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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20231128T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20231128T163000
DTSTAMP:20260404T092736
CREATED:20231127T031355Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231213T133038Z
UID:244976-1701183600-1701189000@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:Collaborating for Kids: Climate Change\, Environmental Justice and Advocacy
DESCRIPTION:“There are so many various issues\, but if we don’t have a livable world\, really\, what else are we doing? We have to tackle the issue that’s in front of us\, which is ensuring a future for our children\, for future generations.” — Liz Hurtado\, Moms Clean Air Force  \n\nIn the November 28\, 2023 GLR Learning Tuesdays webinar\, Lisa Guernsey of New America moderated a conversation with Eric Bucher\, Ed.D.\, of the Children’s Equity Project\, Liz Hurtado of Moms Clean Air Force and Dr. Joshua Sparrow of Brazelton Touchpoints Center. The session began with an in-depth explanation from Sparrow about climate change and its impacts\, both globally and on an individual level. Next\, Hurtado shared more about environmental impacts on health\, especially for young children. Bucher then drew connections between the importance of advocating for equity in the early childhood sphere and the realities of climate and environment.  \n\n“Every child deserves to have a quality early care and education experience\, and they deserve to have a space where they’re safe\, where they’re healthy\, where they have trusted caregivers who can build their bodies and their brains….We can’t ignore climate change if we are thinking about children as holistic learners\, as holistic developers.”  — Eric Bucher\, Ed.D.\, The Children’s Equity Project\, ASU  \n\nSome key takeaways from this conversation are:   \n\nAlthough the effects of climate change are dire\, there is hope and action to be taken. \nChildren\, and especially children in lower-income areas\, are disproportionately affected by environmental pollution and climate change. \nYouth voice needs to be part of the conversation. \nCivic action and policy are crucial to effect change. \nDisparate sectors need to come together and work collaboratively to address the growing challenges facing children to ensure a safe\, healthy future. 
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/collaborating-for-kids-climate-change-environmental-justice-and-advocacy/
CATEGORIES:Past Event
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20231212T123000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20231212T140000
DTSTAMP:20260404T092736
CREATED:20231204T220601Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231218T154341Z
UID:245098-1702384200-1702389600@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:Community Messaging to Build Awareness About Early Childhood Programs
DESCRIPTION:“We invite our business leaders\, organizations and city leaders to come together to celebrate a love of reading. We really want to hone in on the importance of where kids are learning and that there’s a role for everyone across our community to play and help support that learning.” – Barb Lito   \nIn this Crucible of Practice Salon\, we were joined by Samantha Emerine from FAMILY\, Inc. in Council Bluffs\, Iowa\, and Barbara Lito from the City of Virginia Beach\, Virginia\, who shared examples of communication tools they use to inform community members about programs and resources for families and young children. These examples were recently recognized as “Exceptional” in CGLR’s 2023 Communication Expo.   \nFollowing the opening remarks and icebreaker\, Emerine provided an overview of Raise Me to Read and the focus areas within the coalition. Early childhood services and programs supporting children from birth to age 5 and their families are a core focus of the work. This is done through partnerships with program providers\, preschools and the local public library. Awareness about the programs and services offered is key to ensuring that families are accessing these resources. The two examples of communications tools Emerine shared include the kindergarten readiness brochure and the “Baby Reads” Campaign.       \n“If the information is not presented in a friendly or approachable way for families\, it might get overlooked. If families don’t see the information\, then it’s not doing anyone any good.” – Samanta Emerine  \nLito shared an overview of Virginia Beach GrowSmart\, the CGLR coalition\, and how the coalition functions within the economic development branch of the City of Virginia Beach. She described the coalition’s messaging under the “Virginia Beach Talks” campaign focused on early childhood programs. The outcomes of the campaign include connection and engagement with parents through evidence-based programs\, including LENA Start and story-sharing in parent groups\, and large-scale events\, such as their “Read Across America” Day.   \n“The intention of Virginia Beach Talks is to lift up the importance of early learning happening across a child’s life experience from age zero to 5 and connect and equip our adult caregivers\, parents and early educators for success.” – Barbara Lito    \nThe large group discussion pulled in two other CGLR community leads to provide examples of their communications work. Ashley Winslow from United Way of Wyoming Valley shared information about the recent project called the “Community Helpers video series\,” which is a series of 12 videos from community members in different occupations\, reading a book and messaging about the importance of reading. The video series is widely shared on the organization’s social media channels\, in classrooms and at the local library. Kim Myers from Get Troup Reading discussed the re-design of the Get Troup Reading website\, the intention behind the site and how the coalition is using it to communicate supportive resources as well as key data for their overall work. A Padlet was used for the remainder of the large group conversation to collect insights about some of the conversation starter questions.  
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/community-messaging-to-build-awareness-about-early-childhood-programs/
CATEGORIES:Crucible of Practice Salon,Past Event,Readiness
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20231212T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20231212T163000
DTSTAMP:20260404T092736
CREATED:20231204T214620Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260203T141024Z
UID:245090-1702393200-1702398600@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:Stalled Learning Recovery and Bright Spots from 2023
DESCRIPTION:What is standing in our way? “In one word\, inertia\, resistance to change.”  \nKenneth B. Mason of the Georgia State Board of Education and the Southern Regional Education Board offered this perspective during this week’s GLR Learning Tuesdays webinar\, Stalled Learning Recovery & Bright Spots From 2023.  \nAs this session looked back at several 2023 sessions on data and learning to inform the path forward in education\, we saw the same themes repeat again and again.  \n\nGrowth lags behind pre-pandemic trends creating a compounding debt for unfinished learning.  \nGaps can’t be addressed in one year or with one intervention. \nInvestment in teachers’ learning is necessary and works to accelerate student achievement. \nHigh-quality curriculum and programs are necessary and have to be implemented with fidelity. \nTargeted interventions work and are needed to mitigate learning loss. \n\nYolie Flores of Families In Schools answered the question of “What is standing in our way?” this way: “Basic leadership around the importance of why it matters for all children to get a good education\, not just some children.”  \nKaren Lewis of NWEA\, a division of HMH\, acknowledged that there is fatigue around this conversation and these things are becoming the “new normal\,” but stressed that learning loss is devastating for the kids at the margins.   \n“How do we make learning ubiquitous and happening 365 days of the year?”  \nJean-Claude Brizard of Digital Promise asked this question asserting that learning recovery must happen in communities as well as in classrooms.   \nWhen our panelists were posed this question\, Flores pointed to the examples from the previous webinar highlights\, noting “the reassurance of the reminder that we can solve this\, that we have these bright spots. We have examples of what we know can get our kids on track.”   \nUnderscoring the critical role played by educators\, Lindsay Sobel of Teach Plus reminded us\, “Teachers are adult humans.…You can’t do change to teachers.…When you engage teachers in the decision-making process\, when you really build on the expertise that they bring to the table — because they are the experts who work with students every single day\, deeply embedded in communities and working with families — that’s a lever that can make a really big difference.”  \nMason continued to expand on this idea saying\, “Prioritizing the wrong things [is a barrier]. Some school districts\, some state-level leaders prioritize what I’ll call scorekeeping instead of learning. And I think when you prioritize learning\, then that has everything to do with the family and the community. It is not a singular issue…learning should happen\, should be planned\, well beyond the boundaries of school.” \nFlores said it this way\, “This is a community problem. For so long we keep blaming schools\, the teacher\, the district\, and we are all responsible for whether or not all of our children can fulfill their destiny.”  \n“This is possible\, we just have to get it right.” — Lindsay Sobel 
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/stalled-learning-recovery-and-bright-spots-from-2023/
CATEGORIES:Past Event,Special Webinar
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240102T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240102T163000
DTSTAMP:20260404T092736
CREATED:20231207T215546Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240105T214324Z
UID:245192-1704207600-1704213000@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:REBROADCAST - The First Month of School and Beyond: Nurturing Attendance Every Day
DESCRIPTION:Co-sponsored by Attendance Works\n			\n				\n				\n				\n				\n				Alarming increases in chronic absence across the nation\, particularly in kindergarten\, reveal the urgent need to re-establish routines of daily attendance among our youngest learners.  Students chronically absent in preschool and kindergarten are more likely to be chronically absent in later grades and much less likely to read and count proficiently by the end of third grade. Equally important\, chronic early absence is associated with declines in educational engagement\, social-emotional development\, and executive functioning. Economically challenged students suffer the most\, as they typically have less access to resources that would help them make up for the lost opportunities to learn in classrooms.  Starting the year with a regular routine of attendance helps young children and their families become less anxious about school\, connect to peers as well as teachers\, access needed resources and engage in learning. \nJoin us on January 2\, 2024\, from 3–4:30 p.m. ET\, for a special holiday rebroadcast session to hear how schools\, districts\, community partners and cities can work together with families to overcome attendance barriers and make attendance a top priority and strategy for laying the foundation for early school success. We will showcase the work of practitioners in New York City; Marshalltown\, Iowa; and Albuquerque\, New Mexico\, as well as resources available from Attendance Works and the National League of Cities. Getting young children to school on a regular basis will require deep partnerships with families and an all-hands-on-deck approach. \nAttendees will hear from: \n\nLysandra Agosto\, MBA\, Director of Compliance and ERSEA\, Early Childhood Division\, Children’s Aid Society\, New York City\nBenjamin Barlow\, Director of Attendance Supports\, Albuquerque Public Schools\, New Mexico\nAnel Garza\, Principal\, Woodbury Elementary\, Marshalltown Community School District\, Iowa\nSandra Romero\, Community School Director\, Public School 211\, Children’s Aid Society\, New York City\nMonica Rossi\, MSW\, Early Childhood Division Health Coordinator\, Children’s Aid Society\, New York City\nBrandis Stockman\, Program Manager\, Education & Expanded Learning\, National League of Cities\nHedy Chang\, Executive Director\, Attendance Works\, Moderator
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/rebroadcast-the-first-month-of-school-and-beyond-nurturing-attendance-every-day/
CATEGORIES:Past Event
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240109T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240109T163000
DTSTAMP:20260404T092736
CREATED:20231220T233823Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251021T061759Z
UID:245729-1704812400-1704817800@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:Connecting Communities: National and Local Partners Linking Families to the Internet
DESCRIPTION:In 2021\, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act\, better known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law\, released $65 billion to be used to support digital connectivity to bridge the digital divide. This large investment has provided access to connectivity and devices for millions across the United States and significantly accelerates efforts to close the digital learning gap — including efforts to build the capacity of both parents and educators to access and deploy technology to support student learning through new EdTech tools and curricula. \nJoin us on January 9\, from 3–4:30 pm ET as we launch our new Big Bets Working webinar series with an exploration of local and national efforts to ensure digital connectivity. We will hear how several organizations identified places where access gaps were the largest — poor\, rural\, Black and Latinx communities — and worked to overcome barriers and boost awareness of the resources available through this legislation. Panelists will also share how they built trust in communities and implemented strategies for supporting enrollment in the newly funded programs. \nAdeyinka Ogunlegan of EducationSuperHighway will describe their four-pronged action plan to develop awareness\, identify unconnected households\, engage partners and enable apartment owners housing low-income families to aggregate benefits to provide access throughout buildings. Amina Fazlullah of Common Sense Media will share their mission to connect every family in the country and the importance of partnerships with community schools and libraries in accomplishing this work. Andrew Spector of The Patterson Foundation will share how their Digital Access for All initiative has supported training and knowledge-sharing for community-based nonprofit partners — all with the same goal of digital connectivity and universal access to the internet.   \n 
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/connecting-communities-national-and-local-partners-linking-families-to-the-internet/
CATEGORIES:Big Bets Working,Past Event
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240116T123000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240116T140000
DTSTAMP:20260404T092736
CREATED:20231214T175331Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240119T220242Z
