Improve Behavior and Self-Regulation in Early Learners: Best Practices in Play-Based Learning

About the Presenters

Jacqualine Govan, Ed.S. is the Director of the Arkansas Head Start State Collaboration Office. She is responsible for connecting services and building systems between the Head Start communities and other state agencies. She serves on the Governor’s Early Childhood Commission and has experience as an early childhood teacher, elementary principal, public school teacher, and several years as an early childhood and elementary administrator. She has worked with the State Department as an administrative advisor and trainer.

Jackie received her specialist degree in educational leadership from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR). Her foundation for learning, understanding theory, and entering the educational field began at Arkansas State University (ASU) in Jonesboro, Arkansas, where she earned a master’s degree in educational administration and a bachelor’s degree in Elementary/Special Education. She enjoys spending quality time with her son, Mitchell, and grandson, Reece.

Dr. Bridget Walker, the owner and Executive Director of an educational consulting practice in the Pacific Northwest, provides professional development and coaching to diverse districts across the country. Dr. Walker has extensive experience designing, implementing, and evaluating effective professional development systems and content for preservice and practicing educators, as well as support staff. Her areas of expertise include Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS), Multi-Tiered Systems of Supports (MTSS), Social-Emotional Learning (SEL), trauma-informed and restorative practices, inclusive practices, and developing effective systems and supports for students with significant Emotional/Behavioral Disabilities (EBD).

She has served as a tenured professor and teacher educator, research coordinator for two federally funded OSEP research projects, statewide PBIS project coordinator, district behavior specialist, special education teacher for students with high-incidence disabilities (PK-12), and day treatment teacher. Dr. Walker is a published author of two books, numerous journal articles, and book chapters related to creating and sustaining effective systems and services for all learners across tiered systems of support. She presents regularly at international and regional conferences, including several invited keynotes. In 2011, Dr. Walker was awarded the PBIS Champion Award by the Northwest Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports Network (NWPBIS) for her ongoing work in helping schools effectively implement PBIS/MTSS to support the success of all students.

Natalie Jude, Special Education Teacher at Bellingham Public Schools (WA), has 25 years of experience in special education and earned her master’s degree at Western Washington University. Natalie earned her National Board Certification in 2017. For the past 25 years, she has focused on supporting primary-age students with intensive emotional and behavioral disabilities. She is leading efforts to increase inclusive practices districtwide for this population. Natalie is currently pursuing her administrative credential at Western Washington University.

About the Moderator

Jessica Berlinski is the Director of PreK-12 Education for Ripple Effects, an innovative social-change enterprise focused on leveraging personalized SEL to improve students’ behavior and academics and achieve educational equity. She brings over a decade of experience leading organizations dedicated to supporting the “whole child” through academic and SEL tools and programs. Jessica co-founded and served as Chief Impact Officer of SEL tech start-ups, If You Can and Centervention (formerly Personalized Learning Games). In these roles, she commercialized the first evidence-based SEL assessment and learning game for K-12 and the first SEL iPad game for the consumer marketplace. Previously, she served as Managing Director of GameDesk, a Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation-funded non-profit focused on innovative learning models, and as National Director of Character Counts. Jessica speaks on technology and SEL at education and social-change conferences nationally, and her work has been featured on National Public Radio, and in Forbes and Newsweek. She graduated from Northwestern University with a B.A. in philosophy.