BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//LEO | Learning & Engagement Opportunities Network - ECPv6.15.3//NONSGML v1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH X-WR-CALNAME:LEO | Learning & Engagement Opportunities Network X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net X-WR-CALDESC:Events for LEO | Learning & Engagement Opportunities Network REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H X-Robots-Tag:noindex X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/New_York BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20250309T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20251102T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20260308T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20261101T060000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250902T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250902T163000 DTSTAMP:20260404T065817 CREATED:20250808T063432Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251223T133158Z UID:252083-1756825200-1756830600@leo.gradelevelreading.net SUMMARY:Beyond Decoding NAEP: The Federal Role in Promoting Efficacy\, Equity\, & Accountability DESCRIPTION:This session picked up on our 8-session series from earlier this year that focused on “Decoding NAEP” where we engaged state chiefs\, educators\, parents\, researchers\, and advocates in a deep-dive exploration of the 2024 scores from “The Nation’s Report Card.” We went beyond decoding NAEP in this session to explore the federal role in generating data that is needed to assess student progress and the will needed from local\, state\, and national leaders to regain a focus on the importance of student outcomes. We explored why it is so important for the U.S. Department of Education and its Institute of Education Sciences to continue to provide funding and support for research that reveals what is needed and what works for various student demographics. \nModerator and CGLR Chief Learning Officer Sarah Torian launched the discussion by engaging with two former U.S. Secretaries of Education\, representing both sides of the aisle\, about the importance of federal leadership being committed to student outcomes. John King\, Jr.\, J.D.\, Ed.D.\, Chancellor of the State University of New York (SUNY) and U.S. Secretary of Education under President Obama from 2015–2017\, and Margaret Spellings\, President and CEOof the Bipartisan Policy Center and U.S. Secretary of Education under President Bush from 2005–2009\, discussed the historical context\, going back to President Lyndon Johnson in the sixties\, where elected officials have always held the notion that federal leadership is needed to make sure we are holding ourselves accountable for the needs of every single student\, irrespective of condition\, ZIP code\, or other modifier. \nKing emphasized the connection between educational outcomes and a healthy workforce and the importance of federal leaders making this connection a priority: \n\nAnd at the end of the day\, for every employer\, they will not have the workforce we need if we do not provide students with the foundational skills\, particularly in English and math\, although obviously students need much more than that. But if they don’t have those things\, they surely aren’t going to be successful in the workforce.….Today we really need our leadership to step up and restore the sense that improving educational outcomes is a national imperative. \n\nTorian continued the robust conversation on the federal role in promoting efficacy and accountability with three prominent research and education leaders who also offered perspectives from both sides of the aisle. Michael J. Petrilli of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute\, Adam Gamoran\, Ph.D.\, of the William T. Grant Foundation\, and Ruth N. Lopez Turley\, Ph.D.\, of the Kinder Institute for Urban Research at Rice University and former member of the National Board for Education Sciences (2022–2025) reacted to what the former Secretaries shared. They emphasized the importance of national research and data to identify and address inequities that impede student progress. \nTurley explained how federal data is used at the local level in her home community of Houston:     \n\nWe were using national-level data from the School Finance Indicators Database\, which uses the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) data\, census data\, etc.\, to develop estimates for how much per-pupil funding is needed for each school district across the country. So we found that most school districts in the state of Texas are underfunded in terms of what they would need to achieve national average test scores. But even more importantly\, we found that there are some school districts that were severely underfunded relative to others\, both in the region and in the state. And so there are huge inequities that we need to pay attention to [and the federal data is needed to identify these inequities]. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n If you were able to attend the session\, we would love to hear your feedback! We appreciate your help in filling out the following form as we seek to learn and understand the perspectives\, ideas\, critiques and recommendations that better inform our key audiences. \n \n Share Feedback URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/beyond-decoding-naep/ CATEGORIES:Past Event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/studentsworking-scaled.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250909T123000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250909T140000 DTSTAMP:20260404T065818 CREATED:20250808T065145Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260124T154056Z UID:252095-1757421000-1757426400@leo.gradelevelreading.net SUMMARY:Nebraska Growing Readers: Increasing Book Access and Early Literacy Behaviors DESCRIPTION:“While it makes sense that more books in the hands of more youth would likely mean better literacy outcomes\, we wanted demonstrable results to show just how much that return on the investment actually was….[We] had some promising early results from an external study of the program. This was critical in sustainability\, as our partners at Nebraska Children and Families Foundation deepen and broaden their impact. Nebraska Growing Readers provides a model for this kind of work\, investing in a promising practice\, studying it\, finding ways to sustain it\, and leveraging public and private funding to keep that progress moving. \n Each day\, our growing readers’ work continues. We are steps closer to eliminating book deserts\, improving family literacy practices\, and putting our youngest learners on a path for success.” \n– Commissioner Brian L. Maher\, Ed.D.\, Nebraska Department of Education \nCommissioner Brian L. Maher\, Ed.D.\, of the Nebraska Department of Education\, set the stage for the conversation by talking about the goals of the department\, how the private-public partnership sustaining Nebraska Growing Readers (NGR) was created\, and their commitment to an external study to help understand how the program was making a difference. \nJoshua Cramer from Nebraska Children and Families Foundation provided an overview of NGR\, which aims to expand access to books\, support shared book reading\, and increase access to locally tailored content reflecting Nebraska’s diverse population. He also emphasized the importance of a large range of partners and talked about the theory of change leading to successful implementation. \nNebraska Department of Education’s Lane Carr shared some of the first-year accomplishments of the NGR program happening through child care sites\, with home visitation programs\, outreach to families of incoming kindergartners\, and community engagement. Carr also shared highlights from the NGR evaluation procedures and results\, which include increased access to books and increased daily reading time. \nStephanni Renn\, also with Nebraska Children and Families Foundation\, talked about ways that the community has been engaged in NGR through book stands\, writer’s workshops\, and book gardens. She also shared a short video about one of the locally written books\, Maddie and Jeter. \nIrene Velez\, a participant in Nebraska Growing Readers and an author\, talked about the experience of participating in the workshops offered by NGR and described the impact writing a children’s book through the program had on her and her family. She said\, “I take my daughters to the library once a week. Ever since I attended this workshop and told them I’m going write a book\, they ask me every week\, is your book out yet? That’s the first thing they do as we go to the library. They run to the book garden\, start going through all these little books and ask\, ‘Is your book out yet\, Mom?’…Having that unity with your children and the community\, overall\, it’s such a great experience.” \nModerator Ron Fairchild\, with the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading\, then led the group in a conversation about how the initiative is mobilizing entire communities around family literacy\, how NGR fits in with the broader strategy of the Nebraska Department of Education\, and the way partnerships throughout the state have helped make the initiative successful. URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/nebraska/ CATEGORIES:Crucible of Practice Salon,Readiness,Upcoming Event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Screenshot-2025-08-08-024904-e1754635857597.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250909T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250909T163000 DTSTAMP:20260404T065818 CREATED:20250808T070859Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250922T195227Z UID:252101-1757430000-1757435400@leo.gradelevelreading.net SUMMARY:Parents as Curators? Supporting Parent Agency and Informed Decisions DESCRIPTION:Bruno Manno\, Ph.D.\, with the Progressive Policy Institute moderated a conversation exploring why and how to equip parents with information and agency to take advantage of increased K–12 education options for their children\, including charters\, microschools\, education savings accounts\, homeschooling and more. This was the second webinar in a series exploring the potential and implications of parents as curators of their children’s education. \nCindi Williams of Learning Heroes shared that 9 out of 10 parents inaccurately believe their children are at or above grade level in reading and math and described Learning Heroes’ Going Beyond Grades campaign as helping parents understand how their children are actually doing academically. She also highlighted a need to collaborate with teachers to address this disconnect: “We feel like a huge gap in the system is nobody’s actually teaching teachers how to have honest conversations with parents.” \nMike McShane\, Ph.D.\, of EdChoice shared his organization’s monthly polling data\, showing that 1 in 5 parents have changed school types for their child (e.g.\, from public to charter\, etc.) and that bullying is the most common reason cited by parents who change their children’s schools. McShane also argued that as educational options increase\, frameworks related to school building regulations and zoning need to evolve to be agile enough to meet the demands and growth for various kinds of learning experiences. \nKeri Rodrigues of the National Parents Union shared that\, among the 1.8 million families across the country involved with her organization\, “the thing that’s really giving me joy about this moment is watching parents take back their power” and advocate for better information\, including through the EPIC (Everyday Parents Impacting Change) campaign in New Jersey among other efforts. Rodrigues also noted the necessity for quality choices for parents\, not just any choices: “Not all choices are worth choosing and not all parents have access to good choices. And that’s where this is going to get really tricky. Yes\, parents want choice — 86% of American families want more public school choice options. But they’ve got to provide meaningful\, measurable results.” \nMaya Martin Cadogan of Parents Amplifying Voices in Education (PAVE) described her organization’s three-pronged model collaborating with parents in Washington\, D.C.\, to connect\, inform\, and empower. She also reviewed victories participating parents have achieved\, including increasing per-pupil funding and starting a new charter school for students. Cadogan shared that the goal of PAVE is that families are “driving the policies\, they’re partnering with those policymakers and school leaders and they’re making sure that they are identifying what it is that they want the system to change and how to make that happen.” \nCristina González\, Ed.D.\, of Abriendo Puertas/Opening Doors (AP-OD) discussed AP-OD’s methodology of using a “popular education” approach\, with local facilitators across 42 states building parent leadership to grow parents’ knowledge\, access\, and agency to make informed decisions for their children. González stressed the importance of AP-OD’s approach that leads to relational trust: “It’s not just what we do\, why we do it\, but also how we do it…so it’s our consistency\, the respect that we have for families\, the truthfulness that we share with them\, and the integrity of the work.” \nPanelists also discussed progress they are seeing toward supporting parent awareness and agency\, including more local collaboration among districts and organizations\, as well as persistent challenges\, including politics and the underfunding of teachers.  \n  \n  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n If you were able to attend the session\, we would love to hear your feedback! We appreciate your help in filling out the following form as we seek to learn and understand the perspectives\, ideas\, critiques and recommendations that better inform our key audiences. \n \n Share Feedback URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/parentcurators/ CATEGORIES:Past Event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/CASEYKINETIK2015_Tues00852-e1740713270404.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250916T123000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250916T140000 DTSTAMP:20260404T065818 CREATED:20250808T072456Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250922T194954Z UID:252106-1758025800-1758031200@leo.gradelevelreading.net SUMMARY:Meeting the Moment? Philanthropic Support for Child Advocacy Organizations and Networks DESCRIPTION:Co-Sponsored by Exponent Philanthropy\n \n \n \n \n \n \n“It’s been great to see the flexibility\, how organizations have reflected on their ability to rise to the moment\, give out more funding\, and/or be mindful of how they can use not just their financial assets but their collective assets and their networks to support their grantees through convenings\, connections with partners\, bridge funding or loans\, and just serving as a voice for their community\, both at the local and legislative levels.”  \n\n– Kelly Finn Störmer\, Exponent Philanthropy \n \n \n \n \n \n Kelly Finn Störmer of Exponent Philanthropy offered the above reflection in the closing of an engaging and actionable conversation about what funders can do right now to protect the philanthropic sector and to support nonprofits and the communities they serve in the wake of destabilizing policy shifts and funding cuts.   \nThis session was co-sponsored by Exponent Philanthropy\, a nationwide network of “lean” funders meaning those with no or few staff\, with Störmer moderating the discussion. Matthew L. Evans of United Philanthropy Forum (UPF) opened the session with a presentation of the robust set of resources compiled by UPF to support philanthropy in meeting the moment. Evans also provided a quick summary of some of the challenges faced by the sector this year\, including threats of an excise tax that would have taken $2.9 billion annually away from communities. He then described the various tools in UPF’s Advocacy\, Awareness\, and Action Campaign: A Strategic Campaign to Defend and Advance Philanthropy’s Freedom to Invest in Community Well-Being\, noting that philanthropy needs to not only defend itself in this moment but also better communicate its story and impact on communities as a proactive offensive effort to prevent future challenges.   \n“We have to lead with community\, and we have to make that connection. If we don’t\, our advocacy efforts will not be successful. So\, [UPF] put community first [in our advocacy efforts this year] and we saw that pay dividends and we will continue to do that moving forward.”  \n– Matthew L. Evans\, United Philanthropy Forum  \nStörmer then engaged a panel of funders — including Melen Hagos of Greater Washington Community Foundation\, Jenna Wachtmann of The Ball Brothers Foundation in Muncie\, Indiana; and Elliot Weinbaum of William Penn Foundation (WPF) in Philadelphia\, Pennsylvania — in a conversation exploring what they are hearing from their grantees and leaders in the communities they serve and what they are doing to stay engaged\, act quickly\, and amplify the voices of those most affected. The funders agreed that many of their grantees and community members were anxious and concerned with some feeling immediate impacts of budget cuts and/or increased demand for services while others are anticipating financial challenges as policies take effect in the coming years.   \nWeinbaum shared how WPF had reached out to its 500 grantees in mid-February to understand how federal-level changes were affecting them and ways the foundation could support them. Responses included requests to replace lost federal funding; technical expertise and guidance from financial\, communications\, strategic\, or board management experts; connections to aligned professional networks for peer learning and guidance; policy and legal advice; and support for organizational transitions\, such as mergers\, downsizing\, or even shuttering the organization. While WPF made it clear that they did not have the capacity to fill the gaps caused by federal funding cuts\, the board was able to release an additional $10 million in grant funding to address some of the needs identified by grantees.   \n“There is no private funding that can replace federal dollars. There is no aggregation of private funding that can replace federal dollars. We tried to make it clear that the foundation was not going to get into the business of replacing federal funding…but our board did make more money available to meet those other kinds of needs.”  \n– Elliot Weinbaum\, William Penn Foundation  \nThe funders discussed the importance of coordination and alignment — both among funders and grantees — to effectively respond to the challenges posed by recent funding cuts and policy changes. Acknowledging that philanthropy often operates in silos\, they stressed the need to be transparent about your foundation’s capacity and limitations and look for opportunities to collaborate and deliver coordinated messages.   \n“I think embracing a multipronged approach is critical. No single funder or funder collaborative can do everything. But if we can each take on the parts of the work that we’re well suited for and are clear and direct about where we’re stepping in\, I think collectively we can cover the full spectrum of the need.”  \n– Melen Hagos\, Greater Washington Community Foundation  \nThey noted how nonprofits and foundations have weathered several “storms” in recent years\, from the Great Recession to the pandemic\, and have been able to leverage some of the systems and processes developed during those previous challenges as they respond to current challenges\, including communications and engagement strategies\, rapid response grantmaking\, and local and national pooled funding collaboratives.   \n“Funders have started to figure out some ways to build those response systems that are less cumbersome….As funders and philanthropy\, we have immense freedom to be able to respond and react and to get ahead of things. I’ve seen funders embrace that flexibility a little bit more and to remember that we have a checkbook and a pen. That’s a big thing.” \n– Jenna Wachtmann\, Ball Brothers Foundation  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n If you were able to attend the session\, we would love to hear your feedback! We appreciate your help in filling out the following form as we seek to learn and understand the perspectives\, ideas\, critiques and recommendations that better inform our key audiences. \n \n Share Feedback URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/f2fexponent/ CATEGORIES:Funder-to-Funder Conversation,Health,Past Event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Atlanta_Photos_0722-e1755876614125.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250916T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250916T163000 DTSTAMP:20260404T065818 CREATED:20250808T075024Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250922T152459Z UID:252114-1758034800-1758040200@leo.gradelevelreading.net SUMMARY:Designing for Connection in the Earliest Years: Technology to Support Families With Children Birth–5 DESCRIPTION:In a conversation moderated by Ginger Young of Book Harvest\, panelists Steve Hannon\, Ph.D.\, of LENA; Allison Leedie of Khan Academy Kids; Dan Torres of Vroom\, a program of Bezos Family Foundation; and Amie Wood of Waterford.org explored how technology can support — not supplant — the central role of parents and caregivers as their children’s first teachers. The session reinforced that while books remain the enduring cornerstone of literacy and imagination\, technology — when designed with intention and partnership — can reduce burdens\, spark joyful connections\, and empower families to guide their children’s learning with confidence. Highlights included: \nParents as First Teachers \n\nParents are at the center of children’s learning journeys. When equipped with the right tools\, encouragement\, and support\, they are the solution to improving literacy and early learning.\nBoth parents and educators benefit from resources that nurture a love of language\, books\, and connection.\n\n  \nProgram Spotlights \n\nLENA shared how its talk pedometer technology measures adult-child interactions and conversational turns\, giving parents and early educators concrete feedback to strengthen shared reading and early language experiences.\nKhan Academy Kids demonstrated how its free app provides access to over 400 digital books and thousands of activities that adapt to each child’s growth\, while building bridges between home and school learning.\nVroom (Bezos Family Foundation) highlighted how everyday routines — from mealtime to laundry — can be transformed into brain-building opportunities\, offering more than 1\,000 caregiver-friendly tips in multiple languages.\nWaterford.org shared how its CARES framework and family app provide practical daily activities\, learning calendars\, and digital books that encourage playful\, shared reading and celebrate family-child progress.\n\n  \nAddressing Key Challenges \n\nNational data shows a decline in shared reading. Panelists underscored the importance of reading aloud with young children\, conversational turns\, storytelling\, and playful engagement — whether through physical books\, digital libraries\, or daily interactions.\nTechnology can play a bridging role\, offering “nutritional screen time\,” scaffolding confidence for caregivers with low literacy\, and translating progress into meaningful home-school connections.\n\n  \nThemes of Hope and Opportunity \n\nFamilies have a deep desire to be involved. Meeting them with tools to affirm that they already have what it takes sparks confidence and transformation.\nLongitudinal data shows early investments in interaction pay off. With bold leadership and thoughtful design\, technology can make access to learning supports more equitable\, scalable\, and culturally responsive.\n\nThis session reaffirmed that books and literacy must remain at the center of early learning — and that technology\, when used wisely\, can act as a bridge to connection\, belonging\, and joy. \nCGLR is deeply grateful to our panelists from LENA\, Khan Academy Kids\, Vroom\, and Waterford.org for sharing their work\, as well as to all of you for your continued partnership in advancing early learning. \n\n\n  URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/earlytech/ CATEGORIES:Upcoming Event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/P_20180922_132240_LL.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250923T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250923T163000 DTSTAMP:20260404T065818 CREATED:20250911T135323Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251216T184633Z UID:252258-1758639600-1758645000@leo.gradelevelreading.net SUMMARY:Implementation and Sustainability: What Makes High-Impact Tutoring Work DESCRIPTION:This session continued CGLR’s emphasis on high-impact tutoring as one of several“big bets” and smart investments identified by CGLR  to accelerate learning recovery. We have been heartened to see that more and more schools and communities are making a significant investment in this strategy over the past few years and sought to use this week’s session to pivot from adoption of high-impact tutoring to successful implementation over time. Acknowledging the challenges of implementation — such as finding tutors\, scheduling\, alignment with classroom learning\, and other factors — this session gave participants the chance to learn from national\, state\, and local leaders about what they have done to make this intervention effective. \nWe began the discussion by engaging with two national tutoring leaders — Nakia Towns\, Ed.D.\, of Accelerate: The National Collaborative for Accelerated Learning and Kate Cochran of the Partnership for Student Success — who have conducted extensive research and engaged with multiple educators to support their touring initiatives. They described what research tells us about “implementation science;” what they have seen across states and districts in terms of ensuring program fidelity in diverse locations; and what tools are most useful to ensure tutoring aligns with classroom instruction. After emphasizing the importance of “dosage” and the need for students to receive tutoring at regular intervals over time to make an impact\, Towns highlighted the “enabling conditions” that need to be in place for effective implementation: \nOne of the things that we noted is that the enabling conditions have to be there. And by that we mean scheduling\, we mean physical space\, [and] we mean the coordination between the tier one classroom teacher being able to identify the students that you want to prioritize for high-impact tutoring\, which means aligning it with your tiered support structures\, MTSS\, RTI….And the most successful places that we’ve seen with implementation means that there is someone in that school who wakes up thinking about the high-impact tutoring program and how the students are going to be able to receive the services at the dosage level that would make a difference and to really be able to monitor progress with data throughout the year. \nWe continued the conversation with three state and district leaders — Karla Hudson of Portland Public Schools in Oregon; Holly Manson of the Louisiana Department of Education; and Elizabeth Ross of the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) in Washington\, D.C. — who have had great success with high-impact tutoring. They talked about the policies\, tactics\, and systems they have put into place across schools and in communities to ensure the enabling conditions that Towns noted are at work. They also discussed the barriers they had to overcome and the course corrections they have had to make to ensure educators and tutors were coordinated and students were where they needed to be at the right time to receive the best dosage of tutoring. Manson shared that the state of Louisiana enacted the “Accelerate: High-Dosage Tutoring Initiative\,” which funds targeted\, in-school tutoring\, and explained how the state Department of Education is helping districts in urban\, suburban\, and rural communities implement this initiative:    \nLouisiana is unique because we have very rural areas\, lots of suburban and lots of urban areas. And so I think the first reaction of a lot of those LEA leaders was\, ‘What does this look like for us? We’re different. This isn’t going to work here for us.’ So we created Accelerate: High-Dosage Tutoring School System Implementation Guidance. And with this guidance document\, we invite every school system to have a one-on-one meeting with us. Because everybody in Louisiana is so different. But what remained constant is the structure or the bones of the high-dosage tutoring law. So that doesn’t change\, but what changes is their unique situations. So I found myself in those conversations [guiding districts in diverse communities through the steps they need to take to achieve success]. And so with this guide\, we really tried to make it work for everyone\, even though it’s not a one-size-fits-all approach. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n If you were able to attend the session\, we would love to hear your feedback! We appreciate your help in filling out the following form as we seek to learn and understand the perspectives\, ideas\, critiques and recommendations that better inform our key audiences. \n \n Share Feedback URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/hit-implementation/ CATEGORIES:Big Bets Working,Past Event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Casey-2016-CLT_638-e1757598784853.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250930T123000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250930T140000 DTSTAMP:20260404T065818 CREATED:20250908T153143Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251003T200926Z UID:252233-1759235400-1759240800@leo.gradelevelreading.net SUMMARY:Early Relational Health: The Cornerstone and Common Thread DESCRIPTION:The relationship between early childhood policy experts and housing experts can absolutely help a community better thrive if we center the experience of young children and their families. \n\n–Mayra Alvarez\, MHA\, The Children’s Partnership \n \n \n \n \n \n In this CGLR Peer Exchange session\, Campaign for Grade-Level Reading’s Managing Director Ralph Smith opened the conversation by recognizing the public housing leaders in the audience. With the explicit mission to disrupt generational poverty\, CGLR continues to acknowledge\, attend to\, and work with the children and families served by the nation’s public housing agencies.    \nPublic housing communities bring many advantages that CGLR has come to understand as “hidden in plain sight.” Public housing communities are inherently two generation and allow us to work with and learn from families who are not currently housing insecure. Smith suggested that “our challenge in this moment is to develop a common language frame to support a set of ideas that are sufficiently coherent and powerful enough to mobilize partners and stakeholders in early school success. We believe the promise of that frame is represented by early relational health.”  \nIn this session\, David Willis\, MD\, FAAP\, of Nurture Connection at Georgetown University provided an overview of early relational health\, defining it as the state of emotional well-being that grows from the positive emotional connection between babies and toddlers and their parents/caregivers supported by strong\, positive\, and nurturing experiences.    \nAn early relational health ecosystem is one that authentically engages families and communities\, collaborates with cross-sector leaders\, builds leadership capacity\, uses data\, reduces racial inequities\, and measures impact to continuously improve. Willis sees housing as a platform to help advance flourishing. By pairing stable housing with neighborhood improvements\, income supports\, and relational strengthening strategies\, families and communities are better positioned to promote early relational health.    \nMiriam Westheimer\, Ed.D.\, of HIPPY International talked about the role of evidence-based home visiting programs and how they strengthen early relational health. Evidence-based home visiting programs are family support models proven through rigorous research to improve outcomes for young children and their parents. Trained home visitors meet with families\, often starting during pregnancy or shortly after birth to coach parents\, share child development activities\, and connect parents to community resources. These evidence-based programs have demonstrated measurable impacts such as improved early learning\, stronger parent engagement\, reduced child maltreatment\, and better long-term outcomes for children.    \nHome Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY) provides structured activities and guidance that promote school readiness and give parents the confidence to see themselves as their child’s first teacher. “At its heart\, home visiting is about building connections between parent and child\, strengthening the bonds that fuel early learning\, and making connections between families and resources\,” said Westheimer.    \nRon Ferguson\, Ph.D.\, of The Basics Inc. shared that The Basics is a spin-off of the Achievement Gap Initiative at Harvard. The Basics initiative aligns with relational health by helping change agents in communities\, regions\, and states build their capacity for supporting parents and other caregivers in promoting children’s cognitive and social-emotional development for kindergarten readiness. Rooted in five principles: 1) maximize love and manage stress; 2) talk\, sing\, and point; 3) count\, group\, and compare; 4) explore through movement and play; and 5) read and discuss stories\, The Basics focuses on everyday activities that children experience from birth to age 5 and beyond. Ferguson hopes to “saturate the parent social ecology with information and encouragement and reminders to make what we call The Basics Principles everyday experiences for children.” He sees public housing as part of an ecosystem situated to play a vital role in early relational health.  \nMayra Alvarez\, MHA\, of The Children’s Partnership\, an advocacy organization in California focused on advancing child health equity\, described a core belief of the organization this way: “A child is a child. It doesn’t matter that child’s background\, it doesn’t matter that child’s language of origin\, their economic status — all children are our children. If we approach taking care of our children from that perspective\, it changes what our policy priorities are going to be.”  \nAlvarez grounded her remarks in the importance of housing being part of an early relational health ecosystem by providing a few statistics on California’s housing instability. In the state\, 70\,000 children under age 3 are unhoused. Only 1 in 6 infants and toddlers who are experiencing homelessness are enrolled in an early learning program. Of children age 0 to 2\, 27% live in crowded housing. The negative implications of housing insecurity for both parents and children can’t be overstated. According to Alvarez\, “The relationship between early childhood policy experts and housing experts can absolutely help a community better thrive if we center the experience of young children and their families.”  \nWe invite you to register and make plans to join CGLR again on October 28 when David Willis will return with others to present the newly released report from the National Academies of Science\, Engineering\, and Medicine: Early Relational Health: Building Foundations for Child\, Family\, and Community Well-being. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n If you were able to attend the session\, we would love to hear your feedback! We appreciate your help in filling out the following form as we seek to learn and understand the perspectives\, ideas\, critiques and recommendations that better inform our key audiences. \n \n Share Feedback URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/early-relational-health/ CATEGORIES:Past Event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/20170129_164221-e1757345288143.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250930T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250930T163000 DTSTAMP:20260404T065818 CREATED:20250902T111753Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251003T200801Z UID:252185-1759244400-1759249800@leo.gradelevelreading.net SUMMARY:Curriculum at a Crossroads: Evidence and What Works DESCRIPTION:It could be the best program in the world.If it doesn’t get used properly\, it’s not going to work… \n– Janine Walker-Caffrey\, Ed.D.\, EPS Learning \n \n \n \n \n \n This GLR Learning Tuesdays webinar\, moderated by Amanda Alexander\, Ph.D.\, explored the crossroads between research\, standards\, and curriculum\, bringing together leading voices from research\, practice\, and publishing. Steven Ross\, Ph.D.\, of Johns Hopkins University grounded the conversation in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and its tiers of evidence. He broke down misconceptions as he clarified that “by far\, [Tier 3] is the most misunderstood tier of all of them\,” and he explained that “when you check the description of what a Tier 3 study involves\, it’s kind of vague.”  \nTeresa Eliopoulos of EdReports highlighted the organization’s role in evaluating curriculum quality and alignment. “Publishers were responding to broad scale shifts in standards and states and districts were wondering if the claims these publishers were making were indeed accurate\,” she explained. EdReports\, she noted\, relies on educators to conduct reviews: “We work with teams of educators…who are really in the field working with students every day\, and it’s those educators who evaluate the instructional materials.” Yet\, implementation remains a challenge\, as “only 35% of ELA\, 51% of math and 6% of science teachers have reported using [high-quality instructional materials] regularly.”  \nJanine Walker-Caffrey\, Ed.D.\, of EPS Learning brought the perspective of a curriculum provider focused on striving readers. For her\, evidence of effectiveness must go hand in hand with usability. She said\, “It’s critical for us to understand the efficacy of our products\, and it’s even more important for us to understand what makes those products usable for educators.” She connected this to implementation science\, stressing that “it could be the best program in the world. If it doesn’t get used properly\, it’s not going to work.” Her “aspirin” analogy underscored the point that proven solutions must still be delivered in accessible\, practical forms for educators.  \nState and district leaders closed the conversation with reflections from the field. David Pinder\, Ed.D.\, of the Juvenile Services Education Program in Maryland reiterated what the speakers shared\, saying: “Too often districts implement initiatives without research-based efficacy….We often tried to tie something to what we did without truly testing the impact of that.” Shawn Stover\, Ed.D.\, of Rockingham County Schools in North Carolina reminded participants that “you have to see an adoption process as the first step of implementation as well.” Bren Elliott\, Ed.D.