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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220322T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220322T163000
DTSTAMP:20260408T175032
CREATED:20260210T160557Z
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UID:254803-1647961200-1647966600@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:Children’s Savings Accounts: Building Wealth\, Aspirations and Prosperity for Children and Families
DESCRIPTION:When Christina McLean of Durham\, North Carolina\, realized her 9-year-old daughter\, Lauren\, was eligible for a program that will contribute $500 into a savings and investment account they can tap for education or career needs when Lauren turns 18\, she was thrilled. “I did not see just the $500\,” McLean said. “I saw $5\,000… $50\,000… $500\,000… even $5 million! I saw a seed that\, if I watered and nurtured it\, would grow into a harvest that will help me fund my daughter’s future education.” \nDuring this March 22\, 2022 GLR Learning Tuesdays session\, McLean joined a panel of program developers\, funders\, researchers and partners in exploring the ways that children’s savings accounts (CSAs) improve educational expectations\, opportunities and outcomes for children and families from low- and moderate-income households.  \nIn addition to McLean\, the panel included William Elliott\, Director of the Center on Assets\, Education and Inclusion at the University of Michigan; Carl Rist\, a CSA expert and independent consultant; Patty Grant\, Executive Director of the Community Foundation of Wabash County\, Indiana; Muneer Karcher-Ramos\, Director of the Office of Financial Empowerment for the City of St. Paul\, Minnesota; and Colleen Quint\, President and CEO of the Alfond Scholarship Foundation. The conversation was moderated by Ginger Young\, CEO of Book Harvest\, a Durham-based children’s literacy nonprofit that started a CSA program for graduates of its Book Babies program in 2021.  \nDrawing on research and practice\, the presenters described several CSA models and noted that they all have a positive impact on children’s social-emotional development\, parents’ perception of economic safety\, maternal depression\, parenting practices\, parent-child communication\, and college enrollment and persistence. CSAs also serve as a two-generation tool for helping households get ahead and stay ahead by promoting financial literacy\, building wealth and cultivating a college-going culture and identity.  \nPresenters emphasized that long-term assets such as CSAs should not be seen as something that replaces income assistance for immediate needs; both are important. They urged listeners to connect children to CSAs early in life — at birth\, if possible — to maximize the positive effects. They described creative ways to increase and incentivize savings. And they noted the way that CSAs create “tangible hope” for children and families. \n\n“Poor kids dream\, poor kids have aspirations. They just don’t have a strategy for achieving them that’s realistic for them\,” Elliott explained. “Tangible hope means having a true pathway to achieving that dream.” 
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/childrens-savings-accounts-building-wealth-aspirations-and-prosperity-for-children-and-families/
CATEGORIES:Past Event
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220405T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220405T163000
DTSTAMP:20260408T175032
CREATED:20240107T212742Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240107T212742Z
UID:245778-1649170800-1649176200@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:Centering Equity in Home-School Relationships: Lessons From Research and Innovative Districts
DESCRIPTION:“We call our report Unlocking the ‘How’ because we keep hearing from schools and systems across the country that the pandemic has elevated the awareness of need for family engagement\, but a lot of folks are asking for the best strategies for how to do that work.” \nThis was author Eyal Bergman’s introduction of Learning Heroes’ new report\, Unlocking the “How”: Designing Family Engagement Strategies That Lead to School Success\, which was released in early April and was the basis of the April 5 GLR Learning Tuesdays session\, “Centering Equity in Home-School Relationships: Lessons From Research and Innovative Districts.” \nThe recommendations in Unlocking the “How” are based on three primary sources: \n\nSix years of Learning Heroes surveys with parents\, teachers and principals on the nature of family engagement.\nThe Dual Capacity-Building Framework for Family-School Partnerships (Version 2)\, which synthesizes the research on what works in family engagement.\nAnd a recent report by Dr. Karen Mapp and Dr. Bergman\, called Embracing a New Normal: Toward a More Liberatory Approach to Family Engagement\, which takes stock of this era of dual pandemics and offers high-level policy recommendations for K–12 leaders.\n\nThrough specific examples from schools and districts across the country\, the report brings to life the three pillars of effective family engagement strategies: 1) place trust and teamwork at the center of the home-school relationship; 2) anchor family engagement strategies in student learning; and 3) invest in building systems and structures that enable this work. \nIn the webinar\, Dr. Bergman was joined by Dr. Sonja Santelises\, CEO of Baltimore City Public Schools\, and Dr. Lori James-Gross\, Superintendent of Unity Point Consolidated School District 140 in rural southern Illinois. Though vastly different\, both districts believe the schools that focused on family engagement pre-pandemic were better prepared to endure the impact of the pandemic. Dr. Santelises discussed how BCPS has led the way in elevating family engagement as an equity imperative and gave the example of one school in particular where trust and teamwork with families was prioritized. She also highlighted a new BCPS board policy on family engagement and the development of student learning plans co-designed by teachers\, parents and students. Dr. James-Gross spoke about individual student success planning\, where every student\, their teacher and family meet to build a relationship\, set goals and determine needs based on a holistic view of the child. \nThe webinar concluded with Kelsey Nelson\, senior manager of external relations at Learning Heroes\, highlighting several creative assets that highlight Learning Heroes research and effective family engagement in action\, including social media toolkits with video clips and more. “For our research\, we partner with a lot of national organizations such as National PTA\, National Urban League\, UnidosUS and Univision\, and also work with community partners on the ground telling their stories and bringing the research to life as to why a strong family engagement practice is so important.”
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/centering-equity-in-home-school-relationships-lessons-from-research-and-innovative-districts/
CATEGORIES:Past Event
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220412T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220412T163000
DTSTAMP:20260408T175032
CREATED:20251030T155515Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251218T154945Z
UID:252987-1649775600-1649781000@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:Join the Movement: Activating Your Parent Village
DESCRIPTION:“The most important part for us was having the parent voice be heard. We are all about making sure that parents have a seat at the table\, nothing about us without us.” \n\nSarita Sashington of Be Strong Families offered this reflection on her experience organizing a Parent Village in this GLR Learning Tuesdays webinar Join the Movement: Activating Your Parent Village. \nSashington was joined by Dr. Dana Suskind and Yolie Flores\, both with the TMW Center for Early Learning + Public Health\, and Rosa Guzman Snyder and Kendra Smiley of the National Center for Families Learning. Together\, they discussed the Building a Parent Nation Campaign\, which builds on Dr. Suskind’s recently-released book\, Parent Nation: Unlocking Every Child’s Potential\, Fulfilling Society’s Promise\, and seeks to mobilize parents\, caregivers and allies to fight for a society that better supports parents. \nUsing neuroscience as a framework\, Parent Nation urges parents\, caregivers and allies to advocate for a society that puts children and families at the center. In support of this call to action\, Flores shared the innovative tools and resources that are now available at no cost to groups and organizations aligned with this mission and who wish to host Parent Villages to activate parents. Alberta Longone-Messer\, a participant\, shared their enthusiasm and agreement with this mission: “So important to share this program with community partners to help us launch and sustain\,” because as Flores said\, “all children should have the opportunity to reach their dreams\, to reach their potential.” \nGuzman Snyder\, Smiley and Sashington shared their experiences in hosting Parent Villages during the beta test phase this past winter\, including what inspired them to host a Village (“strong mission alignment” and “model driven by parents”); how parents responded (validated their strengths in ways that they could see themselves as changemakers); and what they saw as the potential for activating parent leadership and power (based on this experience\, one parent made her own PowerPoint to share Parent Nation with other parents). Panelists shared that a key feature of the curriculum was the adaptability and flexibility to make it your own. And what was most powerful was the sense of solidarity of a community of parents to fight for change. \nThe resources and experiences shared by the presenters generated optimism and excitement for participants. Dr. Phillip G. Bevans commented\, “Your commitment to providing parents and caregivers with the opportunity and support needed to learn and apply the skills that are known to build babies’ brains is\, of course\, quite revolutionary and much to be admired. Congratulations on making the effort to ‘create a population-level shift in the knowledge and behavior of parents and caregivers’ in this regard.” \n			\n			\n				\n				\n				\n				\n			\n				\n				\n				\n				\n				\n				\n				\n				\n				\n				\n				 
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/activating-your-parent-village/
CATEGORIES:Past Event
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220419T123000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220419T140000
DTSTAMP:20260408T175033
CREATED:20231031T200305Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260211T211900Z
UID:244592-1650371400-1650376800@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:Building Hope & Opportunity: Philanthropy’s Role in Catalyzing Children’s Savings Accounts
DESCRIPTION:Imagine a philanthropic investment so powerful that it changes how children think — something that embeds the conviction\, “I have a future. Education is for me\, not for somebody else.” According to Patty Grant\, Executive Director of the Community Foundation of Wabash County\, Indiana\, that ability to transform how children see themselves is part of what makes children’s savings accounts (CSAs) “a meaningful way\, beyond just the financial impact of helping our families and our students\, to…align with our mission to address the quality of life and incomes and educational attainment.” \nGrant was joined by Carl Rist\, a CSA expert and independent consultant and former Senior Fellow at Prosperity Now; Rebecca Loya\, Ph.D.\, a research scientist at Brandeis University Institute for Economic and Racial Equity; and Benita Melton\, Program Director-Education for the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation\, in a conversation moderated by Sterling Speirn\, Interim President and CEO of the Maine Community Foundation. \nDrawing on research and experience\, the presenters explored the history of CSAs\, dating back to the original demonstration project funded by national philanthropies\, and the recent growth in the number of CSAs today. Foundations donated $11.3 million to the 77 CSA programs surveyed by panelist Rebecca Loya in 2019\, of which $9 million came from family foundations. \nPanelists discussed the value of CSAs for private funders\, including the chance to help children and families prepare early for the future; the opportunity to partner with public funders on a scalable intervention; and the chance to address root causes of income inequality. “So many of the things philanthropy deals with are the symptoms and results of poverty\, but we rarely get to go right to the heart of it\, which is a lack of financial assets and underdeveloped human capital\,” observed Speirn. \nPresenters encouraged funders of CSAs to: \n\nStart small\, demonstrate success\, and then grow;\nCommunicate frequently with children and families about their CSAs so they can see how their accounts are growing; and\nCombine CSAs with other asset-building and financial literacy programs.\n\n“Children’s savings accounts are not a silver bullet. They don’t solve these problems by themselves. They are most impactful when embedded into or layered onto other initiatives\,” Benita Melton said.
