Leading Through Change: End of Year Reflections and Next Steps

Romain Bertrand is a personalized learning leader, blogger, consultant, coach, and practitioner. During his 20 years in education, he has led numerous education innovations including coaching and blended and personalized learning programs, supporting hundreds of teachers and in-school coaches across the US to use personalized learning as a tool for equity.

As a PreK-Higher Education instructional coach, curriculum expert and former district administrator, Cheryl supports the design and development of active professional learning experiences that meet the immediate needs of educators and the students they serve.

Cecily Klein has been the Director of Math and Science in the second largest school district in Colorado, Jefferson County Public Schools for the last nine years.  During her career, Cecily held the positions of Director of Math and Science, Instructional Coach Coordinator, Instructional Coach, and teacher.  She provided structures and supports for K-12 schools to implement Illustrative Mathematics. One of the most exciting things she experienced through implementation was supporting school leaders in Learning Walk engagements with Better Lessons. Leaders were able to watch students take risks and develop a strong math identity while considering and planning action steps to move their school to the next level.  “Watching teachers become excited about the level of engagement using this resource truly brought joy into their classrooms. Creating opportunities for teachers to learn how to achieve equitable outcomes for students has been one of my greatest career successes. Teachers deserve to have high levels of support when learning new tools.”

Craig Lubner is an Instructional and Leadership Coach who works with teachers, department chairs and instructional leaders in developing their pedagogical practices and in building their capacity to lead through the ever-changing landscape of education. Craig believes that structure and planning is the foundation of teaching excellence and engaged learning. Craig is an active Assistant Principal in the Jewish private school sector in New York. Craig is also a trained Molecular Biologist, new teacher mentor and graduate of Educational leadership programs from Harvard University, Bar Ilan University and the William Davidson Graduate School of Education. Craig holds a B.Sc (Hons) in Molecular Biology from the University of Cape Town. Craig has completed the CSML (Certification in School Management and Leadership) program at Harvard Business School and is currently completing ICF (International Coaching Federation) certification at NYU. This is Craig’s 4th year as a BetterLesson instructional coach.

Jeff Cook has been an educator for over 28 years. He began his teaching career as a Teach for America corps member working as a special education teacher in rural North Carolina. Jeff became the founding principal of Wilson STEM Academy in 2018, a position he still holds. As principal of Wilson STEM Academy, Jeff, in collaboration with his colleagues, led the school out of state-designated low-performing status.

Kristie has over 30 years in public education. She has been a teacher, building-level administrator, and a district-level administrator. She recently retired as the Executive Director of Federal Programs and Professional Development which is a role she has had for over 10 years. Kristie is very passionate about professional development and has coached teachers and administrators for many years. She joined BetterLesson in May of 2022 and loves getting to meet and work with educators across the country. Kristie feels that her different roles and experiences allows her to give back and provide assistance to other educators in efforts that produce academic success for students.