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ALFREDO ARTILES Title: Professor, College of Education, Arizona State University. Biography: Dr. Artiles' scholarship focuses on how constructions of "difference" mediate educational systems' responses to the needs of culturally and linguistically diverse students. His research examines the implications of the role of culture in learning for the construction of competence in two contexts: special education placement practices and teacher learning in urban multicultural schools. Dr. Artiles has published extensively for research, policy, and practice audiences in the general, special, and bilingual education fields. His current work includes a project on teacher learning about diversity in the context of referrals to special education; another study aims to trace teachers' developing understandings about the intersection of learning, culture, and social justice in distinct preservice program contexts. He's also analyzing English language learners' (ELLs) special education placement patterns in the 12 states with the highest enrollment of ELLs. An additional project focuses on the empirical validation of a cultural historical model of teacher learning in urban schools. Dr. Artiles has been a consultant/advisor to leading national and international organizations and programs such as the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), Harvard's Critical Issues in Urban Special Education Institute, the American Educational Research Association (AERA), Harvard's Civil Rights Project, the National Institute for Urban School Improvement, the Kennedy Foundation, the Linking Academic Scholars to Educational Resources (LASER) Project at the University of South Florida, the Education Policy Reform Research Institute at the University of Maryland, the California Department of Education, and the IRIS Center for Faculty Enhancement at Vanderbilt University, among others. Dr. Artiles’ research and personnel preparation efforts have been funded by the Spencer Foundation/National Academy of Education, the federally funded Center of Minority Research in Special Education (COMRISE), the U. S. Department of Education, and the University of California's Linguistic Minority Research Institute. Dr. Artiles has presented his scholarship at scientific conferences in the United States, Latin America, Africa, and Europe. Dr. Artiles received the 2002 Teacher Education and Special Education Annual Publication Award from CEC's Teacher Education Division (with S. Trent, K. Fitchett-Bazemore, L. McDaniel, & A. Coleman) and was bestowed the 2001 Early Career Award from AERA's Committee on Scholars of Color in Education. Documents: Special Education's Changing Identity: Paradoxes and Dilemmas in Views of Culture and Space (.pdf) Within-Group Diversity in Minority Disproportionate Representation (.pdf) MARLENE CANTER Title: President, Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education Biography: Marlene Canter was overwhelmingly elected to the Los Angeles City Board of Education in June 2001 and again in March of 2005. On July 5th, 2005 she was elected Board President by her peers. She represents students and their families in neighborhoods stretching from the Valley to the Pacific Ocean, including the communities of Encino, Tarzana, Woodland Hills, Hollywood, West Hollywood, Miracle Mile, Pacific Palisades, Brentwood, Westwood, Venice, Westchester, Mar Vista, Marina Del Rey, and Playa Del Rey. Ms. Canter has made children's health and well-being one of her top priorities, spearheading the successful effort to ban the sale of soft drinks and junk food in LAUSD schools. Ms. Canter's initiatives in nutrition, nutrition education, and physical education help to combat the fastest growing health threat in the United States - obesity. Research clearly links good nutrition with student achievement and by limiting students' access to unhealthful foods on campus, Ms. Canter hopes that students will be better prepared for learning. Recognizing that the District's most important asset is its employees, Ms. Canter created the Board's Human Resources Committee. The committee, which she chaired for 4 years, reviews and creates policies related to attracting, hiring, training, retaining, and evaluating teachers, principals, and all District employees. The committee's strong focus on issues around teacher quality resulted in a Teacher Quality Strategic Plan as well as impressive improvement in the recruitment of highly qualified teachers. Ninety-two percent of the District's new hires for 2003/04 met the State's definition of highly qualified compared to sixty-four percent of new hires in 2002/03. As Board President, Ms. Canter will work with her colleagues to fulfill the Board's vision of becoming one of the top urban school districts in the country. To do that, she will focus on ensuring student safety, eliminating the achievement gap, completing the massive school construction program, and engaging parents, teachers, principals and the community in the work of school reform. Ms. Canter began her career in education as a special education teacher at Alta Loma Elementary School. She went on to co-found and serve as the co-CEO of Canter & Associates, now Laureate Education, Inc. The company became one of the world's leading teacher-training organizations and trained more than one million K-12 teachers worldwide. It developed an extensive catalogue of professional development programs, distance learning graduate courseware and resource materials for teachers, administrators, and parents. Ms. Canter sits on the Board of Directors for her alma mater, Pacific Oaks College and is an advisor to the Children's Partnership. Ms. Canter also has served on the Boards of Directors for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation and the Kehillath Israel Synagogue of Pacific Palisades. OLEGARIO D. CANTOS VII Title: Special Assistant to the assistant attorney general in the Civil Rights Division of the US Department of Justice. Biography: Olegario D. Cantos VII 'is the a graduate of Loyola Marymount University and Loyola Law, Cantos was appointed to California Bar's Standing Committee on the Delivery of Legal Services. He also served as vice president of the Board of Directors of the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles and as a specialist with the California Crime Victims with Disabilities Initiative. A motivational speaker, Cantos addressed the National Press Club and speaks on the radio about disability rights. He first went to Washington, DC as general counsel and director of programs for