Mark Dodson Destler

14A Bellis Circle

Cambridge, MA 02140

(617) 504-6021

mdd@massed.net

Teaching/Administration   

Special Needs Teacher, High School Extension Program, Cambridge, MA (February 2005-present)

• Founding Teacher at Cambridge Public School program for at-risk students.

• Teach academic strategies class focusing on reading skills, study skills, MCAS prep, and self-advocacy.

• Coordinate and provide accommodations and modifications for classroom and high-stakes testing.

Teacher and Administrator, The MATCH School, Boston, MA (June 2000-August 2004)

                            • Founding teacher at award-winning Media and Technology Charter High School.

                            • 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.

                            • Media Coordinator (June 2000-June 2001).  Developed and scheduled collaborations between MATCH teachers and Media Professionals while teaching a semester-long Media/Literacy course to all 9th graders.

English Teacher, Duxbury Middle School, Duxbury, MA (September 1995-June 2000)

                            • Taught five sections of eighth-grade English and reading at honors, standard, and remedial levels.

                            • 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.

                            • Pioneered "teaching-to-learn" program for remedial reading class.

            • Faculty Advisor of Slithy Toves, Duxbury High School’s award-winning literary magazine.

Program Development

Founder and CEO, Reading, MD, Cambridge, MA (September 2004-Present)

• Founded Reading, MD, an NGO devoted to bridging the literacy achievement gap one reader at a time.

• Recruit and train work-study students from area colleges to serve as tutors for struggling adolescents.

• Students in pilot program at City on a Hill Charter Public School (February-April 2005) gained .8 reading levels, double gains of control group.

• Currently planning summer school and multiple fall programs at City on a Hill.

Curriculum Advisor, MATCH Summer Academy, Cambridge, MA (Summer 2002-Present)

• Design research-based literacy curriculum for innovative MATCH Summer Academy at MIT.

• Train work-study students from MIT and other area colleges to evaluate and tutor students.

• Students in summer program (Summer 2003) gained .9 reading levels, while students not in the program lost .2 reading levels over the summer.

Co-founder/Head Teacher, Propel, Cambridge, MA (March 1993-August 1995)

• Co-founded Propel, an NGO focusing on technology and writing.

• Taught multi-media and autobiography class using HyperStudio to eighth graders at the Tobin School.

• Taught workshop for Cambridge teachers on integrating multimedia instruction into the curriculum.

Education          

Brown University, Providence, RI (June 1994-May 1995)

• Masters of Teaching with grade 5-12 certification in English, 4.0/4.0 GPA.

• Student teacher at Classical High School and Brown Summer High School.

• Research Assistant for Theodore Sizer and Paula Evans (see below).

Williams College, Williamstown, MA (September 1988-June 1992)

• 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.

Publications and Research

“MATCH SSR: A Simple Structure that Goes a Long Way” December 2004

• http://www.masscharterschools.org/fellowships/docs/163/Destler4.html

• Wrote through Massachusetts Charter School Association Best Practices Fellowship

• Presented at MCSA annual conference, April 1, 2005

Consultant, Trinity College, Hartford, CT (June 1997-April 1998)

• Researched and developed curricula in service learning and undergraduate teacher education.

• Worked with Raymond Baker, Dean of the College.

Research Assistant, Brown University, Providence, RI (December 1994-September 1995)

• Worked with Professors Paula Evans and Theodore Sizer.

• Assessed and redesigned their popular course “Going to High School in America.”

• Worked in consultation with students, TA’s, and education reformers nationwide.

Grants/Honors

• 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 DOE Secondary School Reading Initiative Grant, March 2003-August 2004.

• Served on NEASC visiting accreditation team for Stacy Middle School in Milford, MA, November 1999.

• Received 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, McLean High School, June 1988.

Personal/Skills

• Completed 45 hours of instruction and a 100 hour practicum in Orton-Gillingham reading instruction at Mass General Hospital’s Reading Disabilities Unit, May 2005.

• 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.

• FCC-licensed Disk Jockey at WCFM, one of the nation's oldest college radio stations.

• Enjoy philosophy, basketball, poetry, tennis, and film.

• Substantial travel in the US, Europe, and Asia.

 References and Teaching Portfolio Available On Request