LEFT: Shauna Saunders implements The Hill Center's
HillRAP program with her lower school students.
our methodology and curriculum to educators across the globe could not be accomplished without continued innovation. A 2013 technology visioning process has resulted in development of a four-year plan for a Hill Reading Achievement Program Instructional Management System (HillRAP IMS), which will result in the infusion of technology innovation into Hill teacher training and HillRAP implementation. The Hill Center Reading Achievement Program (HillRAP), Hill's flagship reading intervention program, is a combined curriculum and instructional process B Y B R YA N P. B R A N D E R , E D. D., H E A D O F S C H O O L , T H E H I L L C E N T E R approach to improving reading for struggling students in kindergarten through eighth grade. HillRAP is a structured intervention program delivered on an individualized basis by teachers senior leaders on the Growth, Development who are extensively trained in phonological s The Hill Center enters its and Partnerships team through a time of awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and 38th year of serving students with learning significant organizational transition and comprehension. Teachers provide follow-up differences, it will be marked with new change. classroom support, mentoring and coaching leadership and continued innovation. After Beth’s vast experiences surrounding during implementation. HillRAP uses The Hill devoting 30 years of service to Hill, Shary capacity building and scaling organizations Center Methodology with minor adaptations Maskel will retire as executive director, make her an excellent fit for the position of to meet the needs of students and teachers in paving the way for Beth Anderson. Shary has Hill’s executive director. Upon her arrival a public school setting. given her heart and soul to this renowned in July, I will shift from my current role as This initiative, combined with the organization and was instrumental in principal and director of student programs, to need to greater infuse technology into our developing curriculum, training teachers and the role of head of school. This organizational reading program, inspired us to create the expanding The Hill Center to reach students, shift will redefine and streamline roles to HillRAP IMS. This tool, delivered on a tablet, families and educators across the globe. The assure that we are exceeding the needs of our will provide enhanced teacher support, a stage has been prepped for Beth to scale students, families and stakeholders. Beth and continuous assessment tool, automatic data operations and deepen our impact. I, along with Hill’s leadership team, maintain capture and more robust results reporting, A 1993 graduate of Williams College, as well as a student app for increased student Anderson earned her MBA from the Stanford a shared vision of The Hill Center's future. We will lead with the vision of organizational practice opportunities. The success of HillRAP Graduate School of Business in 2000. She excellence, becoming a community resource hinges upon successful teacher training, moved to Duke University’s Fuqua School in the Triangle, and expanding operations to mentoring and support to ensure absolute of Business in 2001, where she co-founded serve more students and families with learning fidelity of the program. As districts across the Center for the Advancement of Social differences. the state and schools in other parts of the Entrepreneurship (CASE). As managing Beth’s contagious collaborative style and nation and world continue to adopt HillRAP, director, she developed courses, conducted leadership have already gained the support it is imperative that we maintain fidelity and research on scaling social impact, and led of Hill’s faculty and staff. We are blessed to proper data collection and tracking the strategy and operations for CASE, a have some of the most dedicated and selfless The evolution of The Hill Center research and education center that serves faculty, staff, tutors and leaders in the field. continues to unfold, and we are eager to MBA students and alumni, business school They are all instrumental in maintaining focus fulfill our vision. We are confident that our faculty and the emerging field of social on our daily mission of transforming students impact will reach many more students with entrepreneurship. Anderson joined Teach with learning differences into confident, independent learning differences. As our new leadership For America in 2007 as vice president of learners, and striving toward our global vision and innovation propels us to the next level of national foundation relations. In 2009 she of reaching as many students as possible. excellence, we will continue to strive daily to was promoted to senior vice president of The Hill Center’s goal of providing meet our students, support our parents and national development and most recently greater access to our programs and delivering train educators. served as senior strategic adviser, mentoring
New leadership and innovation at The Hill Center
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DURHAM ACADEMY RECORD | SUMMER 2014 | WWW.DA.ORG
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