the American Association of People with Disabilities. A former member of Loyola's Alumni Association Board of Governors, Cantos also is a civil rights activist for the blind. He has volunteered with the Blind Children's Center, the Catholic Big Brother and the Alliance for Children's Rights. After passing the bar, Cantos was an outreach coordinator and attorney at the Western Law Center for Disability Rights. KATHERINE CLEMMER Title: Visiting Professor & Coordinator for Secondary Education, Loyola Marymount University. Biography: Professor Clemmer has taught at LMU’s School of Education since 1997. She previously simultaneously served as the math department chair at El Segundo High School and El Segundo Unified School District’s K-12 math curriculum specialist. She has taught math at Hawthorne High School and Will Rogers Intermediate School in Lawndale. She minored in mathematics at the University of California at Davis and subsequently earned a degree in mathematics and a masters of arts in teaching mathematics, both from LMU. She holds an administrative credential, tier one, a professional clear single-subject teaching credential in mathematics and a CLAD credential. Professor Clemmer has won numerous teacher-of-the-year accolades, as well as being named the Mayor Richard Riordan Most Inspirational Teacher in Los Angeles in 1996, 1997 and 2000. RICHARD COHEN Title: Film Director Biography: Richard Cohen makes and distributes independent documentary films. The feature films he has directed include: "Hurry Tomorrow" (produced with Kevin Rafferty) a cinema verite investigation of the day to day experiences of people treated against their will at Metropolitan State Hospital, in Norwalk. The film won Grand Prize at Ann Arbor Film Festival and was screened at numerous festivals, museums, and cinemas around the world. The film made such an impact that, after Governor Jerry Brown saw it in July 1976, it led to an investigation of the conditions in the California state hospitals, uncovering more than a thousand patient deaths. "Taylor's Campaign" chronicles the lives of homeless people surviving in Santa Monica, California amidst a tide of discrimination and restrictive laws aimed at people living on the streets. A destitute ex-truck driver throws down the gauntlet with the powers that be by declaring himself a candidate for the Santa Monica City Council, and turns his campaign into a quest for human dignity and justice. Terry Messman, Editor of Bekeley's Street Spirit/ /newspaper called "Taylor's Campaign", "The Grapes of Wrath for today." Leon Anderson wrote in Teaching Sociology, "what makes this film truly remarkable - and so effective for teaching - is its powerful portrayal of the Santa Monica homeless as they bear the brunt of this hostililty. ...Cohen captures the range of human emotions as he takes us into the daily lives of a group of homeless adults camped on a small piece of land at the edge of a parking lot." http://www.richardcohenfilms.com PAUL DE SENA Title: Professor, Director of Counselor Education Program, Loyola Marymount University. Biography: Dr. Paul De Sena is a licensed Educational Psychologist, Marriage and Family Therapist, Nationally Certified School Psychologist and Credentialed School Counselor and Teacher. He was named the recipient of the 1999, H.B. McDaniel Individual Achievement Award and the 2000 Clarion Modell Distinguished Service Award by the California Association for Counseling and Development. He received the Outstanding Mentorship Award in 2002, from the Western Association of Counselor Educators and Supervisors. In 2004 Dr. De Sena was awarded the Outstanding Service Award from the California Association for Counseling and Development. He was recently elected President of the California Association for Specialists in Group Work. ROBERTO DELL'ORO Title: Assistant Professor, Bioethics, Loyola Marymount University Biography: Roberto Dell’Oro studied philosophy and theology in Milan, Italy (Catholic University),  Munich, Germany (Hochschule für Philosophie) and Rome (Gregorian University), where in 1992 earned a doctorate in theological ethics with a dissertation on the phenomenology of moral experience directed by Prof. Klaus Demmer.  From 1993 to 1995, he was a post-doctoral fellow at the Kennedy Institute of Ethics at Georgetown University, with Dr. Edmund Pellegrino, now the chair of the President’s Council of Bioethics, as a mentor.  In 1995, he became a senior scholar at the Center for Clinical Bioethics at Georgetown, serving also as an assistant professor in the Medical School and the department of Philosophy.  Since the fall of 2003, Dr. Dell’Oro has been assistant professor of Bioethics at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles and the Graduate Director of the Master of Arts Program in Bioethics at The Bioethics Institute.  He also serves as a bioethicist at St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood, CA, concentrating especially on ethical issues in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.   In addition, Dr. Dell’Oro is the medical ethicist for the “Data and Safety Monitoring Board” at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development at N.I.H. in Bethesda, Maryland. Dr. Dell’Oro has written three books, Health and Human Flourishing: Theology, Moral Anthropology, and Medicine (forthcoming for Georgetown University Press), Moral Experience and the Person: The Phenomenological Ethics of Dietrich von Hildebrand  (Rome: Gregorian University Press, 1996) and History of Bioethics: International Perspectives (San Francisco: International Scholars Publications, 1996), translated two books from German, and published in national and international journals such as Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy, The Journal of Contemporary Health Law and Policy, Theological Studies, and Rivista di Teologia Morale.  