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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20231024T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20231024T163000
DTSTAMP:20260404T075904
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SUMMARY:Building Parent Power: Fostering A Movement of Informed Learning Agents
DESCRIPTION:In this GLR Learning Tuesdays webinar\, we explored why parent power is so important for changing education systems and achieving equitable learning recovery for students. Expert panelists from national and local parent-facing organizations shared strategies to build strong and functional relationships between teachers\, school staff and parents that create space for parents to exercise their innate power and leverage their deep knowledge of what makes their children successful.   \nModerator John Gomperts with CGLR began by engaging in a deep discussion with Alex Cortez of Bellwether. Cortez shared the concept of creating “actionable demand” for great schools\, which requires informing and organizing parents so they can exercise their power through intentional partnerships with educators and focused actions that influence change and support for their children. He emphasized why it is important to focus on parent POWER and building agency among parents: \n“All parents care about the education and future of their children. But caring isn’t the same as power. If a parent’s child is in a failing school system and they lack the economic power to move or the political power to drive change\, they are stuck. So for me\, changing education systems is unapologetically about power\, and how we support efforts that inform and organize parents so they can exercise their innate power — individually and collectively — to drive and sustain change.” \nCortez also reviewed Bellwether’s recent report featuring a series of case studies on local parent power organizations and their key strategies that can be replicated by local communities. Gomperts then engaged two leaders of national parent advocacy organizations: Shana McIver of Learning Heroes and Joann Mickens of Parents for Public Schools who offered their perspectives about the concepts shared by Cortez and the lessons captured in the report and how these connect to their own research and approaches. \nAfter speaking with the national leaders\, Gomperts engaged in a robust discussion with leaders from two of the local organizations profiled in the report: Daniel Anello of Kids First Chicago and Duanecia Evans Clark of FaithActs for Education in Connecticut\, along with Get Georgia Reading Campaign partner Bridget Ratajczak of the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning. From this panel of parent advocates\, we had the chance to learn what works to leverage the power of parents in their communities to make a real impact on a day-to-day basis and the ways they have been able to mobilize parents to partner in strategic and productive ways with educators and schools. Anello captured how important it is to give parents the space to set the agenda and follow their lead: \n“The reason we exist\, Kids First Chicago\, is to give parents the microphone and to get out of the way. Our job is to help them be successful in achieving whatever they tell us they want to pursue. So they have the agenda and their agenda is not blind to the expertise that is out there. We want them to have the information they need to make informed decisions. But at the end of the day\, they’re telling us where to go. And that is our model. We work very closely with the district. We work with whoever — frankly\, the city\, whoever the issue lies with\, that’s who we’re helping parents get in front of.” \nThank you for joining this week’s learning and engagement opportunity. We hope it was productive for you and that you will plan to join us again for future opportunities. In particular\, on November 21\, we will again be joined by Learning Heroes to explore brand new research from Gallup revealing more about the disconnect between parents’ perception of their child’s achievement and the reality\, along with workable solutions to this issue. \n\n\n\n 
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/building-parent-power-fostering-a-movement-of-informed-learning-agents/
CATEGORIES:Past Event
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20231031T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20231031T163000
DTSTAMP:20260404T075904
CREATED:20231019T060703Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231213T133223Z
UID:244269-1698764400-1698769800@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:Making Money Matter
DESCRIPTION:“It is a hugely high stakes issue…..it is not just the investments and money\, we need to make sure the policies are there to produce the biggest impact.”  \nMatthew H. Joseph of ExcelinED offered this advice during the October 31\, 2023 GLR Learning Tuesdays webinar\, Making Money Matter. He explained that $1\,000 can have double the impact on students from low-income families when we shift our focus “from inputs and micromanagement to say that what you really want to do is hold school districts accountable for outcomes.” This sentiment was echoed by Zahava Stadler of New America who talked about lessons learned from the ESSER funding cliff and reminded funders “not to get too minute.” Stadler explained that “districts got constant warnings about the fiscal cliff. Don’t spend this one-time money on recurring costs like staff\, that would be irresponsible from a budgeting perspective. But you know what would be irresponsible? Trying to do anything in education without people.” This is just what Rochelle Wilcox of Wilcox Academy of Early Learning did while trying to increase funding for care for children during their “first 100 days” of life\, she brought together her New Orleans community\, training community members to be advocates for what will make the biggest impact for these children.  \nAleah Guthrie of Tennessee SCORE posed the question\, “So how do you target your funds to student need in the way that funds are generated? How do you do more with still finite funds? How do you tell your story in a way that builds public confidence in the expenditure decisions that you’re making and that includes reporting?” One way that Tennessee did this was pairing legislation with a new approach to education funding that drew the focus back to students and their progress. For Andrea Figueroa\, MPA\, CNP\, of the San Antonio Area Foundation they made both infrastructure and structural change to invest their dollars where the need is greatest. They looked closely at 17 ZIP codes and partnered with stakeholders and superintendents to target young people and their families.  \nThere are many concerns across the country regarding funding and distribution of resources. Elizabeth Gaines of the Children’s Funding Project reminded attendees that it is our responsibility to “figure out how to harness [resources] to support our youngest learners\,” creating a space that is equitable and impactful. 
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/making-money-matter/
CATEGORIES:Past Event
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20231107T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20231107T163000
DTSTAMP:20260404T075904
CREATED:20231017T203901Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231113T165835Z
UID:244255-1699369200-1699374600@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:Early Grade Retention: A Conversation About the Potential Benefits and Risks
DESCRIPTION:“Research also shows that Black\, Latino\, native students and students from low-income backgrounds are more likely to be retained\, and these students are less likely to have consistent access to learning resources and opportunities. We have studies that show that retaining students is correlated with negative social\, emotional and academic outcomes over time. In particular\, we’re looking at things like students who repeat a grade are more likely to experience bullying or be a bully themselves.”-Kristen Hengtgen\, Ph.D. Education Trust \nIn this GLR Learning Tuesdays Learning Loss Recovery Challenge webinar​​​​\, CGLR hosted a conversation with data experts from several exemplary research institutions. These organizations have released data reports on early grade retention\, representing a range of views on the practice as well as a national scan of Pre-K – Grade 3 early learning policies. Our moderator Nyshawana Francis-Taylor\, Ed.D.\, of The School District of Philadelphia brought her perspective as an administrator\, educator and mother to our panel of research and policy leaders. \nDavid Griffith of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute shared the findings of a recent report that questions the long-held notion that retention has negative impacts for young kids. The Fordham brief looked at two decades of research and found that in some cases early grade retention has positive lasting impacts into middle school. Griffith comments about the new brief: “I think the reason we call it ‘Think Again’ is that people should reconsider. There’s real evidence that this can help kids.” \nCasey Sullivan Taylor\, Ed.S.\, with ExcelinEd shared examples of positive impacts of retention policies in states and stressed the importance of a comprehensive set of supports and interventions to address early learning for students who are not meeting benchmarks. Sullivan Taylor highlighted the work in Mississippi as an exemplar model. \nKristin Hengtgen\, Ph.D.\, with Education Trust brought an opposing view and shared the results of the research conducted by Ed Trust that calls out the disproportionate retention rates for children of color and lower-socioeconomic status. Hengtgen noted multiple risks including bullying\, lower self-esteem\, reduced sense of belonging and lack of access to high-quality supports for many students. \nAdrienne Fischer with The Education Commission of the States provided a national overview of the current state policies relating to early literacy. She shared that many states are looking to align early center-based care; pre-K; Head Start; and Family\, Friend and Neighbor care supports to prepare more children for kindergarten and hopefully reduce the need for retention in later grades. \nWhat remains clear as Casey Sullivan Taylor notes below is that regardless of policies that mandate retention\, teacher preparedness\, high-quality curriculum for all students and more intensive supports for struggling readers is fundamental to addressing learning recovery. \n“I like to be sure and highlight the fact that where we’re seeing this positive outcome around retention is in the early grades\, and it’s also part of a larger\, comprehensive early literacy package approach. So\, the policy isn’t just about retention alone. It’s really much more about focusing on a preventative model so that we have supports for kids beginning in kindergarten and supporting them all the way through to third grade. So we hopefully intervene in a meaningful way and support them to a point that they won’t need the retention year.” -Casey Sullivan Taylor\, Ed.S.\, ExcelinEd
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/early-grade-retention-a-conversation-about-the-potential-benefits-and-risks/
CATEGORIES:Past Event
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20231114T123000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20231114T140000
DTSTAMP:20260404T075904
CREATED:20231022T215754Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231121T073314Z
UID:244307-1699965000-1699970400@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:#BetterTogether: A Collective Impact Coalition’s Journey for Literacy Equity in Detroit
DESCRIPTION:“One of the things that all organizations need to be mindful of is\, do they\, in fact\, have people who’ve ever experienced what real collaboration looks like? What does that look like at the community or cross-systems level? What is this thing called collaboration? Because collaboration is built on the spirit of cooperation.” – Jametta Lilly    \nThis session reviewed the application of the collective impact model by sharing the story of 313Reads and taking a deeper dive in breakout room conversations with attendees. The meeting opened with a land acknowledgment for the area in Detroit and the lands of the Odawa\, Ojibwa\, Potawatomi and Fox tribes to set the intention for continuous learning. Following the land acknowledgment\, the icebreaker question encouraged attendees to share resources or books that have been helpful for understanding the various perspectives and stories from people who have been silenced or marginalized. The list shared can be found with the resources toward the end of this summary.     \n“The check-in question is important because we know there are more books out there that we can show and teach our youth about so they can see themselves in these spaces.” – Alejandra Gomez  \nCollective impact\, as defined by the Collective Impact Forum is: “A network of community members\, organizations and institutions who advance equity by learning together\, aligning and integrating their actions to achieve population and systems level change.” The five essential conditions of collective impact include: 1) a common agenda\, 2) shared measures\, 3) mutually reinforcing activities\, 4) continuous communication and 5) a backbone organization. Summarizing the definition and these five conditions established a foundation for the rest of the session.     \n“We’ve worked really hard over the last three and a half years to center literacy as a civil and human right. Literacy is about equity\, justice and liberation.”– Leah van Belle\, Ph.D.   \nLeah van Belle with 313Reads set the context of what drives their coalition by describing the conditions that have held inequities in literacy in place\, specifically for marginalized populations within the community. This framed how the coalition approaches the work as a whole and seeks to establish equity and access for literacy as a civil and human right. 313Reads uses the collective impact model to align and organize their efforts at scale. The structure of the coalition includes an advisory board composed of program partners\, funders and systems-level members; a backbone team; and work groups dedicated to specific areas. Andrea Meyer with Center for Success and Alejandra Gomez with Urban Neighborhood Initiatives described the essential changes that happened for the coalition as they reevaluated their structure and approach.   \n“This work has to be embedded and entrenched in the efforts of the organizations that are partnering. They may have a piece of it rather than the whole big picture. But we want to make sure that we’re not asking folks to pivot and do something different. We want to lean into what they’re already doing and build up the skill set and the understandings of their team or access to resources.” – Andrea Meyer  \n“Moving at the speed of trust is also ensuring and knowing that trust does take time\, and this must be balanced with the work that needs to happen yesterday and as soon as possible.” – Alejandra Gomez  \nThe team found a call to action to “live” the work as a collective impact initiative\, and this influenced the realignment of the vision\, mission and strategic plan for the coalition. The charter\, governance and relationship management of partners and work groups also reformed to intentionally embed more distributed leadership and shared ownership among collaborative members. Meyer and Gomez also described proof points of these changes as evidenced by key community-wide events and the growth of programs that yielded positive results. Jametta Lilly from the Detroit Parent Network reviewed the current challenges\, how the team is addressing these and the next steps that frame the work for the coming year. Leah van Belle concluded with the growth and upcoming changes the team members are most excited about as they look ahead to 2024.    \n“To do collective impact work\, you have to be in it for the long haul. The long haul isn’t a two-year\, three-year\, or even a four- or five-year grant. It means that not only do we need people to come together who are mission focused and understand that we have a commitment\,we also need partners who are a part of the work\, because the collective impact entity is only one part of the iceberg. It needs to also have other organizations working to leverage their own funds\, to give life into the kinds of activities and strategies that the coalition can lead.” – Jametta Lilly   \nAttendees were then invited to join breakout rooms for an exchange of ideas about challenges and approaches from the perspective of program partners or steering committee members. The session ended with participants coming back together as a large group and sharing a few key takeaways. The CGLR communities recognized with Pacesetter Honors\, as Bright Spots and as having “Exceptional” submissions in the Communications Expo were also shared at the end of the meeting.  