UID:245444-1705408200-1705413600@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:Catalytic Leadership in Philanthropy: Helping Lean Funders Unleash Their Full Potential
DESCRIPTION:Catalytic Leadership in Philanthropy is designed to empower more lean funders to get involved in this kind of outsized impact work. The core of it really gets to this idea of funders using ‘more than money’ — using your convening ability\, leveraging relationships\, being able to raise public awareness of issues\, using your foundation platform\, being a matchmaker\, being a broker in your community\, funding and engaging in policy advocacy. It is about using all the powers of a lean\, place-based foundation.”  – Andy Carroll\, Exponent Philanthropy \nIn this Funder-to-Funder Conversation\, Andy Carroll of Exponent Philanthropy offered the above description as he introduced attendees to the Catalytic Leadership in Philanthropy (CLIP) mindset and practice that Exponent developed through engagement with its membership.   \n\nDebra M. Jacobs\, President and CEO of The Patterson Foundation — which is a member of both Exponent Philanthropy and the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading Network — moderated the conversation. First\, she engaged Carroll and Paul D. Daugherty of Exponent Philanthropy in a discussion about how Exponent works to amplify and increase the impact of “lean” funders — meaning those with few or no staff. Carroll explained how Exponent’s CLIP is a transformational leadership style that empowers lean funders to make long-term\, systems change around a focused issue prioritized by their community or field. He noted that lean funders who engage in catalytic leadership focus their giving; offer flexible\, multiyear funding; build strong relationships with grantees and the community; and leverage non-grant assets to further their missions. CLIP encourages funders to listen deeply; engage with humility\, curiosity and patience; and promote collaboration.  \n“Catalytic leadership is not just about what is pushed out\, but the connections built across the community and with the funder\,” explained Daugherty\, likening CLIP to the children’s story about stone soup where each townsperson contributes what they have.   \nJacobs then engaged two lean funders in the CGLR Network — Melissa Litwin of The Henry and Marilyn Taub Foundation and Matthew Peterson of the John & Janice Wyatt Foundation — in a discussion about how they embrace “more than money” approaches to bring about transformative change in partnership with community. While Litwin and Peterson had not previously been aware of Exponent’s CLIP approach\, they realized that their work in community reflected many of its practices.     \n“You can call it impact-driven philanthropy or entrepreneurial philanthropy or catalytic philanthropy. In this field\, sometimes the vocabulary may be different\, but the concepts are in fact very similar in many ways. One of the things that I heard in listening to this panel is the underlying requirement of building credibility and building trust so that you have the opportunity to facilitate and bring people together.” – Matthew Peterson\, John & Janice Wyatt Foundation \nThe panelists discussed how lean funders are not just mini versions of large foundations\, but rather they offer a number of strengths\, including the ability to drill down and focus on specific issues and continue that focus over time. They also noted that lean\, local funders have deep local connections and trusting relationships that can be leveraged for impact. They acknowledged that change-work takes time and the importance of being patient and benchmarking and celebrating progress along the way. They also discussed the importance of learning from and with the community\, moving from a scarcity mentality to a collective abundance mentality that encourages collaboration\, and being transparent in sharing both successes and lessons learned.   \n“The only way to solve the problem is by listening carefully to the people who are impacted. That is the key asset to solving the problem….Being in community and building community is critical so that when problems arise there is already a group of folks who are committed.”– Melissa Litwin\, The Henry and Marilyn Taub Foundation  \nCarroll and Daugherty shared several examples of Exponent members that have utilized this CLIP approach to achieve systems change results at either the community or state level\, while Litwin and Peterson shared concrete examples of how they are engaging deeply with partners in their community to achieve positive outcomes for children.   \n“Change happens at the speed of trust and if we are looking for long-term change\, we need to have trust with those we are going to work with – and that takes time. It takes relationship building.” – Debra M. Jacobs\, The Patterson Foundation  
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/catalytic-leadership-in-philanthropy-helping-lean-funders-unleash-their-full-potential/
CATEGORIES:Funder-to-Funder Conversation,Past Event,Readiness
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240116T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240116T163000
DTSTAMP:20260404T092736
CREATED:20231217T224417Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251021T061407Z
UID:245609-1705417200-1705422600@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:Big Bets Working: Keeping the Commitment to Tutoring Alive and Strong
DESCRIPTION:In this GLR Learning Tuesdays webinar\, we focused on identifying and celebrating where and how tutoring — an essential strategy that has the promise of delivering more than the usual increments of progress toward transformative change — is enabling educators and their community partners to move the needle on equitable learning recovery. Moderator Pete Lavorini of Overdeck Family Foundation engaged in discussion with a leading researcher\, policy advocate and journalist to gain perspective on the national landscape and the key characteristics of effective tutoring practices that are advancing the Potential of High-Impact Tutoring. These leaders\, along with executives from successful national tutoring programs who have achieved results and joined our conversation\, discussed what keeps a tutoring program alive and strong — even in the face of the impending ESSER funding cliff. \nOur discussion began with Susanna Loeb\, Ph.D.\, of the National Student Support Accelerator at Stanford University providing a clear definition of high-impact tutoring\, including the research indicating the key elements that make tutoring most effective in advancing student learning progress. Journalist Linda Jacobson of The74 Media then shared three standout examples of unique and impactful tutoring programs achieving academic gains that have been featured in The74\, including virtual tutoring and parents as tutors. Kevin Huffman at Accelerate dove into the ways that several states are enabling high-impact tutoring through policies in support of partnerships and implementation\, such as outcomes-based contracting with school districts. \n“High-impact tutoring is intensive\, meaning that it takes place multiple times per week over an extended period of time. It’s also relationship based because relationships drive student engagement and motivation. And this means that the tutoring is with the same tutor every time and that tutor is well trained and supported on relationship-building skills as well as on instruction and academic content. And then\, in addition to being intensive and relationship based\, it’s individualized. That’s where you get the strength of tutoring and that tutors use data along with high-quality instructional approaches and materials to design instruction to meet each student’s individual needs.”\n– Susanna Loeb\, Stanford University \nAfter the discussion of research and policy\, we were joined by national tutoring program leaders who shared their specific\, on-the-ground tactics that generate working partnerships with schools\, meaningful tutor-tutee matches\, and quality training and preparation for tutors. AJ Gutierrez of Saga Education and Phillip M. Robinson\, Jr.\, of Reading Partners discussed how they prioritize relationship building at all levels — with school teams\, between tutors and students\, with families\, etc.\, and how the ability to achieve academic progress with students is built on this critical foundation. Gutierrez touched on what needs to be in place for tutors to be confident and effective: \n“With the right supports in place through training\, really intentional curriculum design and support\, tutors can have extraordinary impact on academic outcomes and as a way to supplement classroom instruction\, not as a way to supplant core classroom instruction. And so that’s really important from a human capital perspective. I think the pool of people who could potentially be qualified tutors is broad and there’s opportunity to tap in some really great talent.”
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/big-bets-working-keeping-the-commitment-to-tutoring-alive-and-strong/
CATEGORIES:Big Bets Working,Past Event
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240123T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240123T163000
DTSTAMP:20260404T092737
CREATED:20240102T164636Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240128T224536Z
UID:245746-1706022000-1706027400@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:Engaging Families for Everyday Attendance
DESCRIPTION:In this Big Bets Working session\, the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading (CGLR) hosted a conversation with practitioners working at the school\, district\, community and state levels to hear how they are partnering with families to overcome attendance barriers and make attendance a priority strategy for nurturing early school success. \n“Positive family engagement is foundational to a shared understanding of why attendance matters and for building partnerships [that will help] to overcome barriers to attendance.” – Francisco Baires\, Capitol Region Education Council\, CT \nHedy Chang of Attendance Works kicked off the discussion by sharing recent data from states that shows chronic absence rates are declining modestly\, but the country still has an unprecedented attendance crisis that affects nearly one out of three students. Elementary schools are especially impacted. The number of elementary schools with extreme levels of chronic absence (30%+ chronic absence rate) in the 2021–22 school year was nearly 20\,000\, which is a jump from approximate 3\,550 schools before the pandemic. “This means we have to partner with families to ensure and\, in many cases\, restore positive conditions for learning that really help make sure kids and their families see school as a place that they want to be\,” Chang said. We have to ensure families know\, see and feel that school is physically healthy and safe\, they feel a sense of belonging and their children are engaged academically. \nAngella Graves\, MAT\, of Cornelius Elementary School in Oregon shared that she focuses on attendance in her communications with parents as a principal throughout the year. Her summer message to families includes vacation dates and lets families know how absences impact students academic progress. In September\, she sends a letter to families who struggled with attendance the year before. For families with complex structures\, Graves noted the team addresses each individually to find what works for that family. Sometimes it involves going through a student’s emergency contact list to ensure all adults are receiving school communications. It’s not a one size fits all\, she said. \nJo Ellen Latham of South East Polk Community Schools in Iowa noted that\, as a district\, the key was helping schools move from punitive to positive and use data effectively. She offered the example of one of their schools\, Delaware Elementary. The school has an attendance awareness campaign with posters and parent communications\, including flyers and refrigerator magnets with the academic calendar. When students are struggling with attendance\, the school sends families a formal attendance letter with attendance data\, offers a home visit by the attendance team and\, when needed\, requests a family meeting with the principal to learn about the challenges to being in school and discuss solutions. \nFrancisco Baires of Capitol Region Education Council in Connecticut described the Connecticut State Department of Education Learner Engagement and Attendance Program (LEAP)\, a Tier 2 research-based\, relational home visit model proven to increase student attendance and family engagement. Baires emphasized that the home visiting model is not a silver bullet solution. Rather it is a long-term relationship-building effort that includes initial and follow-up phone calls designed to establish a relationship. Families are not problems to be solved but rather co-partners in supporting their child’s attendance in school every day\, he said. \nKari Sullivan Custer of the Connecticut State Department of Education shared the measurable impacts LEAP is having on student attendance. Research by the center for Connecticut Education Research Collaboration reports that one month after the initial home visit there was a 4 percentage point increase in attendance. Six months after the initial home visit\, there was a 10 percentage point increase for pre-K–5\, and for grades 6–12\, there was a 20 percentage point increase. These results did not differ based on the title of the person conducting the home visit\, Custer said. Equally important\, since SY 2021–22\, Connecticut has started to see statewide reductions in chronic absence. She attributes the reductions to three key factors: Connecticut’s long-standing commitment to family engagement and improved student attendance; integrated work across departments; and the use of data to inform investments and actions. \nKali Thorne Ladd of Children’s Institute (CI) in Oregon explained that CI is a community-based organization offering services across Oregon. To support schools working to improve family engagement\, CI brings partners together across districts to talk and learn from one another\, because many districts in the state are struggling with the same things. She stressed the value of including culturally specific outside partners to help schools connect with families and offer resources to those in need. \nNancy Duchesneau of The Education Trust shared results of a family engagement study involving two nationally representative surveys of parents and teachers\, interviews with family engagement coordinators\, and an online discussion board of 30 parents who had a child in first or second grade. Many of the findings overall were positive\, but a deep dive showed that families reported experiencing a lot of barriers to engagement\, such as scheduling conflicts\, lack of transportation and child care. She praised the efforts the other panelists shared around using multiple avenues to reach parents\, from phone calls and letters to empathy interviews and home visits\, to building awareness with social media. “This diversification of approaches is really what parents need given their busy lives\,” Duchesneau said. \nThe panel agreed that the priority activity in their attendance and engagement work is communicating clearly with parents and caregivers to develop trusting\, positive relationships that encourage families to bring their children to school each day.