JUDY ELLIOTT Title: Assistant Superintendent of Special Education in the Long Beach Unified School District Biography: Formerly a Senior Researcher at the National Center on Educational Outcomes, University of Minnesota, she worked and continues to assist districts and state departments of education in their efforts to update and realign curriculum frameworks, instruction, and assessments to include all students. Her research interests focus on effective instruction, IEP development and its alignment with standards and assessments, decision making for accountability, accommodation, and assessment as well as translating information on standards and assessments for various audiences including parents, teachers, school boards, and other community groups. Dr. Elliott continues to serve as a national consultant and staff development professional to school districts and organizations. Judy has trained thousands of staff, teachers, and administrators, both in the South Pacific and United States, in areas to include linking assessment to instruction and intervention, strategies and tactics for effective instruction, curricular modification for students with mild to significant disabilities, intervention and teacher assistance teams, authentic and curriculum-based evaluation, instructional environment evaluation, collaborative teaching, strategies for difficult-to-manage students, accountability and assessment practices. Some of her most recent co-published books are Improving the test performance of students with disabilities (2nd Edition,), Testing students with disabilities: Practical strategies for complying with state and district requirements (2nd Edition, In Press); Strategies and tactics for effective instruction; and Timesavers for educators. MARY FALVEY Title: Director of Student Services in the Charter College of Education at California State University, Los Angeles (CSULA) Biography: At CSULA Dr. Falvey is responsible for admission into credential programs, student teaching, and credential recommendations to the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CCTC).  She coordinated the credential and masters programs in moderate/severe disabilities, as well as the masters program in Inclusion Facilitation at CSULA for 25 years.  She has written, edited, and contributed chapters to over 15 books and has written 4 books, her most recent book:  Believe in My Child with Special Needs was published by Paul Brookes Publishing Company. BOB FARRAN Title: Director, Southwest Special Education Local Plan Area Biography: Bob Farran has served as the Director of the Southwest SELPA since 1989. He has also served as a Speech and Language therapist, teacher, principal, and consultant. Mr. Farran was the 2000-2001 SELPA Director of the Year as honored by the Council for Exceptional Children. He also was the recipient of the Access Award of the Los Angeles County Commission on Disability. Bob Farran has worked to improve positive parent-professional partnerships by starting the SELPA's Family Resource Center and support systems. Mr. Farran is a lecturer in the Graduate Education Program at California State University, Dominguez Hills. LINDA FRIAR Title: Psychologist Biography: Linda Friar, Ph.D. earned her doctorate in Psychology at UCLA.  She is a licensed psychologist with over thirty years of experience in teaching and supervision, which includes positions at the University of Connecticut, UCLA, Fuller Department of Psychology, San Fernando Valley Child Guidance Clinic, St. John’s Child Study Center, and Loyola Marymount University Student Psychological Services.  One of her areas of clinical expertise is in the assessment of learning disabilities and attention deficit disorders, which has involved her in disability issues of both children and adults.  She is a long-time consultant to Loyola Marymount University Disability Support Services, and she has lectured on disability and accommodation in higher education to professional and non-professional groups.  MICHAEL GERBER Title: Professor, University of California, Santa Barbara. Biography: I am currently Professor of Education, Emphasis Leader for the Special Education, Disabilities, and Risk Emphasis and contributing faculty in the Educational Leadership and Organizations Emphasis both in the Education Department of the Gevirtz Graduate School of Education. Since 1995, I have been the director of a Center for Advanced Studies of Individual Differences in the Institute for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Research (ISBER). I am also a founding member of UCSB's Interdisciplinary Graduate Emphasis in Cognitive Science. Before my Ph.D., I was an elementary school teacher in Oakland, California, where I taught 6th grade, coordinated a compensatory education program, and eventually taught students with learning and behavior problems. In 1972-73, I went to Africa to teach clinical laboratory skills to nurses and orderlies at St. Luke's Hospital in Malawi. I was awarded my Ph.D. in special education from the University of Virginiaa in 1981. I have continuing interest in information processing barriers to acquisition and performance of basic skills by individuals with cognitive disabilities. My research has included studies of spelling and phonemic awareness, automaticity of basic arithmetic, and written composition. I also have contributed a theory of "tolerance" to explain how schools accommodate extreme individual differences associated with disabilities and risk for school failure. Tolerance Theory posits complex economic and cognitive processes to explain how teachers make instructionally relevant decisions about students and how schools, as organizations, respond to and constrain this decision-making. My students and I have applied this perspective to research on referral processes, microcomputer-based instructional technology, high stakes testing, charter schools, inclusion, class size reduction, and interventions for teachers. Currently, we are involved in the following research and development efforts. In Fall 2000, with a three year grant from OELA (USDOE), we began a implementation study (La Patera) of phonological skills and interventions for Spanish-speaking children attempting to crossover to English literacy. La Patera continues in 2004-2005 with a core sample of fourth-graders. Thus far, our data show that Spanish-speaking kindergarteners who perform poorly on phonological tasks in their home language (Spanish) are at highest risk for problems learning to fluently decode English words. Intensive, small group, direct instruction interventions as part of a multi-tiered system of intervention may significantly reduce that risk. We have begun to pilot materials and strategies for progress monitoring of reading comprehension of social studies’ text along with small group interventions similar to those we investigated when the students were in the primary grades. Also, in collaboration with Dr. Lee Swanson at UC Riverside, and with support from the Linguistic Minority Research Institute, we are conducting a parallel, more intensive reading risk assessment study with another sample of approximately 150 students from this same population. In 2002-03, we followed these students as they entered second grade, and collected a partial sample in third grade in 2003-2004. These data are still