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/community-mobilization-and-a-shared-agenda-collective-impact-insights-with-313reads/
CATEGORIES:Crucible of Practice Salon,Past Event
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20231114T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20231114T163000
DTSTAMP:20260404T075905
CREATED:20231022T220308Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231121T073302Z
UID:244311-1699974000-1699979400@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:Leaps and Bounds: How Early Learning Supports the 'Mississippi Miracle' 
DESCRIPTION:This GLR Learning Tuesdays Partner webinar gave attendees an opportunity to learn about Mississippi’s early learning efforts and gains in reading proficiency. Moderated by Micayla Tatum from Mississippi First\, this session featured a conversation with Jill Dent\, Ph.D.\, and Tenette Smith\, Ed.D.\, of the Mississippi Department of Education and Dr. Ruth Patterson of the University of Mississippi Medical Center.  \nThe webinar began with a look back at the last 20 years in the Mississippi early childhood and literacy landscape\, acknowledging how far scores have come and the long-term work and partnerships that have been essential to this state’s continued success. As both Tatum and Smith pointed out\, this was not a miracle\, rather a “marathon.” Collaboration across education\, medical\, legislative and other sectors laid the groundwork and has been the sustaining force behind the implementation of evidence-based practices at the pre-K and elementary levels. \n“For the early learning collaboratives\, they have to cooperate….You’ve got to work at it\, and it doesn’t just happen automatically….We may have differing opinions about things\, but we move past it and try to find a solution….The key is continuing those conversations.” – Jill Dent\, Ph.D.\, MS Department of Education \nKey takeaways from this conversation include: \n\nSustained success depends on extensive support\, including training\, professional development and coaching.\nEarly intervention continues to be crucial in setting children up for success.\nLegislative buy-in and effective policy are major positive contributing factors to success.\nEstablishing and maintaining partnerships is key.\n\n“It’s about breaking down those silos and not letting the adult ego get in the way of providing services and supports for our kids in Mississippi….We are open and willing to make compromises because that compromise is going to get us to the end result. That end result is student outcomes and ensuring that our kiddos are becoming productive citizens\, able to function in Mississippi\, be parents\, be part of the community.” \n– Tenette Smith\, Ed.D.\, MS Department of Education
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/leaps-and-bounds-foundational-early-learning-and-the-mississippi-miracle/
CATEGORIES:Past Event
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20231121T123000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20231121T140000
DTSTAMP:20260404T075905
CREATED:20231027T202647Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231127T030546Z
UID:244449-1700569800-1700575200@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:Early School Success: Bolstering the Vital Early Learning Workforce
DESCRIPTION:“I think of philanthropy’s unique role as the ‘shifter’ — how we shift the conversation\, the policy and research conversations from ‘here’s how the system is broken’ to actually defining what we want in the ideal future in a very tangible way….I think philanthropy can also shift the power dynamics by treating early childhood educators and their professional associations as the professionals that we say they are — and that certainly includes both compensation as well as professional autonomy.” – Marica Cox Mitchell\, Bainum Family Foundation \nMarica Cox Mitchell of the Bainum Family Foundation offered the above reflection during the November 21\, 2023 Funder-to-Funder Conversation exploring philanthropic efforts to better support the early learning educators caring for children in the birth to age 5 space. \nJacqueline Jones\, Ph.D.\, the former President and CEO of the Foundation for Child Development\, moderated the conversation that also included Leslie Dozono of Ballmer Group; Cathrine Aasen Floyd\, Ph.D.\, of Trust for Learning; and Rebecca E. Gomez\, Ed.D.\, of Heising-Simons Foundation. The panelists discussed how they are working at the local\, state and national levels\, individually and in collaboration with other funders\, to address the wide range of issues related to the early care and education (ECE) workforce\, including the workforce pipeline\, educator preparation and access to credentialing\, recruitment and retention\, compensation\, and comprehensive systems change. \nThe panelists talked about how their respective efforts were seeking to “reimagine” the system as a whole to better support early learning educators\, including: \n\nBallmer Group’s $43 million investment in Washington state to strengthen and diversify the workforce pipeline\, advocate for the adoption of a new cost of quality model\, and increase the collective power of Black\, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) leaders in the early childhood policy space.\nBainum Family Foundation’s investment in the WeVision EarlyEd initiative\, which is providing resources and space for families\, early childhood educators and administrators to transcend their current realities and the current pain points in the system to articulate what they want to see in their reimagined experience.\nHeising-Simons Foundation’s work as a part of the Early Educator Investment Collaborative to build awareness of the systemic problems and to seed efforts to address issues related to ECE preparation and compensation\, including recent three-year grants to three states to help them transform their approaches to compensation\nTrust for Learning’s Seeding Equitable Educator Development (SEED) Fund\, which provided funding to nine projects across the country and invited them to tailor the usage of those funds to create a more equitable early learning system in their local context.\n\nThey stressed the importance of working in partnership with educators\, families\, providers\, communities and other “proximity experts\,” with Floyd noting: \n“While we might consider ourselves experts in various segments\, we’re not as well versed to go into a community and tell them what it is that they need as they are to tell us what they need. I love the way Trust for Learning ran our SEED fund — really talking to communities about what it is that they need and then allowing them to come in with an application that would address those needs better than we ever could.” \nStressing the fact that these racial\, class and gender inequities — and efforts to address them — have existed for decades\, they noted that the pandemic shone a light on the issues and provided a window of opportunity for change. They noted that change will require shifts in the long-standing mental models and power dynamics that hold the current system in place. \n“One outcome of the pandemic is much more attention on the role and importance of child care and thinking about it as a racial and gender equity issue\, which many of us have for a very long time\,” stated Dozono. “We are using that attention to finally gain momentum on workforce issues that have been really long entrenched. It seemed like great timing to add philanthropic fuel and to think about workforce in a variety of ways.”  \nWhile the panelists agreed that changing entrenched systems is challenging and takes time\, they expressed optimism that change was possible — or even “inevitable” — with Gomez stating: \n“For a long time\, we’ve framed the workforce as an intractable problem. I’ve worked in two state systems and have done research on the workforce\, and I would say until very recently it was ‘this is really an impossible problem’….I’ve seen a lot of iterations of people saying\, ‘Since we can’t fix compensation\, let’s focus on preparation.’ I have been really pleased to interact with the field and with other funders in thinking about how we move beyond that. How do we think about compensation writ large? There does come a point where you can’t sort of put more on early childhood educators without thinking about that compensation piece. And I do think as a result of the pandemic\, the broader public started to realize this.”
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/early-school-success-bolstering-the-vital-early-learning-workforce/
CATEGORIES:Funder-to-Funder Conversation,Past Event
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20231121T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20231121T163000
DTSTAMP:20260404T075905
CREATED:20231026T183103Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231213T132821Z
UID:244379-1700578800-1700584200@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:B-flation: New Data Reveals Parent-Teacher Disconnect on Student Learning
DESCRIPTION:In this November 21\, 2023 GLR Learning Tuesdays session\, co-sponsored by GLR strategic partner\, Learning Heroes\, we unpacked a new report called B-Flation: How Good Grades Can Sideline Parents produced by Learning Heroes with Gallup. The report breaks down brand new data about how parents get information about their children’s progress\, indicating that nearly 8 in 10 parents say that their child is receiving mostly B’s\, but B’s do not always mean that grade-level achievement is being reached in math and reading.  \nModerator Tracie Potts\, Chair of the Learning Heroes Advisory Board and Executive Director of the Eisenhower Institute at Gettysburg College\, began by engaging in a deep discussion with David Park of Learning Heroes. Potts first engaged Park in a deep exploration of the data and the findings in the new report\, emphasizing how important it is for teachers and parents to engage in working partnerships so that parents understand additional measures of performance beyond grades. Park helped us understand that grades are only one measure and that parents need more:    \n\nReport cards are great\, but they really measure [different aspects of performance] than just grade level. They measure attendance. And whether a child participated\, whether they handed in their homework. All of these things are very important. 64% of parents say that their child’s report card is the most helpful source of information to let their child know or let them know whether their child is performing on grade level. [Instead of relying on just grades\,] it’s important to give parents multiple measures of their child’s achievement.”  \n\nPotts then engaged a panel of local community leaders in a discussion of their solutions to this issue and how they are working with parents to ensure that they know how to approach their conferences with teachers and ask the right questions to understand how their children are progressing. Michele Connelly of the United Way of West Central Mississippi\, Lisa Greening of Turn the Page\, STL\, Kim Myers of Get Troup Reading in Georgia\, Rachel Powers of the Opportunity Trust in St. Louis\, and John Robinson of the Houston Area Urban League discussed how they are deploying tools from Learning Heroes’ Go Beyond Grades campaign and their other replicable strategies to help parents build working relationships with teachers and schools. Powers explained how important it is to provide parents both the information and the tools they need to take steps to build relationships with teachers:  \n\nWe know that when parents understand what the issue is\, they take action. And so that’s part of the work that we’re doing: really bring the issue to parents so they understand that there are other ways that they can look at how their children are succeeding in schools. What we don’t want to do is just equip parents with knowledge and no real direction to take and instead provide them with steps to take. And the Go Beyond Grades campaign has been a great way to give those tools to parents directly. In Missouri\, we’ve got a law now that requires parents to be notified when their child is not reading on grade level. And so we are using resources from the Go Beyond Grades campaign and can say\, ‘Parents\, now that you have the knowledge and the understanding\, here are some tools\, and here are some ways that we can walk through this together and really partner with teachers to make sure that we can get what’s best for your children.” \n\nThe session wrapped with Howard Winchester of Learning Heroes walking us through the updates and new tools available as part of the Go Beyond Grade campaign — and especially those that have been developed to directly respond to the issues emerging from the data.
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/bflation-getting-parents-and-teachers-on-the-same-page-about-childrens-learning/
CATEGORIES:Past Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/CASEYKINETIK2015_Thurs00371-e1698245893340.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20231128T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20231128T143000
DTSTAMP:20260404T075905
CREATED:20231108T230056Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231204T183339Z
UID:244763-1701176400-1701181800@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:What Happens (or Doesn’t Happen) in One Generation Affects the Next: 2Gen Strategies for Alleviating Poverty\, Part 3
DESCRIPTION:United Way Worldwide (UWW)\, Ascend at the Aspen Institute and the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading (CGLR) will host the final session of a three-part series of conversations designed to engage diverse voices and perspectives on two-generation (2Gen) approaches to reducing poverty. This session will focus on community-driven initiatives to help families access federal programs that provide income supports and improve economic opportunity. \nChild poverty is a persistent issue with lifetime and intergenerational consequences. More than a quarter of the people living in poverty in the United States receive no help from food stamps and other nutrition programs\, subsidized housing\, welfare and other cash benefits\, or child-care assistance. According to a report by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration\, about 5 million potentially eligible taxpayers do not claim the credit each year\, resulting in about $7 billion in unclaimed benefits annually. Expanding federal and state policies and helping parents and caregivers access these benefits would reduce child poverty and improve long-term outcomes for children \nIn this session\, participants will be grounded in data that makes the case for addressing the benefit gap\, gain an appreciation for the current policy landscape which creates the context for advocacy\, local United Way’s will share how their strategies are shoring up programs– like 211\, increasing Medicaid funding for states\, expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit\, WIC benefits\, and increasing monthly Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits – policies and services designed to build financial stability. \nNationwide\, the concept of free and affordable tax preparation tied to asset development is embraced by a broad cross-section of neighborhoods\, cities\, community coalitions\, funders and policymakers. While we’ve learned a great deal about anti-poverty programs and policies\, there is still much to be accomplished. Join us on November 28th to hear more about what it takes to scale\, how to engage champions in the effort\, and the innovation that will inform the next generation of this work that will help families access the benefits they are entitled to.