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/engaging-families-for-everyday-attendance/
CATEGORIES:Past Event
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240130T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240130T163000
DTSTAMP:20260404T092737
CREATED:20240121T203205Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240607T131251Z
UID:246162-1706626800-1706632200@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:Emergent Bilinguals and English Language Learners: The Sturdy Bridge
DESCRIPTION:“We do this work because we believe in the cultural\, linguistic\, intellectual brilliance of our country’s diverse children\, and we deeply understand that our schools were not adequately designed to serve these children. Yet\, we know that when schooling builds upon the assets\, the lived experiences and the funds of knowledge\, honoring family and community cultures and developing home languages\, children thrive.” \nIn the first of GLR Learning Tuesdays new Kindergarten Matters webinar series\, CGLR partnered with Sobrato Philanthropies. In the above quote\, Anya Hurwitz of Sobrato Early Academic Learning (SEAL) emphasized the inherent potential of our country’s diverse children and underscored a need for the evolution of our schools to better serve emergent bilinguals. \nKarla Ruiz with Sobrato Philanthropies moderated the conversation and set the scene for the importance of utilizing kindergarten as a foundational stage for ensuring that essential elements seamlessly integrate into the broader educational journey of each child. \n“It’s become really clear how important it is in this moment\, where so much is happening in education\, to leverage kindergarten as that sturdy bridge between early learning — where developmental\, culturally responsible practices and family engagement are really core — and the later grades\,” Ruiz reflected. \nRuiz first engaged Melissa Castillo\, Ed.D.\, of the Office of the Secretary within the U.S. Department of Education in a discussion about Secretary Miguel Cardona’s Raise the Bar Initiative\, launched with the intention of lifting up three goals to achieve academic excellence\, boldly improve learning conditions and create pathways for global engagement. Castillo then discussed the “three key levers” aimed at providing every student with a pathway to multilingual wisdom: equitable access for English learners\, a diversified bilingual/multilingual educator workforce and quality bilingual education for all. Before closing\, Castillo directed attendees to visit NCELA.ED.GOV to access over 57\,000 resources\, including the English Learner Family Toolkit\, designed to help families and educators stay connected with tips\, tools and resources to help navigate the education system. \n“At the Department\, we want to model and exemplify what it means to ensure that families and students have access [to resources] in a language that they understand\,” Castillo closed. \nRuiz then engaged Anya Hurwitz in a discussion about SEAL’s P–3 Framework\, which “aims to help the field more fully center multilingual learner/English learner students.” Hurwitz spoke to the development of the P–3 Framework\, referring to the significant and growing population of English learners in California and across the nation. The P–3 Framework\, Hurwitz explained\, was developed to provide “research-based\, joyful\, culturally and linguistically responsive instruction pathways across the P–3 continuum.” Hurwitz explained that the Framework includes Eight Key Understandings and Eleven Overarching Principles\, which help guide readers in addressing and dismantling the long history of exclusion and inequity regarding language status. She said\, “We are still operating within systems that were built in deeply inequitable ways.” \nHurwitz closed with a powerful reminder about the importance of kindergarten as an entry point to this work: “Our English learners experience tremendous language loss when a kindergartner walks into school for the first time\, and they are told to leave their language and culture at the door. Implicitly or explicitly\, language loss begins immediately….It is our hope that leaders will use the framework to reflect on their systems and practices and that it can be a tool for learning\, planning and implementing.” \nRuiz then engaged with Shantel Meek\, Ph.D.\, of The Children’s Equity Project at Arizona State University\, who provided a reminder to attendees that “dual language education is an issue of equity and civil rights” because “if we don’t provide dual language education\, we’re initiating a disadvantage for a large population of children from the start.” Meek went on to share data that reflected that English learners who have access to dual language education become more proficient in English more quickly\, they outperform their peers in other subject areas\, they reach academic norms\, they exit English learner designation faster\, and they\, of course\, become biliterate. To expand on this importance\, Meek referred to multiple economic studies that point to the success of biliterate individuals in our global economy. \n“We have lots of data on the benefits of bilingualism. We know that ELs and DLs are bringing this gift from home. Instead of aligning with that research and that science\, we’re doing the opposite\, where in this nation\, about 92% of ELs are not in dual language programs….This is one of the most profound misalignments that we see\,” concluded Meek. \nLastly\, attendees heard from Lydia Acosta Stephens with the Multilingual and Multicultural Education Department in the Los Angeles Unified School District. As a renowned former principal in LAUSD\, Stephens spoke to the importance of witnessing the Framework and approaches in practice. She stated\, “My dream would be that in our country\, from that moment of first enrollment\, [the family] is congratulated for having another language at home.” Expanding off that vision\, Stephens spoke to the work she does in the Multilingual and Multicultural Education Department\, in which LAUSD delivers Biliteracy Pathway Awards to families starting in their learner’s kindergarten year\, all the way through 12th grade. Stephens shared that the implementation of the SEAL P–3 Framework has furthered their success in this program\, leading to over 20\,000 awards being issued. \n“What is your role in everything that we do from the moment a child comes into our public education system? Because when that child walks onto campus…all of those spaces should be validated from their Indigenous language. Tell me more. I want to hear you speak in your home language\, teach me a few phrases….We’ve been missing the human piece of it\,” stressed Stephens.
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/emergent-bilinguals-and-english-language-learners-the-sturdy-bridge/
CATEGORIES:Past Event
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240206T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240206T163000
DTSTAMP:20260404T092737
CREATED:20240129T162234Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240320T150016Z
UID:246311-1707231600-1707237000@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:Getting All Students Up to Speed Using Evidence-Based Supplemental Reading Programs
DESCRIPTION: \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nIn this GLR Learning Tuesdays webinar\, Getting Students Up to Speed Using Evidence-Based Supplemental Reading Programs\, co-sponsored with the LEARN Network\, moderator Adrienne D. Woods\, Ph.D. of SRI International shared the above quote as she explained the goal of The Leveraging Evidence to Accelerate Recovery Nationwide (LEARN) Network. \nWoods provided context to the attendees as to how and why the LEARN Network\, a three-year project funded by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES)\, came to be. She explained that the project was conceptualized as “part of the federal strategy to address both long-standing student achievement gaps and those exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.” Within this program\, she explained\, there are four “product teams” that focus on literacy and math learning interventions. \nAs part of a deeper look into the product teams\, Woods first invited with the Targeted Reading Instruction-Flamingo Reading App (TRI-FRA) representatives — Mary Bratsch-Hines\, Ph.D.\, of University of Florida Lastinger Center for Learning and Heather Hanney Aiken\, Ph.D.\, of Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute at University of North Carolina Chapel Hill — to provide an overview of that program. Bratsch-Hines explained that the program includes daily lessons for students\, as well as strong implementer supports like virtual coaching. Aiken shared that they’ve created a series of easy-to-implement\, high-quality reading lessons for classroom teachers\, and reading interventionists like co-panelist Erin McCain Heim of Southside Elementary School in Versailles\, Kentucky. Heim echoed the success of the TRI-FRA program in practice: \n“The ease of implementing TRI-FRA\, from setting the students up in the app to delivering the instruction\, has been really seamless. It provides a clear scope and sequence…the structure provides such a high level of comfort for both teachers and students.” \nWoods then engaged with the Peer Assisted Learning Strategies (PALS) team to learn more about the peer-tutoring program. Lauren Artzi\, Ph.D.\, and Billie Jo Day\, Ph.D.\, of American Institutes for Research (AIR) shared that PALS is a peer-mediated instructional program in which students are paired together for a reciprocal peer tutoring experience over the course of a 30-minute lesson. Artzi explained that the program allows for students to switch-off between the role of a “coach” and the role of a “leader” to contribute to a system in which students take ownership of their knowledge. Day notes that: “The key piece of this entire program is that students are getting the opportunity to read in a very supported way.”  \n Following the look at the PALS program\, Woods shifted to the final product team\, Strategic Adolescent Reading Intervention (STARI). Emily Hayden\, Ph.D. of the Strategic Education Research Partnership (SERP) explained that STARI is specifically designed for struggling middle school and high school readers\, equipping them with a full year of curriculum to address their reading challenges. Hayden emphasized the importance of addressing this slightly older student demographic\, as they may have faced years of reading struggles before reaching middle or high school\, leading to disengagement\, or internalized negative beliefs about their reading abilities. STARI is implemented in 45-minute classes that emphasize the development of complex reading skills through activities such as reciprocal teaching\, partner work\, guided reading and debates\, fostering both spoken language proficiency and critical thinking abilities. \nKate Leo\, MA\, EdS\, a teacher at Dowling Catholic High School in West Des Moines\, Iowa\, described the impact she has seen from the STARI program\, sharing that the students she taught through the program grew an average of 44 correct words per minute\, and moved up a fluency level. \n“The other thing we’ve noticed with being able to offer a supplemental support program within our school is that some of our students\, their parents are not English speakers\, and so they don’t know where to seek outside resources [for their child]. So\, I see this program as a way of making English equitable to all of our students in our school by bridging the gap\,” Leo said.
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/getting-all-students-up-to-speed-selecting-evidence-based-supplemental-reading-programs/
CATEGORIES:Past Event
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240213T123000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240213T140000
DTSTAMP:20260404T092737
CREATED:20240122T223353Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240219T155352Z
UID:246198-1707827400-1707832800@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:Relationships That Work in CGLR Communities With Coalition Leads\, Schools and Other Partners 
DESCRIPTION:“True partnerships are intentional in listening to the partner’s needs and what would work best for them. There will be a trust to sustain relationships that create success. A supportive community would do the work and collaboration\, and ensure work is data driven. When there’s unified collaboration in the community\, they are likely to be able to shift and adapt as needed to meet current climate needs to establish longevity\, dependability and confidence.” – Pastor Gary E. Lee\, First Baptist Church Middlesex\, North Carolina \n\n\n\n \n\n\nThis Crucible of Practice Salon session featured CGLR community coalition members from Nash and Edgecombe Counties\, North Carolina\, and Regina\, Saskatchewan\, Canada. Both teams presented how they work with schools and community partners to support the development of early literacy skills\, family engagement and ongoing program implementation for school-age children. Following the opening remarks and icebreaker for all attendees\, Debra Lanham with Down East Partnership for Children (DEPC) in North Carolina provided an overview of the demographics of the community and the coalition’s focus. Pattie Allen\, also with DEPC\, explained their definition of family engagement\, how this is woven into programs\, and the general strategy of working within existing networks including faith-based communities\, child care providers\, medical clinics\, libraries and schools. Kristen Miller\, Principal of G.W. Carver Elementary School\, shared how the partnership with DEPC has had a positive impact on student attendance and contributed to the creation and implementation of specific supportive programs.       \n\n“The whole point was for our Carver students to feel that they had someone\, not just the teachers they saw every day\, but a true connection to the community. This really made students have a sense of belonging. At the end of the year\, we saw every single student increase their attendance percentage in some way for that year.” – Kristen Miller\, G.W. Carver Elementary School \n\nViola Barnes-Gray with DEPC and Pastor Gary E. Lee from First Baptist Church Middlesex discussed how cultivating relationships between school and community partners contributed to the overall success of teams supporting students.    \n\n“Our Ready Schools and Ready Communities work is interwoven and goes hand in hand with building relationships. Around our five schools\, we target community partners representing the faith\, civic groups\, businesses and other organizations.” – Viola Barnes-Gray\, DEPC \n“We learned that building relationships between the community and schools requires front loading of the work before partners are connected to the social school teams.” – Pastor Gary E. Lee\, First Baptist Church Middlesex \n\nAfter the coalition members reviewed the lessons learned about family engagement\, Lanham talked about why the coalition and members are invested in helping children with literacy and the challenges families and children face in their community. The conversation also covered programs to address these challenges and explored how to nurture and sustain relationships.   \n\n“It is really critical that we give our children the tools and resources they need beginning at birth. And then build upon it so\, by the time they get to third grade\, they are proficient in reading.” – Debra Lanham  \n\nAfter the coalition from Nash and Edgecombe Counties shared their collaborative strategies\, Trish Dupuis and Sandi White with United Way Regina provided an overview of their work in Regina. Dupuis centered on the programs involved with their grade-level reading work and how these are built on a foundation of partnerships with schools. Their education initiatives involve 12 community schools in Regina\, Saskatchewan.   \n\n“United Way Regina strongly believes that education provides a pathway out of poverty.” – Trish Dupuis\, United Way Regina   \n\nDupuis reviewed how the schools were chosen and the data reviewed to identify which neighborhoods and schools to target\, including health and vision data. The teams wanted to ensure the most significant achievement gaps and the highest level of complex needs were being addressed by collaborative efforts. The impact of the coalition’s work was also shared with a review of kindergarten readiness assessment data\, third-grade reading assessment data\, and comparisons of these with baseline numbers. Overall\, the dedicated work in Regina’s Campaign for Grade-Level Reading decreased the achievement gap and supported children’s literacy outcomes in the schools where programs were implemented. The connection between vision and other health-related barriers to learning was also explored. White shared about her work facilitating Family Literacy Hubs\, which focuses on engaging families and improving school readiness. She described the guiding actions of Family Literacy Hubs and added detail about the programs and activities done through the hubs.     \n\n“In my role\, I want to provide programming that will empower families to feel like they can support their children with engaging literacy experiences within the home.”  – Sandi White\, United Way Regina 
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/building-and-sustaining-partnerships-between-cglr-communities-and-school-districts/
CATEGORIES:Crucible of Practice Salon,Past Event
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240213T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240213T163000
DTSTAMP:20260404T092737
CREATED:20240206T023109Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240216T204858Z
UID:246396-1707836400-1707841800@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:The Science of Reading for Emergent Bilinguals
DESCRIPTION:In this GLR Learning Tuesdays webinar\, The Science of Reading for Emergent Bilinguals\, attendees heard a riveting conversation about current work\, initiatives and thoughts around centering English learners and emergent bilinguals in the realm of the science of reading. Julie Sugarman\, Ph.D.\, with the Migration Policy Institute opened the conversation with Martha Hernandez\, M.A.\, of Californians Together and Kari Kurto\, MAT\, of The Reading League. They provided background context on the joint statement\, “Understanding the Difference: The Science of Reading and Implementation for English Learners/Emergent Bilinguals\,” and reviewed how it came about\, what was included and how it has been used since its publication. \n\n“We wanted to connect and we wanted to learn more….We started out by understanding each other’s ‘why\,’ which helped to kind of disarm everyone and break us out of our echo chambers….We asked some brave questions\, and we worked to understand how to find alignment\, which\, spoiler alert\, was not actually as hard as we thought in many areas.” – Kari Kurto\, MAT\, The Reading League \n\nNext\, Magaly Lavadenz\, Ph.D.\, with the Center for Equity for English Learners\, Claude Goldenberg\, Ph.D.\, from Stanford University and Elsa Cárdenas-Hagan\, Ed.D.\, from Valley Speech Language and Learning Center shared insights on language and literacy development\, how children learn to read\, and bilingual learners\, respectively. \nThe conversation touched on the need to distinguish between the science of reading as a body of knowledge and programmatic materials branded as “science of reading.” They also discussed legislation that includes this term\, and how such legislation needs to center English learners and emergent bilingual students for equitable learning opportunities. The panelists also stressed the importance of supports and systems for teachers to incorporate best practices. \n\n“We want to make sure also that we have the opportunity for that ongoing professional development. You see\, when we’re coming out of our universities today\, it’s an afterthought to think about students from linguistically diverse backgrounds. They should be included in all teacher education programs because everybody will work with a student that comes from linguistically diverse backgrounds.” – Elsa Cárdenas-Hagan\, Ed.D.\, Valley Speech Language and Learning Center \n\n\n\n 
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/the-science-of-reading-for-emergent-bilinguals/
CATEGORIES:Past Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Casey_KINETIK_2014_III_01044-e1707170374168.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240220T123000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240220T140000
DTSTAMP:20260404T092737
CREATED:20240122T225158Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240229T022043Z
UID:246202-1708432200-1708437600@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:Reading Universe: Scaling Teacher PD for Student Success
DESCRIPTION:The ecosystem for literacy support is growing in a good way. There’s much more available than when Barksdale [Reading Institute] began its work. What makes Reading Universe distinct though is that it is FREE and also that it is a comprehensive scope and sequence for how to teach teachers to teach reading.– Kelly Butler\, ReadingUniverse.org and formerly with Barksdale Reading Institute (BRI) \n\n\n\n\n\nIn this Funder-to-Funder Conversation\, Kelly Butler of ReadingUniverse.org shared the above statement as she introduced the robust online resource that she is producing with WETA to enhance the capacity of educators nationwide to teach reading. Because she and the other funders who are investing in the build out of Reading Universe are committed to ensuring that the resource will be available to all teachers\, schools and districts at no cost\, they are seeking philanthropic support to expand it from the K–2 pilot that is available today to serve teachers in PreK–6. \nJane Park of Google Kids & Families moderated the conversation. She engaged the leaders behind the development of Reading Universe\, Butler and Tami Mount\, M.Ed.\, of WETA\, as well as its early philanthropic investors\, Michelle Knapik of the Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation and Marla Ucelli-Kashyap of AFT. The conversation also included Erika Bryant\, a first grade teacher at Pecan Park Elementary School in Jackson\, Mississippi\, who has used Reading Universe to enhance her own teaching as well as the teaching of the educators she is mentoring. \nUcelli-Kashyap began by sharing what AFT has heard from its member teachers in terms of an interest and hunger for just-in-time resources that could help them better support student learning. \n\nIt became clear that way too many teachers are using low leverage practices or required programs that just don’t meet their students’ needs. They want to be prepared and effective\, but they need support. Saying ‘Just Do It’ might work great in a Nike commercial\, but in a classroom not so much. – Marla Ucelli-Kashyap\, AFT \n\n\n\n\n			\n				\n				\n				\n				\n				Butler shared highlights from how BRI drew on the National Reading Panel research in 2000 to embed evidence-based practices across the educational pipeline. Beginning with pilot efforts in targeted Mississippi schools\, BRI was able to demonstrate progress spurring state leaders to scale the approach statewide. These efforts helped Mississippi advance from 49th among states on NAEP scores in 2003 to 21st in 2022. That success prompted BRI to begin moving the teacher training resources used in Mississippi online so that teachers across the country could access it. \n\nMany have referred to what happened in Mississippi as the ‘Mississippi Miracle’ but I like to think of it as a marathon. I encourage other states and philanthropists to consider that the R&D has been done and paid for by Mississippi\, including what is required for effective implementation. So\, take what we’ve learned\, skip the marathon and use Reading Universe to get to the work on the ground. We know how to teach reading. We just need to do it everywhere – Kelly Butler\, ReadingUniverse.org \n\nMount walked attendees through the Reading Universe site\, explaining how it functions as a bridge between the research and a teacher’s instructional practice. She pointed to the 10 maxims that Reid Lyon\, Ph.D.\, outlined to summarize five decades of research on reading development by neuroscientists\, psychologists\, linguists\, speech pathologists\, educators and other experts. Mount also navigated through the Reading Universe Taxonomy\, noting that it presents the essential reading skills\, shows how they are connected and lays the groundwork for teaching all students how to read and write through accessible\, bite-sized pieces\, demonstrated through videos of real teachers in real classrooms. \n\nWe bring to Reading Universe the values of PBS Media that is responsible\, authoritative and accessible to a general audience…. We try to excel not just in the authority of what we write\, but also in our production values. We shoot video at PBS standards – and there is a lot of video on the site – and we write text in clear colloquial English without a lot of jargon. Reading Universe is designed to be accessible to a general audience with the goal of attracting the biggest possible audience so we can have the biggest possible impact – Tami Mount\, WETA \n\nBryant shared how she had benefited from the Reading Universe resources when she was a novice teacher and BRI was first piloting the resources. She continues to use it as a resource to hone her teaching skills\, identifying research-based practices to meet the needs of a wide range of students. She also uses Reading Universe as she provides coaching and mentorship to new teachers\, pointing them to videos and skill-explainers that can enhance their instructional practices. \n\nWhat Reading Universe offers us as educators is the opportunity to have a hands-on tool to turn to. It’s very detailed in the way it’s set up so we’re able to quickly pinpoint the skills that we are looking for….I can pull it up during my break time or planning time to help me build my own lesson plans. It is such a benefit for us as educators to have the support there at our fingertips – Erika Bryant\, Pecan Park Elementary School \n\nAfter the deep dive into the history and potential of Reading Universe\, Butler\, Knapik and Ucelli-Kashyap engaged in conversation about the importance of philanthropy investing in Reading Universe to ensure that all teachers have free access to these supports across the planned PreK–6 scope. \n\nIf you’re a national funder\, if you’re a place-based funder\, if you’re a niche funder like Tremaine…if you have anything to do with education\, you can find an entry point into the value proposition behind Reading Universe. We’re a niche funder\, a 35-year old family foundation working in the space of learning differences….As neuroscience gets better\, as the science of reading gets better\, we know that it is like oxygen for these kids — for anyone with learning differences in a classroom — to have structured literacy as a part of what’s happening in the system. It is actually a collective trauma\, generation after generation that we are not intervening with the science of reading for kids with learning differences. We really want to change that – Michelle Knapik\, Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/reading-universe-scaling-teacher-pd-for-student-success/
CATEGORIES:Funder-to-Funder Conversation,Past Event,Reading & Math
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240220T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240220T163000
DTSTAMP:20260404T092738
CREATED:20240207T182227Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251021T062133Z
UID:246435-1708441200-1708446600@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:How Summer Learning’s Resurgence and Maximization is Accelerating In-School Learning
DESCRIPTION:In this GLR Learning Tuesdays webinar\, we took the opportunity to explore how summer learning is a “big bet working” for equitable learning recovery. Summer learning is a critical strategy to prevent the “summer slide” that occurs when schools are closed\, which became the “pandemic slide” during COVID school closures. Moderator Tracie Potts of the Learning Heroes Board of Advisors first engaged in discussion with Eric Mackey\, Ed.D.\, Alabama State Superintendent of Education. He shared about Alabama’s broad investment in summer learning and how the state’s “summer reading camps” advance the recently passed “Alabama Literacy Act” to ensure students are reading on grade level by the end of the third grade. Mackey emphasized that although these camps are focused on building literacy skills\, they also include the fun activities that are so important to make summer learning effective: \n\nThis last year we had about 30\,000 students involved in summer reading camps. We want them to be different. [The camps] certainly include high-quality instruction and we do an assessment at the end of camp and see that students have achieved greater reading levels. But we don’t it want to feel like school. We want it to feel more like it’s a summer camp experience. Now we have a lot of students depending on the school district for these learning experiences. So we’re blending the academic piece and also the fun stuff that actually draws students in and keeps them engaged throughout the summer. \n\nPotts then engaged with two national summer learning leaders\, Aaron Dworkin of the National Summer Learning Association and Polly Singh of The Wallace Foundation. The discussion covered the broad landscape of summer learning programs across the country and how states\, districts and communities are achieving real gains for students in their academic and developmental progress. Singh shared data from the Wallace Foundation’s National Summer Learning Project that demonstrates how consistent participation in summer learning makes an impact:    \n\nWe know that academics are what schools are held accountable for. [The Wallace Foundation] ran the National Summer Learning Project. It was the largest randomized control trial of its kind. In five large school districts across the country\, we saw effects in math and in reading\, and the gains were most prominent in our highest attendees. So after the first summer\, the math gains showed up. Immediately after the second summer\, we saw gains in both reading and math\, and they were sustained\, so we saw about 20% to 25% of a year’s worth of education gains. So three to four months of skills gain that was sustained for an entire year in young people. The science of learning\, the science of literacy\, the science of numeracy\, those skills need practice. And during summer learning time\, young kids just get more practice with those skills\, which is such an important facet of summer learning.  \n\nIn addition to these state and national leaders\, the conversation included local district leaders\, Andrew Maxey\, Ph.D.\, of Tuscaloosa City Schools in Alabama and Matthew Brewster of the Newark Board of Education in New Jersey. We learned from them about their critical summer learning partnerships with community-based organizations and how they engage both teachers and students in the combination of fun and academics to build enthusiasm and consistent participation.
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/how-summer-learnings-resurgence-and-maximization-is-accelerating-in-school-learning/
CATEGORIES:Big Bets Working,Past Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Casey_KINETIK_2014_III_00160-scaled-e1707330021856.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240227T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240227T163000
DTSTAMP:20260404T092738
CREATED:20240207T194552Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251021T063016Z
UID:246449-1709046000-1709051400@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:Not Without Teachers: Intentional Teacher Development for Improved Student Outcomes
DESCRIPTION:“Teachers want to do right by their students\, and they want to teach using the most evidence-based literacy strategies….So what they need are high-quality professional learning opportunities to specifically collaborate with peers as they work to incorporate new techniques into their classrooms.” – Kira Orange Jones\, Teach Plus \n\nTeachers are the front line in turning curricula and instructional material into learning. Their effectiveness is key in learning and addressing the learning recovery need that the pandemic highlighted. During this Learning Tuesdays session\, Cynthia Hadicke\, Ed.D.\, of AIM Institute for Learning and Research acknowledged that we are having a teacher crisis\, with many veteran teachers leaving the field. Meanwhile\, more and more teachers are coming to the field through alternate certification\, and with this\, it is important that these teachers “understand the depth and complexity of teaching reading.” Jill Hoda of the Mississippi Department of Education added\, “We have to have courageous conversations and look at the ways things were done and how things should be done.” In addition\, she said\, “We need to make sure that not only new teachers but also veteran teachers are grounded in the science of reading.” \nKira Orange Jones of Teach Plus shared a preview of data from the organization’s recent survey of over 300 elementary literacy teachers across 24 states who indicated that they “have received more training in\, feel more comfortable with\, and are spending more time on vocabulary and reading comprehension than they do on phonics\, phonemic awareness and fluency….Almost 40% of teachers surveyed report that they do not receive currently any job-embedded coaching that supports their instruction in teaching all five of the pillars of reading.” \nElizabeth “Liz” Woody-Remington of The Learning Alliance in Indian River County\, Florida\, explained that it’s not simply training that teachers need. It’s the support of the translation science\, which is “job-embedded professional development that is collaborative\, intentional and sustained.” In this session\, we also heard success stories of how states\, districts and schools are implementing this in Mississippi\, Louisiana and Florida. \nIn Mississippi\, they have used the AIM pathways as the foundation for their science of reading training\, providing tiered and regional options that are open to teachers\, coaches and administrators. They have implemented a coaching model that includes comprehensive coach training\, which Hadicke describes as “a non-evaluative piece of the puzzle where teachers have the chance to learn\, practice and apply” skills. Mississippi has seen their NAEP 4th Grade Reading National Ranking move from 50th to 21st between 2013 and 2022. \nIn Jefferson Parish\, the largest district in Louisiana\, they are seeing significant progress also using the AIM pathways. Jones says about this work\, “this is actually possible\, because this proves it can happen at scale….The work that districts and states have taken on in partnership with education doesn’t have to remain an outlier example\, but rather could become the norm.” Jones\, continued adding\, “While initially we\, of course\, believe that experts need to be positioned to drive this type of \nprofessional learning\, what we have found is that teachers trust other teachers the most. And they trust them to provide professional learning and to essentially be responsible for leading continuous improvement efforts and professional learning communities to help teachers incorporate new skills into their practice.” \nLeslie Connelly of the School District of Indian River County\, Florida\, and The Learning Alliance described a program at the Moonshot School in Indian River that they launched with a weeklong summer institute on the science of reading for teachers\, which was attended by 85% of the staff. They have also given their staff extended collaborative planning time — two hours every week plus an additional five hours once every six weeks through a creative special schedule. The Moonshot School also opened demonstration classrooms that are always open for lesson studies and for teachers and coaches to collaborate to improve their practice. There is “buy in from the top level down and everybody gets coached. So\, it’s a very systematic coaching model here….We’re that hub of learning\,” said Connelly.
