Show Notes

Dr. Susan Zoll is Associate Professor and Co-Coordinator of the Early Childhood Education (Birth-2nd grade) program at Rhode Island College. She has served in leadership roles on several Early Reading First projects (ERF 2004, 2006, 2009) funded by the U.S. Department of Education; and her work on the development of Personal Literacy Plans, a tool to share individualized assessment outcomes with teachers and families, was recognized by the Doing What Works initiative. Her dissertation, “From “at risk” to “at promise”: An Evaluation of an Early Reading First Project” speaks to the need for increased access to high-quality early language & literacy opportunities to prepare all children for reading success.

Dr. Zoll is a Montessori educator (AMS) having served as a primary (3-6) educator, teacher trainer for the Language curriculum, and Head of School. Her recent research includes historical analysis of early adopters of Montessori education (2017), the development of a Montessori logic model to inform education research (2019), and an overview of assessment and observation practices in Montessori classrooms (2023).

Dr. Laura Saylor is Dean of The School of Education at Mount St. Joseph University. She earned her Ph.D. in Educational Studies with a concentration in Educational Policy and Higher Education with a focus in STEM education from The University of Cincinnati. Previously, she earned her M.Ed. from Xavier University with a concentration in Montessori Education.

Her 25 years of practical experience include teaching in inclusive and multi-age settings and serving as the Head of School for an independent Montessori school. Laura is a frequent presenter at national conferences. Her research foci include the importance of learning and reading science in teacher preparation as well as assessing performance of pre-service teachers in clinical experiences. Dr. Saylor’s interests also extend to best practices in educational assessment, and collaborative work in education. Her recently published research includes mathematics discourse with pre-service teachers and the effects of teacher-centered mentorship.

Natasha Feinberg, Ed.D. is an assistant professor at Rhode Island College in the Elementary Education Department. She instructs preservice teachers in the areas of reading and writing as well as directs the Master’s of Education in Reading program. Dr. Feinberg has 17 years of experience as a reading specialist/literacy coach in the R.I. public school system. She is Nationally Board Certified in Reading. She holds an Ed.D. in Curriculum Leadership from Northeastern University. Dr. Feinberg’s area of expertise lies in the Science of Reading and teaching reading to all types of learners. She has worked extensively with Tier 2 and 3 literacy interventions identifying specific student literacy needs and matching evidence-based interventions and specific progress monitoring tools that address those needs. Her work focuses on supporting Data-Based Individualization and Data-Based Decision Making.