Syllabus

Ellis Hurd
Illinois State University
United States

Ellis Hurd, Ed.D., is an Assistant Professor of Education in the Department of Curriculum & Instruction at Illinois State University. He completed his doctorate at the University of Northern Iowa in 2008, and his master's degree in English as a second language (ESL) and bilingual education from National-Louis University in 2003. He has more than 12 years of teaching experience in diverse settings across two states. He has presented and published on education, mixed identity, and urban education and related topics at various levels, including international, national, and state. He continues to be interested in the juxtaposition of identity, education, and work.

Steven B. Mertens
Illinois State University
United States

Dr. Steve Mertens is assistant professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at Illinois State University. Prior to his current position, Steve served for nearly 15 years as a senior research scientist at the Center for Prevention Research and Development (CPRD) at the University of Illinois. During his tenure at CPRD, Steve served as the project director for the design, research, and evaluation of several large-scale evaluations and research studies of comprehensive middle-grades reform projects, including Michigan Middle Start, Mid South Middle Start, and Turning Points. He has published more than 30 research articles, book chapters, and reports addressing varying aspects of middle grades school reform and improvement.  Steve has been a member of the National Forum since 2000 and is concluding his first term as a board member.  He also serves as the Chair for the American Educational Research Association’s (AERA) Middle Level Education Research Special Interest Group.