EAST HIGH SCHOOL

815 E. 13th Street

Des Moines, IA 50316
Telephone 515-242-7788 Fax 515-242-7958

LESLIE MORRIS, PRINCIPAL CHAD STREET, VICE PRINCIPAL

KELLI RIXNER, SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT LEADER STEVE SCHAPPAUGH, SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT LEADER
JILL VERSTEEG, SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT LEADER JOSEPH SPIESS, SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT LEADER

Dear Hiring Committee,

It is with pleasure that I write a letter of recommendation for Elizabeth Bullock. As a teacher of multiple
grade levels, the facilitator for the Spanish 1 and 2 Professional Learning Community (PLC), and
someone committed to equity – I can highly recommend her for any teaching position. Her experiences
make her poised to support a dynamic school that strives to meet the unique learning needs of students.

This year we have focused on developing culturally inclusive practices with our staff. Throughout this
process, we have done numerous walk-throughs throughout our building. One of the areas that we have
seen an area for growth across our building is the use of co-generative dialogue to modify instruction.
Elizabeth is one of the teachers who has demonstrated an ability to do this with her students. We have
seen her adjust lessons in the moment and use the class to build success criteria for assessments.

Another initiative we put into place this year was a commitment to developing restorative justice
practices among our staff to decrease referrals. Elizabeth was ahead of the curve on this initiative. Prior
to our professional development, she was already using re-entry meetings to support students who had
demonstrated a need for being separated temporarily from class. Additionally, she was already using
circles to build community in her classroom. As a result, when we began to roll this out to the staff we
were able to count on her being a leading voice to help our staff fully engage in the learning.

Elizabeth is also well versed in using multiple interactive strategies to support her students. Teaching in
a block schedule creates many challenges to keep students engaged. Elizabeth uses flexible grouping
strategies and modality changes to keep the pacing of the class so that students are engaged. She has
received extensive training in Kagan strategies which she frequently utilizes in her classroom as well.

The curriculum for World Languages at East has been evolving. The district curriculum person has
changed frequently in World Languages. However, Elizabeth has been able to keep up with the changes
and implement curriculum with fidelity. She has also supported other teachers in the World Languages
department. For example, Elizabeth has been able to advocate for the inclusion of CI/TPRS strategies at
East with her colleagues.

East is a truly diverse school. Elizabeth has been a teacher who advocates for all our learners. She will
continue to advocate for all students, and you’d be lucky to have her on your staff.

Respectfully,

Steven Schappaugh