LDA Names Michigan's Rebecca K. Shankland Educator of the Year

Rebecca K. Shankland is the 2005 Learning Disabilities Association (LDA) Samuel Kirk Educator of the Year. The award nationally recognizes outstanding contributions to the education of persons with learning disabilities. LDA of Michigan nominated Shankland in recognition for her work improving outcomes of secondary students in Grand Rapids and across the state.

Shankland has more than 27 years of experience teaching, during which time she has positively influenced the lives of countless students. As a teacher consultant at Forest Hills Public Schools in Grand Rapids, Shankland focuses on improving the independent skills of students with learning disabilities. Shankland is a certified Strategic Instruction Model (SIM) trainer, and she holds a Master of Arts degree from Michigan State University where she is currently a doctoral student in the area of
special education and literacy.

Driven to help students succeed, Shankland first implemented the SIM in her resource classroom at Forest Hills Central High School in 1998. Later, collaborating with other teachers, she helped implement the model throughout the school. The following year, she implemented the Language: A Literacy Intervention Curriculum at Forest Hills Central High School, resulting in significant gains in decoding and comprehending for students with learning disabilities. In 2002, Forest Hills Public Schools began implementing the SIM in all secondary special education classrooms in the district. Shankland provides the professional development and ongoing support for this implementation.

Today, Shankland serves as an independent consultant, offering SIM training for special educators across the state. She is also president-elect of the Michigan Association of Learning Disabilities Educators (MALDE). Currently working on several research projects in the area of adolescent literacy, Shankland arduously continues to help students learn.

To learn more about Shankland and the award, visit the Learning Disabilities Association of Michigan at www.ldaofmichigan.org/.