INcompassing Education offers high-quality professional development for teachers in Indiana to help them keep up with the ever-changing needs in education. We provide school-based training and seminars at schools in Indiana (on-site PD). INcompassing Education also provides professional development workshops on various topics, such as PBIS, RTI, Classroom Management, Leadership, Data, Alternative Education, School Turnaround, Mental Health, Trauma-Informed Schools, Elementary Math and many more (off-site PD). Additionally, with our Lounge & Learn sessions (online PD), busy educators can choose topics that will meet their needs wherever they are in the world.
The Importance of Professional Development
A good and inspiring teacher can positively impact student achievement. For this reason, it’s crucial to pay attention to how we train and support new and experienced teachers. Professional development should be collaborative, experiential, and address the needs of educators and students.
Support given to new teachers is often inadequate. The sad thing is, some novice teachers are assigned to the most challenging schools without much supervision and support. Almost 50% of teachers leave the profession during the first five years, highlighting the need for addressing the needs of educators to help them cope with such a challenging environment.
Stress, student misbehavior, and pressure for their students to perform well – all these factors can take their toll on any teacher. Mentoring can help new teachers overcome these challenges. It gives them the opportunity to gain best practices and analyze their teaching at the same time. Meanwhile, ongoing professional development keeps experienced teachers up to date on strategies to improve student learning, new curriculum resources, and new technological tools for the classroom.
The INcompassing Education Team
Dianne McKinley
Dianne holds an Ed.S from St. Thomas University in K-12 Educational Leadership. She also holds a B.S.Ed. from the University of Georgia and an M.Ed. from Georgia State University. She has been in education for over 25 years in four states. Dianne has been a classroom teacher, writing coach, building level administrator, Outreach Coordinator for the Indiana Department of Education, and now owner of INcompassing Education.
As a consultant, Dianne works with educational leaders in the areas of school turnaround, curriculum, assessments, PBIS, strategic planning, instructional coaching, and school and district leadership. Dianne has been providing professional development to educators for the past 18 years. She is proud to serve Indiana educators as they strive for excellence.
Bill Reed
Bill is a licensed Secondary Math Teacher who has taught at every level from 7th grade through community college. He was a classroom teacher for over 30 years in a combination of both Indiana and California. He has taught every secondary math class from 7th Grade Math to Calculus. Bill has been a Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science State Finalist in both California and Indiana. After retiring from classroom teaching, he was the Secondary Math Specialist at the Indiana Department of Education and then a Regional Director for the Indiana GEAR UP Grant at Purdue University before joining the INcompassing Education team in 2021.
Bill earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics and Computer Science at Butler University along with his teaching certification. He worked on his graduate studies in Secondary Mathematics Education at both California State University and Ball State University. Bill received a Fulbright Memorial Fund Scholarship to study the education system in Japan during the summer of 2001 and a second Fulbright Scholarship to study the education system in Brazil during the summer of 2010. In 2019 he worked with U.S. Embassy in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan both in-person and online to give S.T.E.M Professional Development to Central Asian Teachers.
Tiffany Creager
Tiffany Creager is a licensed school social worker, MSW, LSW. She has a background as an Early Childhood Education Director where she collaborated with teachers, board members, and parents to create an environment in which students could thrive academically, socially, and emotionally no matter the family’s financial circumstance. She was a School Social Worker for close to 600 students and partnered with administrators, teachers, and parents to integrate trauma sensitive practices school-wide which enabled them to see office referrals for aggressive behavior decrease from 59 in the first nine weeks to less than 10 in the third nine weeks. Tiffany was also a Director of School-Based Services for a Community Mental Health Center where she collaborated with over twenty schools to integrate mental health services and provide supportive training for mental health providers and educators. Additionally, she provided clinical therapeutic services to youth, adults, and families.
Tiffany specializes in social and emotional learning, trauma-informed schools, mindfulness, and supporting students’ and teachers’ mental health. She (and a co- presenter) recently partnered with the Indiana School Mental Health Initiative to provide training across the state of Indiana aimed at supporting the mental health of students in the classroom.
April Connelley
April is a life-long learner and educator with 24 years of experience in elementary and special education. She offers expertise in literacy, including the Science of Reading, instructional coaching, professional learning, and curriculum development.
Prior to joining INcompassing Education, April fulfilled the role of Literacy Specialist working with multiple school districts across the country, as well as an Early Reading Virtual Coach, and Early Reading Training Facilitator. As a District Instructional Coach and E/LA Curriculum Coordinator April focused on bringing written and taught curriculum together. April spent 15 years working directly with students as a Reading Interventionist and Special Education teacher. She is an avid reader and advocates for students to develop life-long reading habits by finding their personal reading identity.
April has a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Saint Francis; a Master’s Degree from Concordia University Mequon WI; and completed an endorsement program in Educational Leadership.
Mandy Morris
Mandy is a licensed Elementary Teacher who has served in a variety of P12 and Higher Education roles. Mandy began her career in P12 education as a classroom teacher. She found her passion in STEM education through leadership opportunities focused on preparing students for successful lives after graduation. She served as a STEM instructional coach and district coordinator where she supported teachers and students on their path to discovering authentic and meaningful learning. She currently serves as the Education Technology Specialist at Franklin College where she trains and supports faculty and staff on integrated instructional technology and instructs the Interdisciplinary Unit Planning and STEAM course for preservice teachers.
Mandy earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education at Franklin College along with her teaching certificate in 2009. She continued her graduate studies in 2020 at the American College of Education where she earned her Master of Education in STEM Leadership.
Conclusion
INcompassing Education provides on-site PD, off-site PD, and online PD for teachers. Upgrade your knowledge and skills now! If you have any questions or inquiries, send us a message by visiting our contact page.
