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:20210314T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20211107T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20220313T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20221106T060000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220517T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220517T163000 DTSTAMP:20260409T134355 CREATED:20231219T171927Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240530T180803Z UID:245690-1652799600-1652805000@leo.gradelevelreading.net SUMMARY:Innovations in Parent & Educator Supports Critical to Kindergarten Readiness DESCRIPTION:“The secret sauce is the coaches. They’re amazing in working with these families and helping them understand the value of a good education.” \nJim Lund of Waterford Upstart offered this reflection in this week’s GLR Learning Tuesdays session as he and other panelists described their efforts to support parents and educators in nurturing children’s early learning and school readiness. \nThank you for registering for this engaging and inspiring session featuring three evidence-based models for supporting kindergarten readiness\, co-sponsored by Overdeck Family Foundation. If you missed this conversation or would like to review what was shared\, links to the recording and other related materials can be accessed HERE on CLIP\, with links to specific resources listed below. \nThe three featured models included: \n\nLENA Grow with information shared by Liz Pettit of LENA and implementation partners\, Crystal Skeeter-Davis and Jamie Morris of Child Development Resources\nSpringboard Collaborative with information shared by Keo Cheo-Young\, Ed.D.\, and Sarah Anderson\nWaterford Upstart with information shared by Jim Lund and Tiera Lindsey\n\nPanelists shared how they adapted their programs to the challenges posed by the pandemic\, making them shorter\, easier to implement and/or delivered virtually\, using data as a guide to ensure the adaptions continued to deliver measurable progress for children. They offered insights on how to connect with families and incentivize their ongoing engagement in the face of myriad challenges.  URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/innovations-in-parent-educator-supports-critical-to-kindergarten-readiness/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Blog-2-Kindergarten-Image-3-scaled-e1692650159728.jpeg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220510T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220510T163000 DTSTAMP:20260409T134355 CREATED:20230912T184039Z LAST-MODIFIED:20231208T182834Z UID:243533-1652194800-1652200200@leo.gradelevelreading.net SUMMARY:Showing Up Matters for R.E.A.L. (Routines\, Engagement\, Access to resources and Learning DESCRIPTION:“This is not a time for blame\, this is a time for partnership and for collective action to rebuild the positive conditions for learning in our schools that we know help kids show up to school\, engage with teachers and friends\, and learn.” \n\nHedy Chang\, Executive Director of Attendance Works\, offered this call to action as she kicked off a panel of five educators from different regions of the country who shared their strategies for building Routines\, increasing Engagement\, ensuring Access to resources and supporting Learning. \nChang was joined by Patricia Chavez\, VP of External Relations at Parent Institute for Quality Education; Erin Simon\, Assistant Superintendent of School Support Services at Long Beach Unified School District; Maria Harris\, Principal\, Educare Los Angeles at Long Beach; Cherri Rowe\, Chief Program Officer of Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Dallas; and Pam Allyn\, author and CEO\, Dewey. In a discussion moderated by Chang\, the five innovative educators shared pandemic-related challenges families and students are still experiencing\, as well as strategies they created for engaging with students and families in ways that inspire them to show up for school and participate in learning.  \nChang started the session describing the more than doubling of chronic absence nationwide\, noting that it is especially high in the early grades. Chang called this level of absenteeism profound\, adding that it will have an adverse\, long-term impact unless everyone works together to address it now. Panelists outlined key challenges affecting student attendance\, engagement and learning. Families have been fearful about sending their children to school during a pandemic. Quarantines have disrupted family routines and many lack access to the technology so crucial to keeping kids learning and gaining access to resources. Many families living in low-income communities are still facing significant economic pressures and experiencing food and housing insecurity as well as a lack of health care access. The panel also recognized how feelings of shame\, related to a child or their parent not experiencing success in school\, can cause disengagement and poor attendance.  \nPanelists then shared strategies for addressing these challenges by taking a whole child\, whole family and whole community approach\, leveraging the power of technology for communication in multiple languages and expanding enriching learning opportunities through community partnerships. They noted that families are now focused on their family’s mental health and would like social and emotional support.  \nThe educators described how they worked with community partners and organizations that are able to provide families with many of their basic needs. They agreed that out-of-school-time offerings\, such as before- and after-school programs\, provide students with opportunities to connect with caring adults and to participate inacademic enrichment activities\, character and leadership development programs\, and initiatives that teach healthy lifestyles. Such programming can help bring back the joy in learning and draw upon the power of family storytelling. Community-based programs can be housed on school grounds\, which can facilitate school-program communication about students and make it easier for students and families to participate. Summer programs that focus on literacy can provide students with much needed routine as well as fun activities that benefit students and can prepare them to return to school in the fall.  URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/showing-up-matters-for-r-e-a-l-routines-engagement-access-to-resources-and-learning/ CATEGORIES:Past Event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/CASEYKINETIK2015_Thurs01010-e1694544020894.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220505T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220505T163000 DTSTAMP:20260409T134355 CREATED:20231027T205926Z LAST-MODIFIED:20231027T211949Z UID:244462-1651762800-1651768200@leo.gradelevelreading.net SUMMARY:ParentChild+: Engaging Families in Early Math Through Home Visiting DESCRIPTION:“Math is innately in us” \nWith the above quote\, Jermell Witherspoon of Zeno reminded participants of the math brilliance that lives within each and every child during the inaugural session of the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading’s Early Math + Early Literacy series hosted on May 5\, 2022. Zeno’s mission is to spark joy and inspire a love of math in young children and families through racial equity\, family engagement and play\, all centered in the experiences of communities of color. One of the ways they are spreading this “joy” is through their work in partnership with ParentChild+. \nWitherspoon was joined by Pamela Williams of ParentChild+ Start Early WA and Erin Kinsella of ParentChild+ Encompass. Each shared highlights of the partnership between ParentChild+ and Zeno. In a conversation moderated by Malkia Singleton Ofori-Agyekum of ParentChild+\, the presenters noted that Zeno’s work with ParentChild+ home visitors and families has had a significant impact on the work of lifting up early mathematics. \nAfter each presenter shared their experiences with Zeno and ParentChild+\, Singleton shared a  video depicting a family using Zeno math and bringing to life the work that Zeno and ParentChild+ are doing in the homes of the families they serve. The panelists also discussed how Zeno and ParentChild+ address barriers to this work and support the development of a positive math identity. URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/244462/ CATEGORIES:Past Event,Special Webinar ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Providence_Photos_0816.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220503T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220503T163000 DTSTAMP:20260409T134355 CREATED:20231216T192345Z LAST-MODIFIED:20231216T193351Z UID:245520-1651590000-1651595400@leo.gradelevelreading.net SUMMARY:Seizing the Moment: Closing the Digital Equity Gap DESCRIPTION:In this May 3\, 2022 GLR Learning Tuesdays session\, Amina Fazlullah\, Senior Director of Equity Policy at Common Sense\, opened the conversation with a description of the historical inequities in internet connectivity and access to devices for students in the United States. She also shared Common Sense’s work to map the impact of emergency funding streams as the pandemic unfolded. \nJi Soo Song\, Broadband Advisor to the U.S. Department of Education\, explained how the department has been working to ensure that the voices of education leaders\, parents and nonprofits are included into the broadband development efforts that are expanding within states as a result of increased federal investments through various funding streams. Song shared information about the Digital Equity Education Roundtable (DEER) Initiative and issued a call to action for state and local education leaders to get involved in the development of broadband plans that are required in each state. \nFazlullah returned to introduce more resources that have been developed by Common Sense for communities to share with individuals and households about the American Connectivity Program\, which helps reduce internet costs for qualifying families and provides financial supports for devices. She also discussed the Emergency Connectivity Fund\, which allows schools and libraries to provide devices such as tablets\, computers and home internet services to students and families. \nShawn Gross\, Digital Equity Program Management Consultant at Baltimore City Schools\, brought a local perspective to the session. Gross shared Baltimore’s journey to meet the needs of students and families during the pandemic. Baltimore has taken a strategic approach to measuring and monitoring its success and has been working with local partners such as the city\, library and others to envision a municipal network where all families would have access to high-quality affordable or free internet acesss. \nSoon after this session\, President Biden and Vice President Harris announced changes to the Affordable Connectivity Program that will further reduce the cost and increase the speed of internet service to tens of millions of families. Information on eligibility and sign-up can be found at GetInternet.gov. URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/seizing-the-moment-closing-the-digital-equity-gap/ CATEGORIES:Past Event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Casey-2016-BAL_1527-1-e1752591275771.