Dr. Michelle Picard is a passionate educator and leader with over three decades of experience leading transformational change in K-12 and university classrooms. After many years as a teacher in elementary and middle school classrooms, she served as an instructional coach, Supervisor of English Language Arts (K-12), and as the Director of Early Childhood and Elementary Education. Michelle’s greatest contributions focus on literacy education and the impact of high-leverage strategies in all classrooms. With a doctorate degree in reading and educational leadership from the University of Virginia, she has experience increasing student performance and engagement and creating systems to promote effective pedagogy and timely feedback. Other areas of expertise include designing curriculum with a focus on diverse representation, using and analyzing universal, diagnostic, and formative assessments, and engaging instructional practices.