Don S. Balka Saint Mary's College, Notre Dame, IN

Don S. Balka, a former middle school and high school mathematics teacher, is professor emeritus in the Mathematics Department at Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, Indiana. During his career as an educator, Balka has presented over 2,000 workshops on the use of manipulatives with elementary and secondary students at national and regional conferences of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, state mathematics conferences, and at in-service training for school districts throughout the United States. In addition, he has worked with teachers and taught classes in schools throughout the world, including Ireland, Scotland, England, Saudi Arabia, Italy, Greece, Japan, and the Mariana Islands in the South Pacific. He has written over 20 books on the use of manipulatives for teaching K-12 mathematics, and is a co-author of the Macmillan K-5 elementary mathematics series, Math Connects. Balka has served as director for the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and the National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics. He also served on the Board of School Science and Mathematics Association, and will take office as president-elect in Fall 2009. He is currently on the Board of TODOS: Mathematics for All and a member of the editorial panel for the NCTM journal Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School.

Balka is a member of a team with Ted Hull and Ruth Harbin Miles that delivers a one-day seminar on mathematics coaching and a one-day seminar on mathematics leadership. The seminars provide mathematics coaches or leaders with a model for developmentally and sequentially improving mathematics instruction.

Seminars are based upon the models offered in their books and are intended to launch the steps for reaching equity in mathematics learning by closing the achievement gap. While related, and working in conjunction, the models for improvement are different for coaches and leaders since their responsibilities are different.

After the seminar, the authors are available singly or together for continuing consultation and assistance in implementing the recommended stages of improvement as well as monitoring implementation and progress.