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/not-without-teachers-intentional-teacher-development-for-improved-student-outcomes/
CATEGORIES:Big Bets Working,Past Event
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240305T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240305T163000
DTSTAMP:20260404T092738
CREATED:20240223T215349Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240530T200539Z
UID:246613-1709650800-1709656200@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:Identifying and Supporting Children With Diverse Learning Needs
DESCRIPTION:Michelle Knapik with the Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation moderated an insightful conversation that emphasized the personal and professional commitment to supporting children with learning differences. Before launching the discussion\, Knapik reminded attendees of the interconnectedness of policy\, research and practice in creating effective systems of change to support these children in the kindergarten year. \nAttendees first heard from Glenna Wright-Gallo with the U.S. Department of Education who shared context on Secretary Miguel Cardona’s Raise the Bar Initiative launched in January 2023. The Initiative\, consists of three main pillars: achieving academic excellence by accelerating learning\, improving learning conditions and creating pathways for global engagement. Wright-Gallo then explained what these pillars look like in practice within the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services\, where there’s a focus on building a comprehensive\, inclusive and responsive system of instruction and intervention. \n“At the Department of Education\, we know that the kindergarten year\, that first formal at-scale learning opportunity that many children experience\, represents that critical juncture when effective supports and developmental experiences could close the gap and put more children on a path to early school success.” – Glenna Wright-Gallo\, U.S. Department of Education. \nNicole Ormandy\, M.Ed.\, with the AIM Institute for Learning and Research then introduced the Phases of Word Reading Development Theory from Linnea Ehri\, Ph.D.\, a guiding force in AIM’s approach to literacy. The theory is focused on an understanding of the progression of reading skills from emergent to proficient levels based on four phases of reading development. Having a better understanding of developmental phases can help educators identify potential warning signs for language-based learning disabilities in young children. Ormandy offered many visual examples of what this identification process could look like and concluded by emphasizing the importance of early identification in an attempt to support students through the kindergarten year and beyond. \nAttendees then heard from Sue Bonaiuto\, Ed.D.\, with EarlyBird Education who discussed the EarlyBird platform\, an engaging and interactive game designed to predict dyslexia and reading challenges in young learners. The program was created with the goal of existing as a preventive approach for learners by providing comprehensive assessments and data dashboards for teachers. “It’s been designed for any teacher\, any level of training in the science of reading\, and frankly\, any level of training in teaching reading in the first place\,” said Bonaiuto about the functions and ease-of-use of the program. Bonaiuto closed by highlighting EarlyBird’s presence in 24 states\, across various schools\, organizations and early learning coalitions\, expressing excitement and appreciation toward this commitment to collaboration to support all students’ literacy development needs. \nRafel Hart with Educare of Omaha\, Inc. continued the panel conversation by highlighting the importance of focusing on developmentally appropriate practices in early childhood education. Hart shared with attendees the Ecological Systems Theory that emphasizes the centrality of the child and the importance of supporting both the child and their family in this work. Hart also discussed the tenets of the Head Start and Early Head Start programs\, including child development\, family support and engagement\, health and nutrition\, and community involvement. \n“These programs are living\, breathing things\, just like the children in the program. So\, the communities have to support and embrace them in very much the same way that we do within the program.” – Rafel Hart\, Educare of Omaha\, Inc. \nLastly\, attendees heard from Robai Werunga\, Ph.D.\, at the University of Massachusetts\, Lowell who reflected on her experience transitioning from a special education teacher to an academic preparing future teachers. Werunga discussed the Multi-Tiered Systems of Support in early literacy\, particularly focusing on Response to Intervention. In discussing the framework\, Werunga explained that it’s meant to guide stakeholders in supporting students’ reading needs\, with particular focus on early intervention\, high-quality instruction\, assessment\, progress monitoring and data-based decision-making. Werunga also emphasized that family engagement is crucial in supporting students’ needs\, especially for culturally and linguistically diverse families who may face added barriers. \n“For success in supporting students both at school and at home\, it is critical that parents become part of the equation. That means helping the parents understand what is going on within the school and providing the support needed for them to help the students at home.” – Robai Werunga\, Ph.D.\, University of Massachusetts\, Lowell
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/identifying-and-supporting-children-with-learning-differences/
CATEGORIES:Past Event
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240312T123000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240312T140000
DTSTAMP:20260404T092738
CREATED:20240223T215958Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240315T160327Z
UID:246620-1710246600-1710252000@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:Family Engagement Strategies with Learn to Earn Dayton
DESCRIPTION:“We know that educators cannot do this work by themselves\, and so it is imperative for all of us as a community to be able to support our children in closing that gap.”   \n– Maya Dorsey\, Learn to Earn Dayton  \nThis session featured leaders from the early grade literacy coalition initiative with Learn to Earn Dayton\, representing the CGLR communities of Dayton and Montgomery Counties in Ohio. As the backbone for the community-wide approach\, Learn to Earn Dayton convenes local partners and nonprofits to address chronic absenteeism and the literacy proficiency gap impacting children in their area. The team presented data-driven strategies related to early reading with family engagement as a central component.   \n“I want to emphasize and reiterate that building relationships\, trust and connection with the families and the schools is the most essential piece to family engagement. Building those relationships is extremely important to be able to utilize the strategies that we have in place.” – Erika Pimentel\, Learn to Earn Dayton     \nThe strategies they shared included examples such as the “Mighty Classroom” to support attendance; trusting relationships with families; support to families with how to engage with schools and advocate for their children; connect families with resources to address basic needs; and provide free literacy-based materials such as “Reading is Lit” boxes.     \n“Families can see the value of the activities and can help guide their children. We don’t want to lecture parents about terms like dialogic reading\, but we want to provide parents with ways of helping them engage their children in reading.” – Jane McGee-Rafal\, The Dayton Foundation  \nFollowing the overview of Learn to Earn Dayton’s strategies\, all attendees engaged in a group conversation using a set of structured questions and Padlet to document the discussion.  \n“Partnerships are so important because at the end of the day\, the result of what happens with these strong partners enables you to get to the goal.” Wesley O. Biles\, II\, Learn to Earn Dayton   \n\n\n\n 
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/family-engagement-strategies-with-learn-to-earn-dayton/
CATEGORIES:Crucible of Practice Salon,Parents,Past Event
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240312T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240312T163000
DTSTAMP:20260404T092738
CREATED:20240223T220543Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251021T063147Z
UID:246624-1710255600-1710261000@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:Expanded Learning = Expanded Recovery: How Afterschool Programs Drive Student Progress
DESCRIPTION:This session explored why a “big bet” on afterschool is working to achieve learning progress with students — so much so that President Biden is prioritizing this big bet in his budget\, where he proposes “supporting evidence-based strategies to…expand learning time\, including both in the summer and in extended day or afterschool programs.” Afterschool programs not only advance academic progress\, they also centralize relationships and prioritize caring adults working with struggling students to serve as both the spark and the consistency that they need to feel safe\, supported and motivated to improve their school work.   \nModerator Hillary Jones of Foundations\, Inc. first engaged in discussion with her colleague Andrew Francis also of Foundations\, Inc. They unpacked how this relationship building and participation in interest-based learning activities make a real impact on students’ attitude toward learning while advancing their social and emotional development and their self-efficacy. Jen Rinehart of the Afterschool Alliance joined the discussion and shared how the federal investment in learning recovery led to the expansion of access and an increase in the quality of afterschool programs while advancing students’ developmental outcomes. Francis expressed this important aspect of afterschool programs in this way: \n[In afterschool programs\, students] come alive. They come out of their shell and they find a new me\, a new version of themselves. And that happens because they’re able not only to interact [with their peers]\, they are also interacting with other young people — maybe in lower grades or higher grades. And they’re able to establish relationships with caring adults who give them another lease on life\, and just show them that there is so much more that they can know and grow and become. So essentially the programs are effective because they challenge students to build relationships with other students and also build relationships with caring adults who help them to grow exponentially in so many ways. \nJones then engaged with two state and local afterschool leaders to explore further how the federal investments led to improved program quality and to learn about the on-the-ground tactics that make this big bet work in local communities. Katie Landes of the Georgia Statewide Afterschool Network and Denieka Wicker of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington\, DC\, discussed the importance of building strong partnerships with schools and school districts and sharing student data to tailor afterschool learning activities. They also emphasized that while relationship building and positive youth development are priorities\, the opportunity to devote time to STEM and literacy and other academic areas are significant components of these programs. Landes shared information about a program in her state that was able to hone-in on early literacy: \nOne program has been able to bring in reading specialists to serve their students\, with one-on-one reading instruction\, and these reading specialists have filled in some of the cracks in the foundation that was crumbling for their students [after the pandemic]. So we’ve really seen the programs be responsive to what their young people\, their families\, their communities\, are needing in order to make their programs more accessible and a higher quality. \n\n\n\n\n 
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/expanded-learning-expanded-recovery-how-afterschool-programs-drive-student-progress/
CATEGORIES:Big Bets Working,Past Event
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240319T123000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240319T140000
DTSTAMP:20260404T092738
CREATED:20240301T204348Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240325T053700Z
UID:246849-1710851400-1710856800@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:Investing in the Future: Philanthropy’s Role in Strategic Public Financing for Children
DESCRIPTION:In this Funder-to-Funder Conversation\, Heather Flaherty of Chuckanut Health Foundation in Bellingham/Whatcom County\, Washington\, shared the above reflection during a panel conversation that explored the various roles funders can play to generate additional public revenue to support children and to ensure effective utilization of those public dollars. Thank you for registering for this timely and inspiring session. \nElizabeth Gaines of Children’s Funding Project (CFP) moderated the conversation\, lifting up three examples of successful local ballot measures and exploring strategies for using a 501(c)(4) philanthropic structure to advocate for increased public financing to support children’s issues. In addition to Flaherty\, the session featured Todd A. Battiste of United Way of Southeast Louisiana\, September Jarrett\, M.P.P.\, of Heising-Simons Foundation and Heising-Simons Action Fund\, and Trevor Storrs of Alaska Children’s Trust. \n\nBattiste described the years-long journey behind the Yes for NOLA Kids campaign that led to the 2022 passage of a ballot measure generating approximately $21 million annually to support early learning programming in New Orleans.\nFlaherty highlighted the various roles her foundation played over the years leading up to the 2022 passage of a ballot measure that will generate approximately $10 million annually to increase access to quality child care\, expand mental and behavioral health\, and reduce homelessness for vulnerable children.\nStorrs shared how he worked with partners in Anchorage\, Alaska\, to promote the 2023 passage of a ballot initiative to direct local sales tax dollars from the sale of recreational marijuana to support early childhood development and education.\n\nThe local funders discussed the steps they took\, including: \n\nengaging local partners in examining their local context and existing public funding streams;\nhosting community conversations and conducting polls to understand the issues and messages that resonated with community members;\nsupporting public awareness campaigns; and\nadvocating for the passage of the ballot measures.