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/building-hope-opportunity-philanthropys-role-in-catalyzing-childrens-savings-accounts/
CATEGORIES:Funder-to-Funder Conversation,Parents,Past Event
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220503T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220503T163000
DTSTAMP:20260408T175033
CREATED:20231216T192345Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231216T193351Z
UID:245520-1651590000-1651595400@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:Seizing the Moment: Closing the Digital Equity Gap
DESCRIPTION:In this May 3\, 2022 GLR Learning Tuesdays session\, Amina Fazlullah\, Senior Director of Equity Policy at Common Sense\, opened the conversation with a description of the historical inequities in internet connectivity and access to devices for students in the United States. She also shared Common Sense’s work to map the impact of emergency funding streams as the pandemic unfolded. \nJi Soo Song\, Broadband Advisor to the U.S. Department of Education\, explained how the department has been working to ensure that the voices of education leaders\, parents and nonprofits are included into the broadband development efforts that are expanding within states as a result of increased federal investments through various funding streams. Song shared information about the Digital Equity Education Roundtable (DEER) Initiative and issued a call to action for state and local education leaders to get involved in the development of broadband plans that are required in each state. \nFazlullah returned to introduce more resources that have been developed by Common Sense for communities to share with individuals and households about the American Connectivity Program\, which helps reduce internet costs for qualifying families and provides financial supports for devices. She also discussed the Emergency Connectivity Fund\, which allows schools and libraries to provide devices such as tablets\, computers and home internet services to students and families. \nShawn Gross\, Digital Equity Program Management Consultant at Baltimore City Schools\, brought a local perspective to the session. Gross shared Baltimore’s journey to meet the needs of students and families during the pandemic. Baltimore has taken a strategic approach to measuring and monitoring its success and has been working with local partners such as the city\, library and others to envision a municipal network where all families would have access to high-quality affordable or free internet acesss. \nSoon after this session\, President Biden and Vice President Harris announced changes to the Affordable Connectivity Program that will further reduce the cost and increase the speed of internet service to tens of millions of families. Information on eligibility and sign-up can be found at GetInternet.gov.
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/seizing-the-moment-closing-the-digital-equity-gap/
CATEGORIES:Past Event
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220505T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220505T163000
DTSTAMP:20260408T175033
CREATED:20231027T205926Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231027T211949Z
UID:244462-1651762800-1651768200@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:ParentChild+: Engaging Families in Early Math Through Home Visiting
DESCRIPTION:“Math is innately in us” \nWith the above quote\, Jermell Witherspoon of Zeno reminded participants of the math brilliance that lives within each and every child during the inaugural session of the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading’s Early Math + Early Literacy series hosted on May 5\, 2022. Zeno’s mission is to spark joy and inspire a love of math in young children and families through racial equity\, family engagement and play\, all centered in the experiences of communities of color. One of the ways they are spreading this “joy” is through their work in partnership with ParentChild+. \nWitherspoon was joined by Pamela Williams of ParentChild+ Start Early WA and Erin Kinsella of ParentChild+ Encompass. Each shared highlights of the partnership between ParentChild+ and Zeno. In a conversation moderated by Malkia Singleton Ofori-Agyekum of ParentChild+\, the presenters noted that Zeno’s work with ParentChild+ home visitors and families has had a significant impact on the work of lifting up early mathematics. \nAfter each presenter shared their experiences with Zeno and ParentChild+\, Singleton shared a  video depicting a family using Zeno math and bringing to life the work that Zeno and ParentChild+ are doing in the homes of the families they serve. The panelists also discussed how Zeno and ParentChild+ address barriers to this work and support the development of a positive math identity.
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/244462/
CATEGORIES:Past Event,Special Webinar
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220510T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220510T163000
DTSTAMP:20260408T175033
CREATED:20230912T184039Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231208T182834Z
UID:243533-1652194800-1652200200@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:Showing Up Matters for R.E.A.L. (Routines\, Engagement\, Access to resources and Learning
DESCRIPTION:“This is not a time for blame\, this is a time for partnership and for collective action to rebuild the positive conditions for learning in our schools that we know help kids show up to school\, engage with teachers and friends\, and learn.” \n\nHedy Chang\, Executive Director of Attendance Works\, offered this call to action as she kicked off a panel of five educators from different regions of the country who shared their strategies for building Routines\, increasing Engagement\, ensuring Access to resources and supporting Learning. \nChang was joined by Patricia Chavez\, VP of External Relations at Parent Institute for Quality Education; Erin Simon\, Assistant Superintendent of School Support Services at Long Beach Unified School District; Maria Harris\, Principal\, Educare Los Angeles at Long Beach; Cherri Rowe\, Chief Program Officer of Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Dallas; and Pam Allyn\, author and CEO\, Dewey. In a discussion moderated by Chang\, the five innovative educators shared pandemic-related challenges families and students are still experiencing\, as well as strategies they created for engaging with students and families in ways that inspire them to show up for school and participate in learning.  \nChang started the session describing the more than doubling of chronic absence nationwide\, noting that it is especially high in the early grades. Chang called this level of absenteeism profound\, adding that it will have an adverse\, long-term impact unless everyone works together to address it now. Panelists outlined key challenges affecting student attendance\, engagement and learning. Families have been fearful about sending their children to school during a pandemic. Quarantines have disrupted family routines and many lack access to the technology so crucial to keeping kids learning and gaining access to resources. Many families living in low-income communities are still facing significant economic pressures and experiencing food and housing insecurity as well as a lack of health care access. The panel also recognized how feelings of shame\, related to a child or their parent not experiencing success in school\, can cause disengagement and poor attendance.  \nPanelists then shared strategies for addressing these challenges by taking a whole child\, whole family and whole community approach\, leveraging the power of technology for communication in multiple languages and expanding enriching learning opportunities through community partnerships. They noted that families are now focused on their family’s mental health and would like social and emotional support.  \nThe educators described how they worked with community partners and organizations that are able to provide families with many of their basic needs. They agreed that out-of-school-time offerings\, such as before- and after-school programs\, provide students with opportunities to connect with caring adults and to participate inacademic enrichment activities\, character and leadership development programs\, and initiatives that teach healthy lifestyles. Such programming can help bring back the joy in learning and draw upon the power of family storytelling. Community-based programs can be housed on school grounds\, which can facilitate school-program communication about students and make it easier for students and families to participate. Summer programs that focus on literacy can provide students with much needed routine as well as fun activities that benefit students and can prepare them to return to school in the fall. 