\, of the School District of Philadelphia stressed that “educator voice is critically important. But we also need to think about our students\, our families\, other stakeholders.” Taken together\, their insights reinforced the central theme of the webinar: evidence\, alignment\, and adoption matter — but\, as Steven Ross concluded\, “Implementation\, from a research perspective\, is everything.”  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n If you were able to attend the session\, we would love to hear your feedback! We appreciate your help in filling out the following form as we seek to learn and understand the perspectives\, ideas\, critiques and recommendations that better inform our key audiences. \n \n Share Feedback URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/curriculum-at-a-crossroads/ CATEGORIES:Past Event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Providence_Photos_0405-e1699407929729.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251007T123000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251007T140000 DTSTAMP:20260404T065818 CREATED:20250918T170003Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251014T163642Z UID:252322-1759840200-1759845600@leo.gradelevelreading.net SUMMARY:The Moonshot Series Preview: A Powerful Launchpad for Collective Learning DESCRIPTION:We are absolutely action focused…when it comes to data\, we really had to refine our approach. We’re not just satisfying curiosity or just pushing stuff out there because we’ve always done it. To us\, if that data doesn’t lead to a change in adult action or confirmation that our adult actions are actually working\, all we’re doing is satisfying that curiosity. And if we’re just satisfying curiosity\, it’s taking time away from doing things that will actually change kids’ lives. \n– Brian McMahon\, Ph.D.\, School District of Indian River County\, Florida \n\nThis October 7\, 2025 Crucible of Practice Salon highlighted a new 10-episode series of videos\, “The Moonshot Series\,” produced by the Children’s Literacy Project in partnership with The Learning Alliance and focused on the work of Florida’s Indian River County Moonshot Moment GLR coalition. \nBarbara Hammond of The Learning Alliance kicked off the session by describing the origin story that led to their Moonshot Moment goal of 90% reading proficiency for third-graders. During the session\, participants viewed short clips from several episodes of the video series followed by conversation about each topic. \nBrian McMahon\, Ph.D.\, with the School District of Indian River County discussed issues raised in the episode clip\, “Superintendent: The Necessity for Transformational Leadership.” He outlined the ways the district has made changes to ensure that their focus is on what children need to succeed\, even when it requires adults and systems to change. McMahon also described the district’s “Data Com” meetings\, illustrating how they track and use data. \nDuring the discussion about the episode\, “Moonshot School: A Learning Lab to Accelerate Impact in All of Our Schools\,” The Learning Alliance’s Liz Remington explained the decision to have a Moonshot School. She shared how the partners selected a school in the district that was 20 points below the state average in third grade reading three years ago and infused the school with additional resources\, with the goal of showing that high-yield strategies can be successful — even in schools where many of the children may start school with a need for extra support. \nFinally\, Debbi Arseneaux\, also with The Learning Alliance\, discussed the importance of integrating the arts into literacy strategies and offered a range of examples of how arts programs and activities build content knowledge and help young people better remember what they learn. She explained\, “It’s about using the existing curriculum that our teachers are required to teach and then looking for opportunities to bring arts and creativity in so that the learning can come to life. Because again\, this is how [students] get excited and how they hold onto this knowledge.” \nThe team also previewed their Wired to Learn Fast Summit happening in on February 11–12\, 2026\, in Vero Beach\, Florida. URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/moonshot-series/ CATEGORIES:Crucible of Practice Salon,Learning Loss,Past Event,Readiness ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Screenshot-2024-11-20-114832-e1732121716431.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251007T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251007T163000 DTSTAMP:20260404T065818 CREATED:20250922T192720Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251014T162137Z UID:252349-1759849200-1759854600@leo.gradelevelreading.net SUMMARY:Book Abundance for Early Learning and Development\, Early Literacy and Early School Success DESCRIPTION:this October 7\, 2025 GLR Learning Tuesdays session reminded us that book abundance is not just about numbers — it’s about stories that fuel imagination\, affirm identity\, and build strong reading foundations. During this session\, held during  National Book Month and Banned Books Week\, we heard powerful reminders from panelists — Jules Appleton with First Book\, Tabitha Blackwell with Book Harvest\, Rebecca Chrystal with Raising a Reader\, Rebecca Slaby with AmazeWorks\, and Cynnamon Woodberry with Make Way for Books — that when children grow up surrounded by books that reflect who they are and open doors to the wider world\, they are better prepared to thrive in school and in life. \nEarly Literacy and Achievement\nPanelists affirmed that book abundance is foundational to early reading success. \n\nFirst Book’s Diverse Books Impact Study found that classrooms adding diverse and bilingual titles saw increased reading scores and engagement\, with the greatest gains among the lowest-performing students.\nRaising a Reader shared that children with access to books at home are more likely to read above grade level and that motivation rises when children find themselves reflected in stories.\nMake Way for Books emphasized the need for educators to be equipped with books and training that connect literacy with joy and belonging\, especially in early learning settings.\n\n \nAccess and Equity\nPanelists explored how true abundance requires equitable access — ensuring that families furthest from opportunity can find\, afford\, and enjoy books. \n\nBook Harvest described how the mayor of Durham\, North Carolina\, deemed that city the  “City of Books” due to Book Harvest’s work in the community and its network of book hubs in clinics\, laundromats\, parks\, and more; as well as the organization’s family space and continuum of programs that provide free books to children birth through middle school.\nFirst Book highlighted its Diverse Books for All Coalition\, bringing together more than 60 partners to make relevant titles accessible and affordable through collective purchasing.\nAmazeWorks stressed how access is connected to belonging\, urging that all children be able to see their experiences reflected and respected through stories.\n\n \nIdentity and Belonging\nBooks can function as both “mirrors” and “windows” for children — affirming their identities while also expanding their worldview. \n\nAmazeWorks shared that as few as five explicit conversations about identity and difference can reduce bias in children and that books provide the perfect catalyst for these discussions.\nBook Harvest described how access to stories in home languages fosters connection and belonging — sharing the story of a mother’s excitement when she found a Farsi-language book to share with her child.\nPanelists noted that representation shapes self-worth\, empathy\, and inclusion across classrooms and communities.\n\n \nContinuum From Birth to Middle School\nBook abundance builds momentum across childhood into adolescence. \n\nRaising a Reader emphasized that strong reading routines and positive emotional bonds in the earliest years predict later literacy and engagement.\nBook Harvest and AmazeWorks underscored that representation and belonging remain vital through adolescence\, influencing motivation and academic confidence.\nPanelists agreed that a continuum approach — from birth through middle school — ensures that literacy and identity development grow hand in hand.\n\n \nJoy and Love of Reading\nAmid declining trends in reading for pleasure\, panelists uplifted joy as both the goal and the method. \n\nMake Way for Books brings playfulness and laughter into reading\, helping children and educators see books as joyful companions\, not assignments.\nFirst Book noted that when children choose books that reflect themselves\, reading becomes play — a self-driven act of exploration and pride.\nRaising a Reader described families rediscovering connection through shared reading\, transforming routines into moments of warmth and curiosity.\n\n \nStories From the Field\nEach panelist shared moving examples of book abundance in action. \n\nA child in Durham found a book with a character who shared her name — a rare moment of joyful recognition and affirmation for that child.\nA teacher used Dina Misses Her Mom\, a book about parental incarceration\, to create a safe\, stigma-free space for students.\nChildren on tribal lands connected deeply with books written by Indigenous authors and illustrators\, reinforcing cultural pride and voice.\n\nAcross all stories\, one message rang clear: Every book placed in a child’s hands is an act of hope — and a step toward a more literate\, connected\, and equitable future. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n If you were able to attend the session\, we would love to hear your feedback! We appreciate your help in filling out the following form as we seek to learn and understand the perspectives\, ideas\, critiques and recommendations that better inform our key audiences. \n \n Share Feedback URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/oct7pm/ CATEGORIES:Past Event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Horizons_DC_Program_0937-e1759258577220.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251014T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251014T163000 DTSTAMP:20260404T065819 CREATED:20250925T071211Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260102T131850Z UID:252411-1760454000-1760459400@leo.gradelevelreading.net SUMMARY:Screens in the First Five Years: What We Need to Know and Do DESCRIPTION: \n \nCo-Sponsored by \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n This Learning Tuesdays session was moderated by Kris Perry\, MSW\, of Children and Screens: Institute of Digital Media and Child Development\, who began the webinar by grounding the discussion in the latest science. Dimitri Christakis\, MD\, MPH\, also with Children and Screens\, emphasized that “research has found that there are really no demonstrable benefits to screen use before the age of 18 months. And in fact\, very strong suggestions that there’s harm associated with early screen use for children that young.” Yet he also noted that ages 2 to 5 represent “the sweet spot of media research\,” where high-quality programming can foster both cognitive and social-emotional growth. Rachel Barr\, Ph.D.\, of Georgetown University added\, “High quality content has really long-lasting positive benefits\,” particularly for children from low-resourced homes\, who stand to benefit the most. Together\, these insights highlighted the importance of distinguishing between harmful overexposure and intentional\, developmentally appropriate use. \nThe panelists then turned to the real-world challenges families face in navigating a crowded and often misleading marketplace of apps and media. Kathy Hirsh-Pasek\, Ph.D.\, of Temple University and the Brookings Institution shared findings from her research: “We did a study of the hundred most downloaded apps and…how many of them had real educational value? Well\, I’ll give you the answer. It was two.” Rachel Franz\, M.Ed.\, of Fairplay shared poll data indicating that the majority of families with children under age 6 “believed that screen time was essential or necessary for their child’s learning and development. And this included parents of infants who don’t need screen time. And we were concerned by that because there really isn’t evidence that supports that claim that it’s necessary or better than learning with other humans.” Meanwhile\, Barr pointed to video chat as a powerful example of technology that supports relationships\, noting that during the pandemic\, “grandparents who engaged in lots of activities…felt closer to their grandchildren.” These examples underscored that the benefits of screens depend not only on content but also on context\, co-engagement\, and the preservation of human connection. \nLooking ahead\, the panelists called for clear principles to guide families\, educators\, and policymakers\, including highlighting Children and Screens Guide for Early Child Development and Media Use. Christakis reminded participants that “young children need laps\, not apps\,” emphasizing that technology should never displace essential caregiver interaction. Hirsh-Pasek cautioned against premature adoption of advanced tools\, stating\, “with our youngest children\, those 3 and under\, the answer is an unqualified no” when it comes to AI-enabled toys. Michelle Kang of National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)\, reinforced the field’s commitment to developmentally appropriate practice\, affirming that “technology cannot be a substitute for the loving and nurturing and responsive relationship that an adult has with a child in an early learning environment. It can’t.” \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n A note from Children and Screens: Institute of Digital Media and Child Development: \nChildren and Screens was honored to partner with the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading in hosting this week’s webinar\, Screens in the First Five Years: What We Need to Know and Do. In the session\, we convened leading experts in child development\, psychology\, and early learning to explore the complex role of digital media in the lives of infants\, toddlers\, and preschoolers. The conversation underscored both the risks and opportunities of screen use in the earliest years\, with a focus on how families\, educators\, and communities can make informed choices that support healthy development and early literacy. We plan to continue working with CGLR to explore this important issue and invite you to stay connected with us by signing up for Children and Screens’ newsletter.  \nKris Perry\, MSW Executive Director Children and Screens: Institute of Digital Media and Child Development  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n If you were able to attend the session\, we would love to hear your feedback! We appreciate your help in filling out the following form as we seek to learn and understand the perspectives\, ideas\, critiques and recommendations that better inform our key audiences. \n \n Share Feedback URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/children-screens/ CATEGORIES:Partner Webinar,Past Event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/CASEYKINETIK2015_Thurs00160.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251021T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251021T163000 DTSTAMP:20260404T065819 CREATED:20250918T171103Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251025T130708Z UID:252327-1761058800-1761064200@leo.gradelevelreading.net SUMMARY:Homeschooling as Anchor\, Catalyst\, and Precursor? DESCRIPTION:During the October 21\, 2025 GLR Learning Tuesdays webinar\, Bruno Manno\, Ph.D.\, with the Progressive Policy Institute moderated a conversation exploring the evolution of homeschooling to become more diverse and dynamic and what it looks like in practice. This was the third webinar in CGLR’s Parents as Curators of Their Children’s Education? webinar series exploring the potential and implications of parents as curators of their children’s education. \nAngela Watson\, Ph.D.\, of the Homeschool Research Lab at Johns Hopkins University shared data from the Homeschool Research Lab showing that homeschooling families are growing across the country and are becoming more diverse and dynamic — in the sense that nearly 1 in 3 homeschooling families also use co-ops\, hybrid models\, microschools\, virtual schools\, or tutoring. Watson also noted that many homeschooling families also have children in public schools\, stressing that there are opportunities for public schools to partner more with homeschooling families: “When we accept that homeschooling is not this rejection of traditional public schooling\, it really opens the door to a lot of possibilities.” \nSusha Roy\, Ph.D.\, of RAND presented research indicating that Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) are becoming a new funding mechanism for homeschooling families. She explained how families are using it in Arizona to enable an “unbundled education model” in which parents choose resources and services\, like curriculum and tutoring\, from different providers\, curating what their students need. Roy also predicted that ESAs could lead to additional accountability within the private education sector. She characterized this as beneficial for homeschooling families to provide high-quality information and transparency for families about educational service providers\, leading to higher-quality services for their children. \nRobin Lake of the Center on Reinventing Public Education described her organization’s findings from studying “pandemic pods\,” which included homeschooling\, noting that both parents and teachers enjoyed the choice\, flexibility\, and personalization they could bring to these learning environments. Lake highlighted opportunities for school districts to incorporate parents’ and teachers’ interest in more choice and personalization into their systems: “How can you play with creative staffing models\, the use of emerging technologies to be able to customize education in more effective ways? How can you really listen to both parents and teachers about what they’re lacking in their current experience and be able to think about creative approaches to be able to respond to those needs?” \nBernita Bradley of Engaged Detroit shared that she launched her organization during the pandemic when many families were not satisfied with the support they were receiving from their school district and decided to homeschool their children. She described the growth of her organization from supporting 12 families to now 75 families\, reaching about 400 students\, and explained how her organization provides them with free coaching\, parent facilitator training\, and enrichment classes led by parents. Bradley also described the sense of community families have formed to support one another and their children: “We have a cooking class\, and we have all of these classes where parents are coming together\, instructing the classes and they’re teaching other people’s children. So it’s becoming a community thing.” \nChemay Morales-James of My Reflection Matters talked about the evolution of her homeschooling journey from a physical co-op space with other parents before the pandemic to a virtual “co-learning sanctuary” she now leads for adults. This international virtual community of families implementing homeschooling and other means of education outside of traditional public schooling centers around self-directed learning to follow the child’s interests and offers workshops\, online courses\, guest speakers\, and healing retreats. Morales-James described her decision to sustain this virtual village: “Once the pandemic cleared and people can go back in their physical world\, we continued the village to really support the adults with the resources\, the learning experiences\, the unlearning\, and the healing.” \nPanelists also discussed opportunities and challenges in partnering with school districts for homeschooling families\, and how homeschooling families define success\, including Bradley’s assessment with Engaged Detroit: “Success to parents looks like their children thriving and loving learning.” URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/pac-homeschooling/ CATEGORIES:Past Event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/CASEYKINETIK2015_Thurs00981-e1697695571640.