At Bookcliff Middle School in Grand Junction, eighth-grade language arts teacher Mary Buss was a leader in curriculum, school structure and assessment. Most of the district's middle schools followed her lead in adopting a block schedule, which has improved learning by accommodating differentiated instruction. Her research-based pedagogy includes a unit on the Holocaust that teaches students modern history and culture, as well as tolerance and compassion, through literature, film, writing and guest speakers. Mrs. Buss serves on the school's Leadership Team, the district's Language Arts Curriculum Committee, and is co-developing a new standards-based teacher evaluation instrument. She is at the forefront of efforts to empower the teaching profession, and was one of the first members of the board of directors of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards to achieve National Board Certification.
1966 University of Wisconsin - Madison, B.S.