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/showing-up-matters-for-r-e-a-l-routines-engagement-access-to-resources-and-learning/
CATEGORIES:Past Event
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220531T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220531T163000
DTSTAMP:20260408T175033
CREATED:20231213T020249Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231213T021630Z
UID:245335-1654009200-1654014600@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:Prioritizing Early Relational Health in Tutoring for Equitable Learning Recovery
DESCRIPTION:In this May 31\, 2022 GLR Learning Tuesdays webinar\, attendees had the chance to learn from early childhood expert Junlei Li\, Ph.D.\, of the Harvard Graduate School of Education who shared the following wise words\, among many others: \n“Reading experts will talk about reading as a technical or mechanical process — the phonics\, the decoding of the letters and so on — but reading exists as a social\, cultural process that helps us understand who we are\, who our families are and who our communities are. So the technical\, relational and social processes work together to make learning and development happen\, and instrumental in that process are the human interactions that weave together the learning of the text\, the giving and receiving of ideas between the adult [i.e.\, tutor] and the child\, and then creating that sense of belonging\, affirmation and encouragement that children need to learn.” \nCGLR’s John Gomperts moderated an inspiring and informative conversation with Li\, exploring the key aspects of adult-child interactions that lead to positive youth development and increased focus on academic learning. This conversation was followed by a panel of leaders from national and local tutoring programs who discussed how tutors can be trained to focus as much on relationship building as on the important technical components of reading and academics that will lead to equitable learning recovery. From the tutoring experts\, we learned specifics of what this balance of relationships and academics looks like on a day-to-day basis for tutors working with early grade students who are most in need of focused support to get back on track. \n”That confidence comes from tutors sitting with students saying ‘Great job! Today was hard and you didn’t give up and you go back into class and you try that again.’” \n– Jennifer Joyce\, Reading Partners
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/prioritizing-early-relational-health-in-tutoring-for-equitable-learning-recovery/
CATEGORIES:Past Event
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220712T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220712T163000
DTSTAMP:20260408T175033
CREATED:20230926T203514Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230927T181047Z
UID:243823-1657638000-1657643400@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:Systems of Resilience: Critical Factors for Decision-Making in Dallas ISD
DESCRIPTION:“Data isn’t a hammer\, it’s a flashlight showing the way.”\n– Cecelia Leong\, Attendance Works. \nModerated by Cecelia Leong of Attendance Works\, the July 12\, 2022 GLR Learning Tuesday Learning Loss Recovery Challenge webinar explored what makes a school district resilient in the face of various challenges that cause lagging reading proficiency\, including the COVID-19 pandemic. \nLauren Day\, Kelsey Clark and Nicole De Santis of BCG — a consulting firm that specializes in utilizing data to improve student outcomes and learning models — shared a behind-the-scenes look at the comprehensive data repository they developed for Dallas Independent School District. They shared insights on how districts can use data to develop strategic insights\, question what’s working and proactively iterate based on real evidence. \nSix years after BCG brought that approach to Dallas\, Elena Hill\, Ed.D.\, of Dallas Independent School District shared how the system helped glean predictive models that provided actionable insights\, as well as automated reporting that helped guide decision-making efforts across the district during the pandemic. The decision to engage in this early learning initiative was easy to make\, but it was more difficult to make happen — and so they learned it is important to have a team in place with the heart and mind to do the work. \n“With a clear vision\, you can always change the plan or approach but never the goal.” – Elena Hill\, Ed.D. \nAngela Whitelaw\, Ph.D.\, noted that Memphis-Shelby County Schools had just begun the initial phase of their data project with BCG. She shared how Memphis-Shelby County would be using data to develop one clear vision that applies district-wide\, with data-driven strategies and community support to drive faster and more resilient growth for early learners. \nBelinda Walters-Brazile\, Ed.D.\, from Marietta City Schools discussed her district’s approach for leveraging data to create a strong infrastructure. That infrastructure helped to minimize the impact of the pandemic on learning loss and set students up for success and getting back on track. She emphasized the importance of being consistent and using the data to guide the course.
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/systems-of-resilience-critical-factors-for-decision-making-in-dallas-isd/
CATEGORIES:Past Event
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220718T123000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220718T140000
DTSTAMP:20260408T175033
CREATED:20240404T005930Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240404T011133Z
UID:247186-1658147400-1658152800@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:A Virtual Gratitude Reception\, CGLR Salutes Our Public Library Partners
DESCRIPTION:GLR Week 2022 launched with a session celebrating public libraries as a mainstay of the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading since its inception. Public libraries serve as trusted centers of communities in the unique position to attract potential partners and provide benefits and resources to community members with diverse interests and needs\, as uniquely captured by panelist\, Melanie Huggins of Richland Library in South Carolina: \nWhen we meet people where they are\, we treat them with dignity and respect\, they have agency. That’s how libraries do their work. \nPrior to the panel\, our salute to public libraries began with a unique video featuring national partners and local colleagues providing endorsements about the role and significance of public libraries addressing key issues and initiatives. Jill Bourne of the San Jose Public Library discussed digital equity; Gregg Behr of the Grable Foundation focused on Remake Learning; Greg Lucas\, State Librarian of California\, discussed Lunch at the Libraries; summer learning was addressed by Aaron Dworkin and Brodrick Clarke of the National Summer Learning Association; Tiffany Pizzino of the Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority focused on The Book Rich Environments Initiative; and Liz McChesney of the LaundryCares Foundation discussed literacy in the laundromat. \nThe video highlighted important data about libraries’ contributions: \n\n95.4% of public libraries provide summer learning programs.\nOver 100 libraries support the LaundryCares Foundation’s Play & Learn Spaces.\nThrough the National Book Foundation’s The Book Rich Environments Initiative\, more the 1.6 million books have been distributed through 50 library communities.\n18 public libraries are members of the Remake Learning Network\, and libraries are program partners in each of the 17 regional Remake Learning Festivals nationwide.\nMore than 88% of public libraries provide digital literacy programming.\nLibraries help to feed the 84% of children who are eligible for free lunches but unable to access them when school is out.\n\nFollowing the video\, Siobhan O’Loughlin Reardon of CGLR welcomed attendees and gave special recognition to public libraries supporting communities in crisis\, recognizing the El Progresso Public Library in Uvalde\, Texas\, and the Merriweather branch of the Buffalo and Erie County Public Library. Reardon then introduced moderator Susan Hildreth\, library consultant and former director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS)\, who engaged a panel of library leaders in a discussion about what they saw and heard in the video\, the importance of partnerships in aligning and advancing the work of libraries\, the current spectrum of community-led ideological approaches to library service\, and the current challenges facing public libraries. Following the panel conversation\, CGLR Founder and Managing Director Ralph Smith closed out the session with a big thank you to Susan Hildreth for her role in bringing together CGLR and IMLS and libraries overall many years ago\, and he acknowledged the panelists and the work and value of public libraries in advancing the goals of CGLR.
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/a-virtual-gratitude-reception-cglr-salutes-our-public-library-partners/
CATEGORIES:Past Event
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220720T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220720T163000
DTSTAMP:20260408T175033
CREATED:20231218T212329Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231218T214318Z
UID:245631-1658329200-1658334600@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:$65B to Advance Digital Equity:  Leverage Opportunities and Challenges of State and Local Funders
DESCRIPTION:“This is an incredible moment for local advocates ― whether you’re in the digital inclusion space or anything else that rides on top of digital inclusion\, issues like immigration\, housing\, education and health care.” \nAmina Fazlullah of Common Sense offered the above reflection during this July 20\, 2022 GLR Week Funder-to-Funder Conversation on philanthropic opportunities for advancing digital equity. \nIn a conversation moderated by An-Me Chung\, Ph.D.\, of New America\, Fazlullah and her fellow panelists ― Cheri Coryea of The Patterson Foundation’s Digital Access for All Initiative\, Shayna Englin\, MPP\, of California Community Foundation’s Digital Equity Initiative\, Jack Lynch of EducationSuperHighway and Ashley Pollard\, MPP\, of PHLConnectED at the City of Philadelphia ― described how they came to the work of digital equity\, the actions they are taking and their advice to funders. \nThe panelists discussed how affordability of broadband continues to be a major barrier to ensuring digital equity and noted how the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP)\, a federal program launched under the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law\, can help remove that cost barrier. Only 22 percent of eligible households had enrolled in the ACP at the time of this session and the panelists discussed how funders can play a key role in supporting trusted messengers to ensure families area aware of this resource and know how to sign up. While connectivity is critical\, they explained that digital equity must also include access to devices and technical assistance. States are being tasked with developing plans for the deployment of the federal funds\, and panelists encouraged funders to invest in advocacy efforts to ensure that those plans are informed by community voice and address the needs of those most in need. \nThe panelists discussed other opportunities provided through the unprecedented infusion of federal funding\, including promoting more competitive options like municipal broadband and establishing free Wi-Fi networks in multi-family affordable housing complexes.
