As a forty-two-year educator, Dr. Artis Callaham-Boston has been a consummate administrator, school psychologist, counselor, teacher, and has always understood that for students to gain equitable access to the curriculum, there must be flexibility within the instructional design. Dr. Callaham therefore, introduced the Universal Design for Learning, a pedagogical concept of designing for few and providing access to all, to her Rossier School of Education (USC) colleagues in 2008, which she has presented at educational conferences and published research on the impact of UDL in schools.
Dr. Callaham has developed effective programs implemented in various schools using multiple means of engagement, representation, and expression. She currently serves as the Director of Special Education and Support Services for Magnolia Public Schools, which operates 10 locations throughout the Los Angeles Valley to San Diego, California. Serving as a member of Dr. Pedro Noguero’s team of professional change agents from 2017 to 2018, Dr. Callaham has offered support to struggling schools in the areas of Special Education implementation and compliance.
As an expert in Cultural Responsive Pedagogy, Dr. Callaham-Boston has supported several LAUSD and charter schools in enhancing their instructional design, through the implementation of Multi-Tiered Systems of Support. For over 40 years, she has provided support to schools as an advocate for inner-city youth, African American, Latino students, and the LGBTQIA populations who are most marginalized students.
In support of the CDE State Performance Program, Dr. Callaham has worked with an excellent FTA to support several schools in addressing Indicator 10 for the over-identification of Latino students for Specific Learning disabilities. Dr. Callaham-Boston’s experience as a psychologist and Language Development Program for African American Students facilitator, provides her the expertise to support schools in addressing the overidentification of African American students for any eligibility and schools who are out of compliance for suspensions and expulsions for any student population.
Areas of Particular Interest/Expertise:
Step 1: Gather and Inquire
- Leadership Meetings
- Educational Partners’ Meetings
- Gathering Quantitative Data
- Gathering Qualitative Data
- Programmatic Self-Assessment
- Infrastructure Analysis
- Policies, Practices, and Procedures Review
- Consolidation of Step 1
Step 2: Data and Root Cause Analysis
- Root Cause Analysis
- Prioritizing Factors Contributing to Significant Disproportionality
- Initiative Inventory
- Identification of Target Population
- Development of a Theory of Action
- Consolidation of Step 2
Step 3: Plan for Improvement
- Development of a CIM for CCEIS Action Plan
- CIM for CCEIS Action Plan Review
Step 4: Implementing and Monitoring
- Support data collection for evaluating effectiveness of interventions
- Support implementation monitoring
- Provide guidance around student tracking requirements
- Assist with development of Progress Reports
- Assist in identifying successful activities to continue once CCEIS funds have been expended
