director of Academic Quality at ASCD. Andrew has a BA in English from Emory University, an MFA in theatre from UCLA, and an Ed.D. in Administrator Leadership for Teaching and Learning from Walden University. 
John Fergus is the Online Marketing Specialist for Catapult Learning. John is responsible for online marketing activities including email, webinars, and content management of the website, and social media. He has been with Catapult since May 2011 and he is based out of the company headquarters in Camden NJ. 
Dr. Abelein has served as a teacher, principal, diocesan administrator, and consultant in parochial and private Catholic education for twenty years. Prior to her position as Associate Superintendent for Leadership and Recruitment for the Archdiocese of New York, Dr. Abelein served as President and Principal at St. Aloysius in New York, Principal at Verbum Dei in Los Angeles, and Principal of St. Paul of the Cross in La Mirada, California, as well as, a Teacher in Guam and California.
Dr. Abelein earned a Ph.D. in Education Policy, Planning and Administration from the University of Southern California, a M.Ed. Leadership from the University of Portland, and a B.A. in English with Secondary Education from the State University of New York at Geneseo. She holds New York State permanent certification in English/Secondary Level and School Admin/Supervision. Dr. Abelein has taught numerous graduate courses at Loyola Marymount University, Fordham University, St. John’s University, and the University of Notre Dame. Dr. Abelein currently serves on the Board of Directors at America Press, Inc. and supports One Home Many Hopes a non-profit whose mission is to “find, rescue, house, love and educate orphaned and abandoned girls in Mtwapa, Kenya and equip them to be the future agents of change in their community.” Dr. Abelein was awarded Fulbright Specialist Scholar roster candidate status in March 2011. 
Diane Rymer is our Director of Professional Development and is responsible for the overall development and implementation for all of our professional development programs. Diane brings a wealth of professional development experience, including Supervisor of Professional Development at Baltimore County Public Schools and Assistant Director of Professional Development at Maryland Public Television. Diane earned her Master’s of Science/Technology for Educators from John Hopkins University and her Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education from Loyola University, Maryland. 
Heather Bickley is the Philadelphia Coaching Supervisor for Catapult Learning. She is also an instructional coach, works on various projects with Catapult’s professional development team, and she is also an adjunct professor at West Chester University. She is a professional educator with diverse experience teaching and supervising both face-to-face and online. She currently works out of the Philadelphia, PA and Camden, NJ offices of Catapult Learning. 
Stuart Udell joined Catapult Learning as our President and CEO from The Princeton Review, where he served as President of Post Secondary Education. He also served as CEO of Penn Foster, a global leader in career-focused online learning, until December 2009, at which time the company was acquired by The Princeton Review. Prior to joining Penn Foster, Stuart spent ten years with Kaplan, Inc., most recently as President of its K-12 division. In addition, Stuart currently serves as Chairman of the Board of the National Dropout Prevention Center/Network (Clemson University), a position he’s held since 2009. 
Dr. Ronald Valenti has devoted forty-five years to Catholic education both as a high school teacher and administrator. He served the Archdiocese of Philadelphia for twenty-five years as teacher and principal. In 1975, Cardinal Krol appointed Dr. Valenti as the first laymen in the history of Catholic education in Philadelphia to serve as principal. In 1990 he was appointed by Cardinal Keeler to lead the Archdiocese of Baltimore as its superintendent of Catholic schools, a position which he held for twenty years.
His career has been marked by notable recognition and accomplishments. In 2008 he was invited by President George W. Bush to participate in the White House Summit for Faith Based Schools. In 2002 he received an award from the Baltimore Jewish Council in recognition of his cultivating a collaborative relationship between the Christians and Jewish communities. In 2004, His Holiness, Pope John Paul II, conferred on Dr. Valenti a Papal Award and Honor for his outstanding contributions to Catholic education. 
Jessica Bianculli is the Regional Director of Professional Development and STEM Specialist for Catapult Learning. Jessica is responsible for coaching and PD seminars in California, Arizona, Oregon, and Washington. Jessica worked as a clinical faculty member at The University of Delaware, teaching undergrad students in the Elementary Education program and working as an instructional coach for the University Lab School. She has many years of experience as a Writing Project Consultant, and taught for Fairfax County Public Schools in Virginia. Jessica earned her Master of Science degree from The University of Delaware in Literacy and Linguistics and her Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education and Earth Science from West Chester University. 
Michelle Doyle has many years of experience in the administration of federal education programs for students attending private and religious schools. Currently, Michelle is also the national consultant to Catapult Learning, whose mission is to serve K-12 students who struggle with academics. Previously, Michelle was the education lobbyist for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and also held the position of Director of the Office of Non-Public Education at the U.S. Department of Education for 10 years. 