BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//LEO | Learning & Engagement Opportunities Network - ECPv6.15.3//NONSGML v1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH X-WR-CALNAME:LEO | Learning & Engagement Opportunities Network X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net X-WR-CALDESC:Events for LEO | Learning & Engagement Opportunities Network REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H X-Robots-Tag:noindex X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/New_York BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20260308T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20261101T060000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260127T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260127T163000 DTSTAMP:20260407T051105 CREATED:20251217T193228Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260202T154242Z UID:254192-1769526000-1769531400@leo.gradelevelreading.net SUMMARY:High-Impact Tutoring as a Remedy for Pandemic Lost Learning: LAUSD Settlement DESCRIPTION:As we move forward\, almost six years later\, from the beginning of what we call pandemic learning\, we still have a lot of very important questions to ask as we are here talking about what interventions are still needed and what really works. \n\nModerator Tracie Potts of Eisenhower Institute at Gettysburg College offered this important framing as she launched the January 27\, 2026 GLR Learning Tuesdays webinar\, High-Impact Tutoring as a Remedy for Pandemic Lost Learning: LAUSD Settlement. CGLR also looks forward to exploring this question — especially “what really works?” — throughout 2026 as we review successful implementation tactics for the “Big Bets” strategies that schools\, districts\, and states have implemented over the past 5–6 years. This week’s discussion focused on a very specific situation in California where a group of Black and Latino parents sued the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) in 2020\, claiming inequitable remote learning during the pandemic. In the settlement from this case\, the district agreed to implement three years of high-dosage tutoring\, along with evidence-based teacher development and family engagement\, and a robust set of additional strategies to re-engage chronically absent students and accelerate learning. \nPotts first engaged with three LA-area leaders who were integral to the case: Michelle Vilchez and Walt Rodríguez of Innovate Public Schools who served as the primary advocates and organizers for parents involved in the case\, and Edward (Ned) Hillenbrand of Kirkland & Ellis\, LLP who was one of the lead attorneys for the plaintiffs. Hillenbrand explained that the California Constitution includes explicit protections for public school students\, including the right to a free\, quality education and freedom from discrimination (race\, gender\, religion\, etc.). He explained how these protections enabled the lawsuit and then broke down the details of the case\, the parties involved\, the argument and factual allegations as well as the initial settlement and what it requires of the district. Vilchez and Rodríguez provided additional context about the concerns of parents during the pandemic and their need to find a way to have their voices heard. Vilchez explained: \n\nThe one thing that we have felt is common throughout our work in Los Angeles is that parents will be the first ones to tell you there is something wrong here. There is something not right. And that is a common thread regardless of black or brown or what region or district that they call home. And secondly is that they’re always ready to partner across divisions to be able to find suitable solutions for their children. \n\nIn his detailed review of the settlement\, Hillenbrand explained how experts and research were consulted to determine the outcomes — with tutoring being the leading intervention that parents had been requesting for their children\, which has also been proven effective to support learning recovery and acceleration when implemented effectively. His comments were followed by the insights of expert practitioner\, Sam Olivieri of Step Up Tutoring who provided more information on why tutoring is so important for learning recovery and additional background on the history of tutoring in Los Angeles and her organization’s long-standing partnership with the district. She also shared her anticipation for successful implementation of the case settlement in the coming months. Olivier’s optimism was matched by Adrián Sandoval of GPSN\, also a longtime partner of LAUSD who made it clear that although this case indicated the district provided inequitable distance learning during the pandemic\, district leaders actually put a great deal of effort and investment into implementation of innovations and strategies to support equitable learning recovery and have seen demonstrable gains: \n\nIt’s really important to recognize the gains the district has made since the pandemic. The district has had academic gains across the board\, many of which have outpaced other similar districts across the country\, and they have reached the pre-pandemic academic levels with regards to the outcomes on state testing. So that demonstrates that there has been some effort and some progress with regards to instruction and a path toward recovery. Despite those results\, we still know that the district overall has quite a lot of work to do to continue to improve. But we do want to name that those results that they’ve had thus far are not by accident. They are because of a concerted effort to provide targeted support. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n If you were able to attend the session\, we would love to hear your feedback! We appreciate your help in filling out the following form as we seek to learn and understand the perspectives\, ideas\, critiques and recommendations that better inform our key audiences. \n \n Share Feedback URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/la-settlement/ CATEGORIES:Big Bets Working,Past Event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Untitled-design-22-e1758603710120.