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251028T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251028T163000 DTSTAMP:20260404T065819 CREATED:20251013T165423Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251223T132932Z UID:252693-1761663600-1761669000@leo.gradelevelreading.net SUMMARY:Building the Bridge: How Early Relational Health Fuels Early Learning and Third-Grade Reading Success DESCRIPTION:This Learning Tuesdays webinar highlighted the critical connection between early relational health (ERH) — the mutual\, meaningful\, and affirming relationships between young children and caregivers — and early learning\, literacy\, and third-grade reading success. Anchored by the National Academies of Sciences\, Engineering\, and Medicine report\, Early Relational Health: Building Foundations for Child\, Family\, and Community Well-Being\, the session brought together several of the report’s authors and practitioners to translate its insights into action. \nGrounding in the Science of Early Relational Health \nThe first panel — David W. Willis\, MD\, FAAP\, Nurture Connection\, Thrive Center\, Georgetown University; Elisabeth Burak\, MPP\, MSW\, Center for Children and Families\, Georgetown University; Dominique Charlot-Swilley\, Ph.D.\, Thrive Center\, Georgetown University; and Justin Lavner\, Ph.D.\, University of Georgia — grounded the audience in the science of ERH. Panelists emphasized that relationships are foundational to brain development\, resilience\, and kindergarten readiness. ERH extends beyond health systems to early learning centers\, home visiting programs\, and community supports. Core principles include supporting family well-being\, embedding relational practices across systems\, grounding approaches in culture\, and treating ERH as a public good with cross-sector benefits. They underscored that ERH is built through ongoing cycles of relating\, rupture\, and repair\, and stressed that systems must act as relationship builders rather than solely service providers. Opportunities exist to translate the science into policy through promoting workforce development\, leveraging Medicaid and early childhood systems\, and investing in community infrastructure that nurtures connection. \nEarly Relational Health in Practice \nThe second panel — Lee Savio Beers\, MD\, FAAP\, George Washington University; Margaret Caspe\, Ph.D.\, National Association for Family\, School\, and Community Engagement (NAFSCE); Ron Ferguson\, Ph.D.\, The Basics\, Inc.; Adrián Pedroza\, Abriendo Puertas/Opening Doors; and Jade Woodard\, Family Connects International — discussed bringing ERH to life across systems. Their conversation centered on three themes: intentionally fostering connection\, cultivating trust within “surround sound” networks\, and ensuring targeted universalism and belonging. Panelists shared examples such as “Parent Cafés\,” community storytelling initiatives\, and The Basics’ community-wide relational projects. Trust was described as built on motives\, competence\, dependability\, and respect\, with programs like Family Connects’ home visits illustrating how trusted relationships connect families to broader supports. They emphasized that collaboration across sectors is critical but often challenged by siloed systems and structural barriers\, and that culturally responsive\, locally tailored approaches are essential for equitable relational support. \nERH and Early Literacy: Relational Learning as a “We” Experience \n“Those early moments of connection with shared reading\, storytelling\, pointing at the words together…these early moments of connection underscore that learning and education is a ‘we’ experience not a ‘me’ experience.” \n— David Willis\, Nurture Connection\, Georgetown University \nPanelists highlighted that early literacy is inseparable from relational health\, with shared reading\, storytelling\, and “serve and return” interactions creating relational learning spaces. Attention to peer dynamics\, social-emotional learning\, and positive relational moments fosters help-seeking and collective engagement. \nAcross both panels\, the message was clear: Learning is a shared experience\, and when relationships are placed at the center of policy\, practice\, and community life\, children are better prepared to thrive in school and beyond. Panelists concluded with a hopeful vision of a future in which relationships guide all systems that touch families\, serving as the foundation for learning\, literacy\, and lifelong well-being. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n If you were able to attend the session\, we would love to hear your feedback! We appreciate your help in filling out the following form as we seek to learn and understand the perspectives\, ideas\, critiques and recommendations that better inform our key audiences. \n \n Share Feedback URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/building-the-bridge/ CATEGORIES:Partner Webinar,Past Event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/d490cc4a-3b06-4c2d-b92b-3a89f078b45d-e1711411624340.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251104T123000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251104T140000 DTSTAMP:20260404T065819 CREATED:20251022T224516Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251110T143055Z UID:252856-1762259400-1762264800@leo.gradelevelreading.net SUMMARY:Sparking Literacy\, One Neighborhood at a Time: Impact and Growth of the Reading Captains Program DESCRIPTION:“We want to help more and more children create a 360 surround…[where] everyone in their community recognizes the importance of young children and [they] are contributing to the literacy development of all of those children. Whether it’s in the library\, the grocery store\, the nail salon\, the barbershop…these are all our children\, and we need to all contribute to their development.” \n\n– Susan Neuman\, Ed.D.\, New York University \n \n \n \n \n \n In the November 4\, 2025 Crucible of Practice Salon\, Susan Neuman\, Ed.D.\, with New York University opened the conversation by discussing the importance of ensuring that literacy opportunities are available for children throughout all contexts — including in their own neighborhoods. She explained what she’s learned through her studies of trusted messengers in everyday spaces including Reading Captains in laundromats. \nClinton Drees with Read by 4th in Philadelphia provided an overview of the Reading Captains program — why the initiative began\, the roles Reading Captains play throughout the city\, and how they are supported to do their work. Drees summarized by saying: \n\n“After eight years of supporting Reading Captains\, we’ve picked out three lessons that we think are worth sharing. One\, innovation isn’t always about creating something new. Sometimes it’s about reimagining everyday life and activating what’s already there. Two\, it takes a lot to support Reading Captains. Yes\, they’re doing the work\, but behind them is a network of systems\, operational support\, outreach strategies\, and real emotional labor of maintaining relationships with and supporting hundreds of people. And three\, community is power\, full stop. Give the community the tools\, pick up the phone and listen to their experiences\, support their connections and growth\, and watch the magic happen.” \n\nEden Galan\, also with Read by 4th\, described her journey from being a parent interested in finding great experiences and resources for her family to becoming a Reading Captain so she could share with and support her neighbors through events like the Latinx Literacy Fest. She also discussed her experience being a part of the study about trusted messengers in laundromats. Galan shared\, “I’m proud to be a Reading Captain\, and I think that it really works because it’s rooted in relationships. It’s neighbors talking to other neighbors\, and we’re sharing information in a way that feels personal and trustworthy.” \nThen the conversation turned to how the Reading Captains program migrated to St. Louis\, Missouri. Lisa Greening with Turn the Page STL explained how she heard about the program\, learned from the work of Read by 4th\, and found a local partner willing to take on the initiative. Lauren Campbell with Ready Readers in St. Louis described how they started their program\, highlighting the types of activities Reading Captains are involved with including a partnership with three of the housing developments in the city. She concluded\, “We are seeing that families are starting to feel more connected to their community\, more connected to community resources. Conversations are being had around literacy and reading routines. Kids are feeling more excited about reading and…families are reading more frequently at home.” URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/reading-captains/ CATEGORIES:Crucible of Practice Salon,Parents,Past Event,Readiness,Reading & Math ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/New-reading-captains-pic.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251104T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251104T163000 DTSTAMP:20260404T065819 CREATED:20251013T175619Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251106T211207Z UID:252699-1762268400-1762273800@leo.gradelevelreading.net SUMMARY:Revisiting Head Start as a Cornerstone for Early Learning & Development: Emerging Challenges & Opportunities DESCRIPTION:This session was a follow-on conversation from another session last May — also focused on Head Start — that was part of our “More Hopeful Futures or Children as Collateral Damage?” series. Across eight sessions\, this series has sought to center children in the multiple policy shifts and federal funding cuts impacting communities. In the nearly six months since that prior session\, Head Start has continued to be in the headlines as a result of multiple congressional and administrative actions impacting the program — both positive and concerning. In this week’s session\, we picked up on the ideas from that previous session while also reviewing the recent actions and impacts for programs on the ground.  \nModerator\, and CGLR State Lead\, Lori Masseur of Read On Arizona launched the discussion by engaging with Khari Garvin\, former Director of the Office Head Start at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under the Biden administration and current President and CEO of Family Services\, who was also a speaker on the May panel. Garvin was able to bring the two conversations together by emphasizing the broad impact of Head Start as a poverty amelioration program that has always gone beyond early learning to supporting whole family health and wellness. Masseur then welcomed Carrie Gillispie\, Ed.D.\, of New America into the conversation to share the facts and figures of recent congressional and administrative actions affecting Head Start. Gillispie explained the challenges of states not receiving operational funding for Head Start during the federal shutdown and the opportunity of the Head Start for America’s Children Act of 2025\, introduced recently by Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont). Both Garvin and Gillespie also discussed the 60-year history of Head Start\, with Garvin reminding attendees of the program’s purpose at its founding and the dangers of challenges to its funding and existence:  \n“Head Start\, yes\, it is a program\, but it is also part of the prescription that our nation wrote to end poverty. And there are more than 1\,600 agencies across the country who have raised their hand to say\, we want to join in this effort. We’re going to partner with the federal government to help eradicate poverty. So this assault that we are seeing on the Head Start program is really causing a problem. It’s not just simply disrupting the experiences of children and families\, but it is really having a terrible impact on our ability to combat poverty.”  \nMasseur continued the conversation with both a state and local Head Start Leader and a national Head Start leader. Eve Del Real\, Ph.D.\, is the Director of Head Start with Southwest Human Development in Phoenix and the President of Arizona Head Start Association. Deborah Bergeron\, Ph.D.\, is Deputy Director at the National Head Start Association and former Director of the Office of Head Start at HHS under the first Trump administration. These two leaders shared their experiences with multiple programs on the ground. They described how those programs are facing the current challenges and using the agility and innovation that Head Start programs have always had to develop local partnerships to keep their doors open.   \nAll panelists then engaged in a discussion about multiple topics and shared tips with the audience on how to advocate and get the public to care about and support early childhood to keep Head Start thriving. Del Real offered her perspective on a suggested way of framing the issue to ensure that the maximum number of people can understand the importance and the impact of Head Start:  \n“I think it goes back to the framing…that early childhood in general is a preventative public policy initiative. We have to get back to that to ensure that we’re recognizing that there are preventions. There’s a lot of savings to the state and local governments when we are making investments in early childhood education. And I know it’s hard because there’s so many competing priorities\, but unifying with your local Head Start associations or other advocacy groups for early childhood education is critical for us to be able to do that in a unified manner.”  \nMany more important ideas were discussed by the educators who came together for this GLR Learning Tuesdays session\, and we hope that you found it informative and engaging. Please review the resources and the recording made available here for more information and plan to join us again soon.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n If you were able to attend the session\, we would love to hear your feedback! We appreciate your help in filling out the following form as we seek to learn and understand the perspectives\, ideas\, critiques and recommendations that better inform our key audiences. \n \n Share Feedback URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/revisiting-head-start/ CATEGORIES:More Hopeful Futures?,Past Event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Casey_Prov_KidsCount_2013_THURS_00229-e1752591672700.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251111T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251111T163000 DTSTAMP:20260404T065819 CREATED:20251015T185525Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251117T124055Z UID:252733-1762873200-1762878600@leo.gradelevelreading.net SUMMARY:Technology-Enhanced Supports for English Learners DESCRIPTION:Co-Sponsored by \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\nIn this GLR Learning Tuesdays session\, CGLR welcomed experts to explore how digital tools can most effectively supplement and strengthen instruction for English Learners (ELs). Our conversation\, moderated by Amaya Garcia of New America emphasized that “too often [EL] students are viewed from a deficit perspective that frames their educational needs as problems to be solved\,” underscoring the critical need for our collective work. \nPanelists provided crucial advice on the strategic implementation of educational technology\, arguing that decisions must be driven by pedagogical expertise rather than the technology itself. Steve Sofranas\, M.Ed.\, of Ellevation Education encouraged empowering local teams\, like EL administrators\, who know their students best\, reminding attendees that we must start with the goal we are trying to achieve. He reinforced the neutrality of technology with an insight drawn from Noam Chomsky\, “The hammer doesn’t care whether it’s used to build a house or whether a torturer uses it to injure somebody.” Similarly\, Robyn Edwards\, Ph.D.\, of Western Michigan University\, sharing insights from her research on AI-powered translation earbuds\, found that while devices can increase participation and access\, implementation must be grounded in teacher expertise. She offered a key takeaway\, “Skilled human teachers beat machines when instruction is already well scaffolded.” \nWhen considering broad implementation\, panelists urged systems to ensure technology serves all students\, especially those furthest from resources. Veronica Benavides\, Ed.L.D.\, of Bilingual Generation noted that “just because we implement an EdTech tool doesn’t mean it will reach every student — particularly those at the margins.” This necessity for balanced implementation aligns with the insights shared by Havala Hansen\, Ph.D.\, of Evergreen Analytics\, LLC\, who reflected on the accelerating technological environment by stating\, “We’re all immigrants in the world of AI”— highlighting that while innovation is rapid\, implementation must remain flexible while balancing the need for consistency. \n\n\n\n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n If you were able to attend the session\, we would love to hear your feedback! We appreciate your help in filling out the following form as we seek to learn and understand the perspectives\, ideas\, critiques and recommendations that better inform our key audiences. \n \n Share Feedback URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/technology-english-learners/ CATEGORIES:Past Event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Screenshot-103-e1690139570247.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251118T123000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251118T140000 DTSTAMP:20260404T065819 CREATED:20251014T113847Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251124T061542Z UID:252708-1763469000-1763474400@leo.gradelevelreading.net SUMMARY:Phoebe & Jay: Coming Soon! A “Last Mile” Outreach and Opportunity DESCRIPTION:“Bill Isler [a longtime colleague and friend of Mister Rogers and former head of Fred Rogers Productions] said that\, through television\, we have the choice of encouraging others to demean this life or to cherish it in creative and imaginative ways. We see Genie [Deez] and Thy [Than] as two people who are using television to cherish life. And the impact of that transcends geography\, right? Yes\, Phoebe & Jay is being produced in places…1\,000 miles away from where I’m sitting now. But at the end of the day\, we know that kids in Pittsburgh are going to benefit from this program and from Genie and Thy’s thoughtfulness and their deliberateness and their creativity just as much as kids anywhere else. And\, in an era when public media is under threat\, to put it mildly\, when programs like Phoebe & Jay are being targeted for simply doing good for the kids who need and deserve it\, we’re proud to support it\, even as a regional funder.” \n\n— Ryan Rydzewski\, The Grable Foundation \nIn the November 2025 Funder-to-Funder Conversation\, Ryan Rydzewski of Grable Foundation in Pittsburgh\, Pennsylvania\, offered the above reflection as he made a compelling case for funders — including local and regional funders — who care about children’s early learning and development to invest in the development and launch of Phoebe & Jay\, a forthcoming animated series on PBS KIDS. If you are interested in learning more about how you or your organization can contribute to Phoebe & Jay’s “last mile” fundraising efforts\, let us know.  \nThe conversation was moderated by Terri Clark\, currently the lead of Read On Arizona but also the former head of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation\, which oversees the Fred Rogers Memorial Scholarship. Clark began by engaging two public television leaders — Pam Johnson\, Ph.D.\, formerly of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and Anne E. Lund of PBS KIDS — in a discussion about the research and intentional approaches reflected in PBS KIDS programming and the impact of the three decades of federal Ready To Learn grants in supporting educational programming for young children.  \nThe co-creators of Phoebe & Jay — Genie Deez and Thy Than\, both of whom are former recipients of the Fred Rogers Memorial Scholarship — introduced the show\, sharing engaging video clips and describing the care and attention they put into characters\, their appearance\, their environment\, and their interactions. The show features 6-year-old fraternal twins being raised in a multi-generational\, African American family living in an affordable apartment complex. \n\n“One of the main visions [for the show] was to stay authentic. The bedrock of our show is authenticity. From the kinds of stories we tell to the way these characters look\, the way they were designed\, the way characters speak\, the language they use\, every brick and square foot of Topsy Towers — all that is meant to be authentic. By that we mean that it comes from lived experience — from my life\, from Thy’s life\, and the crew and everybody behind the scenes. There’s a lot of my family in this.” \n\n— Genie Deez\, Phoebe & Jay \nIn addition to that focus on authenticity and representation\, the co-creators worked closely with Kelly Cartwright\, Ph.D.\, of the University of North Carolina\, Charlotte\, to ensure the stories are building children’s early literacy and executive function skills. From reading clothing tags to find the right size to writing down their grandmother’s special greens recipe\, Phoebe and Jay learn about the “everyday text” in the world around them and use it to solve problems. Than described it as the “Mr. Miyagi effect” referencing the 1980s movie The Karate Kid\, noting how the early screening and testing of the show revealed that it helped children learn everyday text and functional literacy without the children even knowing it.  \n\n“In this way\, literacy is really depicted as purposeful. It’s child driven and it sets kids on the path to active\, engaged reading development.”  \n\n— Kelly Cartwright\, Ph.D.\, University of North Carolina at Charlotte \nRecognizing that a growing number of children engage with media via games rather than television\, Than then provided an overview of the creators’ plans for multi-platform engagement\, including an online game\, printable coloring pages and activity sheets\, and tools for caregivers and educators to use.  \nClark then welcomed Rydzewski into the conversation to share more about the Grable Foundation’s investments in education and how this new show advances the foundation’s mission. Based in Mister Roger’s hometown\, Grable has a deep understanding of the ways in which public television can promote children’s learning and development and creative expression. As such Grable has been both an investor and advocate for the creation of Phoebe & Jay even though most of its investments are focused the southwest Pennsylvania region. As Rydzewski made the case for additional philanthropic investment in the show\, Johnson underscored the value of the federal investment that has provided a foundation of research and evidence over the course of the past 30 years and helped the show’s creators get started.  \n\n“I think it is important for fellow funders to understand that these PBS KIDS shows\, frequently funded by Ready To Learn and CPB as well as philanthropic investors\, have incredibly long lifespans. They grow in popularity. They become beloved by children and they influence children\, and it’s really quite powerful…. What am I saying here? This is an incredible investment with strong return on investment for any funder — small\, medium\, or large. The commitment they make is going to have a lasting impact.” \n\n— Pam Johnson\, Ph.D.\, Formerly with Corporation for Public Broadcasting \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n If you were able to attend the session\, we would love to hear your feedback! We appreciate your help in filling out the following form as we seek to learn and understand the perspectives\, ideas\, critiques and recommendations that better inform our key audiences. \n \n Share Feedback URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/phoebe-jay/ CATEGORIES:Funder-to-Funder Conversation,Parents,Readiness,Upcoming Event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Phoebe-and-Jay.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251118T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251118T163000 DTSTAMP:20260404T065819 CREATED:20251023T194144Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251124T202833Z UID:252886-1763478000-1763483400@leo.gradelevelreading.net SUMMARY:Parents as Curators of Their Children’s Education: The Growth and Potential of Microschools DESCRIPTION:In the fourth session of our series exploring the potential and implications of parents as curators of their children’s education\, Chelsea Waite with the Center on Reinventing Public Education moderated a conversation exploring the growth and characteristics of microschools and what they look like in practice.  \nDon Soifer of the National Microschooling Center defined microschools as “innovative small learning environments” and shared that there is not one singular definition of microschools\, due to the different state contexts and regulations in which they operate. Soifer shared that microschools comprise about 2% of the market share currently and serve about 1.5 million students nationally as their primary source of schooling. Soifer noted that most parents choosing microschools are at or below the average income level\, and the top reasons they choose this model include academic and non-academic growth as well as for children’s happiness in a new setting. Soifer also explained that only 29% of microschools use traditional letter grades for assessing students\, and that many instead use portfolios and tracking of student mastery in other ways. \nMeredith Olson of VELA described how that organization supports the microschools field by providing seed funding to founders and connecting families and founders to find and enroll in microschools. Olson shared that VELA has grown from supporting three founders in 2019 to more than 4\,700 founders today spanning all 50 states\, reaching an estimated 5 million learners. This rapid pace of growth is ongoing with an average of 31 founders  joining VELA weekly. Olson outlined some of the societal factors driving this growth\, including dissatisfaction with the status quo and with institutions\, and parents’ willingness to invest in their children’s education.  \n“People are no longer satisfied passively receiving what’s been prescribed for them. They have the right and the responsibility to pursue education that fits with their lives\, that fits with their values\, and they are going after it. They are pursuing it.” \n— Meredith Olson\, VELA \nLauren Covelli\, Ph.D.\, of RAND described two phases of studies her organization conducted on microschools. She explained how difficult it is to assess the impact of microschools on student achievement and make accurate comparisons to their public school peers. As a result\, Covelli offered several recommendations for further research on microschools\, including for researchers to collaborate with practitioners for studies; for microschool leaders to develop a common framework for outcomes; and for policymakers to be mindful of the impact of regulations on microschool innovation and values. \nStephanie Harper\, Ph.D.\, of Harper Learning Academy shared that she started her microschool in Mississippi to support her daughter’s learning\, and that she teaches students to embrace their learning differences: “We teach them that their learning difference is actually their superpower. And so what that did was transform their thinking as it relates to their self-perspective.” The academy’s mission is to help students discover their purpose\, and the school of 20 students applies a project-based curriculum and serves many students who have learning differences including ADHD\, dyslexia\, or who are on the high end of the autism spectrum. Harper shared that parents choose her school because they want an individualized approach tailored to their child’s needs\, or want their children to feel safe\, and are seeking a true partnership with their school.   \nMary Jo Fairhead of Onward Learning shared that she opened her microschool\, located near the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota\, to address the unmet student needs she saw during the pandemic as a public school principal. Located in one of the poorest areas of the country\, her school serves 40 children\, ages birth to 8th grade. She explained that 85% of her students are Native American\, all qualify for free lunch\, and 25% are neurodivergent learners. Her school is based on three pillars of being love-based\, child-centered\, and community-led. Fairhead described her vision for the pillar of a community-led pillar: “We are all a community. The students\, the teachers\, the parents\, the board and some community members. And we all work together. We all have a responsibility for these kids. And I don’t want them to have just one teacher that they love and that they can turn to. I want them to have a community of supportive adults that are healthy and that can support them.” \nOnward Learning is seeing an average growth of 1.5 years in reading and math for all students\, including neurodivergent learners and those with IEPs\, as well as significant emotional growth. Fairhead highlighted three things her school does that public schools can adopt: multi-age classrooms\, a relationship-based environment\, and a whole child approach.  \nPanelists also discussed opportunities and challenges for the future of microschools\, including funding\, innovation\, and access.  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n If you were able to attend the session\, we would love to hear your feedback! We appreciate your help in filling out the following form as we seek to learn and understand the perspectives\, ideas\, critiques and recommendations that better inform our key audiences. \n \n Share Feedback URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/microschools/ CATEGORIES:Parents as Curators,Past Event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Kathryn-banner-part-II_030-e1708726275987.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251125T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251125T163000 DTSTAMP:20260404T065819 CREATED:20251024T024911Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251201T073635Z UID:252894-1764082800-1764088200@leo.gradelevelreading.net SUMMARY:REBROADCAST: Beyond Decoding NAEP: The Federal Role in Promoting Efficacy\, Equity\, and Accountability DESCRIPTION:This rebroadcast picked up on our 8-session “Decoding NAEP” series from earlier this year that engaged state chiefs\, educators\, parents\, researchers\, and advocates in a deep-dive exploration of the 2024 scores from the National Assessment of Educational Progress — often call “The Nation’s Report Card.” \nIn this session\, we went beyond decoding NAEP to explore the federal role in generating data to assess student progress and the will needed from local\, state\, and national leaders to regain a focus on the importance of student outcomes. Panelists discussed why the U.S. Department of Education and its Institute of Education Sciences should continue to provide funding and support for research that reveals what is needed and what works for various student demographics.  \nThe session began with a conversation between two former U.S. Secretaries of Education\, representing both sides of the aisle\, about the importance of federal leadership being committed to student outcomes. John King\, Jr.\, J.D.\, Ed.D.\, Chancellor of the State University of New York (SUNY) and U.S. Secretary of Education under President Obama from 2015–2017\, and Margaret Spellings\, President and CEO of the Bipartisan Policy Center and U.S. Secretary of Education under President Bush from 2005–2009\, discussed the importance of using data to drive action\, with Spellings noting: \n“When we focus on every kid and we measure — yes\, that’s testing — and report that data\, hold it up\, learn from it\, and make it a central part of what we invest in\, we go in the right direction.” \nKing emphasized the connection between educational outcomes and a strong workforce and the importance of federal leaders making this a priority: \n“And at the end of the day\, for every employer\, they will not have the workforce we need if we do not provide students with the foundational skills\, particularly in English and math\, although obviously students need much more than that. But if they don’t have those things\, they surely aren’t going to be successful in the workforce.….Today we really need our leadership to step up and restore the sense that improving educational outcomes is a national imperative.” \nWe continued the robust conversation on the federal role in promoting efficacy and accountability as I engaged with three prominent research and education leaders who also offered perspectives from both sides of the aisle. Michael J. Petrilli of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute\, Adam Gamoran\, Ph.D.\, of the William T. Grant Foundation\, and Ruth N. Lopez Turley\, Ph.D.\, of the Kinder Institute for Urban Research at Rice University and former member of the National Board for Education Sciences (2022–2025) began by reacting to what the former Secretaries shared and also emphasized the importance of national research and data to identify and address inequities that impede student progress. Turley explained how federal data is used at the local level in her home community of Houston\, Texas:  \n“We were using national-level data from the School Finance Indicators Database\, which uses the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) data\, Census data\, etc.\, to develop estimates for how much per-pupil funding is needed for each school district across the country. So we found that most school districts in the state of Texas are underfunded in terms of what they would need to achieve national average test scores. But even more importantly\, we found that there are some school districts that were severely underfunded relative to others\, both in the region and in the state. And so there are huge inequities that we need to pay attention to [and the federal data is needed to identify these inequities].” \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n If you were able to attend the session\, we would love to hear your feedback! We appreciate your help in filling out the following form as we seek to learn and understand the perspectives\, ideas\, critiques and recommendations that better inform our key audiences. \n \n Share Feedback URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/rebroadcast-naep/ CATEGORIES:Learning Loss Recovery Challenge,Past Event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/HOLIDAY-REBROADCAST-2.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251202T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251202T163000 DTSTAMP:20260404T065820 CREATED:20251121T190915Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260106T221331Z UID:253428-1764687600-1764693000@leo.gradelevelreading.net SUMMARY:Parents as Curators of Their Children's Education: Opportunities & Implications of a New Federal Education Tax Credit DESCRIPTION:During the webinar\, Derrell Bradford with 50 CAN: The 50-State Campaign for Achievement Now moderated a conversation exploring the opportunities and implications of the new federal scholarship tax credit\, and how people can get involved. This webinar was the fifth in a series exploring the emerging reality that more parents are actively curating the educational experiences of their children.  \nScott Palmer of EducationCounsel provided an overview of the new tax credit\, which allows individuals to donate up to $1\,700 per year and then receive a credit for contributions to scholarship-granting organizations (SGOs) that fund qualified elementary and secondary education expenses for eligible students. Palmer noted that as these contributions grow\, this tax credit could become the largest federal investment in education\, far more than Title I or other federal funds. He also described two potential pathways that states that opt in could take with it\, with the “narrow” pathway involving investments in private and religious school choice\, and the “broad” pathway involving investments in an ecosystem to expand access to more families for various resources\, including tutoring programs\, after school and summer learning\, and other opportunities.   \nRachel Canter of the Progressive Policy Institute outlined her concerns with the tax credit\, especially as it stands now without insight into the forthcoming regulations and guidance that will shape it. Canter stated that she believes the tax credit is unlikely to create major educational opportunities for low-income students and for public school students more broadly. Instead\, she believes that the way the program is designed makes it more accessible for private and religious schools to leverage. Canter described the challenges in forming a scholarship-granting organization that can receive and distribute scholarships to eligible students\, and the considerations nonprofits will need to weigh related to mission and budget as they determine whether to become SGOs. \nBen DeGrow of ExcelinEd stressed that these scholarship funds will be additive for education and not take away from any federal education funds that public schools already receive. DeGrow noted that this program already has precedent among the 20 states that have tax credit scholarship programs with this tax credit offering an opportunity for states and communities to shape it to align with their priorities:  “I do think ultimately the benefit of these types of programs is that they tap into local knowledge\, local awareness of communities\, individual donors\, philanthropy\, parents. Rather than trying to impose down a one-size-fits-all solution.” DeGrow noted that advocacy groups and state leaders could\, for example\, direct SGOs in their state to target support for higher-need students by expanding access to private school choice and other opportunities these students and their families cannot currently access. \nAugustus Mays of The Education Trust highlighted concerns about the new tax credit related to funding\, access\, effectiveness\, and accountability. Mays cautioned that this program could accelerate public school enrollment declines along with potential funding cuts\, school closures\, larger class sizes\, and fewer services to students who most need them. He also expressed concern that\, based on precedent of current state voucher programs\, most families that receive these scholarships will be affluent families or families who already attend private schools\, not lower-income families who most need them. Mays noted the lack of effectiveness of voucher-type programs in states including Florida and Indiana. He said they show little to no improvement in academic outcomes on average and urged investment in evidence-based strategies. Mays also highlighted the need for strong accountability and civil rights data\, including “equity guardrails” such as protections and services for students with disabilities among other student populations. He suggested that states that opt in provide guidance and frameworks on how public district schools can access these resources along with the types of services and programs they should offer to help the highest-need students. \nKaren Pittman of Knowledge to Power Catalysts said she is “cautiously optimistic” about the new tax credit as “a chance for us to actually reinvigorate the idea of public education by giving parents the flexibility that they want.” Pittman suggested that this tax credit could be a way to put back into parents’ pockets the $230 billion per year they are already spending on supplemental learning activities for their children\, and it could be a way to make more equitable the significant difference between what affluent parents and low-income parents spend on supplemental activities like after-school programs.  \nPittman described schools’ current role as “multiservice agencies” in providing core academics\, enrichment\, remediation\, and more\, and said the tax credit could support schools to do many of these functions more effectively and equitably. She also underscored the need for advocates to ensure that core federal education funding like Title I funds for low-income students do not decrease in the wake of this new tax credit and to use these funds to meet the full range of a community’s needs: “I think we need to do it in a sense of saying if we’re going to rebuild and use these flexible dollars\, let’s think about year-round community-wide services for young people and let’s think about the population….We can do this in an equitable way and I think we should.” \nPanelists also discussed their priorities for the federal regulations\, the hurdles around awareness\, access\, and infrastructure that need to be addressed\, and their plans and advice for how to get involved in influencing the design and implementation of the tax credit in the coming months.  \nThey noted that the U.S Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service issued a call for public comments on the implementation of this new tax credit with a deadline of Friday\, December 26. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n If you were able to attend the session\, we would love to hear your feedback! We appreciate your help in filling out the following form as we seek to learn and understand the perspectives\, ideas\, critiques and recommendations that better inform our key audiences. \n \n Share Feedback URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/pac-tax-credit/ CATEGORIES:Past Event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/CASEYKINETIK2015_Wed01555-e1729489921480.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251209T123000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251209T140000 DTSTAMP:20260404T065820 CREATED:20251114T065128Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251213T061858Z UID:253284-1765283400-1765288800@leo.gradelevelreading.net SUMMARY:Building Continuity: Sustaining Community Coalitions During Leadership Transitions DESCRIPTION:“We’ve built some really strong relationships. That has only happened because people trust that WAKE Up and Read is going to be there to provide the things that we say we’re going to provide. In order to do that\, we prioritized communication throughout all the transitions — transitions with our superintendent\, our senior director\, and our administrator inside of our core team. That has helped to reassure all of our stakeholders — everyone from our coalition members to the families that we serve\, to our school district partners and our community partners.” \n– Marissa Smith\, WAKE Up and Read \n\n \n \n \n \n \n This session began with Theresa Stacker of the NC Early Childhood Foundation describing the work of her organization\, including its role in supporting CGLR communities in North Carolina. She highlighted strategies for assisting and strengthening those communities during times of turnover in leadership. Marissa Smith of WAKE Up and Read in North Carolina shared several successful key strategies to focus on during transitions\, including staying true to the coalition’s mission\, maintaining trust with all stakeholders\, evaluating effectiveness of historical initiatives\, and developing a robust and intentional approach to key initiatives. \nThe conversation then moved to Iowa with Josie Manternach of the Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque describing some of the ways her organization supports smaller communities in her region. Next\, CGLR’s Malai Amfahr who serves as the state lead in Iowa outlined four important components of support during change including awareness\, listening\, opportunities\, and reflection. She also described a nationwide initiative she developed for new communities and new community leads in the CGLR Network\, called Peer Circles\, which supports coalitions as they are getting started or transitioning through new leadership. \nThen\, the group discussed strategies for retaining institutional knowledge\, best practices for communication about leadership transitions\, and how to keep partners engaged and motivated through those transitions. \nBelow are links to the resources and publications highlighted during this webinar. \n\n\n\n\n\n\nCommunity Foundation of Greater Dubuque\nNC Early Childhood Foundation\nWAKE Up and Read\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n If you were able to attend the session\, we would love to hear your feedback! We appreciate your help in filling out the following form as we seek to learn and understand the perspectives\, ideas\, critiques and recommendations that better inform our key audiences. \n \n Share Feedback URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/leadership-transitions/ CATEGORIES:Crucible of Practice Salon,Past Event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/eaf9e9c8-81e9-4fac-bbdc-c0908615fa5e-e1705963893660.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251209T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251209T163000 DTSTAMP:20260404T065820 CREATED:20251106T175732Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251213T063651Z UID:253145-1765292400-1765297800@leo.gradelevelreading.net SUMMARY:Healthy\, Present\, and Learning: Cross-Sector Strategies to Reduce Health-Related Absences DESCRIPTION:  \nCo-Sponsored by \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n This GLR Learning Tuesdays conversation explored the critical connection between health\, attendance\, and early literacy. Moderated by Hedy Chang of Attendance Works\, the session introduced a forthcoming collaborative toolkit from Johns Hopkins Center for School Health\, Attendance Works\, the National Association of School Nurses\, and Healthy Schools Campaign: Prevent Health-Related Absences: Take Immediate Action to Advance Health\, Well-being\, and Attendance. \nToolkit authors — Elliott Attisha\, DO\, FAAP\, of Attendance Works; Beth Marshall\, DrPH\, MPH\, of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health; and Kimberly Stanislo\, DNP\, APRN-CNP\, LSN\, NCSN\, CPNP-PC\, of National Association of School Nurses — shared why it is important to prevent health-related absences and provided immediate\, actionable strategies that schools and health partners can use to reduce preventable absences and strengthen learning and literacy. \nThe Current RealityChronic absenteeism nearly doubled during the pandemic — reaching almost 30% of students — and remains elevated\, affecting nearly 1 in 4 today. The challenge is most acute for our youngest learners\, who are in the crucial window for building foundational reading skills. Data shows a clear “Nike swoosh” pattern: absences begin early\, and without early intervention in preschool and kindergarten\, they escalate over time. \nWhy Preventing Health-Related Absences MattersIn the post-COVID landscape\, rising anxiety\, depression\, and other behavioral health challenges are keeping more students out of school. These issues — compounded by longstanding health disparities — fall most heavily on economically disadvantaged communities and widen early achievement gaps. Many absences also stem from fear\, stress\, or a lack of connection at school; with nearly 40% of adolescents reporting they don’t feel close to others at school\, belonging is as essential as physical well-being. \nBecause families attribute more than half of absences to health-related causes — with root issues often tied to health care access\, housing instability\, and family stress — schools cannot solve this challenge alone. A public health approach that unites education\, health care\, and community partners; uses data for shared decision-making; and emphasizes proactive\, preventative strategies is essential to ensuring students can fully participate in early learning. \nToolkit Strategies to Address Health-Related AbsencesPreventing health-related absences requires a proactive\, whole-child approach rooted in four key strategies: \n\nStrategy 1: Prevention: Build healthy\, supportive school environments through clear policies\, routine screenings\, nutritious food\, after-school programs\, and strong relationships. School nurses and support staff are central to early identification and trust-building with families.\nStrategy 2: Messaging: Offer clear\, consistent\, culturally relevant guidance about attendance and when to keep a child home. Messages should be positive\, jargon-free\, aligned across sectors\, and delivered by trusted adults — helping families understand the whole-child benefits of showing up.\nStrategy 3: Identifying Health Needs: Use detailed attendance data and health information together to uncover root causes. When paired with screenings and assessments\, data helps schools spot issues like chronic illness\, anxiety\, or unmet basic needs so they can intervene early and effectively.\nStrategy 4: Collaboration: Adopt a team-based approach that brings educators\, school health professionals\, and community partners around a single\, coordinated plan. Collaboration reduces stigma\, improves referrals and support\, and addresses attendance patterns affecting groups of students — not just individuals.\n\nPractitioners Bringing the Work to LifeA panel of practitioners — Cristie Granillo\, Ph.D.\, MS\, M.Ed.\, of Loma Linda University Health\, California; Joey Millwood and Joy Schofield\, LCSW\, M.Ed.\, of Hall County Schools\, Georgia; and Hannah Sam of Waterbury Public Schools\, Connecticut — joined the conversation to share hopeful\, practical examples of communities putting these strategies into action. These district stories show that with coordinated\, whole-child approaches\, preventing health-related absences is truly achievable. \nSchools and districts across the country are showing what it looks like to put these strategies into action. At Kingsbury Elementary in Waterbury\, Connecticut\, leaders blend strong data practices with whole-child support — reviewing health and attendance needs before school begins\, reaching out to families early\, communicating clearly\, and nurturing a trauma-informed school climate rooted in positive relationships. \nIn Hall County\, Georgia\, a districtwide commitment to mental health equips all staff with training to recognize early warning signs and respond with empathy. Large-scale skills groups help students build mindfulness\, emotional regulation\, and resilience\, reducing anxiety and suicidal ideation while improving attendance. \nIn San Bernardino\, California\, community health and education workers reconnect students and families by meeting them where they are — literally. Through home visits\, they identify barriers such as transportation challenges or immigration-related fears\, make warm handoffs to clinical partners\, and coordinate support across agencies. These examples show how deeply intertwined health\, safety\, belonging\, and attendance are — and how whole-family\, cross-sector approaches can dramatically reduce chronic absenteeism. \nOvercoming Barriers to Collaboration \nPanelists acknowledged persistent challenges\, including siloed systems\, data-sharing limitations\, and insufficient school health staffing. They emphasized the need to strengthen health infrastructure\, use existing data more strategically\, and align goals under unified\, whole-child plans. \n“Attendance teams need to take a whole-child approach\, especially when viewing absences through a health lens. This means removing stigma and negativity and instead focusing on building trusting relationships. The guiding question becomes\, ‘How can we support you?’ rather than ‘Why aren’t you here?’ Ultimately\, the team is united around a shared goal: ensuring every student is healthy\, safe\, and ready to learn.” \n– Kim Stanislo\, National Association of School Nurses \nLooking AheadThe new toolkit will be available in mid-January on the Johns Hopkins Center for School Health website. The webinar closed with a shared message of hope: When schools\, health systems\, and communities work together\, sustainable reductions in chronic absence are possible — and every child can be healthy\, present\, and prepared to thrive. \n\n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n If you were able to attend the session\, we would love to hear your feedback! We appreciate your help in filling out the following form as we seek to learn and understand the perspectives\, ideas\, critiques and recommendations that better inform our key audiences. \n \n Share Feedback URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/healthy-present-learning/ CATEGORIES:Learning Loss Recovery Challenge,Learning Tuesdays,Past Event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/iStock_000022349130_Full-scaled-e1746518312363.jpeg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251216T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251216T163000 DTSTAMP:20260404T065820 CREATED:20251031T172142Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260105T203933Z UID:253048-1765897200-1765902600@leo.gradelevelreading.net SUMMARY:Reaching their Full Potential: Plugging the Leaky Pipeline for High Achieving\, Low Income (HALO) Students DESCRIPTION:Co-Sponsored by \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n“This webinar is a blessing. I could’ve sat through an entire day listening to these presenters discuss this topic. I’m so excited to dig in and put this information into practice to support our schools\, families\, and students in the state of Texas. Thank you all so much!” \n\n\n\nThe quote above was posted in the chat at the end of this GLR Learning Tuesdays webinar and captures the impact of the discussion and the wealth of information and knowledge shared by a stellar panel. CGLR was proud to co-sponsor this session with the Thomas B. Fordham Institute\, who offered to share the important research they recently completed in the state of Ohio and the resulting report titled The Leaky Pipeline: Assessing the college outcomes of Ohio’s high-achieving low-income students. \nModerator Michael Petrilli of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute began the session by engaging report author Stéphane Lavertu of The Ohio State University’s John Glenn College of Public Affairs in a discussion of the findings from the Ohio study. Lavertu highlighted how the leaky pipeline begins as early as kindergarten and that\, in Ohio alone\, nearly 2\,000 HALO students should be going to college but are not. Panelist Aaron Churchill of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute shared the policy implications and how the insights from Ohio have bearing on and should influence policy development in districts\, states\, and the nation. A second top researcher\, Jonathan Plucker of Johns Hopkins University School of Education\, emphasized the large number of HALO students in classrooms across the country and the importance of recognizing their talent early in their educational careers: \n“We have found that these [HALO] students are in every single school and every single classroom\, even in the highest-poverty schools. And I think that’s a really important point because we’re talking about a lot of students who are advanced\, who deserve to be challenged when they come to school every single day….So think about all the students that we’re losing in this leaky pipeline….This country has a huge thirst\, a huge demand for talent. We generally are filling the demand now with people from other countries. That’s awesome. Yet we have just as many American students here who have the same skills\, who aren’t getting those opportunities.” \nPetrilli continued the conversation with an excellent panel of state leaders and local educators who described how their states\, districts\, and schools are implementing policies and strategies to ensure HALO students can access accelerated learning opportunities throughout their K–12 educational careers. Brenda Berg of BEST NC: Business for Educational Success and Transformation in North Carolina\, Aaron Daffern of the Dallas Independent School District in Texas\, and David Taylor of the Dayton Early College Academy in Ohio discussed policies that call for automatic enrollment in advanced classes based on results of universal screenings. They shared ideas and tips to advocate for these policies that ensure HALO students can access opportunities for learning that meet their talent. Taylor stressed that engaging parents is essential for encouraging students and that screening data can demonstrate the true potential of HALO students and their ability to succeed: \n“When a trusted adult sits down with a parent and says\, this is why we think your child needs to be doing more\, this is why we think your child needs to be taking a bigger risk — parents can’t wait. They can’t wait to sign their kid up. And really it comes down to the trust being built ahead of time. It is also really important to have empirical data in these conversations to be able to say this isn’t just my opinion. Here’s what the numbers say. That’s why it’s really important that we have universal screeners. You know\, very often people will say\, ‘Well\, but their behavior\, they haven’t gotten the best grades’ and we have to bring it back to: They have the potential\, they have the ability. We can actually see it demonstrated right here. If we don’t tap into their potential right now\, they’re not going to have that potential later on. I have yet to see a parent who hasn’t had that conversation and been really excited about the opportunity for the child. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n If you were able to attend the session\, we would love to hear your feedback! We appreciate your help in filling out the following form as we seek to learn and understand the perspectives\, ideas\, critiques and recommendations that better inform our key audiences. \n \n Share Feedback URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/leaky-pipeline-fordham/ CATEGORIES:Past Event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Providence_Photos_0697-e1733351362526.