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/65b-to-advance-digital-equity-leverage-opportunities-and-challenges-of-state-and-local-funders/
CATEGORIES:Funder-to-Funder Conversation,Learning Loss,Past Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Casey-2016-BAL_1392.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220906T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220906T163000
DTSTAMP:20260408T175034
CREATED:20230814T215956Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230817T203630Z
UID:242928-1662476400-1662481800@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:250\,000 Caring Adults: Rolling Out A New National Effort
DESCRIPTION:In this GLR Learning Tuesdays webinar\, “250\,000 Caring Adults\, Rolling Out a New National Effort\,” attendees had the chance to receive an early briefing on the National Partnership for Student Success\, a new federal initiative that will deploy 250\,000 caring adults as tutors\, mentors and coaches. Leaders who are shaping the next steps for the initiative engaged in discussion and shared how and why it was formed and the plans to roll out the resources in communities across the country. Shital C. Shah\, Director of Strategic Partnerships in the Office of the Secretary at the U.S. Department of Education\, expressed the administration’s perspective: \nIt is very important that we at the federal level model what we want to see happen locally. And so this [national] partnership is only as good or as strong as those partnerships and collaborations locally\, and how they sustain\, which is why the work that NPSS is doing [is focused on] building capacity locally. \nCGLR’s John Gomperts moderated an inspiring and informative conversation with Shah and other national organizers. They explored how the new public-private partnership is supporting communities to expand five types of adult roles that provide evidence-based supports to meet students needs\, including academic tutors\, student success coaches\, wraparound student supports\, postsecondary transition coaches and mentors. A panel of national\, state and local leaders then shared both their excitement and their hesitancy about how this federal push could help make an impact for the children they serve on a day-to-day basis. Munro Richardson\, Ph.D.\, of Read Charlotte captured his thoughts on the challenge and the opportunity related to rolling out such a broad-based tutoring program: \nI like to think about this as sort of educational medicine. We wouldn’t just give any child any medicine — we want to give the right medicine to the right child at the right dosage at the right time. We need to do the same thing when it comes to tutoring\, which I think of as educational medicine. And the one thing I worry about is the story that’s going to be written three or more years from now about this big effort on tutoring. We want to make sure it’s a positive story. So how do we ensure that NPSS is a vehicle…to help local communities that may have limited capacity [to ensure that the right dose of educational medicine is getting to the students in the right way at the right time].
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/250000-caring-adults-rolling-out-a-new-national-effort/
CATEGORIES:Past Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Blog-1-Tutoring-Image-3-scaled-e1692057987920.jpeg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220920T123000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220920T140000
DTSTAMP:20260408T175034
CREATED:20230804T163859Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231208T182309Z
UID:242832-1663677000-1663682400@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:Reenvisioning School Staffing
DESCRIPTION:“The vision begins with expert lead teams of educators who share the work. This isn’t something we made up. It’s based on research about how teachers thrive\, what they want\, what keeps them in the work and how instruction works best for students who need it most. It begins with teams of teachers who bring different aspects of expertise to the work and support each other in figuring out how to get each student to the highest levels.” \nModerator Karen Hawley Miles of Education Resource Strategies (ERS) offers the above description of differentiated staffing in her framing comments for this Funder-to-Funder Conversation\, co-sponsored by Overdeck Family Foundation. The session features a panel of local and national funders and leaders of innovative educator support models as they explore how differentiated staffing and teacher leadership models can improve both teacher efficacy and student outcomes. \nStephanie Banchero of The Joyce Foundation\, Irene Chen of Overdeck Family Foundation and Shayne Spalten of Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies open the session by discussing why school and staffing redesign and teacher empowerment are so critical in this moment. Noting that school districts have received increased public funding in the wake of the pandemic\, they outline the unique roles that philanthropy can play. These include investments in collaboration; public policy and systems change; research and development; and long-term infrastructure or providing risk capital to test innovations that\, if successful\, can be scaled with public funding. They also stress the role that local funders could play in bringing differentiated staffing models to their local school systems. \nThese philanthropic leaders are joined by Bryan Hassel of Public Impact’s Opportunity Culture\, Kira Orange Jones of Teach Plus\, Yuridiana Lewis a Teach Plus Fellow at Sunset High School in Dallas\, and Brent Maddin of Next Education Workforce at Arizona State University’s Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College who each explain how their organizations empower educators and support efforts to rethink the traditional staffing model. They discuss how their models support new and experienced educators\, helping proven educators explore career advancement opportunities that allow them to continue teaching while also helping to build the capacity of their colleagues. They share how schools and districts can shift school schedules and funding streams to apply these models in ways that are sustainable over the long term.
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/reenvisioning-school-staffing/
CATEGORIES:Funder-to-Funder Conversation,Learning Loss,Past Event,Reading & Math
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20221004T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20221004T163000
DTSTAMP:20260408T175034
CREATED:20231208T015040Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231208T020304Z
UID:245210-1664895600-1664901000@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:Getting Results With REACH: A Model for Successful Learning Loss Recovery
DESCRIPTION:“We wanted to provide students with an opportunity to support their continued learning.” \nEric Becoats\, Ed.D.\, Superintendent of Schools at the William Penn School District\, offered this reflection during the October 4\, 2022 GLR Learning Tuesdays session as he talked about how the REACH program was implemented in his district. He continued to share\, saying “my goal was to ensure that students were getting as much as possible 1-on-1 attention. So in conversations with Foundations\, we were able to basically develop what in my mind a summer enrichment program would be\, and so it was their model…tweaked a little bit to meet the needs of this community.” \nThe REACH program was first implemented at William Penn School District during the summer of 2021. It resulted in statistically significant progress in both literacy and math\, and integrated whole child learning experiences into the program design. The program utilized research-based best practices and evidence-based curriculum. It also became clear that the staff and their training and engagement were key in creating what Ozzie Wright\, Jr.\, described as a “place where they [students and families] could be successful and a safe place where people really cared about them.” \nFor those who are looking for a solution for learning loss recovery in their own community\, “customization is the key to this\,” according to MaryEllen Gorodetzer\, Ed.D. The solutions must integrate high-quality research and practice\, as well as positive relationships. As Eric Becoats\, Ed.D.\, said\, we need “community partners coming to the table working with us to support our children.”
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/getting-results-with-reach-a-model-for-successful-learning-loss-recovery/
CATEGORIES:Past Event
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20221011T123000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20221011T140000
DTSTAMP:20260408T175034
CREATED:20231206T203451Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231208T182213Z
UID:245160-1665491400-1665496800@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:Bringing Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to Every County
DESCRIPTION:“It’s our mission to be that platform and place for educators\, elevate practices\, and grow professionally as they support students preschool through age 5 in our state. We do this because we truly believe that when schools and communities are well prepared to deliver best practices\, it impacts the students. This helps our students be better prepared for their future.”  \n– Kelly Griffith\, State Coordinator\, Office of Teaching and Learning\, West Virginia Department of Education  \nThe October 2022 Crucible of Practice Salon featured the partnership between West Virginia’s Department of Education\, the June Harless Center housed at Marshall University and the Early Learning Technical Assistance Center\, and explored how this collaboration supports the expansion of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library (DPIL) to every county in West Virginia\, ensuring that every child birth through age 5 is eligible to enroll in the program. \nThe session opened with an introduction to the partnership structure by Kelly Griffith\, State Coordinator in the Office of Teaching and Learning with West Virginia’s Department of Education. Griffith also provided a summary of West Virginia’s statewide efforts in the shared agenda of the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading (CGLR). Afterwards\, Tarabeth Heineman\, Ph.D.\, the Executive Director of the June Harless Center\, shared the history of DPIL in the state and provided an overview of the timeline of DPIL’s statewide expansion. Brittany Fike\, also with the June Harless Center\, described the goals and impacts of the program. Family engagement strategies and a personalized family experience also were shared. Alicia Syner\, the Program Developer for Imagination Library with the June Harless Center\, reviewed the program structure and elements of implementation\, including funding.
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/engage-every-student-building-community-connections-to-expand-ost-access/
CATEGORIES:Crucible of Practice Salon,Parents,Past Event,Readiness
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Dolly.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20221011T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20221011T163000
DTSTAMP:20260408T175034
CREATED:20230815T193733Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230911T145516Z
UID:242966-1665500400-1665505800@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:Engage Every Student: Building Community Connections to Advance OST
DESCRIPTION:In this Learning Tuesdays webinar\, we followed our September 6 briefing on the National Partnership for Student Success with a focus on a second new federal initiative designed to assist schools and communities in accelerating equitable recovery called Engage Every Student. This initiative aims to provide high-quality out-of-school time (OST) learning opportunities for every child who wants to participate by building community connections and providing technical assistance needed to expand access to afterschool and summer learning programs. \nRepresenting the goal of fostering partnerships to expand OST access\, Engage Every Student is organized and supported by sector-leading organizations at the national level that were represented in this learning and engagement opportunity\, including the National Summer Learning Association\, the National League of Cities and AASA\, The School Superintendents Association. Bryan Joffe of AASA expressed how and why superintendents are invested in partnerships and the success of the initiative: \n…for schools it’s really a way to help meet [the] goals that we’ve set out. We’re not going to get to grade-level reading and great attendance and high school graduation and young people learning and thriving without them having opportunities not just for 180 days during the school year but also afterschool great enrichment opportunities. So for our organization\, it’s a moment that we need to meet the needs of young people\, and we can’t do it without these partners.   \nCGLR’s John Gomperts moderated an inspiring and informative conversation with leaders from the organizations listed above\, along with executives from the U.S. Department of Education who discussed how the research demonstrating the impact of OST participation on students’ learning and development inspired the Department’s commitment to supporting partnerships on the ground. A panel of national\, state and local leaders then shared their excitement about how this federal push will actually help make an impact for the children they serve on a day-to-day basis. Councilwoman Alyia Gaskins of the Alexandria Virginia City Council captured her thoughts on what it means for local elected officials and decision-makers: \nIt’s an exciting time\, because I get to find ways to push resources to the great folks in our community\, our nonprofits\, our schools\, our partners\, who are really trying to shape and reimagine how do they create programs that build skills\, but also that create spaces for young people to reengage with their peers\, to be surrounded by caring adults to be connected to job opportunities. So it’s a time for connection\, and that’s something that gets me excited. 