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/what-happens-or-doesnt-happen-in-one-generation-affects-the-next-2gen-strategies-for-alleviating-poverty-part-3/
CATEGORIES:Past Event,Peer Exchange Conversation
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20231128T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20231128T163000
DTSTAMP:20260404T075905
CREATED:20231127T031355Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231213T133038Z
UID:244976-1701183600-1701189000@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:Collaborating for Kids: Climate Change\, Environmental Justice and Advocacy
DESCRIPTION:“There are so many various issues\, but if we don’t have a livable world\, really\, what else are we doing? We have to tackle the issue that’s in front of us\, which is ensuring a future for our children\, for future generations.” — Liz Hurtado\, Moms Clean Air Force  \n\nIn the November 28\, 2023 GLR Learning Tuesdays webinar\, Lisa Guernsey of New America moderated a conversation with Eric Bucher\, Ed.D.\, of the Children’s Equity Project\, Liz Hurtado of Moms Clean Air Force and Dr. Joshua Sparrow of Brazelton Touchpoints Center. The session began with an in-depth explanation from Sparrow about climate change and its impacts\, both globally and on an individual level. Next\, Hurtado shared more about environmental impacts on health\, especially for young children. Bucher then drew connections between the importance of advocating for equity in the early childhood sphere and the realities of climate and environment.  \n\n“Every child deserves to have a quality early care and education experience\, and they deserve to have a space where they’re safe\, where they’re healthy\, where they have trusted caregivers who can build their bodies and their brains….We can’t ignore climate change if we are thinking about children as holistic learners\, as holistic developers.”  — Eric Bucher\, Ed.D.\, The Children’s Equity Project\, ASU  \n\nSome key takeaways from this conversation are:   \n\nAlthough the effects of climate change are dire\, there is hope and action to be taken. \nChildren\, and especially children in lower-income areas\, are disproportionately affected by environmental pollution and climate change. \nYouth voice needs to be part of the conversation. \nCivic action and policy are crucial to effect change. \nDisparate sectors need to come together and work collaboratively to address the growing challenges facing children to ensure a safe\, healthy future. 
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/collaborating-for-kids-climate-change-environmental-justice-and-advocacy/
CATEGORIES:Past Event
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20231212T123000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20231212T140000
DTSTAMP:20260404T075905
CREATED:20231204T220601Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231218T154341Z
UID:245098-1702384200-1702389600@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:Community Messaging to Build Awareness About Early Childhood Programs
DESCRIPTION:“We invite our business leaders\, organizations and city leaders to come together to celebrate a love of reading. We really want to hone in on the importance of where kids are learning and that there’s a role for everyone across our community to play and help support that learning.” – Barb Lito   \nIn this Crucible of Practice Salon\, we were joined by Samantha Emerine from FAMILY\, Inc. in Council Bluffs\, Iowa\, and Barbara Lito from the City of Virginia Beach\, Virginia\, who shared examples of communication tools they use to inform community members about programs and resources for families and young children. These examples were recently recognized as “Exceptional” in CGLR’s 2023 Communication Expo.   \nFollowing the opening remarks and icebreaker\, Emerine provided an overview of Raise Me to Read and the focus areas within the coalition. Early childhood services and programs supporting children from birth to age 5 and their families are a core focus of the work. This is done through partnerships with program providers\, preschools and the local public library. Awareness about the programs and services offered is key to ensuring that families are accessing these resources. The two examples of communications tools Emerine shared include the kindergarten readiness brochure and the “Baby Reads” Campaign.       \n“If the information is not presented in a friendly or approachable way for families\, it might get overlooked. If families don’t see the information\, then it’s not doing anyone any good.” – Samanta Emerine  \nLito shared an overview of Virginia Beach GrowSmart\, the CGLR coalition\, and how the coalition functions within the economic development branch of the City of Virginia Beach. She described the coalition’s messaging under the “Virginia Beach Talks” campaign focused on early childhood programs. The outcomes of the campaign include connection and engagement with parents through evidence-based programs\, including LENA Start and story-sharing in parent groups\, and large-scale events\, such as their “Read Across America” Day.   \n“The intention of Virginia Beach Talks is to lift up the importance of early learning happening across a child’s life experience from age zero to 5 and connect and equip our adult caregivers\, parents and early educators for success.” – Barbara Lito    \nThe large group discussion pulled in two other CGLR community leads to provide examples of their communications work. Ashley Winslow from United Way of Wyoming Valley shared information about the recent project called the “Community Helpers video series\,” which is a series of 12 videos from community members in different occupations\, reading a book and messaging about the importance of reading. The video series is widely shared on the organization’s social media channels\, in classrooms and at the local library. Kim Myers from Get Troup Reading discussed the re-design of the Get Troup Reading website\, the intention behind the site and how the coalition is using it to communicate supportive resources as well as key data for their overall work. A Padlet was used for the remainder of the large group conversation to collect insights about some of the conversation starter questions.  
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/community-messaging-to-build-awareness-about-early-childhood-programs/
CATEGORIES:Crucible of Practice Salon,Past Event,Readiness
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20231212T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20231212T163000
DTSTAMP:20260404T075905
CREATED:20231204T214620Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260203T141024Z
UID:245090-1702393200-1702398600@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:Stalled Learning Recovery and Bright Spots from 2023
DESCRIPTION:What is standing in our way? “In one word\, inertia\, resistance to change.”  \nKenneth B. Mason of the Georgia State Board of Education and the Southern Regional Education Board offered this perspective during this week’s GLR Learning Tuesdays webinar\, Stalled Learning Recovery & Bright Spots From 2023.  \nAs this session looked back at several 2023 sessions on data and learning to inform the path forward in education\, we saw the same themes repeat again and again.  \n\nGrowth lags behind pre-pandemic trends creating a compounding debt for unfinished learning.  \nGaps can’t be addressed in one year or with one intervention. \nInvestment in teachers’ learning is necessary and works to accelerate student achievement. \nHigh-quality curriculum and programs are necessary and have to be implemented with fidelity. \nTargeted interventions work and are needed to mitigate learning loss. \n\nYolie Flores of Families In Schools answered the question of “What is standing in our way?” this way: “Basic leadership around the importance of why it matters for all children to get a good education\, not just some children.”  \nKaren Lewis of NWEA\, a division of HMH\, acknowledged that there is fatigue around this conversation and these things are becoming the “new normal\,” but stressed that learning loss is devastating for the kids at the margins.   \n“How do we make learning ubiquitous and happening 365 days of the year?”  \nJean-Claude Brizard of Digital Promise asked this question asserting that learning recovery must happen in communities as well as in classrooms.   \nWhen our panelists were posed this question\, Flores pointed to the examples from the previous webinar highlights\, noting “the reassurance of the reminder that we can solve this\, that we have these bright spots. We have examples of what we know can get our kids on track.”   \nUnderscoring the critical role played by educators\, Lindsay Sobel of Teach Plus reminded us\, “Teachers are adult humans.…You can’t do change to teachers.…When you engage teachers in the decision-making process\, when you really build on the expertise that they bring to the table — because they are the experts who work with students every single day\, deeply embedded in communities and working with families — that’s a lever that can make a really big difference.”  \nMason continued to expand on this idea saying\, “Prioritizing the wrong things [is a barrier]. Some school districts\, some state-level leaders prioritize what I’ll call scorekeeping instead of learning. And I think when you prioritize learning\, then that has everything to do with the family and the community. It is not a singular issue…learning should happen\, should be planned\, well beyond the boundaries of school.” \nFlores said it this way\, “This is a community problem. For so long we keep blaming schools\, the teacher\, the district\, and we are all responsible for whether or not all of our children can fulfill their destiny.”  \n“This is possible\, we just have to get it right.” — Lindsay Sobel 
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/stalled-learning-recovery-and-bright-spots-from-2023/
CATEGORIES:Past Event,Special Webinar
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240102T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240102T163000
DTSTAMP:20260404T075905
CREATED:20231207T215546Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240105T214324Z
UID:245192-1704207600-1704213000@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:REBROADCAST - The First Month of School and Beyond: Nurturing Attendance Every Day
DESCRIPTION:Co-sponsored by Attendance Works\n			\n				\n				\n				\n				\n				Alarming increases in chronic absence across the nation\, particularly in kindergarten\, reveal the urgent need to re-establish routines of daily attendance among our youngest learners.  Students chronically absent in preschool and kindergarten are more likely to be chronically absent in later grades and much less likely to read and count proficiently by the end of third grade. Equally important\, chronic early absence is associated with declines in educational engagement\, social-emotional development\, and executive functioning. Economically challenged students suffer the most\, as they typically have less access to resources that would help them make up for the lost opportunities to learn in classrooms.  Starting the year with a regular routine of attendance helps young children and their families become less anxious about school\, connect to peers as well as teachers\, access needed resources and engage in learning. \nJoin us on January 2\, 2024\, from 3–4:30 p.m. ET\, for a special holiday rebroadcast session to hear how schools\, districts\, community partners and cities can work together with families to overcome attendance barriers and make attendance a top priority and strategy for laying the foundation for early school success. We will showcase the work of practitioners in New York City; Marshalltown\, Iowa; and Albuquerque\, New Mexico\, as well as resources available from Attendance Works and the National League of Cities. Getting young children to school on a regular basis will require deep partnerships with families and an all-hands-on-deck approach. \nAttendees will hear from: \n\nLysandra Agosto\, MBA\, Director of Compliance and ERSEA\, Early Childhood Division\, Children’s Aid Society\, New York City\nBenjamin Barlow\, Director of Attendance Supports\, Albuquerque Public Schools\, New Mexico\nAnel Garza\, Principal\, Woodbury Elementary\, Marshalltown Community School District\, Iowa\nSandra Romero\, Community School Director\, Public School 211\, Children’s Aid Society\, New York City\nMonica Rossi\, MSW\, Early Childhood Division Health Coordinator\, Children’s Aid Society\, New York City\nBrandis Stockman\, Program Manager\, Education & Expanded Learning\, National League of Cities\nHedy Chang\, Executive Director\, Attendance Works\, Moderator
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/rebroadcast-the-first-month-of-school-and-beyond-nurturing-attendance-every-day/
CATEGORIES:Past Event
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240109T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240109T163000
DTSTAMP:20260404T075905
CREATED:20231220T233823Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251021T061759Z
UID:245729-1704812400-1704817800@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:Connecting Communities: National and Local Partners Linking Families to the Internet
DESCRIPTION:In 2021\, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act\, better known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law\, released $65 billion to be used to support digital connectivity to bridge the digital divide. This large investment has provided access to connectivity and devices for millions across the United States and significantly accelerates efforts to close the digital learning gap — including efforts to build the capacity of both parents and educators to access and deploy technology to support student learning through new EdTech tools and curricula. \nJoin us on January 9\, from 3–4:30 pm ET as we launch our new Big Bets Working webinar series with an exploration of local and national efforts to ensure digital connectivity. We will hear how several organizations identified places where access gaps were the largest — poor\, rural\, Black and Latinx communities — and worked to overcome barriers and boost awareness of the resources available through this legislation. Panelists will also share how they built trust in communities and implemented strategies for supporting enrollment in the newly funded programs. \nAdeyinka Ogunlegan of EducationSuperHighway will describe their four-pronged action plan to develop awareness\, identify unconnected households\, engage partners and enable apartment owners housing low-income families to aggregate benefits to provide access throughout buildings. Amina Fazlullah of Common Sense Media will share their mission to connect every family in the country and the importance of partnerships with community schools and libraries in accomplishing this work. Andrew Spector of The Patterson Foundation will share how their Digital Access for All initiative has supported training and knowledge-sharing for community-based nonprofit partners — all with the same goal of digital connectivity and universal access to the internet.   \n 
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/connecting-communities-national-and-local-partners-linking-families-to-the-internet/
CATEGORIES:Big Bets Working,Past Event
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240116T123000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240116T140000
DTSTAMP:20260404T075906
