Margaret Donahue has a Bachelor of Science from the University of Maryland and is pursuing a MEd from McDaniel College. She has been a classroom science teacher in Maryland Public Schools and was the Director of Education and Executive Director of two Sylvan Learning Centers in El Paso, Texas.
In her tenure as a science classroom teacher, Margaret taught Earth and Space Science and Chemistry. She taught honors and inclusion classes, was a member of the Instructional Leadership Team and was a cooperating teacher for a Professional Development School. A strong advocate of inquiry-based learning, she developed extensive lessons that provided hands-on learning modeled on real-world scenarios. In her inclusion classes, she worked with a co-teacher, meeting the needs of the regular and special education students through cooperative grouping, differentiated instruction, differentiated assessment and student portfolios.
As Director of Education and Executive Director for Sylvan Learning Center, Margaret developed individual academic programs for students with a variety of learning needs, received intensive training on reading intervention programs, trained educators in reading, math and study skills programs, worked with classroom teachers to identify ways to accommodate students with special needs and managed the daily operations of the centers.
Margaret has presented sessions at local, state and national conferences. Topics of sessions include:
- Implementing a 9th Grade Academy Program
- Raising Expectations for All Students
- Motivating the Struggling Learner
- Using Common Course Syllabi
- 9th Grade Failure Intervention Programs
- Reading and Writing Across the Curriculum
Currently, Margaret is an Instructional Resource Teacher for the Public Schools in a Maryland school system where, for the past eight years, she has provided instructional leadership to a staff of 100 teachers. She creates and presents staff development sessions on Best Instructional practices, data-driven instruction, motivational strategies, differentiated instruction, and intervention for at-risk students. She works with new and beginning teachers, providing training and support on all aspects of the beginning teacher experience, including effective classroom management, lesson planning, discipline, grading practices and professionalism.
