Jennifer Stepanek Author

Melinda Leong has served as a Senior Program Advisor in the Mathematics Education Unit at Education Northwest since 2001. She has been providing leadership in designing effective professional development in mathematics learning, teaching, and assessment. Before joining Education Northwest, she worked with the New York City Board of Education in District 2 as a teacher and director for 11 years at the K–8 level. She was the founder and director of the Manhattan Academy of Technology in New York, a middle school focused on integrating technology into a three-year comprehensive and rigorous academic program. Leong holds a B.A. in education and American studies from Tufts University, an M.A. in elementary education from Hunter College at the City University of New York, an M.A. in administration and supervision from City College at the City University of New York, and a graduate certificate in middle school mathematics from Portland State University. Jennifer Stepanek is a writer, editor, and researcher with Education Northwest in Portland, Oregon. She is the lead author of Leading Lesson Study: A Practical Guide for Teachers and Facilitators (2007), published by Corwin Press. Jennifer has worked with lesson study teams at a variety of sites in the Northwest to explore how teachers in the United States are adapting the Japanese model to fit their contexts and needs. Jennifer has written and edited a number of articles on lesson study and is also the co-author of An Invitation to Lesson Study, an electronic resource designed to help facilitators and other professional development providers introduce lesson study to others. Her previous projects include serving as the editor of Northwest Teacher, a math and science journal and writing publications for the It’s Just Good Teaching series—research-based monographs on mathematics and science teaching. Linda Griffin joined Education Northwest June 2004 and serves as the director of the Mathematics Education Unit. Her professional background includes fourteen years as a middle and high school mathematics teacher, as well as eight years working on National Science Foundation grant projects focused on teacher enhancement, gender equity, and parent involvement in the area of mathematics. Griffin has extensive experience conducting staff development and presenting workshops at regional and national conferences and has taught university courses in mathematics, including mathematics content courses for pre-service elementary teachers. Linda holds a B.A. in mathematics from the University of California at Davis, an M.A in teaching and teacher education from the University of Arizona, and an Ed.D. in educational leadership from Northern Arizona University. Lisa Lavelle, a senior program advisor in the Mathematics Education Unit at Education Northwest, is primarily involved in providing professional development to K-12 teachers of mathematics through both research grants and contracts with districts. Through the Northwest Regional Comprehensive Center, she also provides technical assistance to state education agencies. Lisa also teaches Math Methods at Portland State University as an adjunct instructor. Prior to joining the Center for Classroom Teaching and Learning at Education Northwest (formerly the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory) in September of 2008, Lavelle taught mathematics in both middle school and high school; served as a support teacher for elementary school mathematics; and worked with both preservice and inservice teachers in professional development. She earned her B.A. in Psychology with emphasis in Computer Science from Yale University and at the same time completed the Teacher Preparation Program in Secondary Mathematics at Yale. Lisa went on to earn her M.A. in Professional Studies, Middle School Mathematics, from George Washington University.