CREATED:20231214T175331Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240119T220242Z
UID:245444-1705408200-1705413600@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:Catalytic Leadership in Philanthropy: Helping Lean Funders Unleash Their Full Potential
DESCRIPTION:Catalytic Leadership in Philanthropy is designed to empower more lean funders to get involved in this kind of outsized impact work. The core of it really gets to this idea of funders using ‘more than money’ — using your convening ability\, leveraging relationships\, being able to raise public awareness of issues\, using your foundation platform\, being a matchmaker\, being a broker in your community\, funding and engaging in policy advocacy. It is about using all the powers of a lean\, place-based foundation.”  – Andy Carroll\, Exponent Philanthropy \nIn this Funder-to-Funder Conversation\, Andy Carroll of Exponent Philanthropy offered the above description as he introduced attendees to the Catalytic Leadership in Philanthropy (CLIP) mindset and practice that Exponent developed through engagement with its membership.   \n\nDebra M. Jacobs\, President and CEO of The Patterson Foundation — which is a member of both Exponent Philanthropy and the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading Network — moderated the conversation. First\, she engaged Carroll and Paul D. Daugherty of Exponent Philanthropy in a discussion about how Exponent works to amplify and increase the impact of “lean” funders — meaning those with few or no staff. Carroll explained how Exponent’s CLIP is a transformational leadership style that empowers lean funders to make long-term\, systems change around a focused issue prioritized by their community or field. He noted that lean funders who engage in catalytic leadership focus their giving; offer flexible\, multiyear funding; build strong relationships with grantees and the community; and leverage non-grant assets to further their missions. CLIP encourages funders to listen deeply; engage with humility\, curiosity and patience; and promote collaboration.  \n“Catalytic leadership is not just about what is pushed out\, but the connections built across the community and with the funder\,” explained Daugherty\, likening CLIP to the children’s story about stone soup where each townsperson contributes what they have.   \nJacobs then engaged two lean funders in the CGLR Network — Melissa Litwin of The Henry and Marilyn Taub Foundation and Matthew Peterson of the John & Janice Wyatt Foundation — in a discussion about how they embrace “more than money” approaches to bring about transformative change in partnership with community. While Litwin and Peterson had not previously been aware of Exponent’s CLIP approach\, they realized that their work in community reflected many of its practices.     \n“You can call it impact-driven philanthropy or entrepreneurial philanthropy or catalytic philanthropy. In this field\, sometimes the vocabulary may be different\, but the concepts are in fact very similar in many ways. One of the things that I heard in listening to this panel is the underlying requirement of building credibility and building trust so that you have the opportunity to facilitate and bring people together.” – Matthew Peterson\, John & Janice Wyatt Foundation \nThe panelists discussed how lean funders are not just mini versions of large foundations\, but rather they offer a number of strengths\, including the ability to drill down and focus on specific issues and continue that focus over time. They also noted that lean\, local funders have deep local connections and trusting relationships that can be leveraged for impact. They acknowledged that change-work takes time and the importance of being patient and benchmarking and celebrating progress along the way. They also discussed the importance of learning from and with the community\, moving from a scarcity mentality to a collective abundance mentality that encourages collaboration\, and being transparent in sharing both successes and lessons learned.   \n“The only way to solve the problem is by listening carefully to the people who are impacted. That is the key asset to solving the problem….Being in community and building community is critical so that when problems arise there is already a group of folks who are committed.”– Melissa Litwin\, The Henry and Marilyn Taub Foundation  \nCarroll and Daugherty shared several examples of Exponent members that have utilized this CLIP approach to achieve systems change results at either the community or state level\, while Litwin and Peterson shared concrete examples of how they are engaging deeply with partners in their community to achieve positive outcomes for children.   \n“Change happens at the speed of trust and if we are looking for long-term change\, we need to have trust with those we are going to work with – and that takes time. It takes relationship building.” – Debra M. Jacobs\, The Patterson Foundation  
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/catalytic-leadership-in-philanthropy-helping-lean-funders-unleash-their-full-potential/
CATEGORIES:Funder-to-Funder Conversation,Past Event,Readiness
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240116T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240116T163000
DTSTAMP:20260404T075906
CREATED:20231217T224417Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251021T061407Z
UID:245609-1705417200-1705422600@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:Big Bets Working: Keeping the Commitment to Tutoring Alive and Strong
DESCRIPTION:In this GLR Learning Tuesdays webinar\, we focused on identifying and celebrating where and how tutoring — an essential strategy that has the promise of delivering more than the usual increments of progress toward transformative change — is enabling educators and their community partners to move the needle on equitable learning recovery. Moderator Pete Lavorini of Overdeck Family Foundation engaged in discussion with a leading researcher\, policy advocate and journalist to gain perspective on the national landscape and the key characteristics of effective tutoring practices that are advancing the Potential of High-Impact Tutoring. These leaders\, along with executives from successful national tutoring programs who have achieved results and joined our conversation\, discussed what keeps a tutoring program alive and strong — even in the face of the impending ESSER funding cliff. \nOur discussion began with Susanna Loeb\, Ph.D.\, of the National Student Support Accelerator at Stanford University providing a clear definition of high-impact tutoring\, including the research indicating the key elements that make tutoring most effective in advancing student learning progress. Journalist Linda Jacobson of The74 Media then shared three standout examples of unique and impactful tutoring programs achieving academic gains that have been featured in The74\, including virtual tutoring and parents as tutors. Kevin Huffman at Accelerate dove into the ways that several states are enabling high-impact tutoring through policies in support of partnerships and implementation\, such as outcomes-based contracting with school districts. \n“High-impact tutoring is intensive\, meaning that it takes place multiple times per week over an extended period of time. It’s also relationship based because relationships drive student engagement and motivation. And this means that the tutoring is with the same tutor every time and that tutor is well trained and supported on relationship-building skills as well as on instruction and academic content. And then\, in addition to being intensive and relationship based\, it’s individualized. That’s where you get the strength of tutoring and that tutors use data along with high-quality instructional approaches and materials to design instruction to meet each student’s individual needs.”\n– Susanna Loeb\, Stanford University \nAfter the discussion of research and policy\, we were joined by national tutoring program leaders who shared their specific\, on-the-ground tactics that generate working partnerships with schools\, meaningful tutor-tutee matches\, and quality training and preparation for tutors. AJ Gutierrez of Saga Education and Phillip M. Robinson\, Jr.\, of Reading Partners discussed how they prioritize relationship building at all levels — with school teams\, between tutors and students\, with families\, etc.\, and how the ability to achieve academic progress with students is built on this critical foundation. Gutierrez touched on what needs to be in place for tutors to be confident and effective: \n“With the right supports in place through training\, really intentional curriculum design and support\, tutors can have extraordinary impact on academic outcomes and as a way to supplement classroom instruction\, not as a way to supplant core classroom instruction. And so that’s really important from a human capital perspective. I think the pool of people who could potentially be qualified tutors is broad and there’s opportunity to tap in some really great talent.”
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/big-bets-working-keeping-the-commitment-to-tutoring-alive-and-strong/
CATEGORIES:Big Bets Working,Past Event
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240123T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240123T163000
DTSTAMP:20260404T075906
CREATED:20240102T164636Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240128T224536Z
UID:245746-1706022000-1706027400@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:Engaging Families for Everyday Attendance
DESCRIPTION:In this Big Bets Working session\, the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading (CGLR) hosted a conversation with practitioners working at the school\, district\, community and state levels to hear how they are partnering with families to overcome attendance barriers and make attendance a priority strategy for nurturing early school success. \n“Positive family engagement is foundational to a shared understanding of why attendance matters and for building partnerships [that will help] to overcome barriers to attendance.” – Francisco Baires\, Capitol Region Education Council\, CT \nHedy Chang of Attendance Works kicked off the discussion by sharing recent data from states that shows chronic absence rates are declining modestly\, but the country still has an unprecedented attendance crisis that affects nearly one out of three students. Elementary schools are especially impacted. The number of elementary schools with extreme levels of chronic absence (30%+ chronic absence rate) in the 2021–22 school year was nearly 20\,000\, which is a jump from approximate 3\,550 schools before the pandemic. “This means we have to partner with families to ensure and\, in many cases\, restore positive conditions for learning that really help make sure kids and their families see school as a place that they want to be\,” Chang said. We have to ensure families know\, see and feel that school is physically healthy and safe\, they feel a sense of belonging and their children are engaged academically. \nAngella Graves\, MAT\, of Cornelius Elementary School in Oregon shared that she focuses on attendance in her communications with parents as a principal throughout the year. Her summer message to families includes vacation dates and lets families know how absences impact students academic progress. In September\, she sends a letter to families who struggled with attendance the year before. For families with complex structures\, Graves noted the team addresses each individually to find what works for that family. Sometimes it involves going through a student’s emergency contact list to ensure all adults are receiving school communications. It’s not a one size fits all\, she said. \nJo Ellen Latham of South East Polk Community Schools in Iowa noted that\, as a district\, the key was helping schools move from punitive to positive and use data effectively. She offered the example of one of their schools\, Delaware Elementary. The school has an attendance awareness campaign with posters and parent communications\, including flyers and refrigerator magnets with the academic calendar. When students are struggling with attendance\, the school sends families a formal attendance letter with attendance data\, offers a home visit by the attendance team and\, when needed\, requests a family meeting with the principal to learn about the challenges to being in school and discuss solutions. \nFrancisco Baires of Capitol Region Education Council in Connecticut described the Connecticut State Department of Education Learner Engagement and Attendance Program (LEAP)\, a Tier 2 research-based\, relational home visit model proven to increase student attendance and family engagement. Baires emphasized that the home visiting model is not a silver bullet solution. Rather it is a long-term relationship-building effort that includes initial and follow-up phone calls designed to establish a relationship. Families are not problems to be solved but rather co-partners in supporting their child’s attendance in school every day\, he said. \nKari Sullivan Custer of the Connecticut State Department of Education shared the measurable impacts LEAP is having on student attendance. Research by the center for Connecticut Education Research Collaboration reports that one month after the initial home visit there was a 4 percentage point increase in attendance. Six months after the initial home visit\, there was a 10 percentage point increase for pre-K–5\, and for grades 6–12\, there was a 20 percentage point increase. These results did not differ based on the title of the person conducting the home visit\, Custer said. Equally important\, since SY 2021–22\, Connecticut has started to see statewide reductions in chronic absence. She attributes the reductions to three key factors: Connecticut’s long-standing commitment to family engagement and improved student attendance; integrated work across departments; and the use of data to inform investments and actions. \nKali Thorne Ladd of Children’s Institute (CI) in Oregon explained that CI is a community-based organization offering services across Oregon. To support schools working to improve family engagement\, CI brings partners together across districts to talk and learn from one another\, because many districts in the state are struggling with the same things. She stressed the value of including culturally specific outside partners to help schools connect with families and offer resources to those in need. \nNancy Duchesneau of The Education Trust shared results of a family engagement study involving two nationally representative surveys of parents and teachers\, interviews with family engagement coordinators\, and an online discussion board of 30 parents who had a child in first or second grade. Many of the findings overall were positive\, but a deep dive showed that families reported experiencing a lot of barriers to engagement\, such as scheduling conflicts\, lack of transportation and child care. She praised the efforts the other panelists shared around using multiple avenues to reach parents\, from phone calls and letters to empathy interviews and home visits\, to building awareness with social media. “This diversification of approaches is really what parents need given their busy lives\,” Duchesneau said. \nThe panel agreed that the priority activity in their attendance and engagement work is communicating clearly with parents and caregivers to develop trusting\, positive relationships that encourage families to bring their children to school each day.
