Dr. Kelly M. Costner is a Co-Principal Investigator for NExT LEVEL, a US Department of Education grant project focused on helping teachers further their skills in working with English Learners. He also serves as the Winthrop Faculty in Residence (WFIR) at Sugar Creek Elementary School in Fort Mill. Formerly, he was the Program Director for Middle Level Education, and served as the (WFIR) at South Middle School in Lancaster for six years. He has been an educator since 1990, beginning as a high school mathematics and French teacher, shifting to middle level, and developing expertise in ESL along the way.