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220419T123000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220419T140000 DTSTAMP:20260409T134355 CREATED:20231031T200305Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260211T211900Z UID:244592-1650371400-1650376800@leo.gradelevelreading.net SUMMARY:Building Hope & Opportunity: Philanthropy’s Role in Catalyzing Children’s Savings Accounts DESCRIPTION:Imagine a philanthropic investment so powerful that it changes how children think — something that embeds the conviction\, “I have a future. Education is for me\, not for somebody else.” According to Patty Grant\, Executive Director of the Community Foundation of Wabash County\, Indiana\, that ability to transform how children see themselves is part of what makes children’s savings accounts (CSAs) “a meaningful way\, beyond just the financial impact of helping our families and our students\, to…align with our mission to address the quality of life and incomes and educational attainment.” \nGrant was joined by Carl Rist\, a CSA expert and independent consultant and former Senior Fellow at Prosperity Now; Rebecca Loya\, Ph.D.\, a research scientist at Brandeis University Institute for Economic and Racial Equity; and Benita Melton\, Program Director-Education for the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation\, in a conversation moderated by Sterling Speirn\, Interim President and CEO of the Maine Community Foundation. \nDrawing on research and experience\, the presenters explored the history of CSAs\, dating back to the original demonstration project funded by national philanthropies\, and the recent growth in the number of CSAs today. Foundations donated $11.3 million to the 77 CSA programs surveyed by panelist Rebecca Loya in 2019\, of which $9 million came from family foundations. \nPanelists discussed the value of CSAs for private funders\, including the chance to help children and families prepare early for the future; the opportunity to partner with public funders on a scalable intervention; and the chance to address root causes of income inequality. “So many of the things philanthropy deals with are the symptoms and results of poverty\, but we rarely get to go right to the heart of it\, which is a lack of financial assets and underdeveloped human capital\,” observed Speirn. \nPresenters encouraged funders of CSAs to: \n\nStart small\, demonstrate success\, and then grow;\nCommunicate frequently with children and families about their CSAs so they can see how their accounts are growing; and\nCombine CSAs with other asset-building and financial literacy programs.\n\n“Children’s savings accounts are not a silver bullet. They don’t solve these problems by themselves. They are most impactful when embedded into or layered onto other initiatives\,” Benita Melton said. URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/building-hope-opportunity-philanthropys-role-in-catalyzing-childrens-savings-accounts/ CATEGORIES:Funder-to-Funder Conversation,Parents,Past Event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/674844-e1720196936189.jpeg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220412T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220412T163000 DTSTAMP:20260409T134355 CREATED:20251030T155515Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251218T154945Z UID:252987-1649775600-1649781000@leo.gradelevelreading.net SUMMARY:Join the Movement: Activating Your Parent Village DESCRIPTION:“The most important part for us was having the parent voice be heard. We are all about making sure that parents have a seat at the table\, nothing about us without us.” \n\nSarita Sashington of Be Strong Families offered this reflection on her experience organizing a Parent Village in this GLR Learning Tuesdays webinar Join the Movement: Activating Your Parent Village. \nSashington was joined by Dr. Dana Suskind and Yolie Flores\, both with the TMW Center for Early Learning + Public Health\, and Rosa Guzman Snyder and Kendra Smiley of the National Center for Families Learning. Together\, they discussed the Building a Parent Nation Campaign\, which builds on Dr. Suskind’s recently-released book\, Parent Nation: Unlocking Every Child’s Potential\, Fulfilling Society’s Promise\, and seeks to mobilize parents\, caregivers and allies to fight for a society that better supports parents. \nUsing neuroscience as a framework\, Parent Nation urges parents\, caregivers and allies to advocate for a society that puts children and