At William E. Orr Middle School in Las Vegas, Ernest Ashby has combined technology with instructional best practices to help dramatically boost academic achievement in reading among his sixth graders. A retired non-commissioned officer of the U.S. Air Force, Ashby uses everything from SMART Boards and graphic organizers to moviemaking software to stimulate interest among his students, many of whom have Individual Education Plans (IEPs) or limited English proficiency (LEP). Students have demonstrated significant growth in all areas of English and reading, with overall gains of 18.8 percent and double-digit gains among minority students and those with IEPs, and his students have made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) two years in a row. Ashby is advisor of the Student Council, named Outstanding Student Council in Southern Nevada two years in a row. He is also a member of numerous committees and a mentor to new teachers. Thanks to Ashby's instruction, LEP students who entered the sixth grade earning Cs and Ds have left the eighth grade as A- and B-students.
2002 University of Nevada - Las Vegas, B.S.