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/engage-every-student-building-community-connections-to-advance-ost/
CATEGORIES:Past Event
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20221018T123000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20221018T140000
DTSTAMP:20260408T175034
CREATED:20230804T160953Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231208T181725Z
UID:242815-1666096200-1666101600@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:Co-Funding Models to Support Local and State-Wide GLR Efforts
DESCRIPTION:“So\, this really pushed and elevated funders into new ways that they could lead community leadership work. And we’re seeing it paid huge dividends both in the campaign’s success and other bodies of work.” \nIn this Funder-to-Funder Conversation\, Kari McCann-Boutell of the Iowa Council of Foundations (ICoF) shares the results of ICoF’s recently released Co-Funding Report that shares their experience over the past eight years of working with the Iowa Campaign for Grade-Level Reading. The report outlines the process that ICoF undertook and the lessons learned around a specific set of questions: \n\nHow can funders come together around an issue?\nWhat happens when funders align to support shared goals?\nWhat if they support those goals with grantmaking resources but also with time\, skills and leadership?\nWhat if a philanthropy-serving organization (PSO) broadens the vision of its role\, in both serving and guiding the network?\nAnd what happens when these organizations choose the long view of short-term success?\n\nThe report also answers questions originally identified by the ICoF Education Funders Group in 2013\, which can be found in this earlier report. \nTerri Clark and Erin Goodman share the story of how Read On Arizona came together and how funding partners originally envisioned the model and where the initiative stands today. Clark and Goodman discuss the challenges of leadership changes at funding partners and how the infrastructure built by Read On Arizona has mitigated loss of momentum while navigating these changes. Of particular note is the sustainability planning that has been underway for two years and resulted in a sustainability plan through 2030. \nGoodman notes the important elements of sustainability planning\, saying: “Anything you can do in your organizations to think about sustainability in terms of sustained attention\, sustained involvement and sustained understanding and commitment. That’s also really important.” \nSusan Patrick of United Way of Southwest Virginia reflects on the work of both Iowa and Arizona and shared the model of the Southwest Virginia United Way. The work has been formally underway for four years and is organized in a collective impact model. Patrick shares some of the specific initiatives underway and stressed the importance of building and sustaining relationships with all partners in the work.
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/co-funding-models-to-support-local-and-state-wide-glr-efforts/
CATEGORIES:Funder-to-Funder Conversation,Past Event
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20221018T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20221018T163000
DTSTAMP:20260408T175034
CREATED:20231031T215028Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231208T181705Z
UID:244613-1666105200-1666110600@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:Beyond Bricks & Mortar: How Housing Agencies Can Promote Showing Up to School
DESCRIPTION:Moderated by Hedy Chang of Attendance Works\, this session featured an inspiring conversation about how schools and housing agencies should and could be working together to address the skyrocketing rates of chronic absence. The panelists\, discussing collaborations in Arizona\, California and Maine\, emphasized how housing agencies are key partners with schools and community organizations in addressing and reducing growing educational inequities\, particularly by leveraging their capacity to connect economically challenged children and families with needed support and resources. Each one shared strategies used by housing agencies to partner with families to keep students excited about learning and attending school\, and approaches to ensure equitable access to online learning opportunities. They highlighted the key role of data shared with families\, communities\, educators and local agencies to both identify where resources are needed and to highlight how interventions are working with Maria Casey of Attendance Works remarking: \nSchools that have teams ought to be inviting representatives from housing developments to be a part of those teams and to look with them at the chronic absence data and figure out what strategies to use that would be most effective for families who find themselves [with students] in tier two or tier three\, and certainly those strategies that work across the board universally. \nThe speakers discussed the importance of leadership in bringing schools and housing agencies together. They noted that families living in housing developments face numerous challenges to being in school\, from lack of access to the internet or computers\, to unreliable transportation and basic needs\, such as food and clothing. They agreed that solutions for students living in low-income communities require a cross-sector approach\, with Emily Mancini-Fitch of Portland Housing Authority saying: \nPortland ConnectED was brought on by a mayor who is super invested in bringing cross-sector collaboration to improve educational outcomes for Portland. The city established the organization with the support of our local United Way. The work is all happening across sectors with workforce development\, the Portland city public schools\, city leadership\, etc. No one owns it\, but everybody’s invested in it.
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/beyond-bricks-mortar-how-housing-agencies-can-promote-showing-up-to-school/
CATEGORIES:Past Event
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20221020T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20221020T163000
DTSTAMP:20260408T175034
CREATED:20231027T214926Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231027T215733Z
UID:244490-1666278000-1666283400@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:The Surprising Importance of Early Math
DESCRIPTION:“Over a lifetime\, positive effects of early math compound\, and we all benefit from investing in children’s early math learning–birth through grade 3.” \n– Douglas Clements\, Ph.D.\, University of Denver \n In this session\, the second in the Early Math + Early Literacy special webinar series\, Douglas Clements\, Ph.D.\, and Julie Sarama\, Ph.D.\, of Marsico Institute at the University of Denver\, led participants through an interactive exploration of the five surprising reasons early math is critical. In a conversation moderated by Nicki Newton\, Ed.D.\, President of Newton Education Solutions\, they reviewed a plethora of research studies that reinforce the idea that early math makes a huge impact on a child’s cognitive ability and affects school success. \nThe Five Early Math Surprises shared by Clements & Sarama are: \n\nEarly math has surprising predictive power.\nYoung children have the potential to learn powerful math.\n#2 is a surprise to most educators.\nMost children need better mathematics.\nWe know a lot about how children think and learn about math and teaching with learning trajectories.\n\nParticipants received a virtual handout with resources and heard a lively discussion about the implications of early mathematics.
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/suprisingearlymath/
CATEGORIES:Past Event,Special Webinar
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20221101T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20221101T163000
DTSTAMP:20260408T175034
CREATED:20231206T194522Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251216T185616Z
UID:245141-1667314800-1667320200@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:What's Next? Identifying & Advancing Initiatives to Accelerate Learning Recovery
DESCRIPTION:“How do we take this moment that feels really hard\, and say\, ‘What can we do better’? … ‘How does research and how [does the way] we’re mobilizing knowledge and disseminating knowledge [need to] change\, so that if this happens again—and listen\, whether it’s a snow day\, or a natural disaster\, or a hurricane: this is going to happen again—and we need to be better prepared to serve our communities and get that knowledge\, get that research and mobilize that understanding on the ground.”— Erin Mote\, XPrize Jury member and founder of InnovateEDU   \nThis GLR Learning Tuesdays session\, hosted on November 1\, 2022\, responded to the 2022 NAEP scores and the crisis of learning loss\, exploring strategies for accelerating equitable learning recovery. CGLR’s John Gomperts engaged Mark Schneider of the Institute of Education Science (IES) in a discussion about the work of IES\, the statistics\, research and evaluation arm of the U.S. Department of Education\, and the need for the reprioritization of evidence-based and research-backed teaching and learning approaches. \nErin Mote\, currently a jury member for the XPrize\, introduced the XPrize’s Digital Learning Challenge\, its intersection with the research sector and the sense of urgency we all feel to reverse learning loss. Rebecca Griffiths shared the work that SRI is doing in conjunction with IES to identify and lift up approaches that work\, identify where there are gaps and determine how to implement effective approaches in a saturated market. Attendees also heard from Deborah Peart of My Mathematical Mind as she shared why those who care about education should be putting as much effort into math instruction and learning research\, and why “mathing” should be used as a verb along with reading and writing given its foundational importance in learning. \n“We created a society where it’s acceptable to just not math. No—math deserves a verb. We have to do something about the language around it\, and how we train teachers so that they can heal from their own math trauma\, so that they can actually deliver math instruction with competence\, confidence and comfort.”— Deborah Peart\, Founder of My Mathematical Mind
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/whats-next-identifying-advancing-initiatives-to-accelerate-learning-recovery/
CATEGORIES:Past Event
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20221108T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20221108T163000
DTSTAMP:20260408T175034
CREATED:20231110T203941Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231110T214526Z
UID:244826-1667919600-1667925000@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:Beyond the Headlines: What Can We Learn From a Closer Look at NAEP?