families at the center. In support of this call to action\, Flores shared the innovative tools and resources that are now available at no cost to groups and organizations aligned with this mission and who wish to host Parent Villages to activate parents. Alberta Longone-Messer\, a participant\, shared their enthusiasm and agreement with this mission: “So important to share this program with community partners to help us launch and sustain\,” because as Flores said\, “all children should have the opportunity to reach their dreams\, to reach their potential.” \nGuzman Snyder\, Smiley and Sashington shared their experiences in hosting Parent Villages during the beta test phase this past winter\, including what inspired them to host a Village (“strong mission alignment” and “model driven by parents”); how parents responded (validated their strengths in ways that they could see themselves as changemakers); and what they saw as the potential for activating parent leadership and power (based on this experience\, one parent made her own PowerPoint to share Parent Nation with other parents). Panelists shared that a key feature of the curriculum was the adaptability and flexibility to make it your own. And what was most powerful was the sense of solidarity of a community of parents to fight for change. \nThe resources and experiences shared by the presenters generated optimism and excitement for participants. Dr. Phillip G. Bevans commented\, “Your commitment to providing parents and caregivers with the opportunity and support needed to learn and apply the skills that are known to build babies’ brains is\, of course\, quite revolutionary and much to be admired. Congratulations on making the effort to ‘create a population-level shift in the knowledge and behavior of parents and caregivers’ in this regard.” \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n   URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/activating-your-parent-village/ CATEGORIES:Past Event 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:20220405T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220405T163000 DTSTAMP:20260409T134356 CREATED:20240107T212742Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240107T212742Z UID:245778-1649170800-1649176200@leo.gradelevelreading.net SUMMARY:Centering Equity in Home-School Relationships: Lessons From Research and Innovative Districts DESCRIPTION:“We call our report Unlocking the ‘How’ because we keep hearing from schools and systems across the country that the pandemic has elevated the awareness of need for family engagement\, but a lot of folks are asking for the best strategies for how to do that work.” \nThis was author Eyal Bergman’s introduction of Learning Heroes’ new report\, Unlocking the “How”: Designing Family Engagement Strategies That Lead to School Success\, which was released in early April and was the basis of the April 5 GLR Learning Tuesdays session\, “Centering Equity in Home-School Relationships: Lessons From Research and Innovative Districts.” \nThe recommendations in Unlocking the “How” are based on three primary sources: \n\nSix years of Learning Heroes surveys with parents\, teachers and principals on the nature of family engagement.\nThe Dual Capacity-Building Framework for Family-School Partnerships (Version 2)\, which synthesizes the research on what works in family engagement.\nAnd a recent report by Dr. Karen Mapp and Dr. Bergman\, called Embracing a New Normal: Toward a More Liberatory Approach to Family Engagement\, which takes stock of this era of dual pandemics and offers high-level policy recommendations for K–12 leaders.\n\nThrough specific examples from schools and districts across the country\, the report brings to life the three pillars of effective family engagement strategies: 1) place trust and teamwork at the center of the home-school relationship; 2) anchor family engagement strategies in student learning; and 3) invest in building systems and structures that enable this work. \nIn the webinar\, Dr. Bergman was joined by Dr. Sonja Santelises\, CEO of Baltimore City Public Schools\, and Dr. Lori James-Gross\, Superintendent of Unity Point Consolidated School District 140 in rural southern Illinois. Though vastly different\, both districts believe the schools that focused on family engagement pre-pandemic were better prepared to endure the impact of the pandemic. Dr. Santelises discussed how BCPS has led the way in elevating family engagement as an equity imperative and gave the example of one school in particular where trust and teamwork with families was prioritized. She also highlighted a new BCPS board policy on family engagement and the development of student learning plans co-designed by teachers\, parents and students. Dr. James-Gross spoke about individual student success planning\, where every student\, their teacher and family meet to build a relationship\, set goals and determine needs based on a holistic view of the child. \nThe webinar concluded with Kelsey Nelson\, senior manager of external relations at Learning Heroes\, highlighting several creative assets that highlight Learning Heroes research and effective family engagement in action\, including social media toolkits with video clips and more. “For our research\, we partner with a lot of national organizations such as National PTA\, National Urban League\, UnidosUS and Univision\, and also work with community partners on the ground telling their stories and bringing the research to life as to why a strong family engagement practice is so important.” URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/centering-equity-in-home-school-relationships-lessons-from-research-and-innovative-districts/ CATEGORIES:Past Event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/CASEYKINETIK2015_Tues00650.