\n\nThey noted that the pandemic’s impact on the early childhood sector provided a window of opportunity. However\, they stressed that the work they put in before the pandemic ensured they were well positioned to take advantage of the opportunity. \n\n“Timing is important in gauging these things. [Alaska Children’s Institute] did the polling\, coalition building and all of those things. But it does sometimes come down to timing. We had been talking about it for several years\, so when the timing was right\, we were ready. Don’t wait for the timing to start\, start now. So when the timing happens\, you’re ready to go.” – Trevor Storrs\, Alaska Children’s Trust \n\nThey also discussed the importance of philanthropic organizations advocating for policies aligned with their missions and goals.   \n\n“Our COO is a lobbyist so we understand that lobbying is important\, and we set a policy agenda every year for our United Way….Our local Campaign for Grade-Level Reading has a committee that does the same kind of work.”  \n–Todd A. Battiste\, United Way of Southeast Louisiana  \n\nAfter the local funders described their ballot measures\, Jarrett explained why the Heising-Simons family established the Heising-Simons Action Fund as a 501(c)(4) entity to advocate for significant increases in public investment in the early childhood field\, working at the federal\, state and local levels. The Action Fund seeks to build the technical capacity of the field to advance best practices in financing and governance. It also works to build the political infrastructure and the power of the early childhood field to ensure that funding for children is prioritized and invested in consistently over time.   \n\n“Over the years\, Heising-Simons Foundation hit a limit in wins using only our private foundation strategy\, and the family sought bolder and bigger changes and greater investments in young children. They created the Heising Simons Action Fund in 2020 with the specific goal of adding a new tool to our toolkit so we could fund and support communities that were showing up and turning it out at the ballot to fight for greater investment in kids.” –September Jarrett\, M.P.P.\, Heising-Simons Foundation/Heising-Simons Action Fund  \n\nIn addition to moderating the panel\, Gaines shared information on the ways that CFP supports foundations in advancing strategic public financing\, by delivering technical assistance\, hosting institutes to provide intensive training and organizing cohorts of communities to help them pursue ballot measures. CFP also established the Children’s Funding Accelerator\, a 501(c)(4) organization that helps communities translate voter support for early childhood development into dedicated and sustained public investments. \n\n“Each one of these panelists has been embarking on this journey with us for some time. They didn’t just sort of wake up one day and land on a ballot and ask the voters to pass the measure. They really got into this by conducting fiscal maps to understand how much public funding was already coming into their communities and how much it will cost to fund goals in full and by trying to get a handle on what the full funding picture looks like for kids.”  \n-Elizabeth Gaines\, Children’s Funding Project
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/investing-in-the-future-philanthropys-role-in-strategic-public-financing-for-children/
CATEGORIES:Funder-to-Funder Conversation,Learning Loss,Past Event
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240319T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240319T163000
DTSTAMP:20260404T092738
CREATED:20240223T221128Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240923T011108Z
UID:246629-1710860400-1710865800@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:The Power of Place: Embedding Two-Generation Approaches in Housing Developments
DESCRIPTION:During this webinar\, Sarah Haight with Ascend at the Aspen Institute moderated a conversation exploring the power of a two-generation (2Gen) approach\, using housing as a platform for programming and partnerships that support both children and adults to thrive. Haight emphasized that families are the experts in their own lives and shared compelling research to support a 2Gen approach\, including that a $3\,000 annual income increase for a parent yields a 17% increase in adult earnings for their child\, demonstrating the direct link between child and caregiver well-being. The Ascend Network supports leaders who are showing what is possible with a 2Gen approach by publishing field-building research and hosting events that advance our collective understanding and ability to apply this approach. \nAisha Nyandoro\, Ph.D.\, of Springboard to Opportunities described her organization’s work with families that live in federally subsidized affordable housing in Jackson\, Mississippi. She described their work as not only providing services but also serving as a connector for families to opportunities. Throughout her presentation\, Nyandoro stressed her approach as “radically resident-driven\,” centering the needs of the residents in all planning\, implementation\, delivery and evaluation of community programming and services. She shared Springboard’s five strategies\, including an innovative focus on socio-economic well-being through their guaranteed income program\, the Magnolia Mother’s Trust\, along with other strategies like fellowships for residents\, policy and advocacy\, and narrative change. \nArianna Thornton-West with Tacoma Housing in Washington and Liz Marsh with BangorHousing in Maine each shared their approach as housing authority leaders who have incorporated a 2Gen focus into their work. Both housing authorities have a Family Self-Sufficiency Program to support their families to meet and realize their needs and desires. Tacoma Housing employs Community Advocates and engages other partners such as the school district and programming partners to implement the program\, while BangorHousing has a unique partnership with the Boys & Girls Club of Bangor to work with both children and their caregivers together at the BangorHousing site. Thornton-West described ways that Tacoma Housing gets to know a family and customizes support for them\, including through a “wheel-of-life assessment” and a family goal plan. Similarly\, BangorHousing has trained their staff to take a family-centered approach and ask families about their needs and goals\, and offers classes\, workshops and other activities to meet those needs and goals. BangorHousing is opening an Opportunity Center on-site that will bring even more resources — from health care to employment to child care — to help residents learn about and access services more easily. \nFinally\, Donna Peduto with the West Virginia Public Education Collaborative described their unique model\, supported with funding from the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation\, to give grants for early literacy efforts through a program called Sparking Early Literacy. Melanie Cutright with Wood County Schools in West Virginia received one such grant to implement a summer learning program in partnership with the Parkersburg Housing Authority and the Wood County Library. She described her progress thus far in strengthening children’s early literacy and social emotional learning skills\, alongside their caregivers.
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/the-power-of-place-embedding-two-generation-approaches-in-housing-developments/
CATEGORIES:Past Event
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240326T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240326T163000
DTSTAMP:20260404T092739
CREATED:20240321T175401Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240329T181917Z
UID:247051-1711465200-1711470600@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:Assessing Assessments: Ensuring Quality and Equity in Teacher Licensure
DESCRIPTION:“Every child deserves to learn how to read. And there are many steps that we need to take to make sure teachers are ready to help children. But one of the ways to ensure that all teachers who enter the classroom are prepared to provide strong reading instruction is by requiring stronger licensure tests. Districts and school leaders who are hiring new teachers count on licensure\, and especially these licensure tests to vet teachers’ knowledge so that if they’re hiring somebody\, they can be confident that they actually understand the core principles of reading instruction.”– Hannah Putman\, National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) \n\nIn this Learning Tuesdays session\, panelists discussed the national landscape of teacher licensure assessments\, the correlation with teacher and student performance and how these assessments are impacting the diversity of teachers in the classroom. “Of the 25 different [teacher licensure] tests in use across the country\, only 11 of them are acceptable in that they adequately address the core components of reading\, and only six of these 11 are strong\,” according to research released in November by NCTQ (Putman). As a result of this report testing agencies\, states and teacher preparation programs are taking corrective action.   \nPeggy Brookins\, NBCT\, of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) shared that Educational Testing Service (ETS) took a reflective look at their exam\, spending four days with NBPTS\, and received hard feedback around what they were testing and what information the test provided. In response\, ETS was able to make changes to their exam.   \nCasey Sullivan Taylor\, Ed.S.\, shared the work that ExcelinEd is doing where they reviewed states’ literacy policies as well as the policies’ implementation. Taylor shared how she did this work in Mississippi — including instituting a strong policy\, adopting a strong assessment and striving to align the coursework of preparations programs — to see real change happen.  \nKaren Betz\, Ed.D.\, explained how higher education institutions such as Marian University can approach this work saying\, “a teacher preparation program is only as good as the knowledge of the instructors within it. And so high instructor knowledge becomes high and competent preservice knowledge.” Marian University has used a course alignment planning tool and feedback from partners such as NCTQ to refine its courses to best prepare students for what is really happening in K–12 classrooms. Preservice program professors must be equipped to teach literacy and be onboard with science of reading. If not\, maybe they can continue to teach “but it can’t be literacy because the price is too high. The price that we pay for not doing that work falls on the children. And as we see from our NAEP data\, it’s really falling on our Black and Brown children. And so\, we’ve got to start\, we’ve got to get it right.”  \nSo how do we address this? “Well-written policy is the foundation to start\, but what we do with it and how we implement it is going to be critical to our outcomes\,” says Taylor. “That means we’ve got to have really great strategic planning. We’ve got to think about how we move the work forward and help all stakeholders see the opportunity to invest in it and to work together collaboratively for the outcomes that are desirable…that all children have an equitable opportunity to learn to read and to have a well-trained teacher who’s equipped to teach them with scientifically based reading approaches.”  \nBrookins summed up the session in this way: “We identify preservice teachers\, make sure they’re ready for the exam that they are taking as an exit strategy\, and then make sure that exam is worth taking at the same time.”  \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n 
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/assessing-assessments-ensuring-quality-and-equity-in-teacher-licensure/
CATEGORIES:Past Event
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240402T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240402T163000
DTSTAMP:20260404T092739
CREATED:20240322T155739Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240530T180456Z
UID:247064-1712070000-1712075400@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:Starting Strong: Developing Foundational Life Skills in Kindergarten
DESCRIPTION:Moderated by Carly Roberts with Overdeck Family Foundation\, this session explored the importance of social emotional learning (SEL) and executive function skills for kindergartners\, as well as the long-term impact of implementing these programs. \nThe conversation began with Aaliyah Samuel\, Ph.D.\, of CASEL who emphasized the critical role of SEL in children’s development\, particularly in light of the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Samuel discussed how SEL is foundational for children’s academic success and overall well-being\, highlighting its importance across all stages of life. Noting the global momentum behind SEL implementation in countries like Brazil and Colombia\, Samuel concluded by urging attendees to recognize the timeliness and significance of prioritizing SEL: \n “We really want to emphasize that social emotional learning happens anywhere and everywhere there are people\, we know the critical role that parents and families play\, as well as the broader community.”  \nElena Bodrova\, Ph.D.\, of Tools of the Mind continued the conversation by discussing the importance of executive function in children’s development. Bodrova prefaced her presentation by sharing studies that highlighted persistent concerns among kindergarten teachers regarding self-regulation issues within their classrooms. This acknowledgement\, she explained\, was a guiding force in the development of Tools of the Mind in classrooms\, where there was an attempt to integrate opportunities for children to practice self-regulation skills. Bodrova closed by sharing promising results from a recent study that demonstrated the positive outcomes of Tools of the Mind classroom interventions for both children and teachers. \nAttendees then heard from Kim Paddison Dockery\, Ed.D.\, with KPD Education who described her collaboration with Ellen Galinsky to integrate executive functioning skills into kindergarten education. Dockery explained the development of her “bridge to K” work that aims to prepare incoming kindergartners for success\, with a focus on improving executive functioning\, reading and math skills. She closed by emphasizing the importance of continuous learning and adaptation to fully support students\, families and teachers before kids get to kindergarten: \n“We found that we could have a bridge to kindergarten by introducing some of these skills and getting kids a little bit more ready for the kindergarten classroom…so that’s what we set out to do.”   \nTo close the conversation\, Erin Helgren from Children’s Institute discussed her work in Yoncalla\, Oregon. A small town severely impacted by economic decline and the decline of the timber industry\, Helgren explained how education leaders in Yoncalla were determined to work together as a community to ensure kindergarten readiness and support children’s success\, regardless of their families’ economic status. Helgren noted that through parent engagement events\, parenting education classes and community activities\, they have increased parent involvement and created a welcoming school environment. 