DESCRIPTION:“I think the real challenge coming out of the pandemic is how can we get our students who are in poverty the resources they need? What can we learn from the way we deployed devices so that even after the bell students could still connect and continue to learn\, like many of their peers across the country. I think our real question as a country coming out of the pandemic is\, how do we help our students and our families in poverty not only recover but grow\, and that’s our primary focus.” — Raymond C. Hart\, Ph.D.\, Council of the Great City Schools \nIn last week’s GLR Learning Tuesday webinar\, CGLR’s John Gomperts moderated a panel of distinguished education leaders exploring insights to be gained from the recent NAEP scores. Panelists — representing the perspectives of rural and urban districts\, charter schools as well as Department of Defense Education Activity schools — shared some of the key lessons from the pandemic and what we might be able to extract from the recent release of NAEP scores. Our panelists noted that they are still in the process of analyzing much of the data\, but see some early lessons emerging. \nRaymond Hart\, representing urban schools\, shared that the impact on students in poverty was significant\, but in some urban areas reading scores in particular did not see as big of a drop. Tim Taylor and Heather Zellers\, representing rural schools\, shared many of the challenges that rural districts faced during the pandemic and continue to face including staffing challenges and resource distribution of ARPA and ESSER funds. Christy Wolfe\, representing public charter schools\, shared some of the bright spots seen within charter schools including reduced disparities for English language learners. Both rural schools and charter schools noted the ability to adjust more quickly to the pandemic. Tim Taylor shared the importance of having a strong instructional leader\, such as a superintendent or principal\, and the direct correlation to student outcomes. Beth Schiavino-Narvaez shared the results from Department of Defense Education Activity schools\, which outpaced the entire nation. Some of the elements contributing to these positive outcomes included rigorous curriculum\, professional development\, consistent leadership and the support of military leaders throughout the system. \nRaymond Hart closed with the following words that represented the consensus of the presenters. “I think that our challenges are far more alike than they are different. As a country\, we can only be as strong as those who struggle most in our respective communities.” 
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/beyond-the-headlines-what-can-we-learn-from-a-closer-look-at-naep/
CATEGORIES:Past Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Stock-7-e1695139550975.jpeg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20221115T123000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20221115T140000
DTSTAMP:20260408T175034
CREATED:20230804T152513Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231208T181629Z
UID:242794-1668515400-1668520800@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:The Critical Role of Professional Development in Creating High-Quality Early Learning Environments
DESCRIPTION:“That drum beat is around quality\, which we keep talking about in this conversation. I think that’s an important role for funders to play as more money and new policies start to emerge. We can play a role in ensuring that practices are reflective of the science of learning and development.” – Lis Stevens\, Bezos Family Foundation \nThrough panel conversations with three philanthropic leaders and three providers\, this Funder-to-Funder Conversation explores the role that research-based professional development plays in promoting positive learning environments to support children’s kindergarten readiness. \nDana Cilono of Kenneth Rainin Foundation\, Stephanie Sharp of Overdeck Family Foundation and Lis Stevens of Bezos Family Foundation open the session by discussing the focus of their respective foundations on early learning\, with Cilono and Sharp both sharing that kindergarten readiness is a “north star” for their foundations. They note the misalignment between what science tells us about how children learn and much of the policy\, practice and investments in the early years. They call on funders and other stakeholders to focus on ensuring quality as the early learning system is rebuilt in the wake of program closures and staff shortages caused by the pandemic. Implementation of evidence-based professional development programs that foster positive learning environments is one important way to ensure quality. By boosting educator confidence and effectiveness\, professional development can advance retention efforts. They stress the need for increased compensation as well\, with Stevens noting that innovative financing models in New Mexico and Vermont are helping to boost early educator compensation. \nAfterwards a panel of providers introduce their professional development models: \n\nEmily Grunt describes how the FluentSeeds professional development model balances education and the science of how children learn with sensitivity\, encouragement\, development through doing and self-image. It has been externally evaluated and proven to be effective in achieving learning outcomes for children across subgroups.\nKai-ama Hamer introduces ParentCorps\, explaining how it transforms the pre-K experience by helping schools partner with families with components tailored to serve parents\, students and educators. Evaluations have shown it to have long-term positive outcomes on children’s mental health and academic achievement.\nDeborah Leong\, Ph.D.\, describes how Tools of the Mind is rooted in the science and includes both a comprehensive curriculum for pre-K and kindergarten and a professional development model that develops self-regulated learners with an emphasis on executive functions that support both cognitive\, social-emotional and academic skills.\n\n“We’re really just scratching the surface\,” Sharp noted as she called for other funders to invest in professional development for early learning educators. “All three of these providers are scaling. They’re growing and that’s great. But\, we are still nowhere near meeting the need.”
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/the-critical-role-of-professional-development-in-creating-high-quality-early-learning-environments/
CATEGORIES:Funder-to-Funder Conversation,Past Event,Readiness
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20221115T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20221115T163000
DTSTAMP:20260408T175035
CREATED:20231213T201233Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231213T201554Z
UID:244848-1668524400-1668529800@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:Safety and Belonging First: Advancing Well-Being for Learning Recovery
DESCRIPTION:In this week’s webinar Safety and Belonging First: Advancing Well-Being for Learning Recovery\, we explored how to best cultivate well-being for students — and their parents\, caregivers and teachers — as a strategy to advance equitable learning recovery as we continue to emerge from the pandemic. Experts helped us explore our own experience with well-being in a quick poll and then shared their thoughts on the definition. Karen Pittman of Knowledge to Power Catalysts and formerly of the Forum for Youth Investment and a well-known leader and advocate for thriving youth shared the following definition from the young person’s perspective: \n“I have a sense of agency. I feel like I can go out and do things in the world and make a difference\, and I have a sense of connectedness. I’m connected to something. I’m grounded. I have a sense of collective identity. And those put together really give you meaning and purpose.” \nIn addition to Pittman\, CGLR was introduced to the work of UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center with panelist\, Maryam Abdullah\, Ph.D.\, who shared what the organization sees as the 12 keys to well-being. Abdullah zeroed-in on the importance of ensuring that the parents of young children have access to and experience these building blocks. As she expresses below\, the community surrounding the parents and children are essential factors in cultivating the building blocks: \n“Someone needs to be there to put the oxygen mask on you as a parent\, and that comes from a community that recognizes and honors what parenting entails. Because oftentimes the onus is on the parents who are often depleted already. So we need to be thinking about\, what is the community doing to have the oxygen mask at the ready for the parents who are needing support?”  \nWe were lucky to then hear from a panel of CGLR community leaders who shared their specific programs and strategies designed to place those oxygen masks at the ready for parents while building the sense of connectedness in students and providing support and nurturing for teachers.
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/safety-and-belonging-first-advancing-well-being-for-learning-recovery/
CATEGORIES:Past Event
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20221129T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20221129T163000
DTSTAMP:20260408T175035
CREATED:20231201T002649Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240530T180755Z
UID:245057-1669734000-1669739400@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:Play + Academics + Relationships: Teaching in Ways Kindergartners Learn Best
DESCRIPTION:“How do we get all these wonderful practices that you’re hearing about into the length of day that we have in kindergarten?” \nNell K. Duke\, Ed.D.\, of Stand for Children asked this amidst the rich conversation  during this GLR Learning Tuesdays session that was a part of a series planned in partnership with New America\, lifting up “Kindergarten as a Sturdy Bridge” between the early years and early grades. In this session\, panelists shared some of the most important research findings on teaching and learning in kindergarten. Duke’s remarks pointed to increasing instructional density\, which she described as thinking about “multiple areas of literacy development at once and looking for opportunities for interdisciplinary instruction where you’re developing language. And when you’re developing literacy\, you’re developing science and math all within an interdisciplinary opportunity.” \nPanelists discussed several strategies including delivering content with practices such as playful learning and learning goals and opportunities for social interaction and independent learning. Deborah Leong\, Ph.D.\, of Tools of the Mind stressed the importance of attention to building children’s executive function. Kathy Hirsch-Pasek\, Ph.D.\, of Temple University and Brookings Institution raised the importance of starting “with the cultural values that are meaningful to the community that you’re working at.” \nAnya Hurwitz of Sobrato Early Academic Language (SEAL) built on this idea\, “When children are engaged\, when they’re interested\, when they’re curious\, the learning is deep. Children are born with scientific minds. We talked about them as critical thinkers. They’re natural sociologists and historians. They ask big questions\, big important questions\, and our job is to structure classroom and learning experiences to build on those innate assets.” \nEducators shared their reactions to the conversation to this point. Cynthia Crespo with New York City Schools noted\, especially this year\, the importance of building a classroom community\, so children feel safe and welcome. Without this work\, she said\, “things are not going to get done.” Crespo’s colleague\, Seymonnia Cutkelvin\, added the intentionality she has put on enhancing children’s social and emotional skills and building literacy skills because for many children\, “they’ve just been surviving with their families for the last three years.” \nFor Luis Gallego\, M.A.Ed.\, of Tools of the Mind\, one of the biggest ideas in the conversation so far is the power of using play intentionally to guide children’s learning. This was the second webinar in the series Promoting Impactful Teaching and Learning in Kindergarten that the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading and New America’s Early & Elementary Education Policy Program have developed to promote impactful teaching and learning in kindergarten. Join us for the remainder of this series in 2023.