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220322T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220322T163000 DTSTAMP:20260409T134356 CREATED:20260210T160557Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260211T211055Z UID:254803-1647961200-1647966600@leo.gradelevelreading.net SUMMARY:Children’s Savings Accounts: Building Wealth\, Aspirations and Prosperity for Children and Families DESCRIPTION:When Christina McLean of Durham\, North Carolina\, realized her 9-year-old daughter\, Lauren\, was eligible for a program that will contribute $500 into a savings and investment account they can tap for education or career needs when Lauren turns 18\, she was thrilled. “I did not see just the $500\,” McLean said. “I saw $5\,000… $50\,000… $500\,000… even $5 million! I saw a seed that\, if I watered and nurtured it\, would grow into a harvest that will help me fund my daughter’s future education.” \nDuring this March 22\, 2022 GLR Learning Tuesdays session\, McLean joined a panel of program developers\, funders\, researchers and partners in exploring the ways that children’s savings accounts (CSAs) improve educational expectations\, opportunities and outcomes for children and families from low- and moderate-income households.  \nIn addition to McLean\, the panel included William Elliott\, Director of the Center on Assets\, Education and Inclusion at the University of Michigan; Carl Rist\, a CSA expert and independent consultant; Patty Grant\, Executive Director of the Community Foundation of Wabash County\, Indiana; Muneer Karcher-Ramos\, Director of the Office of Financial Empowerment for the City of St. Paul\, Minnesota; and Colleen Quint\, President and CEO of the Alfond Scholarship Foundation. The conversation was moderated by Ginger Young\, CEO of Book Harvest\, a Durham-based children’s literacy nonprofit that started a CSA program for graduates of its Book Babies program in 2021.  \nDrawing on research and practice\, the presenters described several CSA models and noted that they all have a positive impact on children’s social-emotional development\, parents’ perception of economic safety\, maternal depression\, parenting practices\, parent-child communication\, and college enrollment and persistence. CSAs also serve as a two-generation tool for helping households get ahead and stay ahead by promoting financial literacy\, building wealth and cultivating a college-going culture and identity.  \nPresenters emphasized that long-term assets such as CSAs should not be seen as something that replaces income assistance for immediate needs; both are important. They urged listeners to connect children to CSAs early in life — at birth\, if possible — to maximize the positive effects. They described creative ways to increase and incentivize savings. And they noted the way that CSAs create “tangible hope” for children and families. \n\n“Poor kids dream\, poor kids have aspirations. They just don’t have a strategy for achieving them that’s realistic for them\,” Elliott explained. “Tangible hope means having a true pathway to achieving that dream.”  URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/childrens-savings-accounts-building-wealth-aspirations-and-prosperity-for-children-and-families/ CATEGORIES:Past Event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Blog-2-Kindergarten-Image-1-1-e1688670161775.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220315T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220315T163000 DTSTAMP:20260409T134356 CREATED:20260202T234538Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260203T123505Z UID:254720-1647356400-1647361800@leo.gradelevelreading.net SUMMARY:One State’s Big Bet on Community Schools: A Follow-on Conversation DESCRIPTION:The things that we do to address the physical\, emotional and social needs of our children\, ultimately\, will support their achievement. \n\nCalifornia’s Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond made the above statement at the start of his discussion with CGLR Executive Fellow John Gomperts during the March 15\, 2022 GLR Learning Tuesdays webinar\, capturing the essence of why California is investing $3 billion dollars into the Community Schools model. This learning and engagement opportunity picked up on the February 1\, 2022 session that featured José Muñoz of the Coalition for Community Schools and other leaders and explored Community Schools as a “big bet worthy” strategy that holds the potential for large-scale and sustainable changes for children and their families\, especially as we emerge from the pandemic. This March session further explored how and why Thurmond and the State Board of Education decided to invest so heavily in the Community Schools model and what implementation will look like in a place as large and diverse as California. \nGomperts focused his discussion with Superintendent Thurmond on elements that informed the decision to expand the Community Schools model throughout the state of California. Gomperts then moderated a panel discussion among Community Schools experts about the significance of California’s investment\, what other communities can learn from California’s big bet\, and the potential for deploying the Community Schools model to create learning environments that provide transformational opportunities for whole-child education. Araceli Chavez of the California Association for Bilingual Education\, Abe Fernández of the National Center for Community Schools\, Hayin Kimner\, Ph.D.