The Early Childhood Education Playbook

About Alisha DemchakDouglas FisherJohn T. AlmarodeKateri ThunderNancy Frey

Kateri Thunder Ph.D. has the pleasure of collaborating with learners and educators from school divisions and early learning centers around the world to translate research into practice. She has served as an inclusive early childhood educator an Upward Bound educator a mathematics specialist an assistant professor of mathematics education at James Madison University and Site Director for the Central Virginia Writing Project. Her research writing and presentations focus on equity and access in early childhood and mathematics education as well as the intersection of literacy and mathematics for teaching and learning. Kateri has collaborated with thousands of educators to catalyze change in their classrooms centers and schools. She is the chair of NCTMs Research Committee and co-creator of The Math Diet. Additionally she is a best-selling author for Corwins Teaching Mathematics in the Visible Learning Classroom Series the Success Criteria Playbook and Visible Learning in Early Childhood. Dr. John Almarode is a bestselling author and an Associate Professor of Education at James Madison University. He was awarded the inaugural Sarah Miller Luck Endowed Professorship in 2015 and received an Outstanding Faculty Award from the State Council for Higher Education in Virginia in 2021. Before his academic career John started as a mathematics and science teacher in Augusta County Virginia. As an author John has written multiple educational books focusing on science and mathematics and he has co-created a new framework for developing implementing and sustaining professional learning communities called PLC+. Dr. Almarodes work has been presented to the US Congress the Virginia Senate and the US Department of Education. One of his recent projects includes developing the Distance Learning Playbook for College and University Instruction in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.Continuing his collaborative work with colleagues on what works best in teaching and learning How Tutoring Works Visible Learning in Early Childhood and How Learning Works all with Corwin Press were released in 2021. Alisha Demchak M.Ed. is an early childhood educator and researcher whose passion for improving reading outcomes for all learners is visible across her work. Alisha has taught in early childhood classrooms and mixed-age settings served as a reading specialist and interventionist and coached early childhood educators administrators and literacy coordinators. Currently she is researching evidenced-based instructional practices in early childhood reading and working to ensure those practices make it into classrooms by working with preservice and inservice teachers to build their skill set and confidence in reading instruction.  Douglas Fisher is professor and chair of educational leadership at San Diego State University and a leader at Health Sciences High and Middle College. Previously Doug was an early intervention teacher and elementary school educator.  He is a credentialed teacher and leader in California.  In 2022 he was inducted into the Reading Hall of Fame by the Literacy Research Association. He has published widely on literacy quality instruction and assessment as well as books such as Welcome to Teaching PLC+ Teaching Students to Drive their Learning and Student Assessment: Better Evidence Better Decisions Better Learning. Nancy Frey is professor of educational leadership at San Diego State University and a leader at Health Sciences High and Middle College. Previously Nancy was a teacher academic coach and central office resource coordinator in Florida.  She is a credentialed special educator reading specialist and administrator in California.  She is a member of the International Literacy Associations Literacy Research Panel. She has published widely on literacy quality instruction and assessment as well as books such as The Artificial Intelligences Playbook How Scaffolding Works How Teams Work and The Vocabulary Playbook.