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/engaging-families-for-everyday-attendance/
CATEGORIES:Past Event
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240130T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240130T163000
DTSTAMP:20260404T075906
CREATED:20240121T203205Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240607T131251Z
UID:246162-1706626800-1706632200@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:Emergent Bilinguals and English Language Learners: The Sturdy Bridge
DESCRIPTION:“We do this work because we believe in the cultural\, linguistic\, intellectual brilliance of our country’s diverse children\, and we deeply understand that our schools were not adequately designed to serve these children. Yet\, we know that when schooling builds upon the assets\, the lived experiences and the funds of knowledge\, honoring family and community cultures and developing home languages\, children thrive.” \nIn the first of GLR Learning Tuesdays new Kindergarten Matters webinar series\, CGLR partnered with Sobrato Philanthropies. In the above quote\, Anya Hurwitz of Sobrato Early Academic Learning (SEAL) emphasized the inherent potential of our country’s diverse children and underscored a need for the evolution of our schools to better serve emergent bilinguals. \nKarla Ruiz with Sobrato Philanthropies moderated the conversation and set the scene for the importance of utilizing kindergarten as a foundational stage for ensuring that essential elements seamlessly integrate into the broader educational journey of each child. \n“It’s become really clear how important it is in this moment\, where so much is happening in education\, to leverage kindergarten as that sturdy bridge between early learning — where developmental\, culturally responsible practices and family engagement are really core — and the later grades\,” Ruiz reflected. \nRuiz first engaged Melissa Castillo\, Ed.D.\, of the Office of the Secretary within the U.S. Department of Education in a discussion about Secretary Miguel Cardona’s Raise the Bar Initiative\, launched with the intention of lifting up three goals to achieve academic excellence\, boldly improve learning conditions and create pathways for global engagement. Castillo then discussed the “three key levers” aimed at providing every student with a pathway to multilingual wisdom: equitable access for English learners\, a diversified bilingual/multilingual educator workforce and quality bilingual education for all. Before closing\, Castillo directed attendees to visit NCELA.ED.GOV to access over 57\,000 resources\, including the English Learner Family Toolkit\, designed to help families and educators stay connected with tips\, tools and resources to help navigate the education system. \n“At the Department\, we want to model and exemplify what it means to ensure that families and students have access [to resources] in a language that they understand\,” Castillo closed. \nRuiz then engaged Anya Hurwitz in a discussion about SEAL’s P–3 Framework\, which “aims to help the field more fully center multilingual learner/English learner students.” Hurwitz spoke to the development of the P–3 Framework\, referring to the significant and growing population of English learners in California and across the nation. The P–3 Framework\, Hurwitz explained\, was developed to provide “research-based\, joyful\, culturally and linguistically responsive instruction pathways across the P–3 continuum.” Hurwitz explained that the Framework includes Eight Key Understandings and Eleven Overarching Principles\, which help guide readers in addressing and dismantling the long history of exclusion and inequity regarding language status. She said\, “We are still operating within systems that were built in deeply inequitable ways.” \nHurwitz closed with a powerful reminder about the importance of kindergarten as an entry point to this work: “Our English learners experience tremendous language loss when a kindergartner walks into school for the first time\, and they are told to leave their language and culture at the door. Implicitly or explicitly\, language loss begins immediately….It is our hope that leaders will use the framework to reflect on their systems and practices and that it can be a tool for learning\, planning and implementing.” \nRuiz then engaged with Shantel Meek\, Ph.D.\, of The Children’s Equity Project at Arizona State University\, who provided a reminder to attendees that “dual language education is an issue of equity and civil rights” because “if we don’t provide dual language education\, we’re initiating a disadvantage for a large population of children from the start.” Meek went on to share data that reflected that English learners who have access to dual language education become more proficient in English more quickly\, they outperform their peers in other subject areas\, they reach academic norms\, they exit English learner designation faster\, and they\, of course\, become biliterate. To expand on this importance\, Meek referred to multiple economic studies that point to the success of biliterate individuals in our global economy. \n“We have lots of data on the benefits of bilingualism. We know that ELs and DLs are bringing this gift from home. Instead of aligning with that research and that science\, we’re doing the opposite\, where in this nation\, about 92% of ELs are not in dual language programs….This is one of the most profound misalignments that we see\,” concluded Meek. \nLastly\, attendees heard from Lydia Acosta Stephens with the Multilingual and Multicultural Education Department in the Los Angeles Unified School District. As a renowned former principal in LAUSD\, Stephens spoke to the importance of witnessing the Framework and approaches in practice. She stated\, “My dream would be that in our country\, from that moment of first enrollment\, [the family] is congratulated for having another language at home.” Expanding off that vision\, Stephens spoke to the work she does in the Multilingual and Multicultural Education Department\, in which LAUSD delivers Biliteracy Pathway Awards to families starting in their learner’s kindergarten year\, all the way through 12th grade. Stephens shared that the implementation of the SEAL P–3 Framework has furthered their success in this program\, leading to over 20\,000 awards being issued. \n“What is your role in everything that we do from the moment a child comes into our public education system? Because when that child walks onto campus…all of those spaces should be validated from their Indigenous language. Tell me more. I want to hear you speak in your home language\, teach me a few phrases….We’ve been missing the human piece of it\,” stressed Stephens.
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/emergent-bilinguals-and-english-language-learners-the-sturdy-bridge/
CATEGORIES:Past Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/dccdc34a-0d71-4730-bb0c-97165c62d719-e1690140705353.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240206T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240206T163000
DTSTAMP:20260404T075906
CREATED:20240129T162234Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240320T150016Z
UID:246311-1707231600-1707237000@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:Getting All Students Up to Speed Using Evidence-Based Supplemental Reading Programs
DESCRIPTION: \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nIn this GLR Learning Tuesdays webinar\, Getting Students Up to Speed Using Evidence-Based Supplemental Reading Programs\, co-sponsored with the LEARN Network\, moderator Adrienne D. Woods\, Ph.D. of SRI International shared the above quote as she explained the goal of The Leveraging Evidence to Accelerate Recovery Nationwide (LEARN) Network. \nWoods provided context to the attendees as to how and why the LEARN Network\, a three-year project funded by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES)\, came to be. She explained that the project was conceptualized as “part of the federal strategy to address both long-standing student achievement gaps and those exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.” Within this program\, she explained\, there are four “product teams” that focus on literacy and math learning interventions. \nAs part of a deeper look into the product teams\, Woods first invited with the Targeted Reading Instruction-Flamingo Reading App (TRI-FRA) representatives — Mary Bratsch-Hines\, Ph.D.\, of University of Florida Lastinger Center for Learning and Heather Hanney Aiken\, Ph.D.\, of Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute at University of North Carolina Chapel Hill — to provide an overview of that program. Bratsch-Hines explained that the program includes daily lessons for students\, as well as strong implementer supports like virtual coaching. Aiken shared that they’ve created a series of easy-to-implement\, high-quality reading lessons for classroom teachers\, and reading interventionists like co-panelist Erin McCain Heim of Southside Elementary School in Versailles\, Kentucky. Heim echoed the success of the TRI-FRA program in practice: \n“The ease of implementing TRI-FRA\, from setting the students up in the app to delivering the instruction\, has been really seamless. It provides a clear scope and sequence…the structure provides such a high level of comfort for both teachers and students.” \nWoods then engaged with the Peer Assisted Learning Strategies (PALS) team to learn more about the peer-tutoring program. Lauren Artzi\, Ph.D.\, and Billie Jo Day\, Ph.D.\, of American Institutes for Research (AIR) shared that PALS is a peer-mediated instructional program in which students are paired together for a reciprocal peer tutoring experience over the course of a 30-minute lesson. Artzi explained that the program allows for students to switch-off between the role of a “coach” and the role of a “leader” to contribute to a system in which students take ownership of their knowledge. Day notes that: “The key piece of this entire program is that students are getting the opportunity to read in a very supported way.”  \n Following the look at the PALS program\, Woods shifted to the final product team\, Strategic Adolescent Reading Intervention (STARI). Emily Hayden\, Ph.D. of the Strategic Education Research Partnership (SERP) explained that STARI is specifically designed for struggling middle school and high school readers\, equipping them with a full year of curriculum to address their reading challenges. Hayden emphasized the importance of addressing this slightly older student demographic\, as they may have faced years of reading struggles before reaching middle or high school\, leading to disengagement\, or internalized negative beliefs about their reading abilities. STARI is implemented in 45-minute classes that emphasize the development of complex reading skills through activities such as reciprocal teaching\, partner work\, guided reading and debates\, fostering both spoken language proficiency and critical thinking abilities. \nKate Leo\, MA\, EdS\, a teacher at Dowling Catholic High School in West Des Moines\, Iowa\, described the impact she has seen from the STARI program\, sharing that the students she taught through the program grew an average of 44 correct words per minute\, and moved up a fluency level. \n“The other thing we’ve noticed with being able to offer a supplemental support program within our school is that some of our students\, their parents are not English speakers\, and so they don’t know where to seek outside resources [for their child]. So\, I see this program as a way of making English equitable to all of our students in our school by bridging the gap\,” Leo said.
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/getting-all-students-up-to-speed-selecting-evidence-based-supplemental-reading-programs/
CATEGORIES:Past Event
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240213T123000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240213T140000
DTSTAMP:20260404T075906
CREATED:20240122T223353Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240219T155352Z
UID:246198-1707827400-1707832800@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:Relationships That Work in CGLR Communities With Coalition Leads\, Schools and Other Partners 
DESCRIPTION:“True partnerships are intentional in listening to the partner’s needs and what would work best for them. There will be a trust to sustain relationships that create success. A supportive community would do the work and collaboration\, and ensure work is data driven. When there’s unified collaboration in the community\, they are likely to be able to shift and adapt as needed to meet current climate needs to establish longevity\, dependability and confidence.” – Pastor Gary E. Lee\, First Baptist Church Middlesex\, North Carolina \n\n\n\n \n\n\nThis Crucible of Practice Salon session featured CGLR community coalition members from Nash and Edgecombe Counties\, North Carolina\, and Regina\, Saskatchewan\, Canada. Both teams presented how they work with schools and community partners to support the development of early literacy skills\, family engagement and ongoing program implementation for school-age children. Following the opening remarks and icebreaker for all attendees\, Debra Lanham with Down East Partnership for Children (DEPC) in North Carolina provided an overview of the demographics of the community and the coalition’s focus. Pattie Allen\, also with DEPC\, explained their definition of family engagement\, how this is woven into programs\, and the general strategy of working within existing networks including faith-based communities\, child care providers\, medical clinics\, libraries and schools. Kristen Miller\, Principal of G.W. Carver Elementary School\, shared how the partnership with DEPC has had a positive impact on student attendance and contributed to the creation and implementation of specific supportive programs.       \n\n“The whole point was for our Carver students to feel that they had someone\, not just the teachers they saw every day\, but a true connection to the community. This really made students have a sense of belonging. At the end of the year\, we saw every single student increase their attendance percentage in some way for that year.” – Kristen Miller\, G.W. Carver Elementary School \n\nViola Barnes-Gray with DEPC and Pastor Gary E. Lee from First Baptist Church Middlesex discussed how cultivating relationships between school and community partners contributed to the overall success of teams supporting students.    \n\n“Our Ready Schools and Ready Communities work is interwoven and goes hand in hand with building relationships. Around our five schools\, we target community partners representing the faith\, civic groups\, businesses and other organizations.” – Viola Barnes-Gray\, DEPC \n“We learned that building relationships between the community and schools requires front loading of the work before partners are connected to the social school teams.” – Pastor Gary E. Lee\, First Baptist Church Middlesex \n\nAfter the coalition members reviewed the lessons learned about family engagement\, Lanham talked about why the coalition and members are invested in helping children with literacy and the challenges families and children face in their community. The conversation also covered programs to address these challenges and explored how to nurture and sustain relationships.   \n\n“It is really critical that we give our children the tools and resources they need beginning at birth. And then build upon it so\, by the time they get to third grade\, they are proficient in reading.” – Debra Lanham  \n\nAfter the coalition from Nash and Edgecombe Counties shared their collaborative strategies\, Trish Dupuis and Sandi White with United Way Regina provided an overview of their work in Regina. Dupuis centered on the programs involved with their grade-level reading work and how these are built on a foundation of partnerships with schools. Their education initiatives involve 12 community schools in Regina\, Saskatchewan.   \n\n“United Way Regina strongly believes that education provides a pathway out of poverty.” – Trish Dupuis\, United Way Regina   \n\nDupuis reviewed how the schools were chosen and the data reviewed to identify which neighborhoods and schools to target\, including health and vision data. The teams wanted to ensure the most significant achievement gaps and the highest level of complex needs were being addressed by collaborative efforts. The impact of the coalition’s work was also shared with a review of kindergarten readiness assessment data\, third-grade reading assessment data\, and comparisons of these with baseline numbers. Overall\, the dedicated work in Regina’s Campaign for Grade-Level Reading decreased the achievement gap and supported children’s literacy outcomes in the schools where programs were implemented. The connection between vision and other health-related barriers to learning was also explored. White shared about her work facilitating Family Literacy Hubs\, which focuses on engaging families and improving school readiness. She described the guiding actions of Family Literacy Hubs and added detail about the programs and activities done through the hubs.     \n\n“In my role\, I want to provide programming that will empower families to feel like they can support their children with engaging literacy experiences within the home.”  – Sandi White\, United Way Regina 
