Gloria Medina Best teaches American Studies to eighth-graders at Dawes Middle School in Lincoln. One of Mrs. Best's responsibilities is the monitoring and adjusting of the curriculum to meet the diverse needs of the behaviorally challenged, hearing-impaired, learning-disabled, mentally challenged and at-risk children attending her inclusive classes. Mrs. Best is also involved in developing a program that includes parents, the community and one-on-one teaming of teachers and students to meet the challenge of teaching special needs and at-risk children. In keeping with her school district's effort to promote multicultural education, Mrs. Best has authored "New Beginnings," a learning unit that studies the different ethnic and cultural groups that settled the state of Nebraska. In addition, she has collaborated on the development and implementation of "Option II: Mediated Human Relations Course," a professional development program that addresses ethnic and racial diversity in education.