being analyzed. We are continuing to consolidate a number of web-delivered projects using problem-based learning and interactive multimedia modules to support of professional preparation and development. Collectively, these projects are called The Caselinks. The original project, CASELINK, was developed with support from OSEP(USDOE) to support professional preparation in special education. In Fall 2000, with initial support from the Verizon Foundation, we began SchoolLink, an extension of CASELINK, to support school site professional development teams of teachers and principals to be more effective with English learners. In October 2001, we were funded by OELA (USDOE) for a five year professional development project, CASETrainer, that builds on our work and experience with CASELINK and SchoolLink. CASETrainer provides scalable, web-based materials and strategies for promoting professional development of teacher in targeted school districts who need California‚s Cultural, Linguistic, and Development (CLAD) certification. In 2003, my colleague, Sarah Hough, and I joined with Jill Leafstedt and Maria Denney of California State University, Channel Islands, Tisa Jimenez of Loyola Marymount University, and Cara Richards of California State University, Long Beach, to form the California Consortium for Professional Education and Development, to cooperate in building, maintaining, applying and evaluating web-sited interactive multimedia resources and problem-based learning pedagogy for teacher education and professional development. Consortium members will work with local school partners to develop and evaluate multimedia modules that will be made available for use of faculty members in member institutions. In 2002, we will begin a new collaborative project with Drs. Jim Blascovich and Andy Beall of the Research Center for Virtual Environments and Behavior (ReCVEB) and the Rehabilitation Institute of Santa Barbara (RISB). Elaine German joined the project in 2003. With funding from Research Across Disciplines program, this project will begin investigations of the feasibility and utility of "virtual reality" applications in the cognitive, physical, and social rehabilitation for individuals who have suffered stroke or spinal chord/brain injury. Working with professional staff at RISB, we will conduct a series of single-subject assessments of out-patients' reactions to immersive, computer-generated environments. These exciting projects lay a foundation for research on interesting theoretical and applied issues in education for all children with learning and achievement difficulties, cognitive science, as well as for use of Internet technology in professional training. DIANE HAAGER Title: Professor, Charter College of Education, California State University, Los Angeles. Biography: Diane Haager is a researcher and teacher educator in reading and learning disabilities. She is a professor at California State University, Los Angeles, where she instructs teachers in methods for teaching students with high incidence disabilities. Dr. Haager completed her Ph.D. in Reading and Learning Disabilities at the University of Miami after twelve years of public school teaching as a reading specialist and special educator. She is the author of a textbook, Differentiating Instruction in Inclusive Classrooms: The Special Educator’s Guide, and other books and articles on reading intervention. Dr. Haager directs The PLUS Project, Promoting Literacy in Urban Schools, an early reading intervention model to provide intensive support for English learners experiencing early reading problems. Her research interests include issues related to effective reading instruction for English learners and students at risk for reading failure. She is a member of the Reading First National Panel of Experts for the U. S. Department of Education and is on the editorial review board of three journals in the field of learning disabilities. MICHAEL HARDMAN Title: Associate Dean for Research in the College School of Education and Chair of the Department of Special Education. Biography: Michael L. Hardman is Professor and Chair of the Department of Special Education at the University of Utah. In 2004-2005, he served as the Matthew J. Guglielmo Endowed Chair at California State University, Los Angeles, and was also appointed by the Governor to the California Advisory Commission on Special Education. Additionally, Dr. Hardman is Senior Education Advisor to the Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. Foundation in Washington, D.C., and was recently elected to the International Board of Directors for the Council for Exceptional Children. Dr. Hardman has numerous publications in national journals throughout the field of education and has authored several college textbooks of which two, Human Exceptionality and Lifespan Perspectives on Intellectual Disabilities are in their eighth and ninth editions respectively. As a researcher, he has directed international and national demonstration projects in the areas of developmental disabilities, school reform and professional development, inclusive education, transition from school to adult life, the future of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and training tomorrow’s leaders in special education. ASA GRANT HILLIARD, III Title: Professor of Urban Education, Department of Educational Policy Studies, Department of Educational Psychology and Special Education, Georgia State University. Biography: A teacher, psychologist, and historian, he began his career in the Denver Public Schools. He earned a B.A. in Educational Psychology, M.A. in Counseling, and Ed.D. in Educational Psychology from the University of Denver, where he also taught in the College of Education and in the Philosophy colloquium of the Centennial Scholars Honors Program. Dr. Hilliard served on the faculty at San Francisco State University for eighteen years. During that time he was a Department Chair for two years. Dean of Education for eight years, and was consult to the Peace Corps and Superintendent of Schools in Monrovia, Liberia for two years. He has participated in the development of several national assessment systems, such as proficiency assessments for professional educators, and development assessments of young children and infants. He has been active in forensic psychology, serving as an expert witness on the winning side in several landmark federal cases on test validity and bias. Dr. Hilliard is a founding member of the Association for the Study of Classical African Civilizations and serves as its first Vice President. He is the co-development of a popular educational television series, Free Your Mind, Return to the Source: African Origins, as well as having produced videotapes and educational materials on African History through his production company, Waset Education Productions. Dr. Hilliard has written numerous technical papers, articles, and books on testing, Ancient African History, teaching strategies, public policy, cultural styles, and child growth and development. In addition, he has consulted with many of the leading school districts, universities, government agencies, and private corporations on valid assessment, curriculum equity and teacher training. Several of his programs in pluralistic curriculum, assessment, and valid teaching have become national models. He has also been the recipient of numerous awards. JANETTE KLINGNER Title:Associate Professor, University of Colorado Biography: Janette Klingner was a bilingual special education teacher for ten years before earning her doctorate in reading and learning disabilities. Currently, she is a co-Principal Investigator for The National Center for Culturally Responsive Educational Systems (NCCRESt), a Technical Assistance Center on the Disproportionate Representation of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students in Special Education, and an Investigator for The Center on Personnel Studies in Special Education (COPSSE). She has authored or co-authored 41 articles published in refereed journals, 7 books, and 10 book chapters (including those under contract and in press). Research foci include the disproportionate representation of culturally and linguistically diverse students in special education and reading comprehension strategy instruction for diverse populations. She is Co-Editor of the Review of Educational Research and an Associate Editor for the Journal of Learning Disabilities. In 2004 she received AERA’s Early Career Award. Documents: Cultural Considerations with Response-to-Intervention Models Addressing the Disproportionate Representation of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students in Special Education through Culturally Responsive Educational Systems Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students: Considerations when Implementing Response-to-Intervention Models In Reading with Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students GREG KNOTTS Title: Elementary Clinical Faculty, Teacher Education Program, Loyola Marymount University. Biography: Greg Knotts earned his Master's degree at LMU in Elementary Education and his Doctorate in International/Intercultural Education from the University of Southern California. His areas of interest are in educational equity issues surrounding gender, gender identity, and sexual orientation. Dr. Knotts continues to provide concrete implementation strategies for the classroom based on educational theory. LISA LAYNE Title: Assistant Program Director of Secondary Education, LMU. Biography: Layne received her BA and initial teaching credential from Brigham Young University in French and Chemistry Education. After completing her M.A. in Educational Technology from Pepperdine University she worked as a site technology coordinator at a K-8 school. She has worked with students of every age in a variety of subjects. Her most rewarding work has come from working at a charter school focused on an integrative curriculum and differentiation. BRIAN LEUNG Title: Professor, Program Coordinator, School Psychology Program, LMU Biography: Dr. Leung has worked as a school psychologist in both urban and suburban districts in California, and also worked for the California Department of Education, Division of Special Education for 3 years.  He has been on the California Association for School Psychologist’s (CASP) executive board for the last 10 years, and has served as a consultant with school districts in several states on issues pertaining to cultural and linguistic diversity. DIANA LIMON Title: Categorical Programs Coordinator for the Lennox School District. Biography: Diana M. Limón has been a public school educator for 17 years with the Lennox School District. Prior to her position as a Categorical Programs Coordinator for the past four years, she was a bilingual special education teacher at Lennox Middle School. She also works in the School of Education at Loyola Marymount University as a part-time faculty member in the Special Education program. BARBARA MARINO Title: Chairwoman of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Loyola Marymount University. Biography: Dr. Barbara Marino received her BS degree in electrical engineering in 1989 from Marquette University, and she received her MSEE and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Notre Dame in 1993 and 1996, respectively. Dr. Marino has many years of industry experience including work at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C. on projects related to military ID systems and work at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena researching ways of using image processing techniques in the development of deep space optical communication systems. IRENE I. MARTINEZ Title: Executive Director and co-founder of Fiesta Educativa, Inc., Chairperson of National Fiesta Educativa.  Biography: Ms. Martinez has twenty-five years experience in the field of disabilities, specifically in the development of educational, training and advocacy programs for families of children and adults with disabilities.  A focus has been working with Latino families of person with disabilities and special needs. Particular areas of expertise and interest are working with families in multicultural settings, models of collaboration, and leadership development. Currently Ms. Martinez serves on the; Advisory Committee to Self-Determination Project, Eastern Los Angeles Regional Center for the Developmentally Disabled; Community Advisory Board to Center for Disability Studies & Community Inclusion, USC/UAP; Advisory Committee to the California First Five Commission. Professional Memberships: Council for Exceptional Children, National Association of Social Workers.  Received a Master in Social Work Degree from the University of Southern California.  