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/starting-strong-developing-foundational-life-skills-in-kindergarten/
CATEGORIES:Past Event
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240409T123000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240409T140000
DTSTAMP:20260404T092739
CREATED:20240326T000717Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240415T015013Z
UID:247109-1712665800-1712671200@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:Meeting Families Where They Are: Unique Strategies for Accessible Resources
DESCRIPTION:“We are getting books into the hands of children and families in Detroit. This isn’t something that we’re doing without community and without other organizations. It’s a partnership and it’s all of us working together to improve some of the outcomes here in our city that we love so very much.” – Alyce Hartman\, Birdie’s Bookmobile \n\nThe April Crucible of Practice Salon featured leaders from Birdie’s Bookmobile and 313Reads in Detroit\, Michigan\, and the Office of Early Childhood Initiatives in Milwaukee\, Wisconsin\, sharing ways in which they ensure children and families in their communities have high-quality books\, early learning materials and supportive environments. \nThe webinar began with Alyce Hartman of Birdie’s Bookmobile telling the origin story of her nonprofit organization and the ways in which she works to ensure children and families in Detroit have high-quality\, diverse books. Sources for where she gathers the books and methods of dissemination were also covered. In addition to working with partner organizations to distribute the books\, Hartman offers support for families to engage with their children using the books delivered. \n\n“We participate in hosting literacy nights. We talk about the importance of diverse books\, and books as mirrors\, windows and sliding doors. We instruct them on how to best integrate books into their homes and reading with their children.”– Alyce Hartman\, Birdie’s Bookmobile \n\nFollowing Hartman\, Leah van Belle with 313Reads discussed how their coalition is contributing to changing the community-wide system of children’s literacy. In partnership with Birdie’s Bookmobile and other organizations\, 313Reads uses a collective impact model with a vision to ensure all children\, families and adults in Detroit have equitable access to opportunities\, instruction and resources. Goals and strategies shared from their 2023–2025 strategic plan include: \n\nCentering literacy access\, equity and justice for literacy as liberation through policy advocacy and ensuring youth voice is embedded in practices;\nBuilding collective capacity for high-quality literacy programs and champions by evidence-based\, culturally-informed professional development and common assessments;  \nGrowing book access and literacy joy through special events and specific community projects; and  \nCreating a connected and impactful literacy ecosystem which includes collective funding and sustainability.   \n\n\n“This isn’t about deficit. It’s about addressing the barriers and really centering equity in that work. For us\, in getting resources to children and families\, it’s making sure that the program partners have what they need.” – Leah van Belle\, 313Reads   \n\nDea Wright with the Office of Early Childhood Initiatives in the City of Milwaukee concluded the session by sharing the large-scale work of cultivating learning opportunities and resources across the city. Wright described the foundation for Milwaukee’s awareness movement around early childhood initiatives\, which began with gathering stakeholder input about literacy habits. From there\, they launched proactive and preventive work targeting early childhood. Strategies include robust efforts to transform everyday places into learning-rich opportunities. Several specific projects were identified as examples.     \n\n“We call our awareness campaign ‘Mighty Small Moments.’ It essentially means that in small moments we help parents prepare their little ones for school from birth by making sure they have opportunities to engage in experiences that are going to promote talking and reading and just learning together.”– Dea Wright\,  Office of Early Childhood Initiatives\, City of Milwaukee 
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/meeting-families-where-they-are-unique-strategies-for-accessible-resources/
CATEGORIES:Crucible of Practice Salon,Parents,Past Event
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240409T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240409T163000
DTSTAMP:20260404T092739
CREATED:20240326T010045Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251216T185355Z
UID:247114-1712674800-1712680200@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:Education Recovery Scorecard: Results and Implications
DESCRIPTION:During the April 9\, 2024 GLR Learning Tuesdays webinar\, The Education Recovery Scorecard: Results and Implications\, John Gomperts with the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading moderated a conversation exploring the results and implications of the Education Recovery Scorecard. The scorecard captured the academic performance of elementary and middle school students across 30 states in the 2022–2023 school year to understand progress in post-pandemic academic recovery in schools. \nSean Reardon\, Ed.D.\, with Stanford Graduation School of Education and Tom Kane\, Ph.D.\, with Harvard Graduate School of Education were the two lead researchers on the Scorecard and discussed key findings and considerations. Reardon shared the mixed news that students made significant gains in academic progress last school year\, yet inequality of performance widened between students from lower-income and higher-income families. Kane directed attendees to four challenges for post-pandemic academic recovery in U.S. schools: the rise in chronic absenteeism; parents’ underestimation of learning loss; the variation of strategies across districts yielding diverse results; and understanding and meeting the scale and intensity of efforts required to help students catch up academically. Kane then called on states to “step up” with funding and support to districts when the federal funding distributed during the pandemic expires in September. \nThree superintendents who have led strong academic recovery in their districts then shared key strategies and approaches they applied to realize this progress. Adrienne Battle\, Ed.D.\, of Metro Nashville Public Schools described a “doubling down” on what works\, including tier-1 instruction\, high-quality instructional materials\, high-dosage tutoring and wraparound services. She also highlighted the district’s mantra of “every student known” and the corresponding personalized student dashboards to understand where every student is academically at any time. Tony B. Watlington Sr.\, Ed.D.\, of the School District of Philadelphia listed his district’s priorities for academic recovery that included student and teacher attendance\, high-quality curriculum and teacher professional development. Mark A. Sullivan\, Ed.D.\, of Birmingham City Schools shared how he added instructional time to the calendar by creating week-long intersessions and encouraging students who were furthest behind academically to attend. These intersessions included academics and enrichment\, and the district successfully recruited about one-third of its students to attend the last round\, contributing to academic recovery. They also invested in tutoring and staffed classrooms with peer professionals for more individualized instruction\, among other strategies. \nCommissioner Susana Cordova\, Ed.D.\, of the Colorado Department of Education offered a state-level perspective on the ways her office has offered support to districts post-pandemic for continued academic recovery\, including through tackling chronic absenteeism and working to “triangulate with data to make sure the services we’re offering are aligned to the needs that we see in the field.” Finally\, Adam Schott with the U.S. Department of Education Office of Elementary and Secondary Education talked about federal funding that the administration would continue to aim to increase\, including Title I and Full-Service Community Schools\, to support sustained academic recovery once the additional federal funds from the pandemic expire. And he urged states and districts to continue their partnership and collaboration with governors\, mayors and community partners to build the political will and champion the investments necessary to continue recovery. \n  \n 
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/education-recovery-scorecard-results-and-implications/
CATEGORIES:Past Event
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240416T123000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240416T140000
DTSTAMP:20260404T092739
CREATED:20240318T223312Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240421T163628Z
UID:247040-1713270600-1713276000@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:Foundations for Attendance: Examining How Funders Can Help Reduce Chronic Absence
DESCRIPTION:“We use public policy\, research and data\, community investments and communications all together to leverage systemic change. And I think the work of chronic absenteeism is a great example to see this work in action\,” \n–Janice Palmer\, Senior Vice President\, Government Affairs and Public Policy\, Helios Education Foundation  \n\nThis April 16\, 2024 Funder-to-Funder conversation engaged funders working at the local\, state and national levels. Panelists shared the ways in which they are taking action to promote everyday student attendance and to reduce the concerning surges in chronic absenteeism we are seeing in communities across the country.     \nHedy Chang of Attendance Works kicked off the discussion by sharing that chronic absenteeism has almost doubled from where it was before the pandemic\, to 14.7 million students in the 2021–22 school year. While the majority of American schools are affected by this issue\, the largest increase in absenteeism was seen in elementary schools. Chang noted that a regular routine of attendance helps young children and their families become less anxious about school\, connect to peers and teachers\, and engage in learning. There are many ways that funders can make a difference. They can fund efforts that lead to effective practices\, act as brokers and help folks consider funding streams\, and connect groups to collaborate on addressing absenteeism. Because funders sometimes stay in their jobs longer than elected officials\, funders are especially well-positioned to build awareness and promote ongoing attention and action over time.   \nHolly Coleman of the Hyde Family Foundation shared that they first became aware of chronic absence as a challenge when Tennessee began publishing data. As a result of an investment in an early pilot\, the foundation learned that individual case management improved attendance for a handful of students but not at the school- or districtwide level. More recently\, the foundation funded a community of practice (COP) involving 16 local schools with the highest chronic absenteeism rate. Supported by Attendance Works\, this COP has helped local educators to understand what their attendance challenges were and develop tailored solutions. The COP allowed participants to learn from one another and to get the one-on-one support they needed\, Coleman said.  \nJill Pereira of United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley (UWGLV) discussed the funder’s work in eastern Pennsylvania\, with 22 different school districts. In 2017\, UWGLV launched the Challenge Five campaign and saw chronic absence rates move from the high teens down to single digits by 2019. The attendance work was integrated into different kinds of investments. Leveraging this success\, UWGLV helped to get chronic absenteeism embedded in state law and policy. “I think funders have a role to play in thinking about how to shift local\, state and even national policy\,” Pereira said. Pereira noted that due to the pandemic\, chronic absence was as high as 67% in some of the United Way’s community schools. But they’ve seen those rates drop down to between 29% and 20% in 2022–23. “And that’s because we’re focused on it\,” she said.  \nJanice Palmer of Helios Education Foundation reviewed the foundation’s investments in Arizona and Florida. Helios engaged with ReadOn Arizona\, a statewide early literacy initiative. A convening in January 2023 elevated chronic absence as a factor in early reading with over 150 thought leaders\, providing approaches participants could take back to their schools. Helios also is partnering with WestEd to look at chronic absenteeism in Arizona from 2017 to 2021. In Florida\, Helios is partnering with the Florida Alliance of Children’s Councils and Trust and the Florida Grade-Level Reading Campaign. Both organizations attended the chronic absence convening in Arizona\, along with leaders of the Florida Department of Education and key policymakers. As a result\, Attendance Works and Helios gave a presentation to the Florida House Education Quality Subcommittee.   \nMeghan McCormick\, Ph.D.\, of Overdeck Family Foundation shared that Overdeck sees chronic absence as a major impediment to investment in moving the needle on outcomes for students inside and outside of school. The foundation has begun to consider how to expand the research base since most studies are pre-pandemic. Overdeck is determining how it can invest in studies that help identify current root causes of chronic absence\, as well as which policies and interventions effectively improve attendance and achieve more equitable learning. The foundation hopes to collaborate with other funders as well as enhance networking among researchers to create this much-needed body of research\, which will be critical to inform efforts to improve attendance.   \nThe panel agreed that the investing in solutions to chronic absenteeism is the best approach to ensure that other investments in education\, from high-dosage tutoring to early reading support\, will have a positive impact on student achievement\, engagement in learning and well-being.  
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/foundations-for-attendance-examining-how-funders-can-help-reduce-chronic-absence/
CATEGORIES:Chronic Absence,Funder-to-Funder Conversation,Past Event
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240416T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240416T163000
DTSTAMP:20260404T092739
CREATED:20240321T210635Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251021T063330Z
UID:247070-1713279600-1713285000@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:Implementation\, Replication\, Fidelity: How to REALLY Scale High-Impact Tutoring
DESCRIPTION:This April 16\, 2024 GLR Learning Tuesdays Big Bets Working discussion was a follow-on to our session from January 16\, 2024\, where we explored the evidence and examples that demonstrate how and how much high-impact tutoring is advancing students along the learning continuum. In this week’s session\, we built on these ideas by investigating what it really takes to implement a successful tutoring program by unpacking specific elements\, such as establishing programs in partnership with or within a school system; recruiting\, training and retaining tutors;  and\, importantly\, building relationships at all levels and especially with students.   \nModerator Kevin Huffman of Accelerate first framed the conversation by discussing what scale actually looks like\, how we know that not enough students are currently receiving tutoring and what achieving scale would mean. Huffman engaged Eric Duncan\, J.D.\, of Education Trust and Patrick Steck of Deans for Impact in a consideration of this definition of scale. They shared their perspectives on what they have seen across the country in terms of quality implementation and how districts and states have identified students most in need\, matched them with tutors and tracked their participation and progress — all key strategies to achieving scale. Duncan pushed further on how important collecting data and tracking progress are to achieving scale and impact:  \n\nWhen trying to scale tutoring up to the state level\, it is important to provide national resources and infrastructure for folks to really engage in targeted intensive tutoring using data and information about their student populations….Saying\, ‘How can we make sure that we have a systemic approach to providing tutors and the key components for the additional instruction needed?’ That’s necessary to reach as many of those students as we possibly can.   \n\nHuffman then engaged with national\, state and local experts leading broad tutoring initiatives to discuss the strategies and tactics they are using to implement and scale high-impact tutoring across all districts in one state — with very different demographics — across multiple states and across districts in one city. Tess Yates of the Tennessee State Department of Education and TNAllCorps\, Adeola Whitney of Reading Partners\, Maryellen Leneghan of Saga Education and David Weinstein of Joyful Readers in Philadelphia discussed how they recruit and support tutors\, carefully train them and match them with students based on student learning needs\, and use data to track student progress. All discussed the critical importance of building relationships as the foundation for successful tutoring. Weinstein captured what it looks like in his Joyful Readers program:  \n\nAnd I think for us\, what’s enabling some of the success is those relationships. I haven’t been to a tutoring session yet where I haven’t seen a kid be super excited to get started with a tutor. In the hallways\, there are kids in every grade\, K to 3\, who are stopping and hugging the tutor\, and\, you know\, kind of want to be with them\, and that happens from that exposure\, that proximity that they’re with them every day. And that same thing relates to our teachers\, who have the opportunity to get to know our tutors\, to partner with them deeply. 
