Rich Weinfeld - Smart Kids with Learning Difficulties: Overcoming Obstacles and Realizing Potential

Rich Weinfeld received his masters degree from Trinity College and is certified in early childhood and elementary education, special education, administration, and supervision. He has long been an advocate for quality educational programs for all students. Twenty-six years of his 30-year career with Montgomery County Public Schools were spent in a variety of leadership roles in special education. He has expertise in working with students with a wide range of disabilities, including learning disabilities, autism spectrum disorders, and emotional disturbance. He served as Montgomery Countys first full-time coordinator of programs for students who are simultaneously gifted and learning disabled (GTLD). His books include Smart Kids with Learning Difficulties: Overcoming Obstacles and Realizing Potential, Helping Boys Succeed in School, School Success for Kids With Aspergers Syndrome, and Special Needs Advocacy Resource Book. He was co-host of a weekly Internet radio show, Teach Your Children Well: Hot Topics in Education, on http://www.voiceamerica.com. He has been selected to present at numerous national conferences, been an instructor at Johns Hopkins University, and served on the board of directors for the Association for Educators of Gifted Underachieving Student (AEGUS). Rich directs Weinfeld Education Group, LLC, a group of nearly 50 educational consultants, psychologists, neuropsychologists, behavior intervention specialists, and other direct service providers. In addition to his advocacy work, he does extensive parent and staff training and consults with schools about appropriate programming for all students. More information about his endeavors can be found at http://www.richweinfeld.com

Sue Jeweler, a retired teacher, spent her 30-year career in Marylands Montgomery County Public Schools. Sue has been a consultant to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Smithsonian Institution, National Geographic Society, Berns & Kay, and Street Law. Her expertise has been used in a variety of projects with an outreach to teachers nationally and internationally. She has coauthored two educational kits, numerous journal articles, and more than 40 books including the acclaimed Smart Kids with Learning Difficulties: Overcoming Obstacles and Realizing Potential and School Success for Kids with ADHD. Sue, an award-winning educator, is the recipient of the prestigious Washington Post Agnes Meyer Outstanding Teaching Award. She is listed in Whos Who Among Americas Teachers,Whos Who of American Women, and the International Whos Who. She coestablished Creative Family Projects, LLC, which identifies problems and provides solutions by synthesizing information from organizations, institutions, and corporations into booklets and training modules for the benefit of children, youth, and families. Her most recent project is the coauthored booklet, Mommies and Daddies in Jail.

Linda Barnes-Robinson has worked in gifted education for more than 30 years, and has devoted her professional life to advocating for children and families. With Montgomery County Public Schools, she coordinated the identification of gifted and talented students, advocated for parents and students, and worked to establish one of the first comprehensive programs for gifted/learning disabled students in the nation. She is a nationally recognized trainer and educational consultant in gifted identification, conflict resolution and mediation, and gifted/learning disabled programs. She has coauthored and edited numerous articles, manuals, books, and curricula documents. Her most recent book, 101 School Success Tools for Smart Kids With Learning Difficulties, provides field-tested tools for parents and teachers. She received her bachelors degree from Cedar Crest College, her masters degree from The George Washington University, and a postgraduate certificate in family mediation from The Catholic University of America.

Betty Roffman Shevitz has more than 30 years of experience with gifted students. She currently serves as an instructional specialist for gifted students in Montgomery County Schools and is responsible for the screening and identification of students for seven centers for the highly gifted. In addition, she coordinates the Wings Mentor Program, a countywide program that she codeveloped to support students who are both gifted and learning disabled. Over the years, she has directed her attention to special populations, dedicated to helping nurture students potential. She has extensive experience both in the classroom and in the central office of school districts with large populations of gifted students. She was involved in the initial year of a program designed for identifying and nurturing gifted students in underserved populations. She has developed curriculum, presented at national and state conferences, and served as an educational consultant and a teacher trainer. She is coauthor of 101 School Success Tools for Smart Kids With Learning Difficulties (2011), SmartKids With Learning Difficulties: Overcoming Obstacles and Realizing Potential (2006), and various articles, including Academic Programs for Gifted and Talented/Learning Disabled Students (2002) and Mentoring Empowers Gifted/Learning Disabled Students to Soar (2003). Betty received her bachelors degree in education and her masters degree in Gifted Education from the University of Virginia.

For more information, or to contact the authors, visit http://www.smartkidsresource.com.