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/245057/
CATEGORIES:Past Event
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20221206T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20221206T163000
DTSTAMP:20260408T175035
CREATED:20231025T030342Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231025T030732Z
UID:244362-1670338800-1670344200@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:Real-Time Data & Equitable Learning Recovery: Emerging Pathways to Smarter Decisions
DESCRIPTION:“Everybody has a role\, one of the first things I think we need to do is to get parents and family and community on board and understanding this isn’t going to go just go away. This is a serious problem we have here that will impact students’ outcomes and their lives for years to come. We have to get a handle on this\, and it’s going to take all of us doing it.” – Peggy Carr\, Ph.D.\, Commissioner\, National Center for Education Statistics \nIn this GLR Learning Tuesdays webinar\, CGLR’s John Gomperts moderates a conversation that begins with Commissioner Peggy Carr\, Ph.D.\, of National Center for Education Statistics discussing the 2022 NAEP results and what they reveal about the state of affairs for students\, educators and families. She stresses the reality of life for families during and after the height of the pandemic. \nAttendees also learn about real-time data collection initiatives that can inform efforts to advance equitable learning recovery in partnership with families\, educators and communities. Cristi Carman\, Program Manager of the RAPID project\, shares findings from the RAPID early childhood and family well-being survey based at Stanford University. The RAPID survey was launched in 2020 in response to the pandemic. The survey looks at five areas — child well-being\, material hardship\, child care\, health care and parent well-being — and is updated monthly. \nRachel Hansen discusses the methodology and results of the School Pulse national sample survey of elementary\, middle and high schools led by Institute of Education Sciences. The survey is updated monthly and examines how schools are responding and adapting to changes as a result of the pandemic. Bibb Hubbard\, President and Founder of Learning Heroes\, details the results from their 2022 national survey of parents and educators.
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/real-time-data-equitable-learning-recovery-emerging-pathways-to-smarter-decisions/
CATEGORIES:Past Event
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20221213T123000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20221213T140000
DTSTAMP:20260408T175035
CREATED:20231129T014939Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231208T181543Z
UID:245022-1670934600-1670940000@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:United Way & CGLR: Aligning for Impact in Education
DESCRIPTION:“Puzzle pieces are so fitting for what United to Thrive represents. A puzzle is more challenging in nature\, but there is a solution. It may be complex and there may be many parts\, but every puzzle has a solution. So do the challenges our community faces. You have to focus on the big picture in some cases to solve a puzzle. That is United Way’s unique role in our community. We bring focus on the big picture and how the pieces all come together to form a solution. Just like a puzzle\, every single piece is important.”  \n– Mary Sellers\, United Way of Central Iowa \nThis December 13\,2022 Crucible of Practice Salon webinar featured speakers from United Way of Central Iowa (UWCI) and Oakridge Neighborhood as it explored how Iowa’s largest United Way approaches its education work across different lines of business connecting donors\, advocacy\, data\, funding and partnerships toward collective impact in early childhood and education success. \nUnited Way Worldwide serves more than 1\,100 communities across 37 countries and territories around the globe. The work of United Way is synonymous with community impact in health\, education and financial stability. Fueled by volunteers and passion within the local communities\, United Way offers resources and support for local program partners. Across the GLR Network\, United Ways make up the greatest percentage of backbone agencies for local CGLR coalitions and continue to be an important national and local partner in our shared work. This session examined the story of how the largest United Way in Iowa approaches their education work across different lines of business\, connecting donors\, advocacy\, data\, funding and partnerships toward collective impact in early childhood and education success. \nThe session opened with an introduction to the United to Thrive framework by Mary Sellers\, President of United Way of Central Iowa. Sellers described the five components of United to Thrive\, which when pieced together support a thriving community. These include economic opportunity\, health and well-being\, essential needs\, early childhood success and education success. \n“Equity is at the center of everything we do. Everything is connected and we can’t do one piece of the work without the other. This means focusing internally as well as externally. We’re looking at this from three pillars; individual\, institutional and systemic\, to be able to make a difference and a change for our community to thrive.” – Rubén Vázquez Ruiz \nEquity is embedded throughout each piece of the work. Rubén Vázquez Ruiz\, Chief Diversity\, Equity\, and Inclusion Officer\, shared the ways in which United Way of Central Iowa ensures that equity is woven in with all elements\, including strategic and resource investment decisions. Kate Bennett\, Community Impact Officer in Early Childhood and Education Success\, provided a summary of the key strategies within the early childhood success work. \nJaclyn Wulfekuhle\, Women United Director\, offered details of the donor affinity group and how its focus on investments mobilizes volunteers and funding toward supporting work in reading\, developmental and childhood mental health screenings\, and resources for childcare centers serving families with low incomes. Women United is also connected with efforts in advocacy. Dave Stone\, Advocacy Officer\, explained the approach UWCI takes with advocating for state policy change\, impacting state and local systems. Marian Rueter Godwin\, Community Impact Services Director\, and Rachelle Talbott\, Research Associate\, reviewed their use of Results Based Accountability and data as a driver of continuous improvement. The data collected influences strategic decisions as well as resource allocations. Talbott also provided a quick demonstration of how Clear Impact Scorecard works in real time. Cheryl Werner\, Education Coordinator\, described three national programs implemented by UWCI within their education work. John Spinks Jr\, Program Manager with Oakridge Neighborhood\, directs programs funded by UWCI\, and he offered examples of how the partnership has benefited children and youth served. \n“Because of our collaboration and partnership with United Way\, we were able to receive additional funding to do a number of things for our youth. For example\, we felt it was extremely important when students went to virtual learning that they came to a place where they had adult supervision and support. We were able to have the students in their seats with the computers on to get their academics done for the day. It was a long stretch\, but we were one of a few programs in the city that did not shut down. The partnership allowed us to provide a clean and safe learning environment and we were able to continue to work with students to make sure they were successful during those times.” – John Spinks Jr    
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/united-way-cglr-aligning-for-impact-in-education/
CATEGORIES:Crucible of Practice Salon,Learning Loss,Past Event
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20221213T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20221213T163000
DTSTAMP:20260408T175035
CREATED:20230905T155313Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230927T225851Z
UID:243402-1670943600-1670949000@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:Follow the Money: $190 Billion to Confront Challenges\, Seize Opportunities
DESCRIPTION:In this GLR Learning Tuesdays webinar\, “Follow the Money: $190 Billion to Confront Challenges\, Seize Opportunities\,” we had the chance to look back and look ahead at investments made by State Education Agencies and local school districts from the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) fund\, federal funding designed to address the unprecedented setbacks precipitated by the pandemic. This multi-billion dollar allocation came with a timestamp. At the end of 2022\, we are at the halfway point\, and this  webinar explored both the challenges that districts have faced in spending funds and the bright spots that demonstrate how smart investments can make a real impact on equitable learning recovery. Emma Dorn of McKinsey & Company shared findings from their recent survey of school administrators and helped us understand some of the key challenges faced by districts: \n“One of the challenges that we’ve heard districts talk about a lot is just the availability of talent and vendors. We’re in a very tight labor market. And so we’ve worked with districts who are trying to get a social worker in every school or districts who are trying to increase the number of teachers for intervention or districts who are trying to ramp up tutoring\, and in all of those cases we’re finding challenges that everyone is going after the same staff [so it is difficult to] fill those open positions.” \nAnu Malipatil of the Overdeck Family Foundation moderated an informative and data-rich discussion with Dorn and other experts from Education Trust\, National Rural Education Association\, McKinsey & Company\, COVID Relief Data Project\, FutureEd\, and Overdeck Family Foundation as they unpacked statistics about district spending plans versus actual spending at the two-year mark and the difference between dollars spent and funding commitments made to date. We learned about how State Education Agencies are investing their 10% set aside and the top trends in their spending in support of academic recovery. And we gained a glimpse of promising strategies and examples of district investments that are making an impact on equitable learning recovery and can be replicated in the remaining time allowed for ESSER spending. \nReflecting the challenge identified by Dorn\, David Ardrey of the National Rural Education Association shared how rural districts leveraged their entire community to fill gaps and address the needs during the pandemic: \n“What you’ll find with rural districts is that they [took an] all-hands-on-deck approach\, and that didn’t just include teachers or educators; that was administrators\, bus drivers\, ancillary employees coaching staff and the custodians. And rural districts…did a great job of finding partnerships that were available\, whether that was through higher ed or community services\, or whatever organization they could find to help them as a resource\, they were using those resources in a very effective way. “ \nWith all of the recent headlines proclaiming that “federal funding is going unspent by many school districts\,” this webinar gave us the insight and intel to dispel misconceptions and understand what is really going on as we move into 2023 and continue to do all that we can to support children and families in their recovery from the disruptions caused by the pandemic.