\, of the California Community Schools Learning Exchange and Jeannie Oakes\, Ph.D.\, of the Learning Policy Institute discussed the importance of learning from districts that have been successfully implementing the model while building buy-in among school leaders at all levels as well as community leaders. They dove into the standards for development\, the extensive training available and the data demonstrating the model’s effectiveness\, acknowledging that this big bet will take a big lift. Thankfully\, there is a wealth of resources available to support communities’ work to make it successful. URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/one-states-big-bet-on-community-schools-a-follow-on-conversation/ CATEGORIES:Past Event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Casey-2016-BAL_1107-1.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220308T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220308T163000 DTSTAMP:20260409T134356 CREATED:20240107T215342Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240107T215342Z UID:245790-1646751600-1646757000@leo.gradelevelreading.net SUMMARY:How Education Decision-Makers are Maximizing Summer to Accelerate Learning Recovery DESCRIPTION:“We’re encouraging states to start thinking about relegating this work of summer learning into the structure of the State Education Agency (SEA) because\, rather than having this be something that we work on for the short term\, we want it to become a natural conversation among SEA members building state strategic plans as they think about the long-term importance of this work.” \nThis point made by Kathleen Airhart\, Ed.D.\, of the Council of Chief State School Officers in this week’s GLR Learning Tuesdays panel captures the heart of the discussion among state-level leaders about How Education Decision-Makers Are Maximizing Summer to Accelerate Learning Recovery. Moderated by Polly Singh of the Wallace Foundation\, the discussion explored how SEAs are using billions of federal recovery dollars to fund local education agencies\, build community partnerships and provide professional development to prioritize summer learning – especially in communities hardest hit by the pandemic. In case you missed this opportunity to learn and engage\, links to the recording and other materials can be accessed here on CLIP\, with links to additional resources included below. \nSingh began the discussion by sharing an overview of the Wallace Foundation’s extensive support for summer learning and their backing of up-to-date research and resources\, including the National Summer Learning Project and Toolkit\, along with the foundation’s investment in state-level work to expand summer learning. She then engaged Airhart and Aaron Dworkin of the National Summer Learning Association (NSLA) in an exploration of their new partnership\, the State Summer Learning Network\, which is designed to inform state-level efforts by providing NSLA’s expert training and technical assistance to SEA leaders in “building state strategic plans” for summer learning\, as quoted by Airhart above. Melissa Castillo\, Ed.D.\, and Dawn Fitzhugh of the Arizona Department of Education and Brian Doran of the Texas Education Agency\, two states at the forefront of prioritizing summer learning\, joined the discussion and reviewed what a major state investment in summer learning looks like on the ground in districts and communities across their states. Through in-depth professional development for teachers\, directed outreach to families and high-quality instructional materials\, they ensure equitable access to summer learning activities that bolster academic and social-emotional development. URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/how-education-decision-makers-are-maximizing-summer-to-accelerate-learning-recovery/ CATEGORIES:Past Event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/sendi-aut.jpeg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220301T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220301T163000 DTSTAMP:20260409T134356 CREATED:20231212T215504Z LAST-MODIFIED:20231213T205650Z UID:245287-1646146800-1646152200@leo.gradelevelreading.net SUMMARY:Innovations in In-School Tutoring: Updates From Research and On-the-Ground Efforts DESCRIPTION:Co-sponsored by the Overdeck Family Foundation\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n “Kids must become code breakers in order to ultimately become meaning makers. In other words\, reading is the operating system of education\, and if our kids can’t read\, they can’t learn.”  \nJessica Reid Sliwerski made the above statement as she explained why she founded Ignite! Reading and described how this online tutoring program is enabling high-quality tutoring at scale. \nThis session examined the potential of high-dosage\, small-group tutoring as a proven-effective strategy for accelerating equitable learning recovery with presentations rooted in research and practice. Melanie Dukes of Overdeck Family Foundation moderated the conversation\, beginning by sharing the increasing degree to which our country’s education leaders are turning to tutoring to help with learning acceleration and to address the learning loss experienced during the pandemic. With the federal government’s infusion of more than $24 billion in ESSER funds for districts to spend on evidence-based interventions such as tutoring\, Dukes noted that this a critical time for school and district decision-makers to gain a deeper understanding of what makes tutoring programs effective and how to select a program that’s best positioned to meet their needs. \nDukes began by inviting Susanna Loeb\, Ph.D.\, of Brown University’s Annenberg Institute for School Reform to set the stage by sharing research underscoring the benefits of tutoring and the seven critical elements of high-impact tutoring. Among these are a foundation of safety\, equity and cohesion; a high priority on developing strong tutor-student relationships; special attention to the amount of instruction and the instructional materials used; and the use of data to understand students’ learning needs and to track their progress. Loeb shared\, “Start small and [implement a high-quality tutoring program] really well for the students who really need it\, then expand it out\, once you have it down.”  \nJanice Jackson\, Ed.D.\, of America Achieves then described her experiences implementing high-dosage\, small-group tutoring while leading Chicago Public Schools and her plans to launch a national tutoring initiative that will ensure equitable access to high-quality academic supports. Jackson reflected\, “It’s no secret that there are deep inequities in our education system that have long existed prior to the pandemic. All of us have witnessed those gaps widen over the past two years….We don’t want to just focus on recovery from the pandemic. This is also an opportunity to achieve greater equity and make sure that all students have access to high-quality\, high-dosage tutoring post-pandemic. It should be free\, it should be affordable and it should be accessible and ubiquitous in all of our school systems\, and that’s just simply not the case largely due to cost and limited understanding of how to scale most effectively.” \nThey were joined by representatives of three innovative tutoring programs that either emerged or evolved during the pandemic.  \n\nA.J. Gutierrez introduced the research behind Saga Education and the impact of the program on children’s academic growth\, explaining how Saga’s intensive tutor training and ongoing professional development is part of its secret sauce. Said Gutierrez\, “We’re seeking to make sure that high-impact in-school tutoring is a central part of school design.”\nChanda Johnson of Zearn Math first shared her experiences utilizing high-quality programs like Zearn in tutoring programs while serving in the Louisiana Department of Education. She explained how the research-backed curriculum and digital lessons in Zearn are now being deployed as part of tutoring programs and the impact of the platform on student growth. She commented\, “Tutoring is everywhere now in a way I haven’t seen before.” \nJessica Reid Sliwerski explained how she helped launch Ignite! Reading in response to the pandemic\, partnering with schools to embed daily 15-minute one-on-one\, data-driven reading skills instruction with a highly trained tutor\, delivered via Zoom\, as part of the schools’ literacy programming. She also announced that this fall Ignite! is launching 1st Grade Promise\, a 1\,000-student pilot designed to ensure all participants leave first grade as fluent\, independent readers ready to begin second grade. \n\nQuestions and discussion among panelists and in response to participant questions covered a variety of topics\, including characteristics of high-quality hybrid or virtual tutoring models\, the difference between high-impact tutoring and Response to Intervention (RTI); and approaches to researching different components of high-quality tutoring interventions when considering scale and cost effectiveness.  \nPanelists closed by lifting up the opportunity to expand and scale high-dosage tutoring. Johnson said\, “Let’s build this together. Let’s get this right. Let’s learn from each other.” Said Jackson: “Think about how to be part of this moment and this movement.” URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/innovations-in-in-school-tutoring-updates-from-research-and-on-the-ground-efforts/ CATEGORIES:Past Event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Blog-1-Tutoring-Image-2-scaled.jpeg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220208T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220208T163000 DTSTAMP:20260409T134356 CREATED:20260131T143305Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260215T224516Z UID:254679-1644332400-1644337800@leo.gradelevelreading.net SUMMARY:Accelerating Literacy Through Same Language Subtitling DESCRIPTION:The topic of this February 8\, 2022 webinar recognizes that we are at a critical juncture: we need to leverage every possible strategy to advance learning for children recovering from the enormous learning disruption that was caused by the pandemic. And to do so\, we need to examine innovations from all over the world. \nBrij Kothari\, Ph.D.