- Justin Young, Eastern Washington University
- Angela Rasmussen, Spokane Community College
- Lori Inman, Mead School District
- Michelle Lewis, Spokane Public Schools
The two higher education members teach ELA courses and are department heads. One teaches and leads at Spokane Community College and the other has a similar role at Eastern Washington University. The two high school members currently do not teach in the classroom, but they train teachers and have access to students in the classroom. One is at Spokane Public Schools in administration and the other is at the Mead School District in Learning Services. This cohort has a strong blend of high school, community college and four-year university perspectives.
Professional Experience
Justin Young is an Associate Professor of English at Eastern Washington University where he directs the English Composition Program and the Writers’ Center. Justin trains and supervises faculty and staff in the Composition Program & Writers’ Center; he also teaches composition theory and pedagogy courses for the graduate teaching assistants who teach in the program. Justin is involved in national and state-level efforts to improve student success in the transition to college, and his research focuses on how writing instruction and writing center support can better prepare students across the P-16 continuum to communicate effectively in both print and in digital environments. Forthcoming publications include a chapter in the book What is College Reading? Exploring Reading in Every Discipline, which focuses on college-level reading instruction in relation to ongoing debates over literacy instruction at the P-12 level.
Lori Inman is a Secondary Curriculum Specialist for the Mead School District where she conducts professional development on standards alignment, classroom best practices, formative assessment development, and data-driven instruction. Lori was a high school English teacher for 22 years before moving into teacher training. Her work at the district, regional and state level led to her involvement in the College Sparks successful transitions project where she contributed to the design of a toolkit item that provides a protocol for determining the components of college-ready reading and college-level reading.
Angela Rasmussen teaches English at Spokane Community College. She has taught college-level English for twenty-five years, serving the college as department chair, co-director of the Hagan Foundation Center for the Humanities, and most recently, as coordinator of the Teaching and Learning Center. Her work with non-traditional and underprepared students has contributed to her professional focus on student access, and this work has led to many conference presentations and publications. Recently, this interest has led to her participation with several cross-sector grants that involve conversations with high school and university instructors. The shift from focusing on two-year students to all students as they transition from high school to successful college completion has reinvigorated her classroom practices.
Michelle Lewis has taught middle and high school English and Social Studies in Washington State throughout her 20-year career in education. Currently, Michelle is the Secondary Curriculum Coordinator for English, social studies and libraries at Spokane Public Schools. In addition to her work for Spokane Public Schools, she was a Content Development Consultant for the 2014 Springboard ELA revision where she collaborated with the writing team as a writer and reviewer of both the instructional units and ancillary materials for the College Board. She is interested in the effective implementation of the Common Core State Standards in preparing students for successful transitions to post-secondary pursuits.
