Meet Our Special Ed Director - Dr. Christine Palumbo
I am energized and excited to begin my work with the Region 2 State Support Team serving Erie, Huron and Lorain Counties as Director of Special Education and Family Services. For those of you that I have not yet had the opportunity to meet, please allow me to share a bit about my educational and professional background. Since graduating from John Carroll University in 1992, I have spent 11 years as a special education teacher, three years as a special education coordinator and, most recently, two years as Special Education Supervisor. I have worked in both Cuyahoga and Lorain Counties, first in Lakewood City Schools and then later in North Ridgeville City Schools. Over the course of my career, I have earned both my masters and doctoral degrees from Cleveland State University. I also completed the First Ring Leadership Academy at Cleveland State University as a member of its first cohort. My educational, professional and personal experiences have fortified me with a strong belief in the potential of public education for students with disabilities. I have witnessed enormous change in our field through my lifetime and over the course of my sixteen year career in public education.
While this year will bring with it changes for many of us, it is my desire that the State Support Team and its special education core provide consistent services to our region. A main component of this service is that each one of us is, just as our name would indicate, a part of a team. We are a team providing services to districts in our region to support school improvement. Our team members will be working together so that we are able to provide you with coherent and cohesive support to benefit all students and move all of our districts toward strategic compliance. Many of us on the team have received intensive training from the state in order for us to expand our knowledge base, and to allow us to focus our support and provide consistency of service delivery.
During the course of the 2008-2009 school year, the Ohio Department of Education will direct our work with districts in order that we may provide support to you in various areas related to special education, alternate assessment, and transition. Key areas of support will include the development and support of district and building leadership teams, compliance via focused monitoring, and exploration and understanding of the indicators on the state performance plan (SPP) for special education. We will also be focusing upon the changes in the Operating Standards based upon the new IDEA regulations and other ongoing initiatives in combination with the office of Early Learning and School Readiness. Lastly, we will be addressing the ongoing issue of access to general education for all students.
I look forward to building relationships and learning from and supporting one another. I will support our Region by promoting and encouraging change that will lead us toward increased achievement, standards based education and high expectations for ALL students. I believe that when we work together we can achieve success in our ongoing efforts to strive for strategic compliance and improved educational outcomes for all students. Please feel free to contact me, Dr. Christine Palumbo, via phone at 440-324-5777 ext. 1136 or via e-mail at palumbo@esclc.org.
