Together we’ll be facilitating this blog and sharing information about evidence-based literacy and instructional practices, bright spots and best practices. Read on for a little background on us both.

John: I grew up in Peekskill and went to SUNY Potsdam for my undergraduate studies. At Potsdam I decided to study abroad in Spain for a couple of reasons: one, I was studying Anthropology and wanted the experience of writing an ethnography, and two, I had just experienced one of the coldest winters I had ever seen with low temperatures consistently dropping well into the -20’s and -40’s with the wind chill, so a year on the Mediterranean coast seemed like just what I needed. I lived with a family in Valencia, Spain and made friends with local people my age which helped me to learn the language and customs. When I returned to Potsdam to finish my studies I switched my major to Spanish, and then entered graduate school at the Bank Street College of Education to study bilingual/Dual Language Special and General Education.

I began my education career as a one-to-one teacher’s aide at Croton Harmon High School for a student with cerebral palsy, then became a Spanish teacher for children from nursery to grade 3 in a private school, a special education teacher at a middle school, and finally a high school in the South Bronx before coming to my current position. In my time in the South Bronx I worked predominantly with English Language Learners with disabilities in inclusion and self-contained settings but also and also worked with resource room students. I taught every subject in the high school at some point.

As you can see, I have a very wide range of experiences across many different grade levels, with students that are traditionally underserved and struggling. I was a language learner myself and am very conscious of the process that I went through to acquire my second language. I hope to be able to assist you in learning the research-based instructional practices that will most effectively help your students.

Ann: My background is in speech and language therapy, literacy and leadership. Driven by a passion for key social issues, I’m very interested in undoing the practices and instructional models that have historically resulted in the marginalization of certain populations. My goal is to provide training, technical assistance and support to improve our instruction models and practices so that the outcomes for all students regardless of their race, class or ability are the best possible. Through this blog I intend to explore, share and clarify topics that are trending in the world of special education. I don’t claim to have all the answers but I will seek to better understand the issues with you!

Coming Soon!

Minis will be self-guided and interactive mini-courses on topics related to EI and SDI. Learn about a strategy, research finding, best practice or regulation in just two to five minutes!

This page is maintained by Ann Quinones-Narcisse, Lower Hudson Regional Partnership Center Regional Special Education Training Specialist, and John Boniello, Lower Hudson Regional Partnership Center Bilingual Special Education Specialist. Click here to send them a question or comment.

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