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260217T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260217T163000 DTSTAMP:20260407T051105 CREATED:20260127T212148Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260225T165638Z UID:254660-1771340400-1771345800@leo.gradelevelreading.net SUMMARY:Beating the Odds: Community Bright Spots Where Smart Implementation Drives Student Success DESCRIPTION:This session launched CGLR’s new series Precursors to Success and Impact\, which brings together our efforts to highlight bright spots and “Big Bet” strategies for accelerating learning recovery and advancement\, and zeros in on what it takes to successfully implement proven strategies. This series will focus “less on what to do and more on how to do what must be done; in other words\, how to successfully implement proven strategies.” As I explained in my introduction\, “We want to show that success is not only possible\, it is happening.” This week’s session gave us the chance to take a deep dive into implementation science while also hearing from “bright spot” districts and schools that are beating the odds through smart implementation of key strategies. \nThe discussion began with that deep dive into implementation science\, with Ximena Franco-Jenkins\, Ph.D.\, of the National Implementation Research Network at University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill defining implementation science as “the methods or techniques that we use to enhance the adoption\, implementation\, and sustainability of the evidence-based practice.” Franco-Jenkins shared this idea in a fun graphic showing one’s “plan” for implementation as a straight line next to the reality showing many divots and obstacles\, illustrating the many challenges that educators must get past to establish smooth implementation of an intervention. Franco-Jenkins further elucidated the importance of using implementation science to help address challenges and ensure that evidence-based practices are delivered effectively to students\, stating: \nImplementation science accounts for the challenges and the barriers of this real-world implementation. So we have and use tools and strategies to help mitigate those challenges and implement them with quality and really drive the outcomes. So implementation science is important because it really helps close the gap between what we know works and what actually happens in practice.…Too often strong programs or innovations don’t lead to better outcomes\, but this not because they are ineffective\, but because they aren’t implemented well. So implementation science really helps us accelerate that uptake of evidence-based practices\, supports that consistency and high-quality use across settings\, and helps the organizations or schools replicate\, scale\, and sustain what works over time. \nNext\, I had the opportunity to engage first with a national leader who has insights into implementation practices working for districts across the country and then with leaders from three “bright spot” communities who have been able to implement key “big bet” strategies and see real results for students. Raymond Hart\, Ph.D.\, of the Council of the Great City Schools shared the outcomes he has seen across districts and discussed the critical role of principals and school/district leaders in enabling smart implementation. Then\, Lindsey Blevins of Tuscaloosa City Schools in Alabama talked about how her district has successfully implemented statewide guidance for summer learning\, which she was able to demonstrate by sharing data on student gains. Alicia Sanborn followed with a discussion of the Fresno\, California\, Washington Unified School District’s successful implementation of tutoring in partnership with Ampact’s Reading and Math Corps. She shared how the backing from both district leaders and community partners has supported their effort. Finally\, Matthew Hornbeck of Hampstead Hill Academy in Baltimore\, Maryland\, reviewed his school’s integration of Public Impact’s Opportunity Culture and its commitment to providing teachers with coaching and training in support of continuous improvement in the classroom: \nWe have three full release coaches and those full release coaches have roughly 20 teachers under their wings\, and they meet with them for both support and supervision. You have a goal-setting meeting at the beginning of the year and you’ve got your midyear check-in and your end-of-year evaluation conference or outcomes conference. But it’s really the weekly meetings that they have while they’re in the classrooms every day [that make the difference.] URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/beating-the-odds/ CATEGORIES:Big Bets Working,Learning Tuesdays ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Atlanta_Photos_0678-e1734076561880.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260224T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260224T163000 DTSTAMP:20260407T051105 CREATED:20260212T205821Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260225T170748Z UID:254833-1771945200-1771950600@leo.gradelevelreading.net SUMMARY:Children’s Savings Accounts & Emerging Federal Policy: Opportunities & Implications DESCRIPTION:Children’s Savings Accounts (CSAs) are a powerful driver of financial inclusion and long-term economic opportunity for young people as shown in a growing body research and experience over the past few decades. These programs help families build assets early\, cultivate a habit of saving\, and lay the groundwork for greater educational and financial success. In fact\, research shows that a child with as little as $500 in a CSA is several times more likely to enroll in and complete college than a peer with no savings. Over the past several years\, the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading has hosted sessions exploring the research behind these programs and the roles that philanthropy has been playing to foster their growth. With passage of H.R. 1 in 2025 establishing 530A accounts\, also known as Trump Accounts\, there is growing momentum and renewed attention on the critical importance of CSAs\, sparking us to return again to this issue. \n \n REGISTER\n \n \n \n \n \n Join us on February 24\, from 3-4:30 p.m. ET\, to hear from researchers\, practitioners\, and public officials who have been shaping\, implementing\, and studying CSAs across the country. We’ll explore what makes CSAs successful and how states and communities are harnessing their potential to expand opportunity for children growing up in economically challenged families. We will also consider the implications of this new federal program and the potential to align it with existing efforts to further their goals.