Our Team
We are educators who offer professional learning on evidence-based practices for teaching writing, and academics researching these. thinkSRSD’s team offered the 1st ever open-enrollment professional learning on SRSD in 2008 for the NYC DOE, and at Bank Street College. We then began offering online SRSD courses in 2011, and now excel at blended learning. Working in schools throughout the nation daily, we regularly update how we integrate SRSD with the latest advances in our field so we can customize the support we offer.
Pooja Patel
Teacher, Dwight-Englewood School, NJ
Amanda Rhea
Teacher, United Nations School, NY
Tiana Phillips
Coach, Belmont School, Worcester, MA
Lisa Regele
Retired Teacher, Worcester Public Schools
Allison Lienert
Teacher at Currey Ingram Academy, Nashville TN
Jess Macedo
Reading Teacher, Cumberland, RI
Dr. Mary Alpaugh
SRSD Teacher & Researcher, Glendale Community College
Dr. Leslie Laud
Teacher and Instructor, Bank Street College of Education
Jules Csillag
Speech & Language Pathologist, NYU, NY
Amy Thomas
Literacy Coordinator, Jefferson County, CO
Dr. Joyce King-McIver
Associate Professor, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI
Dr. Jaime Greene & Dr. Derek Voiles
Assistant Principal & Teacher, Hamblen County, TN
Heidi Zollman
Literacy Coordinator, Rochester, NH
Our Story
thinkSRSD began in the classroom and continues to focus on the classroom
Beginnings
2006-2010: Dr. Leslie Laud & Pooja Patel use SRSD in their classrooms, then lead 1st ever open enrollment courses on SRSD, publish & secure SRSD research grants.
Run SRSD courses for NYC DOE, NYBIDA and Bank Street College. Begin presenting on SRSD at schools in NYC, Teachers College and national conferences (CEC).
Launch
2011-2013: Dr. Leslie Laud & Pooja Patel begin partnering widely to mentor organizations (Hill for Literacy, Everyone Reading, Wayland Literacy Institute) to support growing SRSD more widely.
Dr. Laud offers first ever online SRSD course via Bank Street College, & Pooja Patel begins presenting SRSD in France & UK.
Current Work
thinkSRSD (2014-now), expands to include a full team of course leaders & mentors. We mentor thousands of teachers, dozens of schools & several organizations in learning about and disseminating SRSD.
We collect data on growth in schools using blended model vs entirely eLearning to track gains from each model.
Additional Experts Who Advise Us
All advisors, including Dr. Karen Harris & Dr. Steve Graham, have no financial ties with thinkSRSD. Ms. Barbara Friedlander
Assistant to the Associate Superintendent of Special Education and Student Services for Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland
Dr. Sharlene Kiuhara
Assistant Professor of Special Education, University of Utah
Dr. Charles Haynes
Professor, MGH Institute of Health Professions
Dr. Stephen Ciullo
Assistant Professor, Department of Curriculum & Instruction, Texas State University
Dr. Kristie Asaro-Saddler
Associate Professor & Division Director for Special Education, University of Albany
Dr. Michael Herbert
Assistant Professor in the Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln
Dr. Gary Troia
Associate Professor of Special Education at Michigan State University
Dr. Leslie Rogers
Assistant Professor of Special Education at University of Wisconsin, La Crosse