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/follow-the-money-190-billion-to-confront-challenges-seize-opportunities/
CATEGORIES:Past Event
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20221220T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20221220T163000
DTSTAMP:20260408T175035
CREATED:20231129T013820Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231129T013940Z
UID:245017-1671548400-1671553800@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:NAEP Scores: Behind and Beyond the Numbers
DESCRIPTION:“Our schools are community institutions first and foremost. One of the things we were really grateful for during the COVID era\, because we were community institutions\, because our teachers and leaders had deep ties to their communities and deep roots in their communities\, they had built stores of trust with parents\, with teachers\, and it turned out that social capital that had been built in communities paid dividends in a crisis.”  \n– Kathleen Porter-Magee\, Superintendent\, Partnership Schools \nHosted on his December 20\, 2022\, this GLR Learning Tuesdays webinar featured a special “director’s cut” of informative excerpts from a series of conversations that engaged national leaders who shared their insights and reflections on the 2022 NAEP data. While the 2022 NAEP scores confirmed significant learning losses for students nationwide\, especially those students who had been struggling before the pandemic\, the panelists shared the positive outliers among those scores in an effort to illuminate our path forward. \nThis session featured Commissioner Peggy Carr\, Ph.D.\, Commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics\, Institute of Education Sciences\, U.S. Department of Education\, as she offered her insights on the 2022 NAEP scores\, what they reveal about the impact of poverty\, and the broad and long-term commitment that will be required in response. She noted: “Everybody has a role\, one of the first things I think we need to do is to get parents and family and community on board and understanding this isn’t going to go just go away. This is a serious problem we have here that will impact students’ outcomes and their lives for years to come. We have to get a handle on this\, and it’s going to take all of us doing it.” \nOne of the “bright spots” in the NAEP data was the success of Catholic schools\, which either held the line or lost much less ground academically than either public or charter schools. Kathleen Porter-Magee of Partnership Schools\, a network of urban Catholic schools in New York and Cleveland\, shared how the network-wide curriculum and instructional model enabled network leaders to better support teachers and students during virtual learning. She stressed how the schools’ strong community and family connections helped them gain support as they made real-time decisions throughout the pandemic. \nAfter these two leaders shared their insights\, John Gomperts of CGLR moderated a conversation with a panel of distinguished education leaders representing the perspectives of rural and urban districts\, charter schools and Department of Defense Education Activity schools. These panelists shared some of the key lessons from the pandemic while noting that they are still in the process of analyzing much of the data\, but they see some early lessons emerging. \nRaymond Hart\, Ph.D.\, representing urban schools\, shared that the impact on students living in poverty was significant\, while also noting that in some urban areas reading scores in particular did not see as big of a drop. Tim Taylor and Heather Zellers\, representing rural schools\, shared many of the challenges that rural districts faced during the pandemic and continue to face\, including staffing challenges and resource distribution of ARPA and ESSER funds. Christy Wolfe\, representing public charter schools\, shared some of the bright spots seen within charter schools\, including reduced disparities for English language learners. Both rural schools and charter schools noted the ability to adjust more quickly to the pandemic. Taylor stressed the importance of having a strong instructional leader\, such as a superintendent or principal\, and the direct correlation to student outcomes. Beth Schiavino-Narvaez\, Ed.D.\, shared the results from Department of Defense Education Activity schools\, which outpaced the entire nation. Some of the elements contributing to these positive outcomes included rigorous curriculum\, professional development\, consistent leadership and the support of military leaders throughout the system. \n“I think the real challenge coming out of the pandemic is how can we get our students who are in poverty the resources they need? What can we learn from the way we deployed devices so that even after the bell students could still connect and continue to learn\, like many of their peers across the country. I think our real question as a country coming out of the pandemic is: How do we help our students and our families in poverty not only recover but grow? And that’s our primary focus.” \n— Raymond C. Hart\, Ph.D.\, Council of the Great City Schools
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/naep-scores-behind-and-beyond-the-numbers/
CATEGORIES:Past Event
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20230124T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20230124T163000
DTSTAMP:20260408T175035
CREATED:20230713T131657Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230815T215917Z
UID:242025-1674572400-1674577800@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:Closing the Gap: Improving Attendance for Our Youngest Learners
DESCRIPTION:“How do you break down those barriers where a family might be a little hesitant\, or because of their past experiences\, not really trusting what’s going on with the schools? We know that the teachers are the ones that are the front line. They’re the ones who have those relationships and those opportunities to build that connection with families. We [need to think about] how we can be a support to them”. – Tracy Hill\, M.Ed.\, Cleveland Metropolitan School District \nModerated by Hedy Chang of Attendance Works\, this webinar focuses on the critical importance of creating deep relationships with families and caregivers to address the extraordinarily high levels of kindergarten chronic absence occurring in the aftermath of the pandemic. Panelists share how partnerships with health providers\, public agencies\, community organizations and early childhood providers can equip schools to take the year-round\, all-hands-on-deck\, intentional approach to ensuring students are engaged and learning in multiple settings so they are comfortable and confident in school. \nSuperintendent Erica Forti\, East Haven Public Schools\, Connecticut\, discusses the need to explicitly counter the lack of understanding about the social\, emotional and academic importance of coming into the building every day and to invest in the transition from preschool to kindergarten. Assistant Superintendent Elena S. Hill\, Ed.D.\, Early Learning\, Dallas Independent School District\, Texas\, emphasizes the importance of strengthening parent connections to help support reading success and ensure regular attendance for early learners. The district has ramped up its home visiting programs as a strategy to build empathy and trust between its families and schools. \nTracy Hillm M. Ed.\, Executive Director\, Office of Family and Community Engagement\, Cleveland Metropolitan School District\, Ohio\, discusses the district’s commitment to taking a transformative approach to family and community engagement through investments in parent ambassadors and multi-tiered levels of support. Cleveland also has relaunched its attendance awareness campaign with targeted messaging and incentives for students with good and improved attendance. \nPediatrician Elliott Attisha\, a senior fellow with Attendance Works advises that schools can prevent health-related absences by providing clear guidance about when a child should stay home or show up to school\, and investing in school-based health services and screening to support mental as well as physical health. Districts and schools can follow a whole child framework to create a healthy learning environment\, with supports for students’ physical and mental health\, family engagement\, employee wellness and the physical environment.
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/closing-the-gap-improving-atendance-for-our-youngest-learners/
CATEGORIES:Past Event
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20230124T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20230124T163000
DTSTAMP:20260408T175035
CREATED:20230810T182652Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231206T212200Z
UID:242896-1674572400-1674577800@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:Closing the Gap: Improving Attendance for Our Youngest Learners with Attendance Works
DESCRIPTION:Chronic absence is double the levels prior to the pandemic\, and it is exceptionally high in the early grades. Exceptional challenges (increased illness\, mental health\, economic challenges\, etc.) are barriers to getting our youngest learners in school and back into the routine of learning. Despite the pandemic’s impacts\, district leaders are implementing intentional\, year-round strategies to deepen their connection to families\, engage community partners\, and offer supports to help students overcome barriers to attending school and participating in learning. In this CGLR Learning Tuesdays webinar co-sponsored by Attendance Works\, Hedy Chang moderates a conversation with pediatrician Elliott Attisha from Detroit; school district administrators Erica Forti\, from East Haven Public Schools in Connecticut\, Elena Hill\, Ed.D.\, with Dallas Independent Schools\, Texas\, and Tracy Hill\, M.Ed.\, from Cleveland Metropolitan School District in Ohio. Panelists discuss how they are forging relationships with families\, supporting school staff and rallying entire communities to support schools in creating safe\, inclusive and quality learning environments for children.
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/__trashed/
CATEGORIES:Past Event
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