Third Space with Jen Cort

Allowing individuality and identity to shine. Lavonna Roth focuses on students and teachers being seen and heard, being their unique selves, in order to explore and celebrate their unique identity.

Thousands of educators are exiting the field of education every year, exhausted and burnt out. Frustrated by this crisis that hurts our students, LaVonna set out on a worldwide mission to serve educators, authoring 8 books on brain research and engaging instruction, creating the Ignite Your S.H.I.N.E.® framework, and providing professional development for educators internationally. Her life’s passion is to empower educators like YOU to find the greatness within your students and the greatness within yourself so we can radically change the traditional approach on how to educate in order to best serve our students. As an elementary and secondary educator, keynote speaker, author, consultant and mom, she is here to serve you so you can effectively serve your students through the lens of brain research, social-emotional needs, and the whole child!

Supporting identity development and underscoring the importance of affinity groups.

Phyllis is the school counselor at Sheridan School in Washington, D.C., a therapist at The Chrysalis Group, an author of Middle School Matters: The 10 Key Skills Kids Need to Thrive in Middle School and Beyond--- and How Parents Can Help. Phyllis is also
a journalist who writes columns for The Washington Post, PDK, Intl. and AMLE.

Middle School students share how parents and teachers can broach topics such as race, gender, and technology with them in the first part of Third Space. In the second part, teachers and an administrator share their thoughts on the same topics.

Jeff Ransom begins our series focusing on athletic programs and equity, diversity, inclusion, and justice.

Jeff Ransom Is the Director of Athletics at Wilmington Friends School. Jeff was formerly was a physical education teacher, and head of the varsity lacrosse and golf programs at Sidwell Friends School. Jeff holds a Master of Education, and Bachelor of Science from Salisbury State University, where he played and coached lacrosse for the Seagulls. Jeff gained valuable leadership experience from his student personnel work in the residence halls at West Virginia Wesleyan College and Bowie State University.

Contact info [email protected]

Vrishank "Shank" Subramani is a Senior Marketing Analyst at Merkle Inc. and an Assistant Basketball Coach at Paul Public Charter School. In his ,spare time he can be found watching and performing comedy or discussing the latest and greatest in the sports world on twitter. Shank is a graduate of the University of Maryland where he earned his Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering. He currently resides in person in Washington D.C and on the internet @shankap0tomus.

Randolph Carter and Blake Kohn offer strategies for setting up student leadership and faculty professional development conferences. Randolph is the director and founder of EastEd and Blake is the director of National Network of Schools in Partnership.

Esteemed speaker and celebrated author, Debbie Silver shares dives into the topic of helping teachers see and hear children while helping children learn to be visible and heard in ways that work for them

Peter and Paul Reynolds discuss how to help students feel seen and heard in the classroom, clarifying misunderstandings around the complexities of creativity, and suggestions for teachers to reach their students.

Joan L. Green is a licensed and certified speech-language pathologist, technology specialist, published author, speaker, and mother of 4 young adults. Her mission is to help families and professionals learn how to get the most out of their computers and mobile devices using uniquely effective and engaging strategies to improve communication, cognition, literacy, and learning.

Lauren Brownlee and Melanie Cort answer the question "How can adults and middle schoolers be truly equal partners and voices in developing diversity programs? As they provide a model which can be easily replicated.