Todd Whitaker - Start. Right. Now.: Teaching and Leading for Excellence

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TODD WHITAKER, PhD, has been fortunate to be able to blend his passion with his career. Recognized as a leading presenter in the field of education, his message about the importance of teaching has resonated with hundreds of thousands of educators around the world. Todd is a professor of educational leadership at the University of Missouri, and he has spent his life pursuing his love of education by researching and studying effective teachers and principals.

Prior to moving into higher education, he was a math teacher and basketball coach in Missouri. Todd then served as a principal at the middle-school, junior-high, and high-school levels. He was also a middle-school coordinator in charge of staffing, curriculum, and technology for the opening of new middle schools.

One of the nations leading authorities on staff motivation, teacher leadership, and principal effectiveness, Todd has written more than thirty books, including the national bestseller What Great Teachers Do Differently. Other titles include: Shifting the Monkey, Dealing with Difficult Teachers, The Ten-Minute Inservice, The Ball, What Great Principals Do Differently, Motivating & Inspiring Teachers, and a previous collaboration with Jimmy and Jeff, What Connected Educators Do Differently. Please follow and contact Todd via Twitter: @ToddWhitaker.

JEFFREY ZOUL, EdD, is a lifelong teacher, learner, and leader, currently serving as Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning with Deerfield Public Schools District 109 in Deerfield, Illinois. Prior to working in this capacity, Jeff served as a district administrator in Rock Island, Illinois, and a school improvement specialist with Southern Regional Education Board (SREB), the nations largest and oldest nonprofit school improvement network. Jeff also served as a principal with Forsyth County Schools in Cumming, Georgia, and with North Shore School District 112 in Highland Park, Illinois.

Before serving as an administrator, Zoul was a classroom teacher for eighteen years in Georgia, teaching elementary school, middle school, and high-school English.

Jeff is also the author of several books, including Improving Your School One Week at a Time: Building the Foundation for Professional Teaching and Learning, 4 CORE Factors for School Success (co-authored with Todd Whitaker), and What Connected Educators Do Differently (a collaboration with Todd Whitaker and Jimmy Casas). Jeff has also served as an adjunct professor at University of North Georgia, teaching graduate-level courses in research and assessment. In 2014, he was awarded the Bammy Educators Voice Award.

Jeff earned a bachelor of arts degree in education from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and a master of science degree in education from Troy University. In addition, Zoul earned an education specialists degree from the University of Southern Mississippi and a doctoral degree from the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Please follow and contact Jeff via Twitter: @Jeff_Zoul.

JIMMY CASAS recently completed his twenty-second year in educational leadership. He received his bachelor of arts in Spanish and masters in teaching from the University of Iowa and his masters in administrative leadership from Cardinal Stritch University in Milwaukee. Jimmy is currently working on his Ed.S. at Drake University in Des Moines and also serves as an adjunct professor for Drake, teaching a graduate course on educational leadership. His passion for teaching and learning, coupled with a vision for developing a community of leaders, has procured a culture of excellence and high standards for learning amid a positive school culture for students and staff. Under his leadership, Bettendorf High School was named one of the Best High Schools in the country three times by Newsweek and US News & World Report. Jimmys core purpose lies in serving others.

Jimmy was named the 2012 Iowa Secondary Principal of the Year, and was selected as one of three finalists for NASSP 2013 National Secondary Principal of the Year. In 2013, he received the Bammy Educators Voice Award as the Secondary School Principal of the Year. In 2014, Jimmy was invited to the White House to speak on the Future Ready Schools pledge. In 2015, Jimmy received the Bammy Award for National Secondary Principal of the Year. He is the co-founder of EdCampIowa and also the co-founder of #IAedchat, an online chat that takes place every Sunday evening at 8:00 p.m. CST. Finally, Jimmy is the coauthor, in a previous collaboration with Todd and Jeff, of What Connected Educators Do Differently. Please follow and contact Jimmy via Twitter: @casas_jimmy.

Teach Like a PIRATE is the New York Times best-selling book that has sparked a worldwide educational revolution. It is part inspirational manifesto that ignites passion for the profession and part practical road map, filled with dynamic strategies to dramatically increase student engagement. Translated into multiple languages, its message resonates with educators who want to design outrageously creative lessons and transform school into a life-changing experience for students.

Todays job market demands that students be prepared to take responsibility for their lives and careers. We do them a disservice if we teach them how to earn passing grades without equipping them to take charge of their education. In