Mary Damer Mary Damer is currently coordinating a multi-tiered reading project in an Ohio school district to increase reading achievement and reduce behavior problems through an intensive multi-tiered model based on preventing reading failure. Past experiencesas a visiting professor at The Ohio State University, a principal in an Illinois school, and ten years of working as a behavior consultant led to Mary's keen interest in preventing reading problems. She observed that a large proportion of students referred for behavior problems could not read near grade level and eventually documented the role that inadequate academic skills played in the book she co-authored, Managing Unmanageable Students: Practical Solutions for Administrators. Her desire to reduce disruptive behavior in schools by increasing the numbers of students who could read at grade level eventually influenced her to take the role of field director for Project Pride, a federally funded early literacy model demonstration program. Read More Read Less