Ms. Geary has 32 of educational experience serving most in the Pleasant Valley School District. She has held the positions of teacher, principal, curriculum supervisor, assistant superintendent and ended her career as superintendent. Under her supervision, PVSD implemented a comprehensive professional development plan. This included an MTSS process that involved training on data analysis, instructional planning, in class modeling and in class coaching, as well as training in the Language Essentials for the Teachers of Reading and Spelling with training that connected it to the classroom, in class modeling and in class coaching. As a result, the district’s half-day kindergarten performance went from an average of 52% benchmarked at the end of the year to an average of 94% benchmarked consistently and have maintained that level of performance for 11 years. The MTSS process and training was expanded throughout the district adding one grade level a year. The first set of children to go through the system took the high school state ELA assessment in 2017 and scored 85.5% proficient or advanced for the first time in the school’s history. Carole has presented on the topics of Leadership Development, Leading Change, Pre-K Parent Training, Cyber Education, and MTSS in Reading at the state level and national level for the following organizations: NSBA, ASCD, NAEYC, NAESSP, NAPSA, and NAFEPA.

Michael began investigating “why children are not learning to read” in 1995. He is the President of Step By Step Learning, LLC, and founder and Chairman of The Institute For Literacy and Learning®, an international literacy research think tank that “promotes evidence-based research to practice in every classroom” and Inspired Learning, LP, a developer of parent and child engagement learning tools that helps develop children academically for their transition to kindergarten.