Publication: Fiesta Educativa: One Community’s Approach to Parent Training in Developmental Disabilities for Latino Families. MARY K. MCCULLOUGH Title: Chair of Professional Services Department and Director of the Doctoral Program, LMU Biography: Prior to coming to LMU, Mary worked in both public and Catholic schools serving as a high school English teacher, high school assistant principal, and finally as the principal of Torrance High School. She holds a Ph.D. in Policy, Planning, and Administration from USC, and has research interests in leadership and organizational change. MARIANNE MITCHELL Title: Assistant Director of Special Education and Field Work Coordinator, Loyola Marymount University. Biography: Marianne Mitchell is a Licensed Educational Psychologist and consultant to school districts in the area of autism and positive behavior support. She has received an Assistive Technology Specialist Certificate from Cal State Northridge, a certificate of proficiency in Discreet Trial Teaching through the Autism Partnership and has received an advanced certificate in Behavior Management from the California PENT program. SANDA RENTERIA Title: Parent, Member of Parents’ Council, LAUSD . Biography: Sandra is the proud mother of two young adults, one who has multiple disabilities and whose struggle for acceptance and equal access in a general education classroom is featured in a Richard Cohen documentary film entitled.  “Going to School/Ir A La Escuela..” She is a standing member of the Parents’ Council, of the Los Angeles Unified School District. Its role is to advise the Independent Monitor of the Modified Consent Degree on issues relevant to families of children with disabilities who are eligible to receive services from LAUSD. ERNEST ROSE Title: Academic Vice President, Loyola Marymount University. Biography: In July 2005, Ernest Rose became Academic Vice President at Loyola Marymount University. Previously he was Dean of the School of Education and Human Development and Professor of Education at the State University of New York at Binghamton. From 1994 to 2000 he was Dean of the College of Education and Human Services and Professor of Educational Foundations at Montana State University-Billings. He was Associate Dean of that College from 1992 to 1994. Prior to holding these positions, he was an Associate Professor of Special Education at Northern Illinois University and Chair of the Special Education faculty. He also served as the Director of Planning and Evaluation for the North Central Regional Educational Laboratory from 1990 to 1992. Dr. Rose earned his doctorate in educational administration and master’s degree in special education from the University of Utah. He holds a bachelor of arts degree in political science from the University of California at Santa Barbara. Dr. Rose has been the director of six U.S. Department of Education funded projects in the areas of special education and drug free schools and communities. He has written numerous articles and book chapters on issues related to children and adults with disabilities. Dr. Rose has also been a frequent presenter at national education conferences, and has won a citation for his excellence in teaching. He is married to Linda Rose, who has worked as a counselor in career development and in child welfare. They have a daughter, Sunny, who is married and lives in Salt Lake City, Utah. Documents: Transition to Postsecondary Education DENNIS ROSENBAUM Title: Parent Resource Network, Los Angeles USD Biography: Dennis Rosenbaum received his M.S. in School Psychology from Miami University and later his M.A. in Educational Administration at California Lutheran University. Dennis is currently working as a specialist in the complaint response unit and parent resource network at the Division of Special Education. This division within the Los Angeles Unified School District responds to the concerns of parents of students with disabilities. ROBERT RUEDA Title: Professor of Educational Psychology, Rossier School of Education, University of Southern California. Biography: He completed his doctoral work at the University of California at Los Angeles in Educational Psychology and Special Education, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Laboratory of Comparative Human Cognition at the University of California, San Diego.  His research has focused on the sociocultural basis of learning, motivation, and instruction, with a focus reading and literacy in English learners, students in at-risk conditions, and students with mild learning handicaps. He has most recently been affiliated with two major national research Centers, CREDE (Center for Excellence, Diversity, and Education at the University of California at Santa Cruz), and CIERA (Center for the Improvement of Early Reading Achievement at the University of Michigan), and serves on the Advisory Board of CRESST (Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing at the University of California at Los Angeles).  His most recent work has focused on how paraeducators mediate instruction and provide cultural scaffolding to English-learners,  on issues of reading engagement among inner-city immigrant students in a central city community, and motivational and cultural processes in reading comprehension.  He has consulted with a variety of professional, educational, and government organizations, has spoken at a wide range of professional meetings, and has published widely in the previously mentioned areas. He served as a panel member on the National Academy of Science Report on the Overrepresentation of Minority Students in Special Education, and is currently serving as a member of the National Literacy Panel (SRI International and Center for Applied Linguistics) looking at issues in early reading with English language learners.   GREGORY RUZZIN Title: Professor, School of Film and Television, LMU Biography: LMU School of Film and Television Assistant Professor Gregory Ruzzin is a Los Angeles based film director with extensive credits and a profound personal interest in the education of students with special needs.  He is currently making a documentary film entitled LOST CHILD about his younger sister Alyssa Anne Ruzzin, one of the first generation of students to benefit from Public Law 94-142, The Education for All Handicapped Children Act.  Alyssa, a graduate of the PACE Program at National Lewis University, is epileptic and developmentally disabled.  She lives on her own in Evanston, Illinois and is a potent and living illustration of what the disabled can achieve when given the proper support and education. SUE SCHEIBLER Title: Assistant Professor, School of Film and Television, LMU Biography: Dr. Scheibler holds graduate degrees in New Testament Studies; Philosophy of Religion and Critical Studies (Film and Television) from Talbot Theological Seminary, Claremont Graduate School and the School of Cinema/Television at USC. She has taught communication arts, theater and performance, film and television history and theory, feminist theory, gay and lesbian studies and advanced humanities studies (philosophy and literature) at Biola University, USC, Loyola Marymount, Cal State Northridge, UCLA and the Institute for Gay and Lesbian Studies. Sue has also taught French, German and Latin in private elementary and secondary schools in Southern California. She is currently teaching in the film programs at LMU and USC and in the MBA program at LMU. For many years, Sue was part of an Los Angeles based performance art troupe, writing and directing shows that were performed throughout Southern California, the Northwest, Western and Midwestern States as well as England. She has also written and directed plays and Reader's Theater productions that have been performed throughout the United States and entered into competition (winning several awards in the Collegiate Forensics circle). Sue is a published poet, essayist and scholar, currently at work on several projects, including a novel based on the life of Alma Mahler, a book on documentary film, a book on Buddhism and Film and another one on the relationship between comic books and film/television. ANN TURNBULL Title: Professor, Department of Special Education, University of Kansas. Biography: Dr. Ann Turnbull has been a professor, teacher, researcher, and advocate for individuals with disabilities, their families, and service providers for more than 30 years. She has been the Principal Investigator on over 20 federally-funded research grants and has authored 12 books, including 3 leading textbooks in the field of special education. She has also authored over 175 articles, chapters, and monographs. In 1999, she was selected by a national consortium of seven organizations within the mental retardation field as one of 36 individuals who have made the most significant contribution to enhancing quality of life for individuals with mental retardation across the 20th century. In addition to her professional credentials, she is the parent of three children, one of whom, Jay, is an adult son with developmental disabilities. She is also a proud grandmother. Documents: “Wearing Two Hats”: Morphed Perspectives on Family Quality of Life RUD TURNBULL Title: Professor, Department of Special Education, University of Kansas. Biography: Dr. Rud Turnbull is a researcher, teacher, consultant, and advocate from the University of Kansas. He has served as chairman of the board of trustees of the Judge David L. Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law; president, American Association on Mental Retardation; chairman, American Bar Association Commission on Disability Law; secretary, The Arc of the United States; and treasurer, The Association for Persons with Severe Disabilities. His peers in the field of developmental disabilities and special education have described him as one of 36 people who, in the 20th Century, changed the course of history in mental retardation and, during the 19th and 20th Century, as one of the leaders of the field of special education. He has testified before Congress on nearly a dozen occasions; served as counsel to committees of the North Carolina General Assembly; and been a Jos. P. Kennedy, Jr. Foundation Public Policy Fellow attached to the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on the Handicapped, where, in 1987-8, he did the staff work that lead to the enactment of the Assistive Technology Act. He is the author of 16 books, 49 monographs and technical reports, 131 articles, and 68 book chapters. He is the father of a 37-year old man, Jay, who has several disabilities; a daughter, Amy, who administers programs on behalf of homeless individuals, many of whom have emotional/mental disabilities; and Kate, an actress in New York City. Documents: The Core Concepts of Disability Policy Affecting Families Who Have Children with Disabilities ELEANOR VARGAS Title: Instructor, Teacher Education Department, Claremont Graduate University. Biography: Eleanor Vargas received her B.A. in Liberal Studies from California State University Los Angeles, an M.A. in Special Education and Educational Administration, and an M.S. in School Counseling. Ms. Vargas taught for 9 years in the Mountain View School District as a Special Day Class teacher and for 17 years as a Resource Specialist in the Los Angeles Unified School District. For the California State Department of Education’s O.L.E. Project she has presented Literacy Workshops to general and special educators both in California and across the U.S. for approximately 14 years. Eleanor Vargas has received numerous awards including the Teacher of the Year from the Milken Foundation, the Distinguished Alumni Award from CSULA, and commendations from the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and the Los Angeles Unified School District. Ms. Vargas is now retired from her teaching position in LAUSD and is currently teaching at Claremont Graduate University in the Special Education-Teacher Education Department. FRED J. WEINTRAUB Title: Consultant. Biography: Fred Weintraub has over 35 years experience in the field of special education. Primarily he has served in leadership roles on the staff of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), the international professional association of special educators. A leading authority on special education policy, Mr. Weintraub has directed CEC’s legislative and judicial advocacy activities for over 20 years from the initial right to education cases through the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act, and has written, taught and consulted extensively. His most recent book is Special Education Guide For California School Administrators. Mr. Weintraub has directed CEC’s journals, publications, the ERIC Clearinghouse on Disability and Gifted Education and CEC’s professional standards and practices program. In the latter capacity his work led to the publication What Every Special Educator Must Know: The International Standards for The Preparation and Licensure of Special Educators. From 1997-2000 he served as Monitor and Special Advisor to the Superintendent of Schools in San Diego, overseeing the implementation of a special education corrective action plan and other education matters. He is currently a consultant working with school districts and state education agencies on special education issues. He received his education at Shippensburg State Teachers College, Trenton State College and Teachers’ College, Columbia University. Documents: IDEA on Its 25th Anniversary: Its Roots and Accomplishments ANNE WILCOXEN Title: Chair, Education Department, Mount St. Mary s College. Biography: Dr. Wilcoxen began her career