About me
Evalena Leitz was born and raised in Portland, Oregon and now serves as Gresham-Barlow School District’s Secondary Math Coach specializing in curriculum and instruction. She taught middle school math for 16 years which included time as a Title I Math Specialist in a middle school setting. Ms. Leit'z experience teaching has been in primarily low-income neighborhoods with a high number of language learners and students with exceptionalities in a full-inclusiong and detracked settings. She has taught with and without a provided curriculum and evenf with and without walls, internet and hot water while on a career segway where Evalena also taught Preschool and Kinder at a bilingual IB school in Costa Rica. Ms. Leitz leadership roles have included the ODE 2021 math standards review committee as Chair for the Oregon 7th grade math standards, Northwest Math Conference 2023 marketing chair as well as ODE's instructional materials evaluation tool and pre-calculus curriculum review committees. She has developed and led professional development around of variety of topics including; equitable grading, addressing unfinished learning, implementing Standford's Math Language Routines, creating PBIS structures, finding math joy, engaging students in Habits of Mind and collaborative note-making routines. Evalena treasures the time she gets to coach teachers individually by using reflective conversations paired with individualized learning opportunities as she watches new educators develop and grow with increased confidence in their practices.