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/building-and-sustaining-partnerships-between-cglr-communities-and-school-districts/
CATEGORIES:Crucible of Practice Salon,Past Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/NewBritain_Reading_0022-e1705962715640.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240213T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240213T163000
DTSTAMP:20260404T075906
CREATED:20240206T023109Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240216T204858Z
UID:246396-1707836400-1707841800@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:The Science of Reading for Emergent Bilinguals
DESCRIPTION:In this GLR Learning Tuesdays webinar\, The Science of Reading for Emergent Bilinguals\, attendees heard a riveting conversation about current work\, initiatives and thoughts around centering English learners and emergent bilinguals in the realm of the science of reading. Julie Sugarman\, Ph.D.\, with the Migration Policy Institute opened the conversation with Martha Hernandez\, M.A.\, of Californians Together and Kari Kurto\, MAT\, of The Reading League. They provided background context on the joint statement\, “Understanding the Difference: The Science of Reading and Implementation for English Learners/Emergent Bilinguals\,” and reviewed how it came about\, what was included and how it has been used since its publication. \n\n“We wanted to connect and we wanted to learn more….We started out by understanding each other’s ‘why\,’ which helped to kind of disarm everyone and break us out of our echo chambers….We asked some brave questions\, and we worked to understand how to find alignment\, which\, spoiler alert\, was not actually as hard as we thought in many areas.” – Kari Kurto\, MAT\, The Reading League \n\nNext\, Magaly Lavadenz\, Ph.D.\, with the Center for Equity for English Learners\, Claude Goldenberg\, Ph.D.\, from Stanford University and Elsa Cárdenas-Hagan\, Ed.D.\, from Valley Speech Language and Learning Center shared insights on language and literacy development\, how children learn to read\, and bilingual learners\, respectively. \nThe conversation touched on the need to distinguish between the science of reading as a body of knowledge and programmatic materials branded as “science of reading.” They also discussed legislation that includes this term\, and how such legislation needs to center English learners and emergent bilingual students for equitable learning opportunities. The panelists also stressed the importance of supports and systems for teachers to incorporate best practices. \n\n“We want to make sure also that we have the opportunity for that ongoing professional development. You see\, when we’re coming out of our universities today\, it’s an afterthought to think about students from linguistically diverse backgrounds. They should be included in all teacher education programs because everybody will work with a student that comes from linguistically diverse backgrounds.” – Elsa Cárdenas-Hagan\, Ed.D.\, Valley Speech Language and Learning Center \n\n\n\n 
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/the-science-of-reading-for-emergent-bilinguals/
CATEGORIES:Past Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Casey_KINETIK_2014_III_01044-e1707170374168.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240220T123000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240220T140000
DTSTAMP:20260404T075907
CREATED:20240122T225158Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240229T022043Z
UID:246202-1708432200-1708437600@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:Reading Universe: Scaling Teacher PD for Student Success
DESCRIPTION:The ecosystem for literacy support is growing in a good way. There’s much more available than when Barksdale [Reading Institute] began its work. What makes Reading Universe distinct though is that it is FREE and also that it is a comprehensive scope and sequence for how to teach teachers to teach reading.– Kelly Butler\, ReadingUniverse.org and formerly with Barksdale Reading Institute (BRI) \n\n\n\n\n\nIn this Funder-to-Funder Conversation\, Kelly Butler of ReadingUniverse.org shared the above statement as she introduced the robust online resource that she is producing with WETA to enhance the capacity of educators nationwide to teach reading. Because she and the other funders who are investing in the build out of Reading Universe are committed to ensuring that the resource will be available to all teachers\, schools and districts at no cost\, they are seeking philanthropic support to expand it from the K–2 pilot that is available today to serve teachers in PreK–6. \nJane Park of Google Kids & Families moderated the conversation. She engaged the leaders behind the development of Reading Universe\, Butler and Tami Mount\, M.Ed.\, of WETA\, as well as its early philanthropic investors\, Michelle Knapik of the Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation and Marla Ucelli-Kashyap of AFT. The conversation also included Erika Bryant\, a first grade teacher at Pecan Park Elementary School in Jackson\, Mississippi\, who has used Reading Universe to enhance her own teaching as well as the teaching of the educators she is mentoring. \nUcelli-Kashyap began by sharing what AFT has heard from its member teachers in terms of an interest and hunger for just-in-time resources that could help them better support student learning. \n\nIt became clear that way too many teachers are using low leverage practices or required programs that just don’t meet their students’ needs. They want to be prepared and effective\, but they need support. Saying ‘Just Do It’ might work great in a Nike commercial\, but in a classroom not so much. – Marla Ucelli-Kashyap\, AFT \n\n\n\n\n			\n				\n				\n				\n				\n				Butler shared highlights from how BRI drew on the National Reading Panel research in 2000 to embed evidence-based practices across the educational pipeline. Beginning with pilot efforts in targeted Mississippi schools\, BRI was able to demonstrate progress spurring state leaders to scale the approach statewide. These efforts helped Mississippi advance from 49th among states on NAEP scores in 2003 to 21st in 2022. That success prompted BRI to begin moving the teacher training resources used in Mississippi online so that teachers across the country could access it. \n\nMany have referred to what happened in Mississippi as the ‘Mississippi Miracle’ but I like to think of it as a marathon. I encourage other states and philanthropists to consider that the R&D has been done and paid for by Mississippi\, including what is required for effective implementation. So\, take what we’ve learned\, skip the marathon and use Reading Universe to get to the work on the ground. We know how to teach reading. We just need to do it everywhere – Kelly Butler\, ReadingUniverse.org \n\nMount walked attendees through the Reading Universe site\, explaining how it functions as a bridge between the research and a teacher’s instructional practice. She pointed to the 10 maxims that Reid Lyon\, Ph.D.\, outlined to summarize five decades of research on reading development by neuroscientists\, psychologists\, linguists\, speech pathologists\, educators and other experts. Mount also navigated through the Reading Universe Taxonomy\, noting that it presents the essential reading skills\, shows how they are connected and lays the groundwork for teaching all students how to read and write through accessible\, bite-sized pieces\, demonstrated through videos of real teachers in real classrooms. \n\nWe bring to Reading Universe the values of PBS Media that is responsible\, authoritative and accessible to a general audience…. We try to excel not just in the authority of what we write\, but also in our production values. We shoot video at PBS standards – and there is a lot of video on the site – and we write text in clear colloquial English without a lot of jargon. Reading Universe is designed to be accessible to a general audience with the goal of attracting the biggest possible audience so we can have the biggest possible impact – Tami Mount\, WETA \n\nBryant shared how she had benefited from the Reading Universe resources when she was a novice teacher and BRI was first piloting the resources. She continues to use it as a resource to hone her teaching skills\, identifying research-based practices to meet the needs of a wide range of students. She also uses Reading Universe as she provides coaching and mentorship to new teachers\, pointing them to videos and skill-explainers that can enhance their instructional practices. \n\nWhat Reading Universe offers us as educators is the opportunity to have a hands-on tool to turn to. It’s very detailed in the way it’s set up so we’re able to quickly pinpoint the skills that we are looking for….I can pull it up during my break time or planning time to help me build my own lesson plans. It is such a benefit for us as educators to have the support there at our fingertips – Erika Bryant\, Pecan Park Elementary School \n\nAfter the deep dive into the history and potential of Reading Universe\, Butler\, Knapik and Ucelli-Kashyap engaged in conversation about the importance of philanthropy investing in Reading Universe to ensure that all teachers have free access to these supports across the planned PreK–6 scope. \n\nIf you’re a national funder\, if you’re a place-based funder\, if you’re a niche funder like Tremaine…if you have anything to do with education\, you can find an entry point into the value proposition behind Reading Universe. We’re a niche funder\, a 35-year old family foundation working in the space of learning differences….As neuroscience gets better\, as the science of reading gets better\, we know that it is like oxygen for these kids — for anyone with learning differences in a classroom — to have structured literacy as a part of what’s happening in the system. It is actually a collective trauma\, generation after generation that we are not intervening with the science of reading for kids with learning differences. We really want to change that – Michelle Knapik\, Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/reading-universe-scaling-teacher-pd-for-student-success/
CATEGORIES:Funder-to-Funder Conversation,Past Event,Reading & Math
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/eaf9e9c8-81e9-4fac-bbdc-c0908615fa5e-e1705963893660.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240220T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240220T163000
DTSTAMP:20260404T075907
CREATED:20240207T182227Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251021T062133Z
UID:246435-1708441200-1708446600@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:How Summer Learning’s Resurgence and Maximization is Accelerating In-School Learning
DESCRIPTION:In this GLR Learning Tuesdays webinar\, we took the opportunity to explore how summer learning is a “big bet working” for equitable learning recovery. Summer learning is a critical strategy to prevent the “summer slide” that occurs when schools are closed\, which became the “pandemic slide” during COVID school closures. Moderator Tracie Potts of the Learning Heroes Board of Advisors first engaged in discussion with Eric Mackey\, Ed.D.\, Alabama State Superintendent of Education. He shared about Alabama’s broad investment in summer learning and how the state’s “summer reading camps” advance the recently passed “Alabama Literacy Act” to ensure students are reading on grade level by the end of the third grade. Mackey emphasized that although these camps are focused on building literacy skills\, they also include the fun activities that are so important to make summer learning effective: \n\nThis last year we had about 30\,000 students involved in summer reading camps. We want them to be different. [The camps] certainly include high-quality instruction and we do an assessment at the end of camp and see that students have achieved greater reading levels. But we don’t it want to feel like school. We want it to feel more like it’s a summer camp experience. Now we have a lot of students depending on the school district for these learning experiences. So we’re blending the academic piece and also the fun stuff that actually draws students in and keeps them engaged throughout the summer. \n\nPotts then engaged with two national summer learning leaders\, Aaron Dworkin of the National Summer Learning Association and Polly Singh of The Wallace Foundation. The discussion covered the broad landscape of summer learning programs across the country and how states\, districts and communities are achieving real gains for students in their academic and developmental progress. Singh shared data from the Wallace Foundation’s National Summer Learning Project that demonstrates how consistent participation in summer learning makes an impact:    \n\nWe know that academics are what schools are held accountable for. [The Wallace Foundation] ran the National Summer Learning Project. It was the largest randomized control trial of its kind. In five large school districts across the country\, we saw effects in math and in reading\, and the gains were most prominent in our highest attendees. So after the first summer\, the math gains showed up. Immediately after the second summer\, we saw gains in both reading and math\, and they were sustained\, so we saw about 20% to 25% of a year’s worth of education gains. So three to four months of skills gain that was sustained for an entire year in young people. The science of learning\, the science of literacy\, the science of numeracy\, those skills need practice. And during summer learning time\, young kids just get more practice with those skills\, which is such an important facet of summer learning.  \n\nIn addition to these state and national leaders\, the conversation included local district leaders\, Andrew Maxey\, Ph.D.\, of Tuscaloosa City Schools in Alabama and Matthew Brewster of the Newark Board of Education in New Jersey. We learned from them about their critical summer learning partnerships with community-based organizations and how they engage both teachers and students in the combination of fun and academics to build enthusiasm and consistent participation.
