In striving to provide educators with a national quality inservice, the NWEA has committed to inviting some of the best presenters in the nation and midwest to speak at the 2008 conference. These presenters are known for their unwavering commitment to education and their dedicated support of educators.

• Thomas R. Guskey
• Donna Whyte
• Jane Kitson
• Will Schmid
• Bob Kann
• Professor Gizmo

Thomas R. Guskey, PhD

Thomas R. Guskey, PhD, is professor of educational psychology in the College of Education at the University of Kentucky. A graduate of the University of Chicago, he served as director of research and development for Chicago Public Schools and was the first director of the Center for the Improvement of Teaching and Learning, a national research center. Dr. Guskey is the author/editor of numerous books and book chapters, articles, and professional papers on educational measurement, evaluation, assessment, and grading. His work has been honored by numerous organizations, and he has been featured on the National Public Radio programs Talk of the Nation and Morning Edition.

Dr. Guskey is listed in the National Staff Development Council’s Leaders in Staff Development. He is the only person to have won the Council’s Book of the Year Award twice and the Article of the Year Award three times. He coedited the Experts in Assessment series, contributed a chapter to the assessment anthology Ahead of the Curve: The Power of Assessment to Transform Teaching and Learning, and edited The Teacher as Assessment Leader and The Principal as Assessment Leader. His articles have appeared in prominent research journals, as well as Educational Leadership, Kappan, and The School Administrator.

He served on the policy research team of the National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future, the task force that developed the National Standards for Staff Development, and was named a Fellow in the American Educational Research Association, which also honored him in 2006 for his outstanding contribution relating research to practice.

Dona Whyte

Donna Whyte is an education consultant and former teacher with experience in inclusion, multi-age and looping classrooms. She continues to work with teachers and children in classrooms across the United States and specializes in early education. Donna has presented workshops and seminars at the state, national and international levels. Her positive attitude, high energy, and her many practical ideas make her presentations exciting and valuable to educators. Her strategies and activities are easy to transfer into classroom practice. Donna has published several books including You Can’t Teach a Class You Can’t Manage, Morning Meeting ~ Afternoon Wrap Up and The Writing Coaching Tool, along with three CDs – Hop, Skip and Jump to Learn, Sing Yourself Smart and Dinosaurs, Popcorn, Penguins & More.

Jane Kitson

Leap into literacy with national early childhood educational consultant and published author Jane Kitson from Atlanta, GA.

An author of over 350 original songs and fingerplays, Jane has shared interactive presentations with over 78,000 early childhood professionals in 46 states and Canada who say:

“Your session was the best at the conference!”, “Our participants say…bring her back!”, “Never a dull moment!”, “We can tell you really DO work with children!”, “So much energy…the time flew by!”, “The committee thought you were great and SO friendly!”, “The response has been overwhelming!”

In addition to speaking at over 24 training events each year, Jane works with over 5000 children sharing 9 different programs, as Mother Goose, and is available to visit for children’s programming and/or staff development right on site at your facility! Her hands on techniques are the result of 25 years experience in the early childhood classroom…children WILL wiggle and we can channel these wiggles into a learning experience!

Will Schmid

Will Schmid holds a B.A. from Luther College and a Ph.D. from the Eastman School of Music. His public school teaching included general, choral, and band, and he taught at the University of Kansas and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Will is a past-president of MENC — The National Association for Music Education.

Schmid is a program author for Pearson’s 2002 and 2008 Silver Burdett Making Music series. He is the principal author of the world’s #1 selling Hal Leonard Guitar Method and over seventy other books/CDs/DVDs for drumming, guitar, banjo, strings, and choral. Dr. Schmid is the principal author/editor of an 8-volume high school choral textbook, Something New to Sing About (Glencoe/G. Schirmer). He has given workshops throughout the United States and in Australia, Canada, Japan, Mexico and Europe. In 1996 Dr. Schmid launched the World Music Drumming curriculum that brings the excitement of African and Latin drumming and singing to schools throughout the world. Recent additions to the World Music Drumming publications (Hal Leonard) include New Ensembles and Songs, the World Music Drumming Choral Series, and More New Ensembles and Songs. World Music Drumming: Peanut Butter Jam (grades 2-5) is due out in spring, 2009.

Bob Kann

Bob Kann was born on November 11, 1953 in Chicago, but it happened so long ago that he remembers nothing of the event. Bob grew up in Skokie, Illinois, a suburb which proudly proclaimed itself to be "the largest village in the world." He had an uneventful childhood until a mild concussion resulting from an overspun back-flip off of a swing set changed the budding gymnast's mental outlook- permanently (but he thinks he still can do a back flip!).

Bob attended UW-Madison, became a teacher, and eventually received his Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from UW-Madison. He became a Professor of Education at UW-Parkside - a job he assumed would lead him to nirvana.

However, he quickly discovered that the 'pot-of-gold' at the end of the rainbow- being a professor- was not the right pot for him. Instead, he realized that making his students laugh was the right fit. Hence, in 1982 he began his career as a storytelling/juggling entertainer. Twenty-three years later, he is still performing, teaching, and consulting. Bob believes it is easier to climb the ladder of success when it's lying flat on the ground and that any ten-year-old with fifteen-years of experience can become a juggler.

Professor Gizmo

Gary has taught Science in Appleton, Wisconsin since 1968. In 1985 Gary received the Wisconsin D.P.I. Award of Excellence for District Middle School Teacher of the Year and in 1987 received the Appleton Area School District, Mielke Award for Secondary Educator of The Year and in 1993 received the Wisconsin Society of Science Teachers Regional Award for Excellence in Education. In 1996 the Kings Daughters awarded Gary the Appleton North High School Educator of the year. The student body of North High School also selected Gary for the "Educator Of The Year" award in 1997. He has been on the Board of Directors and has served as president of the Wisconsin Society of Science Teachers. Gary has also been a staff member for the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction at Science World from 1990-1999.

Professor Gizmo was developed as a science outreach program to fulfill a requirement for the Science World experience in 1989. Gary, as Professor Gizmo, has presented his science program to hundreds of thousands in Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota, Michigan, California, New Jersey, Iowa, Missouri, Colorado, Wyoming, Indiana and Kentucky.

Gary loves performing as Professor Gizmo and especially enjoys the interaction with the audience. And now that he has retired from public school education he devotes most of his energies to creating excitement for Science in elementary and middle schools across the Midwest!! Professor Gizmo can visit your school anytime day or evening!!! Call soon to reserve the date you need.