Jamestown Education authors and consultants are leaders and
innovators in the field of adolescent literacy with expertise
spanning a wide range of literacy topics. The author team includes
specialists in Response to Intervention, the Gradual Release
Model, Curriculum-Based Measurement, reading development, reading
rate and fluency, writing, educational technology, and the
development of high-interest texts at accessible readabilities.
Jamestown programs are based on the latest research in adolescent
literacy and over 35 years of experience in publishing for
adolescent and adult learners.
Edward B. Fry, Ph.D.
Edward Fry is Professor Emeritus of Education at Rutgers University, where he
was director of the Reading Center for twenty-six years. At Rutgers, Dr. Fry
taught graduate and undergraduate courses in reading and curriculum and served
as chairman and dissertation committee member for doctoral candidates in reading
and educational psychology. Dr. Fry is known internationally for his Readability
Graph, which is used by teachers, publishers, and others to judge the difficulty
of books and other materials. He is also well known for his Instant Words,
high-frequency word list, and for reading, spelling, and secondary curriculum
materials.
Camille L.Z. Blachowicz,
Ph.D.
Camille Blachowicz is Professor of Education at the National College of Education
of National-Louis University, where she is Director of the Reading Center and
Reading Program. In her long career as an educator, Dr. Blachowicz has been a
classroom teacher, team leader, and reading specialist, as well as a university
educator and staff developer. The author of many books and articles, her research
has been supported by grants from the Spencer Foundation, the Fulbright Council,
and the International Reading Association. She is an expert in reading rate and
fluency and a recipient of the International Reading Association’s Outstanding
Reading Teacher Educator.
Melissa Billings
Melissa Billings received her B.A. in history from Harvard University. After
working as an admissions representative at Harvard, she launched her career
as a fiction and non-fiction writer. Her short stories have appeared in national
magazines and she is the author of a ten-book series of historical fiction.
Melissa has written a variety of history, geography, and science readers for
elementary and middle school students and has co-authored many reading development
texts with her husband Henry. Melissa is an expert in developing high-interest
texts at accessible reading levels and is a co-author on several best-selling
Jamestown programs.
Henry Billings
Henry Billings received his B.A. from the University of
Massachusetts and his M.A.T. in World History from
Salem State College. In addition, he completed two
years of advanced graduate studies in the Foundations
of Education at the University of Massachusetts. Henry
taught junior and senior high school social studies
for 16 years.
Since leaving the classroom, he has worked as a freelance
writer, writing numerous newspaper and magazine articles
as well as a Vietnam memoir. He has also written a wide
variety of elementary and secondary textbooks ranging
from economics to history to reading development texts.
Henry is an expert in developing high-interest texts
at accessible reading levels and is a co-author on several
best-selling Jamestown programs.
Burton Goodman
Burton Goodman is the author of more than seventy language arts texts, and his
short stories and articles have appeared in many national publications. He
has written television scripts for Paramount Pictures and Kings Features Syndicate
and wrote the Crafts and Culture segments for the acclaimed educational TV
program "Vegetable Soup" for the Public Broadcasting System. Mr.
Goodman is the author of Fist Against the Night, a young adult novel, as well
as the best-selling Goodman's Five-Star Stories, Goodman's
Five-Star Activity Books, and English, YES!
Mark R. Shinn,
Ph.D.
Dr. Mark R. Shinn is Professor of School Psychology and
Program Director of the School Psychology Program at National
Louis University. Prior to joining NLU, he was professor
of School Psychology and Special Education at the University
of Oregon for 19 years. Dr. Shinn also serves as Project
Director of the Northern Region of IASPIRE and as a member
of the CORE national advisory board. Dr. Shinn is a nationally
recognized contributor to research and practice of scientifically
based progress monitoring and universal screening using
Curriculum-Based Measurement (CBM) and the Response to
Intervention 3-Tier model. He is the recipient of the Jack
Bardon Award from the American Psychological Association
for Distinguished Service.
Douglas Fisher,
Ph.D.
Dr. Douglas Fisher is an expert in literacy development,
early intervention, language development and the Gradual
Release Model. He is currently a Professor of Language
and Literacy Development at San Diego State University,
and is Co-Director of the Center for the Advancement of
Reading for the California State University System. Dr.
Fisher is the author of numerous publications on adolescent
literacy and writing and has received a number of awards
for his achievements in education, including the Christa
McAuliffe Award for Excellence in Teacher Education and
the NCTE Farmer Award for Excellence in Writing.
Kimberly Lawless,
Ph.D.
Kimberly Lawless is Associate Professor of Educational Technology in the department
of Curriculum, Instruction and Evaluation at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Her research focuses on the comprehension of digital text and teacher beliefs
about the effectiveness of technology in the classroom. Currently, Dr. Lawless
is the lead principal investigator and project director for Project TITUS, funded
by the Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers to Use Technology program, and Project TRUST,
funded by FIPSE. Both of these projects seek to enhance the integration of technology
into diverse urban settings in meaningful ways.
Edward B. Fry, Ph.D.
Edward Fry is Professor Emeritus of Education at Rutgers University, where he
was director of the Reading Center for twenty-six years. At Rutgers, Dr. Fry
taught graduate and undergraduate courses in reading and curriculum and served
as chairman and dissertation committee member for doctoral candidates in reading
and educational psychology. Dr. Fry is known internationally for his Readability
Graph, which is used by teachers, publishers, and others to judge the difficulty
of books and other materials. He is also well known for his Instant Words,
high-frequency word list, and for reading, spelling, and secondary curriculum
materials.
Dr. Donald D. Deshler
Dr. Donald D. Deshler is director of the Center for Research on Learning at the University of Kansas, where he leads research, product development, and staff development activities. There, he and his colleagues have developed and validated the Strategic Instruction Model® (SIM), a comprehensive approach to adolescent literacy that helps students learn how to learn and promotes effective instructional methods for teachers. Dr. Deshler's research interests include assisting schools and professionals in the process of educational change and professional growth. Dr. Deshler is also the Williamson Family Distinguished Professor of Special Education. He teaches graduate courses on instructional methodologies for teachers of adolescents and young adults with learning disabilities and seminars on current issues in research procedures for populations with learning disabilities.
Dr. Michael Hock
Dr. Michael Hock is associate director of the Center for Research on Learning at the University of Kansas. His research involves the development and validation of reading and student motivation interventions that respond to the needs of districts or agencies as well as the needs of academically underprepared adolescents and adults. Dr. Hock is also an associate research scientist at the University of Kansas. He has directed research and development efforts for literacy-based programs for adolescent and adults, and his interests include the design and validation of instructional strategies and practices for improving student outcomes for adolescents who struggle with learning. His interests also include staff development and the change process. Dr. Hock, along with Dr. Irma Brasseur-Hock and colleagues, developed and validated Fusion Reading.
Dr. Irma Brasseur-Hock
Dr. Irma Brasseur-Hock is a research associate at the Center for Research on Learning at the University of Kansas. Her research interests include adolescent literacy, coaching, instructional technology, and instructional sustainability. She has coordinated several federally funded research projects, including a study that developed a reading skill profile of struggling adolescent readers. Dr. Brasseur-Hock has extensive experience as a special education teacher and is highly regarded for her skills as a professional development specialist, particularly in the area of adolescent literacy.