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/implementation-replication-fidelity-how-to-really-scale-high-impact-tutoring/
CATEGORIES:Big Bets Working,Past Event
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240423T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240423T163000
DTSTAMP:20260404T092740
CREATED:20240405T174719Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251216T184457Z
UID:247227-1713884400-1713889800@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:EdTech Working: Enhancing Teaching & Learning AND Scaling Needed Interventions
DESCRIPTION:This discussion built on previous sessions exploring EdTech as a tool that increases student engagement and expands the reach of tutoring\, literacy instruction and other interventions. We saw EdTech get a big boost during the pandemic as schools shifted to remote learning\, which also underscored the importance of closing the digital divide. In this week’s continuation of CGLR’s “Big Bets Working” series\, we discussed strategies to make sure all students have access to the technology assets that work to accelerate equitable learning recovery.   \nModerator John Gomperts of CGLR introduced the discussion by asking national EdTech leaders Jean-Claude Brizard of Digital Promise Global and Erin Mote of InnovateEDU how they approach digital equity and digital access. These experts explained that while access to broadband and devices is key\, equally important to closing the digital divide is building an understanding of how technology is supposed to be used in the classroom or at home to enhance and advance learning. Both panelists agreed that EdTech will never replace a great teacher and a healthy skepticism will keep us focused on how to make it fit into what we know works for young learners. Brizard described how he has seen EdTech be a big benefit to learning acceleration:  \n“In digital education\, we’re coming up with new amazing ways of looking at the science of reading and joyful learning\, which is really important\, and bringing that into classrooms….How kids learn is still the foundational work. How technology enhances that\, making the teacher’s job more doable\, I think\, is the power. And bringing more adults to support a young person\, not just in the classroom….There are multiple ways in which we see technology enhancing the instructional process.” \nGomperts then engaged with program leaders and practitioners who have been successfully using EdTech to both enhance learning and expand access to their models to reach more learners and make a greater impact on early literacy and other areas of student development. Beth Rabbitt of The Learning Accelerator\, Jessica Sliwerski of Ignite Reading and Mindy Sjoblom of OnYourMark discussed how they are using EdTech to advance learning and achieve real results. They also talked about using technology to replicate their evidence-based models to reach more communities and more students. Sliwerski described how although tech is essential to her literacy program\, it is only one part of what leads to success for students:  \n“What we are doing with Ignite Reading is delivering live\, highly trained humans into kids’ classrooms for 15 minutes of virtual instruction a day\, every day. And they are working one on one with kids teaching to their precise decoding gaps in order to ensure that they learn to read with automaticity and fluency. And so there’s this tech component that is underpinning a deeply human act. And this is really core to how we are getting student engagement and then ultimately really strong outcomes in our program.”
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/edtech_bigbet/
CATEGORIES:Big Bets Working,Past Event
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240430T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240430T163000
DTSTAMP:20260404T092740
CREATED:20240405T175933Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251216T184212Z
UID:247230-1714489200-1714494600@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:Lessons from California's $2 Billion Settlement: Implementation of State Spending to Advance Equity
DESCRIPTION:During this webinar\, John Gomperts with the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading moderated a conversation exploring the lessons of a recent historic $2 billion settlement in California on behalf of students who did not receive an equitable education during remote learning early in the pandemic. Panelists shared insights and advice relevant to anyone who wants to make sure their state resources are spent effectively to give every student what they need to be successful.   \nAmanda Mangaser Savage\, J.D.\, who is with Public Counsel and worked on the lawsuit\, laid out the case and claims their firm made with input from local organizations. The focus of the lawsuit was on the period of spring and fall 2020\, when students were learning remotely. It was found that over a million students in California\, most of whom were Hispanic and Black\, lacked digital access at home and therefore the ability to participate fully in their learning. Mangaser Savage noted\, “The fact that kids were being excluded from school\, from the remote classroom\, was a violation of their educational rights.” Mangaser Savage outlined the terms of the settlement\, which ensure that the remaining state funds allocated for learning recovery are used for evidence-based practices to specifically help the students who were harmed by lack of access to remote learning and that districts conduct needs assessments to determine which students need the most support academically.  \nJoseph Bishop\, Ph.D.\, with UCLA’s Center for the Transformation of Schools\, served as an expert witness for the lawsuit. He shared some of the research he contributed to build the case\, including that pre-pandemic disparities in access to an equitable education only widened during the pandemic\, and little state guidance or support was being provided to schools to deal with an unprecedented education crisis. Bishop noted that these challenges are not unique to California: “We know that we’ve ended up in this space because we’ve seen these issues as strictly education issues. We’ve ignored structural racism\, we’ve ignored factors in school and out of school\, which are creating this cumulative disadvantage for young people and families across our country.”  \nLakisha Young\, of The Oakland REACH\, talked about her work to support parents to build solutions to community challenges including inequitable learning experiences. Post-pandemic\, when students returned to the classroom and families realized their children were behind academically\, The Oakland REACH launched the Liberator model\, which trains parents and caregivers to serve as literacy and math tutors\, and is already showing impressive results. She shared her philosophy around the central role of families: “Families are not just folks you engage with. They are experts\, too\, building solutions that are changing outcomes for our communities.”  \nSuperintendent Darin Brawley\, Ed.D.\, of Compton Unified School District\, is in his 13th year as superintendent and described his strategies and systems to raise academic achievement for all students and increase the graduation rate from 58% when he began to 90% today. Brawley conducts monthly “data chats” with principals\, focuses on mentoring and college readiness\, and has placed 30 wellness centers at schools to support students’ mental health. Echoing Young’s focus on solutions\, Brawley said\, “We need to stop [just] talking about equity…and we need to start implementing equity.”  \nFinally\, Natalie Wheatfall-Lum\, J.D.\, with The Education Trust-West shared her thoughts on policies and actions California and other states could implement to best advance education equity in light of the findings of this lawsuit. Additionally\, she noted that policies are not enough\, but that a “mindset shift” coupled with commitment is also required: “It’s about the will of our local and state leaders to take this issue on and not be satisfied with just maintaining the status quo\, but really making significant changes and leveraging the expertise of our communities to make that change.” 
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/ca_settlement/
CATEGORIES:Past Event
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240507T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240507T163000
DTSTAMP:20260404T092740
CREATED:20240415T172219Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240530T180423Z
UID:247302-1715094000-1715099400@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:Back to School: Reducing Barriers to a Successful Start in Kindergarten
DESCRIPTION:This conversation\, part of CGLR’s Kindergarten Matters webinar series\, focused on actionable supports that could be provided to families as they prepare for their children to begin the kindergarten year. Chrisanne Gayl of Trust for Learning moderated the conversation and shared the above quote as she highlighted the importance of the topic. \nAttendees first heard from Swati Adarkar with the U.S. Department of Education who shared information about Secretary Miguel Cardona’s Raise the Bar: Lead the World Initiative as well as the two tracks that the Department is pursuing to advance early school success. After discussing the importance of kindergarten as an inflection point\, Adarkar emphasized the three Back to School Action Steps that the Department is focusing on: \n\nCatch up on early childhood vaccinations and well-child check ups\nEnsure early and easy kindergarten enrollment\nSupport effective transitions and summer programming\n\nIn her closing\, Adarkar shared her excitement at the opportunity to focus on these action items and highlighted resources that could support attendees’ work on advancing early school success: “We know that together we can transform the coming year for our incoming kindergartners by giving them a smooth on-ramp to early school success.” \nHeidi Schumacher\, MD\, FAAP\, of American Academy of Pediatrics then emphasized the idea that kindergarten readiness begins at birth and is influenced by a child’s early experiences\, which impact both physical and brain development. Schumacher discussed the importance of holistic child development\, including social-emotional skills and problem-solving abilities. Speaking from her experience as a pediatrician\, Schumacher outlined the multifaceted role of pediatricians in preparing children for a smooth transition into elementary school\, both through providing vital screenings and engaging with families to promote healthy behaviors. \nTo close\, Schumacher pointed to opportunities for collaboration between the health care and education sectors\, encouraging partnership and joint advocacy efforts between pediatricians and child care and school professionals: “It all comes down to trusted relationships. Sitting together in this space can be so transformative\, just starting with that simple relationship building.”  \nAttendees then heard from Jill Sells\, MD\, FAAP\, with the CDC’s Learn the Signs. Act Early. program who\, like Schumacher\, highlighted the importance of focusing on child development from birth. Sells stressed the importance of nurturing caregiver relationships and family support for children’s learning and discussed developmental screening and monitoring\, highlighting their role in identifying developmental delays or disabilities early. \nProviding statistics on the prevalence of these delays and disabilities\, Sells underscored the benefits of early intervention for better outcomes and shared the Milestones in Action resource from the CDC. This resource allows viewers to see video examples of various milestones that a child should be achieving at a given age. Sells encouraged attendees to utilize all resources from the Learn the Signs. Act Early. program: “You can certainly spread the word through newsletters and other outreach to families….This is all about having the community involved in this work and supporting families in whatever door they walk in.”  \nKathleen Holmes with the CDC’s Let’s RISE program concluded the presentations by discussing the lingering impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on school vaccinations\, highlighting declines in routine vaccination rates and the launch of the Let’s RISE program. Emphasizing the potential for disease outbreaks\, Holmes underscored the importance of partnerships with educational professionals and early care providers in supporting families to ensure children are up to date on immunizations. \nWhile acknowledging the multifactorial nature of absenteeism\, Holmes emphasized the role of routine vaccinations by sharing research that points to lowered rates of absenteeism when students are able to stay up-to date on important vaccines. Holmes closed by saying: “Small declines in vaccination coverage can have large impacts. It’s not too late to protect our communities. Routine immunization catch up is a goal that we can achieve by working together\, and we look forward to partnering with you to support kindergarten readiness by keeping kids healthy in school and ready to learn.”
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/back-to-school-reducing-barriers-to-a-successful-start-in-kindergarten/
CATEGORIES:Past Event
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240514T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240514T163000
DTSTAMP:20260404T092740
CREATED:20240429T230554Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251216T185854Z
UID:247360-1715698800-1715704200@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:What's Working to Narrow Academic Achievement Gaps Post-Pandemic: Insights From School Districts and Partners
DESCRIPTION:When we speak of gaps in our education system\, we mean those related to access\, opportunity and achievement that too many students — especially students of color and who live in economically challenged families — have historically experienced and continue to experience.  \n\n\n\n\nWith this focus on gaps — and more importantly\, what we can do to close them — I am looking forward to this upcoming webinar on what’s working to narrow academic achievement gaps post-pandemic. We are inviting back three superintendents — Adrienne Battle\, Ed.D.\, in Nashville\, Mark Sullivan\, Ed.D.\, in Birmingham and Tony Watlington\, Ed.D.\, in Philadelphia— who joined us last month to share the specific systems and strategies they are using in their districts to identify and narrow gaps between low-income students and their wealthier peers\, special education and general education students\, and other groups. Also joining us for this session is superintendent of Baldwin County School District in Georgia\, Noris Price\, Ed.D. These superintendents have each made progress in narrowing access\, opportunity and academic achievement gaps. In this webinar\, they will drill down into how they are tracking and supporting specific groups of students to narrow these gaps. \n\n\n\n\n\n			\n				REGISTER\n			\n				\n				\n				\n				\n				Please join us on May 14\, from 3−4:30 p.m. ET\, to hear from these superintendents and district partners. \n\nBattle will share how the district’s initiative\, Metro Schools ReimaginED\, engages stakeholders across the city to support students\, as well as how their mantra of “every student known” and their personalized student data dashboard enables them to track and support each student toward success. \nPrice will describe the specific gaps she is focusing on in her rural district and her progress in addressing these that has led to her being recognized as the 2022 Georgia Superintendent of the Year.\nSullivan will talk about his success in adding instructional time through week-long intersessions\, and how he leverages community resources for tutoring and other initiatives that contribute to learning recovery and the closing of achievement gaps.\nWatlington will describe how he grounds district investments in research and how the district’s four conditions for success\, including student and teacher attendance\, are driving academic achievement. \nDontrelle Young Foster of the Housing Authority of Birmingham and Jenny Bogoni of Read by 4th and the Free Library of Philadelphia Foundation will weigh in on their organizations’ roles as partners for supporting district initiatives.
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/whats-working-to-narrow-academic-achievement-gaps-post-pandemic-insights-from-school-districts/
CATEGORIES:Past Event
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