Norma Mullins teaches first- and second-graders at Parkmoor Urban Academy in Columbus. Dr. Mullins is author and coordinator of a reading and language arts component for the School-wide Project to research and implement new educational approaches. Ninety-minute instructional blocks, cooperative learning and team teaching are some of the features that Dr. Mullins has included in the instructional program she has implemented at the Academy. To provide her colleagues with an organizational tool that would facilitate and offer guidelines for integrated instruction, she developed the Schematic Unit Planner. Promoting a holistic learning-approach, this system has proven to be a valuable tool throughout the school. Dr. Mullins has also actively participated in a number of community-wide programs, such as the Citizen/ Parent Review Board, the local chapter of the International Reading Association and a literacy program that addresses the community's specific needs.
