David Schmid
David Schmid worked as a high school principal for 13 years and was a teacher for 18 years. He has worked as a facilitator helping schools across the country, including schools in Colorado, Ohio, Washington, and California. He also facilitates programs for the National School Reform Faculty, Colorado Critical Friends Group, All Kinds of Minds, and McRel's Balanced Leadership Program.
During his tenure as a principal at Horizon High School and Steamboat Springs High School, Dave gained a great deal of experience working with high school redesign and improvement. He worked with the Coalition of Essential Schools, was selected as an Annenberg Principal, and was instrumental in utilizing Critical Friends' ideas to create a more thoughtful and collaborative school culture. He was trained to facilitate large and small groups, and went through an extensive conflict resolution process developed by Bob Chadwick to help groups come to consensus on some very difficult issues. Dave was trained in the Breaking Ranks II Program for leading high school reform. He was also selected as Principal of the Year for the State of Colorado in 2003.
His publications include "A Different Kind of Classroom: Using Protocols to Increase Student Understanding." Connections, Journal for the National School Reform Faculty, Spring 2005 and "Creating a Culture of Conversation." Connections, Journal for the National School Reform Faculty, Winter 2003.
Linda Fiorella
Linda Fiorella's 34 years as an educator include experience as a middle school and high school teacher, staff developer, district content specialist, and university instructor. While teaching at Horizon High School, she was a teacher leader and staff developer in a school focusing on the Nine Common Principles of the Coalition of Essential Schools and Critical Friends Group Protocols to guide professional development and improve student learning. She also developed and implemented an adolescent literacy program that was ultimately extended to all schools in the district.
During her tenure as the District Secondary Language Arts Specialist, Linda facilitated a process to revise the Secondary Language Arts Curriculum Framework, develop common assessments, and implement a district wide literacy program. She also trained staff throughout the district in Critical Friends Group Protocols. Linda currently teaches for the University of Colorado at Denver in the Adolescent Literacy Certificate Program for teachers.
As a member of the Colorado Critical Friends Group, Linda has facilitated trainings and workshops for teachers and administrators, and she has been on committees to develop and bookmark the Colorado State Assessment Program. She has also presented at numerous state and national conferences including the International Reading Association, Colorado Language Arts Society, and Coalition of Essential Schools on topics of literacy and high school education.
Her publications include "The Marriage of Literacy and Libraries through Collaboration." Colorado Libraries. Spring, 2002; reprinted in Whole School Library Handbook by Blanche Woolls and David V Loertscher (ALA, 2004).
Schmid and Fiorella, Educational Facilitators
While continuing their long held association with Colorado Critical Friends Group, David and Linda have recently formed their own educational facilitation business, Schmid and Fiorella, Educational Facilitators. As a team, they are available to help schools and school districts work with the following:
- High school reform
- Creating collaborative cultures through Critical Friends Groups and the use of protocols
- Conflict resolution
Individually, David works with school leadership development and Schools Attuned. Linda focuses on adolescent literacy and secondary language arts curriculum development and reform.
They may be reached at:
Schmid and Fiorella, Educational Facilitators
PO Box 770869
Steamboat Springs, CO 80477
970.870.6020
This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it
This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it
|
About the Facilitators 
