Advancing Special Education Through Improvement Science

Dr. Antonio L. Ellis is a Senior Professorial Lecturer and Director of the Summer Institute on Education Equity and Justice (SIEEJ) at the American University School of Education. He teaches special education courses, advises students in the educational policy and leadership doctoral program, and supports doctoral dissertations. Dr. Ellis received his doctoral degree in educational leadership and policy studies from Howard University. He holds additional academic degrees in educational administration, theological studies, higher education, and special education and human development. He has published multiple books, including Ed.D. Programs as Incubators for Social Justice Leadership; Transitioning Children with Disabilities: From Early Childhood through Adulthood; and Teacher Educators as Critical Storytellers. He has served as an inclusion teacher, central office administrator, and school building administrator with the District of Columbia Public Schools. In addition to his practitioner work in K-12 settings, Dr. Ellis served as an adjunct professor in the College of Charleston Teacher Education Department and the Howard University School of Education Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies. He also served as a tenure-track assistant professor at Radford University. His passion is advocating on behalf of persons with disabilities, with a special emphasis on African American males who are speech impaired. Dr. Ellis' research interests include disability studies, pastoral care, equity in higher education, Pre-K-12 educational leadership, multicultural education, critical race theory, and special education.Dr. Sarah Irvine Belson serves as the Executive Director of the Institute for Innovation in Education (IIE) and is a Professor of Special Education and Early Literacy Intervention Leadership in the School of Education (SOE) at American University in Washington, DC. She currently collaborates in research partnerships with teachers and school leaders to foster educational opportunity for children with disabilities, focused on culturally and linguistically affirming reading intervention and grounded in principles of teacher voice and wellbeing and use of evidence-based practices. She is the author of over 100 publications and serves as PI for several sponsored research projects focused on early literacy intervention and implementation of evidence-based reading instruction from the US Department of Education and the National Science Foundation. Dr. Belson coaches in-service and preservice teachers and leaders on implementing evidenced based instruction, creating inclusive school communities, and in supporting all learners. Her focus on interventions to increase educational equity and opportunity for children with disabilities is a cornerstone of her research and teaching.