The National Institute for Direct Instruction was pleased to present several recognitions on the evening of July 28. The Siegfried Engelmann Excellence in Education Award was given to 4 recipients this year. The first recognition went to Marita Morones, Aim High Lead Teacher at Mt. Helix Academy in La Mesa, California. Ms. Morones has been an instructor for over 20 years, beginning as a substitute teacher. In addition to her abilities as a model DI teacher, her principal, Michael Collins notes "She does not hesitate to use her prep time and after-school time to work with students that need a little extra help."

Engelmann Excellence in Education awards were also presented to Nicole Lefrancois, Mallory Davis and Mindy Cipriano, a team of Pre-K teachers at City Springs Elementary in Baltimore, Maryland. These three teachers have served their careers at City Springs. Fifty-nine percent (59%) of their most recent group of students were in the high risk category at the beginning of the year. By the end of the year, only 23% remained in that category. In math, 83% of the students were at risk for failure at the beginning of last year. By the end of the year the number had decreased to 32%. Laura Doherty, President and CEO of the Baltimore Curriculum Project writes, "These three teachers exemplify the skill and intensity in instruction which is critical to helping students at risk of academic failure compete with their middle class peers. They also exemplify the warm, nurturing, positive environment all students deserve."

The final recognition given on this special evening was a Lifetime Achievement Award given to Karen Davis. Karen is someone who is very close to many of us in the DI community, a person who has made an outstanding contribution to children and Direct Instruction throughout her educational career.

She began her career with Direct Instruction over 40 years ago in Champaign, Illinois, and was one of the original teacher trainers during Project Follow Through. Karen has been a co-author of several Direct Instruction programs, and is an inspiring and dedicated teacher.

The testimonials we have received for her came not only from Zig Engelmann, but from a principal, a University of Oregon faculty member, several parents of children who were in her class and a student she taught. 

Check out the NIFDI website (www.nifdi.org) for helpful beginning-of-the-year resources. Review the articles found in the How to Be Successful tab for tips on critical features of a successful implementation. Placement tests and descriptions of all of the programs can be accessed under The Programs tab. The Resources tab features a free downloads section that contains many useful observation and data collection forms NIFDI uses in implementations across the country. 

An effective coach will help the DI teacher evolve from a technician to an engineer of instruction. To help equip you to help others in this evolution, NIFDI's two popular Coaching Academies will be held in Arlington Heights, Illinois this fall.

On October 15 & 16, we will present Coaching I-Analyzing & Responding to Student Performance Data. Through demonstrations, practice and hands-on activities, participants will learn how to:

• Gain meaningful information from lesson progress and in-program mastery data.
• Model how to improve written records.
• Conduct supportive classroom observations and demonstrations aimed at increasing student success.
• Provide effective oral and written feedback to instructors to directly impact student performance.
• Design and deliver effective, on-going professional development sessions.

We will return to Arlington Heights November 19 & 20 for Coaching II-Conducting Classroom Observations & Providing Feedback. This session will provide participants with information and practice in:

• Refining observational skills to increase the coach's ability to provide data-driven feedback.
• Facilitating rehearsal sessions.
• Determining the appropriate intervention based on data and observation.
• Facilitating Data Analysis Team meetings to find and solve student performance problems in a timely manner.

The Academy trainer, Tamara Bressi, is an experienced DI teacher, trainer and coach. As an Implementation Manager for NIFDI and an independent consultant, she has provided support to schools implementing DI around the world—from Oregon to Colorado to Australia to Guam and Africa.

To register, visit us online or call Bryan at 877.485.1973. 

To Our Readers:

As readers of NIFDI News! know, the last Tuesday of the month means an email from me [Christina] will show up with highlights of DI-happenings over the past few weeks. This isn't changing, but the person who sends it is. Bryan Wickman, NIFDI's Outreach Events Coordinator, is taking over the authorship and distribution of NIFDI News! starting with this issue.

I am leaving NIFDI to return to the classroom this fall. As many of you may remember, I started my career in education 13 years ago teaching 5th grade in a small, rural Oregon school and then serving as an elementary principal before coming to NIFDI in the fall of 2011. The past four years have been full of new experiences, new people and unexpected rewards. While leaving my NIFDI family will be hard, my heart is filled with joy to be returning to the classroom in just a few short weeks!

I wish all of you my very best as you continue to share and implement Zig's fine work and know that you are all in good hands with Bryan at the helm of NIFDI News! (among other things I'm leaving in his very capable hands).

With a grateful heart, I say thank you and goodbye.
Christina

 I invite you to join me in thanking Christina for all her work publicizing DI news, publications and events. She has done so much for NIFDI and for the many teachers, principals and parents who have emailed or called us and asked questions about implementing DI. We wish her all the best as she moves to the place where all the difference is made for kids--the classroom. Please email her at ccox@nifdi.org to express your appreciation and/or best wishes in the future!