Mark Dodson Destler
14A
(617) 504-6021
mdestler@readingmd.org
Teaching/Administration
Director of Tutorial and Title One, City on a
Current program provides three
hours of one-on-one tutoring a week in math or English for 74 students.
Math students in fall program
(September-December 2005) had 2.5 times gain of non-tutored students.
Reading students in fall
program (above) gained 1 reading year, 4 times gain of non-tutored students.
99% of students in July 2005
tutoring passed exams, as opposed to 59% of students in summer classes.
Students in pilot program
(February-April 2005) gained .75 reading year, 4 times gains of control group.
Special Needs Teacher, High School Extension Program,
Founding Teacher at
Responsible for IEPs, Re-evaluations, and MCAS accommodations for 16
students.
Co-teach in math, science,
English and history classes
Recruited, hired, and supervise
eight paraprofessionals who work with students 1-1 and in classrooms.
Teacher and Administrator, The
Founding teacher at award-winning Media and
Lead Teacher of Reading (June
2002-August 2004). Coordinated reading grant and programs (see below) and the
9th grade academic cluster while teaching four sections of reading to incoming
students.
Lead Teacher of Student Life
(June 2001-June 2002). Managed many
day-to-day and longer term operations of school including discipline, lunch
program, scheduling, report cards and progress reports.
English Teacher,
Combined thematic teaching of literature with a reading/writing workshop
format.
Co-developed and co-ran teacher mentoring program serving twenty new teachers.
Pioneered overnight writing retreat and "teaching-to-learn" program
for remedial reading class.
Faculty Advisor of Slithy Toves,
Program Development
Founder and CEO,
Founded
Recruit and train work-study
students from area colleges to serve as tutors for struggling adolescents.
In five programs to date, have
served more than 200 high school students at two schools.
More than 100 college tutors
from ten universities have worked in the program.
Curriculum Advisor,
Design research-based literacy curriculum for
innovative
Train work-study students from MIT and other area
colleges to evaluate and tutor students.
Co-founder/Head Teacher, Propel,
Co-founded Propel, an NGO
focusing on technology and writing.
Taught multi-media and
autobiography class using HyperStudio to eighth graders at the
Taught workshop for
Education
Masters of Teaching with grade
5-12 certification in English, 4.0/4.0 GPA.
Student teacher at
Research Assistant for Theodore
Sizer and
Bachelor of Arts Degree Cum Laude in Religion, 3.52/4.00 GPA.
Concentration in African and
Middle Eastern Studies.
Additional courses in English,
Literary Studies, and Math.
Mark Dodson Destler Page 2
Publications, Presentations, and Research
MATCH
SSR: A Simple Structure that Goes a Long Way December 2004
http://www.masscharterschools.org/fellowships/docs/163/Destler4.html.
Written through
Presented at MCSA annual
conference,
Whats
in the Middle of Media Literacy? February 2001
Presented at We Wired the Classroom
Now What? Conference.
http://web.mit.edu/m-I-t/conferences/index.html.
Consultant,
Researched and developed
curricula in service learning and undergraduate teacher education.
Worked with Raymond Baker, Dean
of the College.
Research
Assistant,
Worked with Professors Paula
Evans and Theodore Sizer.
Assessed and redesigned their
popular course Going to High School in
Worked in consultation with
students, TAs, and education reformers nationwide.
Grants/Honors
Named Educator of the Year by
Work at City on a Hill led to
$95,000 grant from Balfour Foundation for expansion of tutoring program at
CoaH.
Students in my 9th
grade reading class increased their reading levels by an average of 2.45 years
during their first year at MATCH, September 2002-June 2004.
Coordinated a number of
innovative reading initiatives (Subscriptions for Success, BBOLD) and worked
with area college faculty to implement school-wide reading program under
auspices of
Served on NEASC visiting
accreditation team for
Received $5000 Bell-Atlantic
Grant to integrate film-making into the eighth grade curriculum, October 1998.
Received T.E.A.C.H. award for effective integration of technology into the
curriculum, October 1997.
Received grants from Duxbury
Education Foundation and NE Middle School Alliance, 1996-2000.
Awarded Arthur B. Graves 1858 Essay Prize for top essay in field of
Religion at Williams, June 1992.
Gaudino Scholarship in Global Studies funded work done with
Professor Raymond Baker, Summer 1991.
Awarded Mitre Scholarship as top student in mathematics,
Personal/Skills
Completed 45 hours of
instruction and a 100 hour practicum in Orton-Gillingham reading instruction at
Possess Massachusetts
Professional Certification for teaching English grades 5-12.
Pending Massachusetts Initial
Certification for teaching students with moderate disabilities grades 5-12
Completed fifteen credits of
post-Masters coursework in curriculum and instruction (UMass, RBT, CDE).
Attended a range of
professional workshops and conferences (CES, ASCD, NCTE) November 1994-present.
Scored MCAS compositions for
Department of Education, July 1999.
Computer Literate in Database,
Scheduling, Multimedia, Desktop Publishing, and Internet Publishing Software.
Serve on Board of Christian
Education, First Church Cambridge Congregation, 3/2004 -> present
Enjoy philosophy, basketball,
poetry, tennis, film, and swimming.
Substantial travel in the
References
and Teaching Portfolio Available On Request