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/how-summer-learnings-resurgence-and-maximization-is-accelerating-in-school-learning/
CATEGORIES:Big Bets Working,Past Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Casey_KINETIK_2014_III_00160-scaled-e1707330021856.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240227T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240227T163000
DTSTAMP:20260404T075907
CREATED:20240207T194552Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251021T063016Z
UID:246449-1709046000-1709051400@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:Not Without Teachers: Intentional Teacher Development for Improved Student Outcomes
DESCRIPTION:“Teachers want to do right by their students\, and they want to teach using the most evidence-based literacy strategies….So what they need are high-quality professional learning opportunities to specifically collaborate with peers as they work to incorporate new techniques into their classrooms.” – Kira Orange Jones\, Teach Plus \n\nTeachers are the front line in turning curricula and instructional material into learning. Their effectiveness is key in learning and addressing the learning recovery need that the pandemic highlighted. During this Learning Tuesdays session\, Cynthia Hadicke\, Ed.D.\, of AIM Institute for Learning and Research acknowledged that we are having a teacher crisis\, with many veteran teachers leaving the field. Meanwhile\, more and more teachers are coming to the field through alternate certification\, and with this\, it is important that these teachers “understand the depth and complexity of teaching reading.” Jill Hoda of the Mississippi Department of Education added\, “We have to have courageous conversations and look at the ways things were done and how things should be done.” In addition\, she said\, “We need to make sure that not only new teachers but also veteran teachers are grounded in the science of reading.” \nKira Orange Jones of Teach Plus shared a preview of data from the organization’s recent survey of over 300 elementary literacy teachers across 24 states who indicated that they “have received more training in\, feel more comfortable with\, and are spending more time on vocabulary and reading comprehension than they do on phonics\, phonemic awareness and fluency….Almost 40% of teachers surveyed report that they do not receive currently any job-embedded coaching that supports their instruction in teaching all five of the pillars of reading.” \nElizabeth “Liz” Woody-Remington of The Learning Alliance in Indian River County\, Florida\, explained that it’s not simply training that teachers need. It’s the support of the translation science\, which is “job-embedded professional development that is collaborative\, intentional and sustained.” In this session\, we also heard success stories of how states\, districts and schools are implementing this in Mississippi\, Louisiana and Florida. \nIn Mississippi\, they have used the AIM pathways as the foundation for their science of reading training\, providing tiered and regional options that are open to teachers\, coaches and administrators. They have implemented a coaching model that includes comprehensive coach training\, which Hadicke describes as “a non-evaluative piece of the puzzle where teachers have the chance to learn\, practice and apply” skills. Mississippi has seen their NAEP 4th Grade Reading National Ranking move from 50th to 21st between 2013 and 2022. \nIn Jefferson Parish\, the largest district in Louisiana\, they are seeing significant progress also using the AIM pathways. Jones says about this work\, “this is actually possible\, because this proves it can happen at scale….The work that districts and states have taken on in partnership with education doesn’t have to remain an outlier example\, but rather could become the norm.” Jones\, continued adding\, “While initially we\, of course\, believe that experts need to be positioned to drive this type of \nprofessional learning\, what we have found is that teachers trust other teachers the most. And they trust them to provide professional learning and to essentially be responsible for leading continuous improvement efforts and professional learning communities to help teachers incorporate new skills into their practice.” \nLeslie Connelly of the School District of Indian River County\, Florida\, and The Learning Alliance described a program at the Moonshot School in Indian River that they launched with a weeklong summer institute on the science of reading for teachers\, which was attended by 85% of the staff. They have also given their staff extended collaborative planning time — two hours every week plus an additional five hours once every six weeks through a creative special schedule. The Moonshot School also opened demonstration classrooms that are always open for lesson studies and for teachers and coaches to collaborate to improve their practice. There is “buy in from the top level down and everybody gets coached. So\, it’s a very systematic coaching model here….We’re that hub of learning\,” said Connelly.
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/not-without-teachers-intentional-teacher-development-for-improved-student-outcomes/
CATEGORIES:Big Bets Working,Past Event
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240305T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240305T163000
DTSTAMP:20260404T075907
CREATED:20240223T215349Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240530T200539Z
UID:246613-1709650800-1709656200@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:Identifying and Supporting Children With Diverse Learning Needs
DESCRIPTION:Michelle Knapik with the Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation moderated an insightful conversation that emphasized the personal and professional commitment to supporting children with learning differences. Before launching the discussion\, Knapik reminded attendees of the interconnectedness of policy\, research and practice in creating effective systems of change to support these children in the kindergarten year. \nAttendees first heard from Glenna Wright-Gallo with the U.S. Department of Education who shared context on Secretary Miguel Cardona’s Raise the Bar Initiative launched in January 2023. The Initiative\, consists of three main pillars: achieving academic excellence by accelerating learning\, improving learning conditions and creating pathways for global engagement. Wright-Gallo then explained what these pillars look like in practice within the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services\, where there’s a focus on building a comprehensive\, inclusive and responsive system of instruction and intervention. \n“At the Department of Education\, we know that the kindergarten year\, that first formal at-scale learning opportunity that many children experience\, represents that critical juncture when effective supports and developmental experiences could close the gap and put more children on a path to early school success.” – Glenna Wright-Gallo\, U.S. Department of Education. \nNicole Ormandy\, M.Ed.\, with the AIM Institute for Learning and Research then introduced the Phases of Word Reading Development Theory from Linnea Ehri\, Ph.D.\, a guiding force in AIM’s approach to literacy. The theory is focused on an understanding of the progression of reading skills from emergent to proficient levels based on four phases of reading development. Having a better understanding of developmental phases can help educators identify potential warning signs for language-based learning disabilities in young children. Ormandy offered many visual examples of what this identification process could look like and concluded by emphasizing the importance of early identification in an attempt to support students through the kindergarten year and beyond. \nAttendees then heard from Sue Bonaiuto\, Ed.D.\, with EarlyBird Education who discussed the EarlyBird platform\, an engaging and interactive game designed to predict dyslexia and reading challenges in young learners. The program was created with the goal of existing as a preventive approach for learners by providing comprehensive assessments and data dashboards for teachers. “It’s been designed for any teacher\, any level of training in the science of reading\, and frankly\, any level of training in teaching reading in the first place\,” said Bonaiuto about the functions and ease-of-use of the program. Bonaiuto closed by highlighting EarlyBird’s presence in 24 states\, across various schools\, organizations and early learning coalitions\, expressing excitement and appreciation toward this commitment to collaboration to support all students’ literacy development needs. \nRafel Hart with Educare of Omaha\, Inc. continued the panel conversation by highlighting the importance of focusing on developmentally appropriate practices in early childhood education. Hart shared with attendees the Ecological Systems Theory that emphasizes the centrality of the child and the importance of supporting both the child and their family in this work. Hart also discussed the tenets of the Head Start and Early Head Start programs\, including child development\, family support and engagement\, health and nutrition\, and community involvement. \n“These programs are living\, breathing things\, just like the children in the program. So\, the communities have to support and embrace them in very much the same way that we do within the program.” – Rafel Hart\, Educare of Omaha\, Inc. \nLastly\, attendees heard from Robai Werunga\, Ph.D.\, at the University of Massachusetts\, Lowell who reflected on her experience transitioning from a special education teacher to an academic preparing future teachers. Werunga discussed the Multi-Tiered Systems of Support in early literacy\, particularly focusing on Response to Intervention. In discussing the framework\, Werunga explained that it’s meant to guide stakeholders in supporting students’ reading needs\, with particular focus on early intervention\, high-quality instruction\, assessment\, progress monitoring and data-based decision-making. Werunga also emphasized that family engagement is crucial in supporting students’ needs\, especially for culturally and linguistically diverse families who may face added barriers. \n“For success in supporting students both at school and at home\, it is critical that parents become part of the equation. That means helping the parents understand what is going on within the school and providing the support needed for them to help the students at home.” – Robai Werunga\, Ph.D.\, University of Massachusetts\, Lowell
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/identifying-and-supporting-children-with-learning-differences/
CATEGORIES:Past Event
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240312T123000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240312T140000
DTSTAMP:20260404T075907
CREATED:20240223T215958Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240315T160327Z
UID:246620-1710246600-1710252000@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:Family Engagement Strategies with Learn to Earn Dayton
DESCRIPTION:“We know that educators cannot do this work by themselves\, and so it is imperative for all of us as a community to be able to support our children in closing that gap.”   \n– Maya Dorsey\, Learn to Earn Dayton  \nThis session featured leaders from the early grade literacy coalition initiative with Learn to Earn Dayton\, representing the CGLR communities of Dayton and Montgomery Counties in Ohio. As the backbone for the community-wide approach\, Learn to Earn Dayton convenes local partners and nonprofits to address chronic absenteeism and the literacy proficiency gap impacting children in their area. The team presented data-driven strategies related to early reading with family engagement as a central component.   \n“I want to emphasize and reiterate that building relationships\, trust and connection with the families and the schools is the most essential piece to family engagement. Building those relationships is extremely important to be able to utilize the strategies that we have in place.” – Erika Pimentel\, Learn to Earn Dayton     \nThe strategies they shared included examples such as the “Mighty Classroom” to support attendance; trusting relationships with families; support to families with how to engage with schools and advocate for their children; connect families with resources to address basic needs; and provide free literacy-based materials such as “Reading is Lit” boxes.     \n“Families can see the value of the activities and can help guide their children. We don’t want to lecture parents about terms like dialogic reading\, but we want to provide parents with ways of helping them engage their children in reading.” – Jane McGee-Rafal\, The Dayton Foundation  \nFollowing the overview of Learn to Earn Dayton’s strategies\, all attendees engaged in a group conversation using a set of structured questions and Padlet to document the discussion.  \n“Partnerships are so important because at the end of the day\, the result of what happens with these strong partners enables you to get to the goal.” Wesley O. Biles\, II\, Learn to Earn Dayton   \n\n\n\n 
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/family-engagement-strategies-with-learn-to-earn-dayton/
CATEGORIES:Crucible of Practice Salon,Parents,Past Event
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240312T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240312T163000
DTSTAMP:20260404T075907
CREATED:20240223T220543Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251021T063147Z
UID:246624-1710255600-1710261000@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:Expanded Learning = Expanded Recovery: How Afterschool Programs Drive Student Progress
DESCRIPTION:This session explored why a “big bet” on afterschool is working to achieve learning progress with students — so much so that President Biden is prioritizing this big bet in his budget\, where he proposes “supporting evidence-based strategies to…expand learning time\, including both in the summer and in extended day or afterschool programs.” Afterschool programs not only advance academic progress\, they also centralize relationships and prioritize caring adults working with struggling students to serve as both the spark and the consistency that they need to feel safe\, supported and motivated to improve their school work.   \nModerator Hillary Jones of Foundations\, Inc. first engaged in discussion with her colleague Andrew Francis also of Foundations\, Inc. They unpacked how this relationship building and participation in interest-based learning activities make a real impact on students’ attitude toward learning while advancing their social and emotional development and their self-efficacy. Jen Rinehart of the Afterschool Alliance joined the discussion and shared how the federal investment in learning recovery led to the expansion of access and an increase in the quality of afterschool programs while advancing students’ developmental outcomes. Francis expressed this important aspect of afterschool programs in this way: \n[In afterschool programs\, students] come alive. They come out of their shell and they find a new me\, a new version of themselves. And that happens because they’re able not only to interact [with their peers]\, they are also interacting with other young people — maybe in lower grades or higher grades. And they’re able to establish relationships with caring adults who give them another lease on life\, and just show them that there is so much more that they can know and grow and become. So essentially the programs are effective because they challenge students to build relationships with other students and also build relationships with caring adults who help them to grow exponentially in so many ways. \nJones then engaged with two state and local afterschool leaders to explore further how the federal investments led to improved program quality and to learn about the on-the-ground tactics that make this big bet work in local communities. Katie Landes of the Georgia Statewide Afterschool Network and Denieka Wicker of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington\, DC\, discussed the importance of building strong partnerships with schools and school districts and sharing student data to tailor afterschool learning activities. They also emphasized that while relationship building and positive youth development are priorities\, the opportunity to devote time to STEM and literacy and other academic areas are significant components of these programs. Landes shared information about a program in her state that was able to hone-in on early literacy: \nOne program has been able to bring in reading specialists to serve their students\, with one-on-one reading instruction\, and these reading specialists have filled in some of the cracks in the foundation that was crumbling for their students [after the pandemic]. So we’ve really seen the programs be responsive to what their young people\, their families\, their communities\, are needing in order to make their programs more accessible and a higher quality. \n\n\n\n\n 
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/expanded-learning-expanded-recovery-how-afterschool-programs-drive-student-progress/
CATEGORIES:Big Bets Working,Past Event
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240319T123000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240319T140000
DTSTAMP:20260404T075907
CREATED:20240301T204348Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240325T053700Z
UID:246849-1710851400-1710856800@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:Investing in the Future: Philanthropy’s Role in Strategic Public Financing for Children
DESCRIPTION:In this Funder-to-Funder Conversation\, Heather Flaherty of Chuckanut Health Foundation in Bellingham/Whatcom County\, Washington\, shared the above reflection during a panel conversation that explored the various roles funders can play to generate additional public revenue to support children and to ensure effective utilization of those public dollars. Thank you for registering for this timely and inspiring session. \nElizabeth Gaines of Children’s Funding Project (CFP) moderated the conversation\, lifting up three examples of successful local ballot measures and exploring strategies for using a 501(c)(4) philanthropic structure to advocate for increased public financing to support children’s issues. In addition to Flaherty\, the session featured Todd A. Battiste of United Way of Southeast Louisiana\, September Jarrett\, M.P.P.\, of Heising-Simons Foundation and Heising-Simons Action Fund\, and Trevor Storrs of Alaska Children’s Trust. \n\nBattiste described the years-long journey behind the Yes for NOLA Kids campaign that led to the 2022 passage of a ballot measure generating approximately $21 million annually to support early learning programming in New Orleans.\nFlaherty highlighted the various roles her foundation played over the years leading up to the 2022 passage of a ballot measure that will generate approximately $10 million annually to increase access to quality child care\, expand mental and behavioral health\, and reduce homelessness for vulnerable children.\nStorrs shared how he worked with partners in Anchorage\, Alaska\, to promote the 2023 passage of a ballot initiative to direct local sales tax dollars from the sale of recreational marijuana to support early childhood development and education.\n\nThe local funders discussed the steps they took\, including: \n\nengaging local partners in examining their local context and existing public funding streams;\nhosting community conversations and conducting polls to understand the issues and messages that resonated with community members;\nsupporting public awareness campaigns; and\nadvocating for the passage of the ballot measures.\n\nThey noted that the pandemic’s impact on the early childhood sector provided a window of opportunity. However\, they stressed that the work they put in before the pandemic ensured they were well positioned to take advantage of the opportunity. \n\n“Timing is important in gauging these things. [Alaska Children’s Institute] did the polling\, coalition building and all of those things. But it does sometimes come down to timing. We had been talking about it for several years\, so when the timing was right\, we were ready. Don’t wait for the timing to start\, start now. So when the timing happens\, you’re ready to go.” – Trevor Storrs\, Alaska Children’s Trust \n\nThey also discussed the importance of philanthropic organizations advocating for policies aligned with their missions and goals.   \n\n“Our COO is a lobbyist so we understand that lobbying is important\, and we set a policy agenda every year for our United Way….Our local Campaign for Grade-Level Reading has a committee that does the same kind of work.”  \n–Todd A. Battiste\, United Way of Southeast Louisiana  \n\nAfter the local funders described their ballot measures\, Jarrett explained why the Heising-Simons family established the Heising-Simons Action Fund as a 501(c)(4) entity to advocate for significant increases in public investment in the early childhood field\, working at the federal\, state and local levels. The Action Fund seeks to build the technical capacity of the field to advance best practices in financing and governance. It also works to build the political infrastructure and the power of the early childhood field to ensure that funding for children is prioritized and invested in consistently over time.   \n\n“Over the years\, Heising-Simons Foundation hit a limit in wins using only our private foundation strategy\, and the family sought bolder and bigger changes and greater investments in young children. They created the Heising Simons Action Fund in 2020 with the specific goal of adding a new tool to our toolkit so we could fund and support communities that were showing up and turning it out at the ballot to fight for greater investment in kids.” –September Jarrett\, M.P.P.\, Heising-Simons Foundation/Heising-Simons Action Fund  \n\nIn addition to moderating the panel\, Gaines shared information on the ways that CFP supports foundations in advancing strategic public financing\, by delivering technical assistance\, hosting institutes to provide intensive training and organizing cohorts of communities to help them pursue ballot measures. CFP also established the Children’s Funding Accelerator\, a 501(c)(4) organization that helps communities translate voter support for early childhood development into dedicated and sustained public investments. \n\n“Each one of these panelists has been embarking on this journey with us for some time. They didn’t just sort of wake up one day and land on a ballot and ask the voters to pass the measure. They really got into this by conducting fiscal maps to understand how much public funding was already coming into their communities and how much it will cost to fund goals in full and by trying to get a handle on what the full funding picture looks like for kids.”  \n-Elizabeth Gaines\, Children’s Funding Project
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/investing-in-the-future-philanthropys-role-in-strategic-public-financing-for-children/
CATEGORIES:Funder-to-Funder Conversation,Learning Loss,Past Event
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240319T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240319T163000
DTSTAMP:20260404T075907
CREATED:20240223T221128Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240923T011108Z
UID:246629-1710860400-1710865800@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:The Power of Place: Embedding Two-Generation Approaches in Housing Developments
DESCRIPTION:During this webinar\, Sarah Haight with Ascend at the Aspen Institute moderated a conversation exploring the power of a two-generation (2Gen) approach\, using housing as a platform for programming and partnerships that support both children and adults to thrive. Haight emphasized that families are the experts in their own lives and shared compelling research to support a 2Gen approach\, including that a $3\,000 annual income increase for a parent yields a 17% increase in adult earnings for their child\, demonstrating the direct link between child and caregiver well-being. The Ascend Network supports leaders who are showing what is possible with a 2Gen approach by publishing field-building research and hosting events that advance our collective understanding and ability to apply this approach. \nAisha Nyandoro\, Ph.D.\, of Springboard to Opportunities described her organization’s work with families that live in federally subsidized affordable housing in Jackson\, Mississippi. She described their work as not only providing services but also serving as a connector for families to opportunities. Throughout her presentation\, Nyandoro stressed her approach as “radically resident-driven\,” centering the needs of the residents in all planning\, implementation\, delivery and evaluation of community programming and services. She shared Springboard’s five strategies\, including an innovative focus on socio-economic well-being through their guaranteed income program\, the Magnolia Mother’s Trust\, along with other strategies like fellowships for residents\, policy and advocacy\, and narrative change. \nArianna Thornton-West with Tacoma Housing in Washington and Liz Marsh with BangorHousing in Maine each shared their approach as housing authority leaders who have incorporated a 2Gen focus into their work. Both housing authorities have a Family Self-Sufficiency Program to support their families to meet and realize their needs and desires. Tacoma Housing employs Community Advocates and engages other partners such as the school district and programming partners to implement the program\, while BangorHousing has a unique partnership with the Boys & Girls Club of Bangor to work with both children and their caregivers together at the BangorHousing site. Thornton-West described ways that Tacoma Housing gets to know a family and customizes support for them\, including through a “wheel-of-life assessment” and a family goal plan. Similarly\, BangorHousing has trained their staff to take a family-centered approach and ask families about their needs and goals\, and offers classes\, workshops and other activities to meet those needs and goals. BangorHousing is opening an Opportunity Center on-site that will bring even more resources — from health care to employment to child care — to help residents learn about and access services more easily. \nFinally\, Donna Peduto with the West Virginia Public Education Collaborative described their unique model\, supported with funding from the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation\, to give grants for early literacy efforts through a program called Sparking Early Literacy. Melanie Cutright with Wood County Schools in West Virginia received one such grant to implement a summer learning program in partnership with the Parkersburg Housing Authority and the Wood County Library. She described her progress thus far in strengthening children’s early literacy and social emotional learning skills\, alongside their caregivers.
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/the-power-of-place-embedding-two-generation-approaches-in-housing-developments/
CATEGORIES:Past Event
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240326T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240326T163000
DTSTAMP:20260404T075907
CREATED:20240321T175401Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240329T181917Z
UID:247051-1711465200-1711470600@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:Assessing Assessments: Ensuring Quality and Equity in Teacher Licensure
DESCRIPTION:“Every child deserves to learn how to read. And there are many steps that we need to take to make sure teachers are ready to help children. But one of the ways to ensure that all teachers who enter the classroom are prepared to provide strong reading instruction is by requiring stronger licensure tests. Districts and school leaders who are hiring new teachers count on licensure\, and especially these licensure tests to vet teachers’ knowledge so that if they’re hiring somebody\, they can be confident that they actually understand the core principles of reading instruction.”– Hannah Putman\, National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) \n\nIn this Learning Tuesdays session\, panelists discussed the national landscape of teacher licensure assessments\, the correlation with teacher and student performance and how these assessments are impacting the diversity of teachers in the classroom. “Of the 25 different [teacher licensure] tests in use across the country\, only 11 of them are acceptable in that they adequately address the core components of reading\, and only six of these 11 are strong\,” according to research released in November by NCTQ (Putman). As a result of this report testing agencies\, states and teacher preparation programs are taking corrective action.   \nPeggy Brookins\, NBCT\, of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) shared that Educational Testing Service (ETS) took a reflective look at their exam\, spending four days with NBPTS\, and received hard feedback around what they were testing and what information the test provided. In response\, ETS was able to make changes to their exam.   \nCasey Sullivan Taylor\, Ed.S.\, shared the work that ExcelinEd is doing where they reviewed states’ literacy policies as well as the policies’ implementation. Taylor shared how she did this work in Mississippi — including instituting a strong policy\, adopting a strong assessment and striving to align the coursework of preparations programs — to see real change happen.  \nKaren Betz\, Ed.D.\, explained how higher education institutions such as Marian University can approach this work saying\, “a teacher preparation program is only as good as the knowledge of the instructors within it. And so high instructor knowledge becomes high and competent preservice knowledge.” Marian University has used a course alignment planning tool and feedback from partners such as NCTQ to refine its courses to best prepare students for what is really happening in K–12 classrooms. Preservice program professors must be equipped to teach literacy and be onboard with science of reading. If not\, maybe they can continue to teach “but it can’t be literacy because the price is too high. The price that we pay for not doing that work falls on the children. And as we see from our NAEP data\, it’s really falling on our Black and Brown children. And so\, we’ve got to start\, we’ve got to get it right.”  \nSo how do we address this? “Well-written policy is the foundation to start\, but what we do with it and how we implement it is going to be critical to our outcomes\,” says Taylor. “That means we’ve got to have really great strategic planning. We’ve got to think about how we move the work forward and help all stakeholders see the opportunity to invest in it and to work together collaboratively for the outcomes that are desirable…that all children have an equitable opportunity to learn to read and to have a well-trained teacher who’s equipped to teach them with scientifically based reading approaches.”  \nBrookins summed up the session in this way: “We identify preservice teachers\, make sure they’re ready for the exam that they are taking as an exit strategy\, and then make sure that exam is worth taking at the same time.”  \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n 
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/assessing-assessments-ensuring-quality-and-equity-in-teacher-licensure/
CATEGORIES:Past Event
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240402T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240402T163000
DTSTAMP:20260404T075908
CREATED:20240322T155739Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240530T180456Z
UID:247064-1712070000-1712075400@leo.gradelevelreading.net
SUMMARY:Starting Strong: Developing Foundational Life Skills in Kindergarten
DESCRIPTION:Moderated by Carly Roberts with Overdeck Family Foundation\, this session explored the importance of social emotional learning (SEL) and executive function skills for kindergartners\, as well as the long-term impact of implementing these programs. \nThe conversation began with Aaliyah Samuel\, Ph.D.\, of CASEL who emphasized the critical role of SEL in children’s development\, particularly in light of the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Samuel discussed how SEL is foundational for children’s academic success and overall well-being\, highlighting its importance across all stages of life. Noting the global momentum behind SEL implementation in countries like Brazil and Colombia\, Samuel concluded by urging attendees to recognize the timeliness and significance of prioritizing SEL: \n “We really want to emphasize that social emotional learning happens anywhere and everywhere there are people\, we know the critical role that parents and families play\, as well as the broader community.”  \nElena Bodrova\, Ph.D.\, of Tools of the Mind continued the conversation by discussing the importance of executive function in children’s development. Bodrova prefaced her presentation by sharing studies that highlighted persistent concerns among kindergarten teachers regarding self-regulation issues within their classrooms. This acknowledgement\, she explained\, was a guiding force in the development of Tools of the Mind in classrooms\, where there was an attempt to integrate opportunities for children to practice self-regulation skills. Bodrova closed by sharing promising results from a recent study that demonstrated the positive outcomes of Tools of the Mind classroom interventions for both children and teachers. \nAttendees then heard from Kim Paddison Dockery\, Ed.D.\, with KPD Education who described her collaboration with Ellen Galinsky to integrate executive functioning skills into kindergarten education. Dockery explained the development of her “bridge to K” work that aims to prepare incoming kindergartners for success\, with a focus on improving executive functioning\, reading and math skills. She closed by emphasizing the importance of continuous learning and adaptation to fully support students\, families and teachers before kids get to kindergarten: \n“We found that we could have a bridge to kindergarten by introducing some of these skills and getting kids a little bit more ready for the kindergarten classroom…so that’s what we set out to do.”   \nTo close the conversation\, Erin Helgren from Children’s Institute discussed her work in Yoncalla\, Oregon. A small town severely impacted by economic decline and the decline of the timber industry\, Helgren explained how education leaders in Yoncalla were determined to work together as a community to ensure kindergarten readiness and support children’s success\, regardless of their families’ economic status. Helgren noted that through parent engagement events\, parenting education classes and community activities\, they have increased parent involvement and created a welcoming school environment. 
URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/starting-strong-developing-foundational-life-skills-in-kindergarten/
CATEGORIES:Past Event
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