\nWe hope you will join us for this timely and important conversation as we explore the potential of wealth-building accounts for children and youth. URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/child-savings-accounts/ CATEGORIES:Big Bets Working,Learning Tuesdays ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/AdobeStock_280940198_Preview-e1719348753899.jpeg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260303T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260303T163000 DTSTAMP:20260407T051105 CREATED:20260217T200806Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260225T182141Z UID:254884-1772550000-1772555400@leo.gradelevelreading.net SUMMARY:More Than an Accessibility Feature: Same Language Subtitling (SLS)\, Learning\, and Literacy DESCRIPTION:What can same-language subtitling (SLS) realistically contribute to children’s literacy — and where are its limits? In this exploratory session\, leaders from research\, media\, technology\, and policy will examine what the strongest evidence supports\, where SLS functions best as a scaffolding strategy\, and what responsible implementation in U.S. children’s media could look like. This conversation will build on a 2022 session which highlighted early efforts to promote SLS in India and the measurable gains in child and adult literacy those efforts were delivering.  \n\n \n REGISTER URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/childrens-savings-accounts-emerging-federal-policy-opportunities-implications/ CATEGORIES:Big Bets Working,Learning Tuesdays ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/AdobeStock_229647792_Preview-e1771881193867.jpeg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260310T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260310T163000 DTSTAMP:20260407T051105 CREATED:20260217T201615Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260223T210823Z UID:254894-1773154800-1773160200@leo.gradelevelreading.net SUMMARY:Parents as Essential Partners: Beating the Odds and Reducing Chronic Absenteeism DESCRIPTION:Three years ago\, as schools and districts grappled with the fallout from pandemic school closures and persistent chronic absence\, important new research found evidence that schools with strong family engagement were less likely to experience high chronic absence. The qualitative follow-up to that study\, set for release early next month\, reveals the factors that distinguish “bright spot” schools from their peers in the same communities. Join this session for a review of the 2023 study’s findings and a first look at the new report\, which explores the specific family engagement and parent partnership practices and mindsets that move the needle. You’ll also hear critical insights and reactions from CGLR national partners who are leaders in family engagement\, school attendance\, and lifting the essential role of parents as partners in achieving student outcomes.  \n\n \n REGISTER URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/parents-as-essential-partners-beating-the-odds-and-reducing-chronic-absenteeism/ CATEGORIES:Big Bets Working,Learning Tuesdays ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/AdobeStock_368278520_Preview.jpeg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260317T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260317T163000 DTSTAMP:20260407T051105 CREATED:20260217T201254Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260318T041607Z UID:254889-1773759600-1773765000@leo.gradelevelreading.net SUMMARY:From Pipeline to Practice: Strategies to Build & Sustain a Diverse Teacher Workforce DESCRIPTION:As achievement gaps and evolving classroom needs place unprecedented pressure on our schools\, teacher development has emerged as a “big bet” for accelerating equitable academic recovery. Join CGLR and the William Penn Foundation as we kick off a new sponsored series of sessions examining the systemic challenge that is the teacher workforce pipeline\, moving beyond quick fixes to explore holistic solutions situated across the entire pipeline from initial attraction to long-term retention. Hear how community coalitions have approached this work and align stakeholders to bridge the gap between emergency permitting and full certification\, how grow-your-own programs are building a workforce that reflects the diversity essential for student success\, and how state policy and leadership is informing a sustainable system of educator development. Welcome: Stephanie Waller\, William Penn Foundation.Panelists: Ginny Johnson\, TNTP; Scott Gaiber\, Elevate215; Ginny Johnson\, TNTP; Hannah Putnam\, National Council on Teacher Quality; and Cindy Young\, University of Tennessee.Moderator: Lisa Roy\, Ed.D.\, Colorado Department of Early Childhood. \n\n\n \n\n \n REGISTER URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/from-pipeline-to-practice-strategies-to-build-sustain-a-diverse-teacher-workforce/ CATEGORIES:Big Bets Working,Learning Tuesdays,Upcoming Event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/AdobeStock_179210193_Preview-e1738956272377.jpeg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260324T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260324T163000 DTSTAMP:20260407T051105 CREATED:20260317T051314Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260318T050918Z UID:255132-1774364400-1774369800@leo.gradelevelreading.net SUMMARY:Leveraging the Federal Education Tax Credit: Identifying and Preparing Scholarship Granting Organizations (SGOs) DESCRIPTION:March 24\, 3–4:30 p.m. ET  Identifying and Preparing Scholarship-Granting Organizations (SGOs) Co-Sponsored by Alliance for Youth Thriving  The success of the new federal education tax credit will hinge not only on state policy decisions\, but also on whether strong\, trusted organizations are ready to steward funds responsibly and deliver real opportunities for students. Building on earlier sessions in this series that explored the policy landscape and state implementation choices\, this conversation turns to the organizations that will carry the work forward. Experts across education\, youth development\, philanthropy\, and intermediary networks will examine why scholarship-granting organizations (SGOs) are central to effective implementation and what it takes to prepare for this role — ranging from organizations just beginning to explore what it means to become an SGO to those already operating across multiple states. Participants will also gain a practical look at how one state with several active SGOs is navigating the landscape and what it would take to expand allowable uses of funds to meet broader student and community needs. Panelists: Donna Cooper\, Children First PA; Jackie Guglielmo\, ACE Scholarships; Chris Smith\, Boston After School & Beyond; Mike Taylor\, National Association of Education Foundations; and Brent Wake\, Indiana Afterschool Network.  Moderator: Merita Irby\, Alliance for Youth Thriving. \n \n REGISTER URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/leveraging-the-federal-education-tax-credit-identifying-and-preparing-scholarship-granting-organizations-sgos/ CATEGORIES:Learning Tuesdays,Upcoming Event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/iStock-484794658-scaled.jpeg END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR