About Us
Erika Lusky, MA-CCC-SLP
I am passionate about creating quality relationships to foster agency and identity, specifically in disenfranchised learners. I am an advocate for human connections, understanding, thinking, and student voice. I have been working for Rochester Community Schools, a public school in Michigan in the United States for over 20 years with students from elementary to post-secondary education with neurodiversity. I facilitate professional learning opportunities for educators and administrators in my school, district and county leveraging businesses, online connections, and excursions to create a Culture of Thinking and infuse Project Zero research and ideas in schools. My special interest lies in Creating Cultures of Thinking online in which I have served as an online coach since it's inception and loves doing so! I have been a part of the Project Zero Perspectives Conferences for the past several years as an Interactive Course Instructor and I am looking forward to following up my previous fellowship at Project Zero's Summer Classroom Institute with my new role this summer as Study Group Leader. I am the co-creator of Enbrighten®, a framework designed to scaffold student speaking, thinking and interactions which has been featured in Dr. Ron Ritchhart's book Creating Cultures of Thinking.
Julie Rains, Ed.S.
Passionate about fostering positive interactions and relationships, I am committed to collaborating with students and teachers from around the world. It is a true joy to experiment, investigate, and grapple with ideas to encourage reflection from a variety of viewpoints. In addition to my role as Co-Instructor for Teaching and Learning in the Maker Center Classroom Online Course, Project Zero-Harvard Graduate School of Education, I facilitate professional learning at the district, county and state level. I have facilitated sessions at multiple Project Zero Perspectives Conferences, served as a fellow for Project Zero Classroom Summer Institute, and am proud to share my students were featured in Dr. Ron Ritchhart’s book, Creating Cultures of Thinking. This summer, I look forward to my role as a study group leader and mini-course presenter at the PZ Summer Institute. An avid reader, I am committed to life-long learning, and currently, a doctoral candidate at University of Michigan-Flint. Prior to that, I earned my Education Specialist degree in Educational Leadership from Oakland University and attended Michigan State University, where I earned my B.S. and M.A. in the areas of Language Arts, Learning Disabilities, and Emotional Impairment. I am entering my twelth year as a teacher for Rochester Community Schools and dedicated to fostering meaningful learning opportunities, especially for students with disabilities. I am currently interested in creating opportunities to support all learners through making and transforming the media center into a Shipwreck-Treehouse-Wonderland.