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251223T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251223T163000 DTSTAMP:20260404T065820 CREATED:20251205T055135Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260102T151823Z UID:253734-1766502000-1766507400@leo.gradelevelreading.net SUMMARY:Building the Bridge: How Early Relational Health Fuels Early Learning and Third-Grade Reading Success DESCRIPTION:This week’s holiday rebroadcast\, Building the Bridge: How Early Relational Health Fuels Early Learning and Third-Grade Reading Success\, highlighted the critical connection between early relational health (ERH) — the mutual\, meaningful\, and affirming relationships between young children and caregivers — and early learning\, literacy\, and third-grade reading success. Anchored by the National Academies of Sciences\, Engineering\, and Medicine report\, Early Relational Health: Building Foundations for Child\, Family\, and Community Well-Being\, the session brought together several of the report’s authors and practitioners to translate its insights into action. \nGrounding in the Science of Early Relational Health \nThe first panel — David W. Willis\, MD\, FAAP\, of Nurture Connection\, Thrive Center\, Georgetown University; Elisabeth Burak\, MPP\, MSW\, of Center for Children and Families\, Georgetown University; Dominique Charlot-Swilley\, Ph.D.\, of Thrive Center\, Georgetown University; and Justin Lavner\, Ph.D.\, of University of Georgia — grounded the audience in the science of ERH. Panelists emphasized that relationships are foundational to brain development\, resilience\, and kindergarten readiness. ERH extends beyond health systems to early learning centers\, home visiting programs\, and community supports. Core principles include supporting family well-being\, embedding relational practices across systems\, grounding approaches in culture\, and treating ERH as a public good with cross-sector benefits. They underscored that ERH is built through ongoing cycles of relating\, rupture\, and repair\, and stressed that systems must act as relationship builders rather than solely service providers. Opportunities exist to translate the science into policy through promoting workforce development\, leveraging Medicaid and early childhood systems\, and investing in community infrastructure that nurtures connection. \nEarly Relational Health in Practice \nThe second panel — Lee Savio Beers\, MD\, FAAP\, of George Washington University; Margaret Caspe\, Ph.D.\, of National Association for Family\, School\, and Community Engagement (NAFSCE); Ron Ferguson\, Ph.D.\, of The Basics\, Inc.; Adrián Pedroza of Abriendo Puertas/Opening Doors; and Jade Woodard of Family Connects International — discussed opportunites for bringing ERH to life across systems. Their conversation centered on three themes: intentionally fostering connection\, cultivating trust within “surround sound” networks\, and ensuring targeted universalism and belonging. Panelists shared examples such as “Parent Cafés\,” community storytelling initiatives\, and The Basics’ community-wide relational projects. Trust was described as built on motives\, competence\, dependability\, and respect\, with programs like Family Connects’ home visits illustrating how trusted relationships connect families to broader supports. They emphasized that collaboration across sectors is critical but often challenged by siloed systems and structural barriers\, and that culturally responsive\, locally tailored approaches are essential for equitable relational support. \nERH and Early Literacy: Relational Learning as a “We” Experience \n“Those early moments of connection with shared reading\, storytelling\, pointing at the words together…these early moments of connection underscore that learning and education is a ‘we’ experience not a ‘me’ experience.” \n— David Willis\, MD\, FAAP\, Nurture Connection\, Georgetown University \nPanelists highlighted that early literacy is inseparable from relational health\, with shared reading\, storytelling\, and “serve and return” interactions creating relational learning spaces. Attention to peer dynamics\, social-emotional learning\, and positive relational moments fosters help-seeking and collective engagement. \nAcross both panels\, the message was clear: Learning is a shared experience\, and when relationships are placed at the center of policy\, practice\, and community life\, children are better prepared to thrive in school and beyond. Panelists concluded with a hopeful vision of a future in which relationships guide all systems that touch families\, serving as the foundation for learning\, literacy\, and lifelong well-being. \nLearn more about Nurture Connection and its work to advance early relational health.  URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/building-the-bridge-rebroadcast/ CATEGORIES:Partner Webinar,Past Event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Copy-of-HOLIDAY-REBROADCAST.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251230T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251230T163000 DTSTAMP:20260404T065820 CREATED:20251205T061740Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260105T113910Z UID:253744-1767106800-1767112200@leo.gradelevelreading.net SUMMARY:Holiday Rebroadcast: Screens in the First Five Years: What We Need to Know and Do DESCRIPTION:This December 29\, 2025 holiday rebroadcast\, co-sponsored by Children and Screens: Institute of Digital Media and Child Development\, sought to offer research-backed\, practical strategies to help families and those who support them make informed choices about technology use for infants and toddlers. The conversation was moderated by Kris Perry\, MSW\, of Children and Screens who began the webinar by grounding the discussion in the latest science. Dimitri Christakis\, MD\, MPH\, also with Children and Screens\, emphasized that “research has found that there are really no demonstrable benefits to screen use before the age of 18 months. And in fact\, very strong suggestions that there’s harm associated with early screen use for children that young.” Yet he also noted that ages 2 to 5 represent “the sweet spot of media research\,” where high-quality programming can foster both cognitive and social-emotional growth. Rachel Barr\, Ph.D.\, of Georgetown University added\, “High quality content has really long-lasting positive benefits\,” particularly for children from low-resourced homes\, who stand to benefit the most. Together\, these insights highlighted the importance of distinguishing between harmful overexposure and intentional\, developmentally appropriate use.  \nThe panelists then turned to the real-world challenges families face in navigating a crowded and often misleading marketplace of apps and media. Kathy Hirsh-Pasek\, Ph.D.\, of Temple University and the Brookings Institution shared findings from her research: “We did a study of the hundred most downloaded apps and…how many of them had real educational value? Well\, I’ll give you the answer. It was two.” Rachel Franz\, M.Ed.\, of Fairplay shared poll data indicating that the majority of families with children under age 6 “believed that screen time was essential or necessary for their child’s learning and development. This included parents of infants who don’t need screen time. And we were concerned by that because there really isn’t evidence that supports that claim that it’s necessary or better than learning with other humans.” Meanwhile\, Barr pointed to video chat as a powerful example of technology that supports relationships\, noting that during the pandemic\, “grandparents who engaged in lots of activities…felt closer to their grandchildren.” These examples underscored that the benefits of screens depend not only on content but also on context\, co-engagement\, and the preservation of human connection.  \nLooking ahead\, the panelists called for clear principles to guide families\, educators\, and policymakers\, including highlighting Children and Screens Guide for Early Child Development and Media Use. Christakis reminded participants that “young children need laps\, not apps\,” emphasizing that technology should never displace essential caregiver interaction. Hirsh-Pasek cautioned against premature adoption of advanced tools\, stating\, “with our youngest children\, those 3 and under\, the answer is an unqualified no” when it comes to AI-enabled toys. Michelle Kang of National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)\, reinforced the field’s commitment to developmentally appropriate practice\, affirming that “technology cannot be a substitute for the loving and nurturing and responsive relationship that an adult has with a child in an early learning environment. It can’t.”  URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/screens-rebroadcast/ CATEGORIES:Partner Webinar,Past Event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Copy-of-HOLIDAY-REBROADCAST.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260106T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260106T163000 DTSTAMP:20260404T065820 CREATED:20251205T064141Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260111T133247Z UID:253752-1767711600-1767717000@leo.gradelevelreading.net SUMMARY:Holiday Rebroadcast: Beyond Decoding NAEP: The Federal Role in Promoting Efficacy\, Equity\, and Accountability DESCRIPTION:This January 6\, 2026 session rebroadcast the final session of our “Decoding NAEP” series from 2025 that engaged state chiefs\, educators\, parents\, researchers\, and advocates in a deep-dive exploration of the 2024 scores from the National Assessment of Educational Progress — often called “The Nation’s Report Card.” \nIn this session\, panelists went beyond decoding the 2024 NAEP scores to explore the federal role in generating data to assess student progress. We also talked about the will needed from local\, state\, and national leaders to regain a focus on the importance of student outcomes. Panelists discussed why the U.S. Department of Education and its Institute of Education Sciences should continue to provide funding and support for research that reveals what is needed and what works for various student demographics. \nThe session began with a conversation between two former U.S. Secretaries of Education\, representing both sides of the aisle\, about the importance of federal leadership being committed to student outcomes. John King\, Jr.\, J.D.\, Ed.D.\, Chancellor of the State University of New York (SUNY) and U.S. Secretary of Education under President Obama from 2015–2017\, and Margaret Spellings\, President and CEO of the Bipartisan Policy Center and U.S. Secretary of Education under President Bush from 2005–2009\, discussed the importance of using data to drive action\, with Spellings noting: \n\nWhen we focus on every kid and we measure — yes\, that’s testing — and report that data\, hold it up\, learn from it\, and make it a central part of what we invest in\, we go in the right direction. \n\nKing emphasized the connection between educational outcomes and a strong workforce and the importance of federal leaders making this a priority: \n\nAnd at the end of the day\, for every employer\, they will not have the workforce we need if we do not provide students with the foundational skills\, particularly in English and math\, although obviously students need much more than that. But if they don’t have those things\, they surely aren’t going to be successful in the workforce….Today we really need our leadership to step up and restore the sense that improving educational outcomes is a national imperative. \n\nThe robust conversation on the federal role in promoting efficacy and accountability contiued as three prominent research and education leaders offered perspectives from both sides of the aisle. Michael J. Petrilli of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute\, Adam Gamoran\, Ph.D.\, of the William T. Grant Foundation\, and Ruth N. Lopez Turley\, Ph.D.\, of the Kinder Institute for Urban Research at Rice University and former member of the National Board for Education Sciences (2022–2025) began by reacting to what the former Secretaries shared. They also emphasized the importance of national research and data to identify and address inequities that impede student progress. Turley explained how federal data is used at the local level in her home community of Houston\, Texas: \n\nWe were using national-level data from the School Finance Indicators Database\, which uses the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) data\, Census data\, etc.\, to develop estimates for how much per-pupil funding is needed for each school district across the country. So we found that most school districts in the state of Texas are underfunded in terms of what they would need to achieve national average test scores. But even more importantly\, we found that there are some school districts that were severely underfunded relative to others\, both in the region and in the state. And so there are huge inequities that we need to pay attention to [and the federal data is needed to identify these inequities]. \n\nAfter the initial broadcast of this session in September 2025\, CGLR produced\, The Nation’s Report Card: A Call to Action for Raising Achievement and Closing Gaps\, a report that synthesizes insights from across the nine Decoding NAEP sessions. Rather than declaring definitive conclusions\, this new report aims to broaden and deepen the national conversation about how to improve student outcomes ― especially for children growing up in economically challenged households. Featuring quotes and reflections from the 50 panelists who participated in the series\, the report invites researchers\, policymakers\, practitioners\, and advocates to treat NAEP as a catalyst for learning and problem-solving. CGLR plans to continue the conversation about NAEP in 2026\, leveraging this report to spark bold\, sustained action and engage an even wider community in shaping effective strategies to boost early school success. We hope you will join that conversation with us on LinkedIn\, sharing your insights and reflections on how strong data and sustained commitment can fuel progress and narrow gaps. Join us. URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/holiday-rebroadcast-beyond-decoding-naep/ CATEGORIES:Past Event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Copy-of-HOLIDAY-REBROADCAST.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260113T123000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260113T140000 DTSTAMP:20260404T065820 CREATED:20251223T135117Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260123T210741Z UID:254425-1768307400-1768312800@leo.gradelevelreading.net SUMMARY:The Science of Reading at Home: How States and Communities Are Supporting Families DESCRIPTION:This session explored ways states and communities are working with families to ensure that they both understand the strategies schools are using to teach their children to read and are familiar with tools they can use to help their children build their literacy skills at home. \nThe session began with Susie Estrada at the Utah State Board of Education\, who highlighted the history\, goals\, and strategies in the state around early literacy. Kelly Noorda with Promise Partnership Utah then talked about ways they are working with the Utah State Board of Education and other partners to support regional literacy nights with an event guide\, facilitation trainings\, and event support. \nNext\, Trish Brennan-Gac with Maryland READS provided a big picture description of the way the organization is working to support the shift to using a science of reading lens in teaching as well as the statewide reading ecosystem. She highlighted what they have learned through the work of the READ Strong network\, including strategies for working with communities and empowering parents and caregivers. Nancy Shockley with Moving Dorchester Forward\, the Local Management Board for Dorchester County\, Maryland\, spoke about the work in the county to engage families and the community as they build a system of care for children and families. \nJessie Coffey with the Nebraska Department of Education described Nebraska’s literacy efforts\, including a new Family Literacy Advisory Committee and a family literacy course. Brian Welch with the National Center for Families Learning and the Nebraska Statewide Family Engagement Center provided an overview of the four-component literacy model and ways partners throughout the state are working together to support family literacy. \nFollowing the presentations\, Jenny Atkinson of CGLR led the group in a discussion about successful strategies they have seen in other states and communities\, efforts to reach less engaged families and unexpected partners\, and supporters who have been helpful in their work. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n If you were able to attend the session\, we would love to hear your feedback! We appreciate your help in filling out the following form as we seek to learn and understand the perspectives\, ideas\, critiques and recommendations that better inform our key audiences. \n \n Share Feedback URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/the-science-of-reading-at-home-how-states-and-communities-are-supporting-families/ CATEGORIES:Crucible of Practice Salon,Parents,Reading & Math,Upcoming Event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/dccdc34a-0d71-4730-bb0c-97165c62d719-e1690140705353.