Linda B. Pincham is Associate Professor Emerita, Roosevelt University, College of Education. Illinois. For over twenty years at Roosevelt, she taught students preparing to become middle and high school teachers and served as chair in secondary education. Prior to joining the university, she taught English language arts at the middle and high school level for thirteen years and was a middle school assistant principal and principal for eleven years. Dr. Pincham has focused her work on the adolescent learner. She directed a special program at Roosevelt for adolescent girls, GO-GIRL, to promote adolescent girls’ interest in STEM. She has published articles on adolescent learning, instructional strategies in the middle school classroom, and first-year experiences of minority college students. She has also presented at numerous state, regional, national, and international conferences. Dr. Pincham completed her undergraduate degree in English at Virginia State University, received her master’s degree in educational administration and supervision from George Mason University, and earned an Ed.D. in educational administration from Virginia Tech. Although retired, Dr. Pincham’s research interests remain in the roles that teachers and school leaders play in the developmental needs of the young adolescent.
Becky McTague is Professor Emerita, Roosevelt University, College of Education. Dr. McTague has more than 30 years of experience teaching, ranging from elementary schools to university level student in language and literacy. Her experiences include trainer for Reading Recovery, primary teacher in Illinois, Oklahoma, and England; and reading specialist/coach for several public-school districts. Over the past 10 years, she has directed many local grants as well as worked on federal grants focused on school improvement. Her current research interests include teacher development, struggling readers, best practices in literacy for all students, school change especially in urban setting, and supporting English language learners. Dr. McTague is also the co-author ofThe New Balanced Literacy School: Implementing Common Core and Formative Assessment in the New Balanced Literacy Classroomm.