as a speech pathologist in hospital and school settings. Her interest in children's language and literacy development led her to the Los Angeles County Office of Education Severe Oral Language Disorders/Aphasia Program where she worked with parents and teachers of children with language and learning disabilities. After completing her doctoral work at UCLA in Educational Psychology, she began an academic career at Mount St. Mary's College where she has been the Director of Special Education and Elementary Education. She founded the Center for Cultural Fluency to provide instructional resources and faculty development focused on the diverse cultural and linguistic communities in Los Angeles. Currently, she is the Chair of the Education Department and continues to be active in the professional community of special educators in California. HENRY WINKLER Title: Actor, Producer, Director and Author. Biography: Henry Winkler is an actor, producer, director and author whose work has won the attention of audiences and critics worldwide. He is perhaps best known for his portrayal of ‘Fonzie’ in the seventies television hit “Happy Days,” which garnered him the status of pop culture icon, as well as two consecutive Golden Globes for ‘Best Actor in a Comedy Series,’ three Emmy nominations for ‘Best Actor in a Comedy Series,’ and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In addition, Winkler is the recipient of the United Nations Peace Prize and has received France’s highest civilian honor, the Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. Currently, Winkler is starring in the new CBS comedy “Out of Practice.” The story revolves around a family of physicians who although they share the same profession, have very little in common. Winkler’s character, ‘Stewart,’ is a gastroenterologist who is glad to be free from the reins of his controlling ex-wife, (Stockard Channing), a driven, status-conscious cardiologist whose career eclipsed his years ago. The show airs on Monday nights at 9:30 PM. In addition to his television series, Winkler is also busy promoting his 9th children book called Hank Zipzer: The World's Greatest Underachiever: My Secret Life as a Ping-Pong Wizard, which is now in bookstores. In 2003, Henry began writing a series of children books with his partner Lin Oliver for Penguin Putnam Publisher, entitled, Hank Zipzer: The World's Greatest Underachiever. The books are inspired by Henry’s struggle with dyslexia. The first eight books of the series are in bookstores now and have sold over a million copies nationwide. They have appeared on several Best Seller lists including the Los Angeles Times Sunday Book Review and Barnes and Noble. Most recently, Winkler had a recurring role on FOX’s highly acclaimed, Emmy Award-winning television series “Arrested Development,” as ‘Barry Zuckercorn,’ the family’s clueless lawyer. Winkler also recently guest-starred on the season five premiere of NBC series “Crossing Jordan,” reprising his role from last year’s season finale. Other notable television credits include “Third Watch,” “The Practice,” for which he received an Emmy nomination in 1999, “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” “The Drew Carey Show,” “The Bob Newhart Show” and “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.” On the film front, Winkler is currently filming “Click” with actors Adam Sandler, Kate Beckinsale and Christopher Walken. This is the 3rd film Winkler has participated in with Sandler. “Click” tells a tale about a workaholic architect (Adam Sandler) who finds a remote that allows him to fast-forward and rewind to different parts of his life. Winkler plays the important role of his father. The film is being directed by Frank Coraci, distributed by Sony Pictures and Revolution Studios and is slated for release in 2007. Winkler also has two films coming out this year: “Unbeatable Harold” with Dylan McDermott and “The Kid & I,” which was written by and stars Tom Arnold. “The Kid and I” will be premiered at the AFI Film Festival and will be released in limited markets on December 2, 2005. Other film credits include: “The Waterboy,” “Wes Craven’s Scream,” “Nightshift,” “Heroes,” “The Lords of Flatbush,” “Little Nicky,” “Down to You,” “Ground Control,” “Dill Scallion,” “Punks,” “The One and Only” and “Crazy Joe.” Aside from his busy schedule as an actor, Winkler has become quite prolific behind-the-scenes as well. He has executive produced a number of television specials including the “Happy Days 30 Year Reunion Special” for ABC, the “Dallas Celebration Reunion” for CBS and the upcoming “Knots Landing Reunion Special” for CBS, as well as the long running game show “Hollywood Squares.” He has also served as an executive producer on the following successful television shows “Dead Man’s Gun” (HBO), “Sightings” (Sci-Fi Channel), “So Weird” (Disney) and “MacGyver” (ABC). Winkler formed his own production companies Fair Dinkum, JZM and Winkler/Daniel Productions and under these banners he executive produced “The UFO Report: Sightings” (FOX Television; 1991), “A Family Again” (ABC; 1988), “Happily Ever After” (PBS; 1985), “All Kids Do It” (CBS; 1984), which won an Emmy for “Best Children Show,’ “Run, Don’t Walk” (ABC; 1983), “Ryan’s Four” (ABC; 1983) “Scandal Sheet” (ABC; 1985) and “Two Daddies to Love Me” (PBS; 1989). Besides producing television shows, Winkler executive produced the feature films “The Sure Thing” (1985), which starred newcomers at the time John Cusack and Daphne Zuniga, and “Young Sherlock Holmes” (1985) for Paramount. In 2003 Winkler appeared in the Disney film “Holes” with Jon Voight and Sigourney Weaver. In addition, Winkler was the voice of ‘Norville’ the bird on the award-winning animated children’s series “Clifford's Puppy Days,” which this year won him a Daytime Emmy in the category ‘Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program.’ In 2001, Winkler starred on Broadway in Neil Simon’s The Dinner Party for nine months. The production made its world premiere at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles. An engagement at the Eisenhower Theatre at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. led to its Broadway run, marking Winkler’s return to the Broadway stage after an absence of 30 years. In 2001, the cast of The Dinner Party won the Outer Critics Circle Special Achievement Award for ‘Best Ensemble.’ Born and raised in New York, Winkler attended Emerson College in Boston and the Yale School of Drama where he earned a Masters of Fine Arts Degree. He currently lives in Los Angeles with his wife and they have three children and two dogs.