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260113T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260113T163000 DTSTAMP:20260404T065820 CREATED:20251215T064206Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260123T170722Z UID:254016-1768316400-1768321800@leo.gradelevelreading.net SUMMARY:Beyond Disruption: What Comes Next for U.S. Education Policy? DESCRIPTION:This Learning Tuesdays conversation examined a rapidly shifting education policy landscape and what it means for early learning\, literacy\, and equity in 2026. Moderated by John Gomperts of CGLR\, this session brought together national policy leaders to reflect on the forces that reshaped education in 2025 and to explore where leaders should focus in the year ahead. \nPanelists — Jean-Claude Brizard of Digital Promise Global\, Denise Forte of The Education Trust\, Robin Lake of Center on Reinventing Public Education\, and Michael J. Petrilli of Thomas B. Fordham Institute  — shared insights on federal retrenchment\, rising state responsibility\, the future of research and assessment\, and the implications of these shifts for student outcomes\, particularly for young learners and historically underserved communities. \nPanelists agreed that 2025 marked a significant inflection point for U.S. education policy\, with several developments shaping the landscape entering 2026. \nDisruption of federal research and data infrastructure: Panelists underscored the pausing of nearly $900 million in Institute of Education Sciences-funded research and the scaling back of NAEP as watershed moments. Beyond stalled studies\, these changes threaten long-term research capacity\, evidence generation\, and transparency — particularly for early literacy\, instructional improvement\, and continuous learning across the field. \nA diminished federal role and growing uncertainty around enforcement: Participants noted a clear pullback in federal oversight\, including weakened enforcement of civil rights and special education protections. This shift raises serious concerns about safeguards for vulnerable learners at a time when achievement gaps remain wide and persistent. \nA broader recognition of declining student outcomes: While learning loss and achievement gaps have been evident for years\, panelists observed that 2025 brought a new level of public acknowledgment across political lines. Recent NAEP results\, in particular\, have made the trajectory of student outcomes increasingly difficult to ignore — creating conditions for education\, including early literacy\, to reenter the national spotlight. \nStates at the center of the action: A central theme throughout the conversation was the growing importance — and strain — of state leadership. \nAs the federal government steps back from direct involvement\, states are increasingly expected to lead on accountability\, funding decisions\, and system design. Panelists emphasized that while states have new flexibility and opportunity\, many lack the capacity to act alone. \nRobin Lake highlighted the need to look beyond traditional power structures for leadership\, elevating the role of community leaders\, intermediary organizations\, and cross-sector partnerships. She emphasized that progress is emerging where local and state actors are organizing clearly around shared priorities and articulating what support they need to succeed. \n“What I’m seeing is local leaders getting organized and saying to their state and federal leaders: Here’s what we need to make progress on the ground\, and here are the policies that can help. With the federal role stepping back\, this kind of clarity and leadership is where momentum is building.” \n– Robin Lake\, Center on Reinventing Public Education \nPanelists stressed the importance of identifying what is working across states\, understanding how resources are being organized\, and sharing those lessons broadly — while also establishing guardrails to ensure equity\, voice\, and transparency are not lost in the process. \nAccountability\, research\, and evidence: The future of federal accountability and research infrastructure emerged as a critical concern. \nPanelists explored what it could mean for the U.S. Department of Education to focus more narrowly on accountability tools such as assessment and data\, rather than operational programs. Jean-Claude Brizard emphasized that federal investment in research and development has historically played an irreplaceable role — and that uncertainty surrounding the Institute of Education Sciences has far-reaching implications for how the field generates\, trusts\, and uses evidence moving forward. \nWithout strong national data and research capacity\, panelists warned\, states and districts risk fragmentation\, uneven quality\, and diminished ability to identify and scale what works for young learners. \nTechnology\, artificial intelligence (AI)\, and emerging risks: Looking ahead\, panelists identified technology — and particularly AI — as both a major opportunity and a growing risk. While AI is advancing rapidly\, the federal government is largely absent from regulation\, placing greater responsibility on states and communities to define guardrails around privacy\, safety\, pedagogy\, and equity. \nPanelists stressed that technology strategies must begin with clear learning goals and strong instructional foundations\, rather than vendor-driven solutions — and that mental health\, social-emotional learning\, and student well-being must remain central in these discussions. \nImplications for early learning and literacy: Throughout the conversation\, panelists returned to the urgency of early learning and literacy. While the Science of Reading continues to gain traction\, full implementation remains uneven and deeply dependent on teacher preparation\, leadership capacity\, and sustained support. \nDeclining enrollment\, workforce shortages\, and fiscal pressures further complicate the path forward — making it even more critical to focus on evidence-based instruction\, coherent systems\, and transparent data that families and educators can trust. \nAs the session concluded\, panelists emphasized that uncertainty does not preclude action. While federal leadership may be receding\, meaningful opportunities remain at the state\, local\, and community levels to strengthen early learning\, protect equity\, and improve outcomes for children. \nPersistent declines in NAEP results — and the widening gaps they reveal — are increasingly shaping the broader national conversation about education. How the field responds now\, particularly in early literacy and school readiness\, will influence whether education reemerges as a shared priority and how solutions are framed in the years ahead. \nThe conversation closed with a shared call to focus less on policy noise and more on what matters most: ensuring young children have access to high-quality instruction\, supportive systems\, and the resources they need to thrive — no matter how the policy landscape shifts. \n\n\n\n  URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/beyond-disruption/ CATEGORIES:Learning Loss Recovery Challenge,Learning Tuesdays,More Hopeful Futures? ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Atlanta_Photos_0001-e1748497869964.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260120T123000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260120T140000 DTSTAMP:20260404T065820 CREATED:20251215T070811Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260124T152224Z UID:254023-1768912200-1768917600@leo.gradelevelreading.net SUMMARY:Families at the Center: Shaping the Future of Education DESCRIPTION:“Families trust educators often more than educators trust families. So we need to create the conditions for educators to challenge their mindsets\, to actually learn what it means to effectively engage families. One of the things we often say here at Flamboyan is ‘Families are experts in their child. As an educator\, you are an expert in content and pedagogy so how you support the child is going to be different than how the parent or family supports the child.’ For us\, the most powerful family engagement investments are those that help change how systems are seeing families\, how educators are practicing this partnership\, and how leadership is defining success.”  \n–Emily Garcia\, Flamboyan Foundation \n\n \n \n \n \n \n Emily Garcia offered the above reflection as she described Flamboyan Foundation’s approach to family engagement\, noting that Flamboyan views families as an “all too often untapped asset” rather than as a “problem to be solved” as it works to help educators and systems better partner with families.  \nModerated by Gregg Behr of The Grable Foundation\, the conversation explored the robust and growing body of research affirming the positive outcomes of strong parent-educator partnerships\, the various ways that funders can strengthen those partnerships\, and future opportunities for systems-level changes to sustain and scale effective family engagement.   \nBehr began by inviting two leading researchers — Eyal Bergman\, Ed.L.D.\, of Learning Heroes and Emily Markovich Morris of the Brookings Institution — to share what they are investigating and learning about family engagement and its impact on student outcomes. Bergman provided highlights from the Phase 1 of the Family Engagement Impact Study that compared post-pandemic student attendance and achievement data for schools with stronger and weaker pre-pandemic family partnerships and offered a sneak peak into Phase 2 and future plans for Phase 3. Controlling for poverty\, race\, prior achievement\, and various community factors\, Phase 1 of the study found a 6.2 percentage point difference in chronic absence rates.   \n“The family engagement score actually showed a stronger relationship with chronic absence than poverty rates….This is a fundamentally good news story\, affirming that we can do a lot to counteract many of the effects of poverty in community if we invest in building strong relationships with families.”  \n–Eyal Bergman\, Ed.L.D.\, Learning Heroes  \nMorris described how the Center for Universal Education at Brookings has investigated family\, school\, and community engagement in 16 countries across six continents\, engaging more than 25\,000 students\, educators\, and family members to understand their respective beliefs on education and explore opportunities to partner and work together. She shared a new report by Brookings that examines perspectives on the risks and potential benefits of artificial intelligence (AI) in education along with tips for families to understand the research behind AI and its utilization in education. Morris underscored the importance of relational trust in forming strong home-school partnerships and shared that Brookings is creating a scale to help schools understand and measure relational trust.   \n“We found that care of families and educators was quite high across schools\, but the sticking point was often integrity and following through on promises….We found different cultures of listening across schools. Those schools that create two-way conversations that allow families to be heard were able to build this vision and this trust. And if they had this trust\, there was a critical connection to student outcomes and strong school climate.”   \n–Emily Markovich Morris\, Brookings Institution  \nBehr then invited Bibb Hubbard of Learning Heroes to join the conversation and share highlights from a decade of research at the organization and what that means for work on the ground and the efforts of philanthropy. Hubbard affirmed the importance of giving teachers the strategies\, tools\, training\, and time to effectively engage with families; of investing in families and ensuring they have a seat at the table and opportunity to express their vision and needs; and of funding more research that can inform action.   \n“As we are redesigning education and we have all of these opportunities with AI and different policies\, we need to make sure parents are centered in those conversations as codesigners….We have new opportunities through technology to do this\, but the system is still designed to keep parents and educators apart. We have to focus on what’s in front of us and what parents care most about\, which is their children’s academics\, their children’s life skills\, and setting them up for success. This is a moment of unprecedented opportunity.”  \n–Bibb Hubbard\, Learning Heroes  \nBehr then invited a panel of funders — Emily Garcia of Flamboyan Foundation\, Ambika Kapur of Carnegie Corporation of New York\, and Tarilyn Little of Carmel Hill Fund — to join the conversation. Kapur described Carnegie’s extensive previous investments in family engagement research and its efforts to strengthen the home-school connection\, build parent leadership and capacity\, and advance field knowledge and tools.   \n“Carnegie’s role was not around a single intervention but more around helping move the field from proof to practice and then to infrastructure. I think that helped normalize family voice as an essential part of our education system. Our work is not done — that’s for sure — but that evolution has helped raise a question for all of us: How do we deepen family power\, not just engagement\, especially in decision-making and policy?…How do we see them as essential partners?”  \n–Ambika Kapur\, Carnegie Corporation of New York  \nGarcia explained how Flamboyan functions in both philanthropic and programmatic spaces to help schools and systems design sustainable solutions that position families as true partners. She stressed that Flamboyan invests in sustainable change that builds the capacity of educators and education leaders to build strong relationships\, communicate effectively\, and partner academically with families.   \n“The research and data are clear; family engagement is an academic strategy. And yet\, all too often it is not funded or resourced in the same way….All too often we hear about family engagement as an add on or it’s shoved in a district’s communication office….We look for systems that are saying yes\, we believe in family engagement and here’s how it shows up in our office of teaching. Here’s how we’ve actually begun to assess for mindset in our talent and culture work.”  \n–Emily Garcia\, Flamboyan Foundation  \nLittle shared how Carmel Hill is advancing family engagement as a critical component of its efforts in New York City to promote learning in the classroom\, home\, and community. Carmel Hill invests in research\, capacity building\, and direct programming around family engagement\, including supporting a family ambassador approach that empowers local leaders to be messengers and advisors for families in the community and partnering with nonprofits\, cultural institutions\, and health care providers in order to go where families are to connect them with support.   \n“We have to find a way to bring an authentic family and parent voice into our practices\, into our policy\, and into our funding. If we don’t\, we run the risk of continuing the harmful pattern of treating families as passive receivers and not active partners. I think\, as funders\, if we are not getting on the ground and really listening\, given the power that we as funders have\, we can run the risk of powering the kind of harmful trends from the past that we are working very hard to move away from.”  \n–Tarilyn Little\, Carmel Hill Fund  \nThroughout the conversation\, the panelists returned again and again to the importance of building the capacity of pre-service and in-service educators to build strong relationships with parents and families. They referenced several entities that are leading the way in that effort\, including Arizona State University’s Mary Lou Fulton College for Teaching and Learning Innovation\, Digital Promise\, and NAFSCE as well as the states of Nevada and Colorado.    \n“To answer the question in the chat\, asking how we can get our higher education systems to build family engagement into the curriculum on the pre-service side\, I think there’s got to be demand for it. School leaders have to be saying\, I’m only going to hire teachers who have this skill\, who have this capacity\, who have this mindset.”  \n–Bibb Hubbard\, Learning Heroes  \n  \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n If you were able to attend the session\, we would love to hear your feedback! We appreciate your help in filling out the following form as we seek to learn and understand the perspectives\, ideas\, critiques and recommendations that better inform our key audiences. \n \n Share Feedback URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/families-at-the-center/ CATEGORIES:Funder-to-Funder Conversation,Parents,Past Event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Casey_Prov_KidsCount_2013_WED_00016-e1748500275197.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260120T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260120T163000 DTSTAMP:20260404T065821 CREATED:20251215T073724Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260131T142543Z UID:254029-1768921200-1768926600@leo.gradelevelreading.net SUMMARY:Tutoring Works! Lessons & Insights From Local Programs & Practitioners DESCRIPTION:This session picked up on our series and our continued focus on tutoring as a critically important “Big Bets” strategy that is making a measurable impact on students learning recovery and acceleration. This week\, we were pleased to continue that exploration in a book talk with Liz Cohen of 50CAN and author of The Future of Tutoring: Lessons from 10\,000 School District Tutoring Initiatives. We also engaged four national\, state\, and local tutoring leaders in a discussion with Cohen to further unpack her findings and how they relate to their programming on the ground. \nI was thrilled to have the chance to moderate the discussion with Cohen about her engaging and actionable new book\, which covers the history of tutoring in the U.S.\, its major proliferation as a post-pandemic learning recovery strategy\, and her examination of so many school districts that made a big bet on tutoring by investing their ESSER dollars. I enjoyed asking her multiple questions about what has happened over the past five years and where we can go from here. Harkening back to CGLR’s session from last fall\, Implementation and Sustainability: What Makes High-Impact Tutoring Work and the series we plan to continue throughout 2026\, about successful implementation of Big Bet strategies\, Cohen shared what she identified as aspects of implementation that lead to success for a district: \n“I want to see someone who’s in charge of the [tutoring] program from the district. I want to see someone who has — as a significant part of their job — responsibility for overseeing tutoring implementation. I think if you don’t have leadership in the district\, then where do schools go when they have questions? Schools need to have guidance on how/when to schedule tutoring. Like\, when are you offering the tutoring and how? And how consistent is it? A lot of elementary schools in particular that have really adopted tutoring as a core practice have moved to a schedule that involves basically a period of the day that’s like an intervention block in which some kids are getting tutoring and some might be doing enrichment\, some might be doing some other small group. So you want to see some kind of model like that.” \nAfter my book talk with Cohen\, I had the opportunity to engage in discussion with four outstanding leaders from national\, state\, and local tutoring programs. Johnny Blount of Literacy Mid-South in Memphis; Sherri Flagg\, Ed.D.\, of Read United at United Way of Central Georgia; Crystal Rountree of Jumpstart for Young Children; and Kelli Soyer of the Iowa Reading Corps and the United Ways of Iowa each shared an overview of how their tutoring program works and the success they have achieved. These leaders also responded to what Cohen shared and asked her questions about her findings in connection to their work on the ground. This led to a robust and insightful conversation that went deeper into implementation\, the role of parents\, recruitment and training for tutors\, and more. Rountree expressed how a key element in the book resonates with her and the work of Jumpstart: \n“And Liz\, I will say one thing that really resonated with me in your book was how it frames tutoring as not just an emergency intervention\, but really as this core learning strategy. And from where I sit with young children who are on the ground with their tutors\, that distinction really does matter a lot. It changes how we design programs\, who we recruit\, and how we measure success. Something that has come up for us is that the work is really relational\, and tutoring works not just because of the academic content but also the caring adult that is working alongside the child.” \nMany more important ideas were discussed by the educators who came together for this GLR Learning Tuesdays webinar\, and we hope you found it informative and engaging. Please review the resources and the recording made available here for more information and plan to join us again next week for more insights on tutoring as a key learning recovery strategy and in all of our future sessions. \n\n\n\n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n If you were able to attend the session\, we would love to hear your feedback! We appreciate your help in filling out the following form as we seek to learn and understand the perspectives\, ideas\, critiques and recommendations that better inform our key audiences. \n \n Share Feedback URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/tutoring-work/ CATEGORIES:Big Bets Working,Upcoming Event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Horizons_DC_Program_0638.jpg END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR