Patti Amstrup

1
Patti Amstrup

• Improving Student Achievement through Exercise

• Accepted research states that students who
  participate in high intensity exercise just
  before tests, do better on those tests. I will
  create an exercise DVD for classroom teachers to
  use in class on the morning of high stakes
  testing. I will also do action research with two
  classes using the DVD.

2
Anna Beal Torrey Lau

• Best Practices High School English Language
  Learner Science

• We will research best practices
• in teaching English Language
• Learner (ELL) science at the high school level.
  We will design a
• science curriculum for our ELL science classes
  based on
• Minnesota standards and ELL
• science best practices.

3
Diane Bradley-Lewis

• Master Arts Education-Urban Teaching Certificate

• I will work on a Masters in Education and
  certification on Urban Teaching at Hamline
  University. I will bring back and share skills
  that inform my practice to increase student
  success, parent involvement and community service
  and outreach.

4
Mollie Brown

• Strategically Implemented, Systematic and
  Explicit, Reading Interventions

• Rationale of the Districts 2006-2014 Academic
  Achievement Agenda states Reading failure has
  long-term consequences for childrens self
  confidence, motivation and overall school
  performance. The purpose of this sabbatical
  study is to optimize the efficiency and
  effectiveness of strategic reading interventions
  for our most at-risk learners with the intention
  of preventing the experiences of failure for
  children. Time will be spent designing and
  implementing action research to measure the
  impact of systematic and explicit training on
  accelerating achievement.

5
Cynthia Freeman

• Science Literacy/Greenspace Rehabilitation

• I will work on implementation of science literacy
  (K-5) through survey and evaluation of science to
  support literature and restore greenspace at
  Dowling to coordinate hands-on experience,
  knowledge and literacy. This will include
  extended use of science kits and selling herbs.

6
Mary Hill

• Gender/Learning Styles in Middle School
  Math/Science

• To investigate learning differences by gender and
  to explore possibility of gender-segregated
  math/science classes.

7
Bruce Iverson

• Spanish/Cultural Diversity Immersion and
  Educational Systems

• to immerse myself in a Spanish speaking culture
  in Ecuador by volunteering at two different
  schools a private International Baccalaureate
  Spanish speaking school and a nonprofit school
  for people with disabilities
• to be immersed in life cultural
  diversity/sensitivity experience/training to
  better understand Minneapolis families by keeping
  a daily journal and interviewing staff and
  families
• to informally compare/contrast the issues facing
  these schools
• to create a digital photograph portfolio of
  experiences
•  

8
Karen Lennan

• Transformative Theater Education/Doctoral Study

• My sabbatical goals are designed to answer
  research questions related to my dissertation
  entitled Arts on the Outside, Arts in the
  Center A Case Study of Adrienne Diercks and her
  Dream of Project S.U.C.C.E.S.S. It is a study
  of a non-profit that uses theatre to impact
  student achievement, goal setting, and strengthen
  community.
• The story of Adrienne Diercks, a major
  contributor to theatre arts and education,
  deserves the attention of a study that does not
  put theatre arts and a womans story on the
  outside edges, but on the main stage.

9
Amy Matison

• Technology Skills Improvement

• While on sabbatical leave, I will study
  technology integration in the secondary classroom
  through a series of six on-line graduate level
  courses at the University of Phoenix. I will use
  the information and skills in my coursework to
  revise some of the IB/MYP curricular units I have
  already implemented in my READ 180 classes, with
  an eye toward more highly engaging use of the
  technology in my classroom. I will also write new
  IB/MYP Language A units, incorporating
  motivating, innovative, and unit-specific
  opportunities to use computers as learning tools.
  It is my belief that better use of technology can
  accelerate reading and writing achievement for
  students in my reading classes.

10
Amy Marquez

• Evidence Based Practice in Augmentative and
  Alternative Communication
• (AAC) Intervention

• Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC)
  is a symbol based communication system that
  supplements or replaces speech for nonverbal or
  minimally verbal students.  Students who use AAC
  typically have multiple needs physical and
  cognitive.  Special education teams sometimes
  struggle to implement strategies to improve
  communication because there are so many student
  needs to fill and staff do not know where to
  start.  This sabbatical project will identify
  teams most frequent questions/needs in regards
  to AAC and then attempt to answer these questions
  based on evidence present in the research
  literature.   

11
Deb Peterson

• Increased Literacy Skills Middle School Special
  Education

• Through use of district initiatives such as
  Principles of Learning, create and field test
  curriculum that increase access of mainstream
  language arts curriculum to Special Education
  Students.
•  

• Photo Not Available

12
Rebecca Ruddle

• Intervention Planning for Students with Autism
  Spectrum Disorders (ASD) across Educational
  Settings

• Complete coursework for the Autism Spectrum
  Disorders (ASD) certificate through Hamline
  University. Further develop consultative skills
  to support regular and education staff in working
  more effectively with students who have ASD or
  similar needs

13
Carolyn Serrano

• Nature Journals
• An Intervention Study

• Use nature journals and incorporate reading,
  writing, science and art so that students are
  immersed in meeting literacy and science
  standards in a year-long nature study. I will
  also take classes to increase my observational
  drawing abilities and to become more
  knowledgeable about the natural world.