\, the founder of PlanetRead\, conceived of Same Language Subtitling (SLS) as a way to advance literacy at scale using television. In India\, an estimated 850 million people cannot read simple texts at a second-grade level. However\, there are an estimated 1 billion TV viewers\, watching an average of four hours of television per day\, and expected to do so for 70 years. Through studies and pilot initiatives\, SLS has been shown to have an enormous impact on literacy in India. Regular SLS exposure on TV at home more than doubled the number of good readers among primary school children\, from 24 percent to 56 percent. \nDeborah Nichols\, Ph.D.\, Associate Professor at Purdue University and one of the top education researchers\, shared research results conducted in the United States\, suggesting that repeated exposure to onscreen print can lead to increased attention and enhanced learning. For children growing up in poverty\, who have less access to traditional learning support\, research shows that educational screen-based media interventions can be particularly valuable and effective. \nIn conversation moderated by Kyle Zimmer\, the President and CEO of First Book\, three leading experts — Kelly Butler\, the CEO of the Barksdale Reading Institute\, Kristal Moore Clemons\, Ph.D.\, National Director of the Children’s Defense Fund Freedom Schools\, and Michael H. Levine\, Ph.D.\, SVP of Learning and Impact\, Noggin/Nickelodeon — shared their perspective on the potential for using SLS to advance literacy in the United States. \nThe discussion included some inspiring ideas and hopeful next steps on the value of harnessing the power and presence of television in children’s homes to be a more valuable tool of learning — from the opportunity for intergenerational learning and family engagement to the possibility of heightening the impact of educational media for millions of kids and families. URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/accelerating-literacy-through-same-language-subtitling/ CATEGORIES:Learning Tuesdays,Partner Webinar,Past Event END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220111T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220111T163000 DTSTAMP:20260409T134356 CREATED:20231214T211442Z LAST-MODIFIED:20231218T214830Z UID:245476-1641913200-1641918600@leo.gradelevelreading.net SUMMARY:Advancing Digital Equity for Powerful Learning DESCRIPTION:In the January 11\, 2022 GLR Learning Tuesdays webinar\,  Jean Claude Brizard\, CEO of Digital Promise\, served as moderator and shared some data that demonstrated the impact the COVID-19 pandemic on learning loss. The pandemic exposed the reality of the digital inequities in communities — inequities that had already been in place but were exacerbated by the pandemic. \nNext\, attendees heard a robust discussion with a panel of experts. Nathan L Fisher Ed.D and Kristine Gilmore Ed.D.\, both district superintendents who have addressed digital equity in their respective districts\, provided “on the ground” perspective of the challenge. Chris Rush shared the federal policy perspective based on his work at the U.S. Department of Education.  Michael Calabrese discussed some unique financing opportunities for sustaining EdTech system reform. D’Andre J. Weaver Ph.D.\, Chief Equity Officer at Digital Promise offered his perspective as a recent Superintendent of a large school district while also sharing how he will be leading efforts to address digital equity at Digital Promise. \nDuring the webinar\, panelists stressed how EdTech is necessary to support classroom learning and that teachers must have access to up-to-date technology for use both in the classroom and at home when schools may need to move into hybrid or fully virtual environments. They panel fielded a number of thoughtful questions from the audience throughout the conversation. URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/advancing-digital-equity-for-powerful-learning/ CATEGORIES:Past Event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Casey-2016-BAL_1513.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220111T123000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220111T140000 DTSTAMP:20260409T134357 CREATED:20231216T215958Z LAST-MODIFIED:20231216T220218Z UID:245538-1641904200-1641909600@leo.gradelevelreading.net SUMMARY:Accelerating Reading Through High-Dosage Tutoring in Mississippi Communities DESCRIPTION:In this session\, moderator Ashley Parker Sheils\, Ph.D.\, Program Director at MiSsion Acceleration\, talked about how and why MiSsion Acceleration started\, described their funding proposal\, discussed their definition of what high-dosage tutoring is and outlined how they have made decisions about program structure\, content and staffing. \nNext\, Kari Lynn Somers\, Director of Community Impact at United Way of Southeast Mississippi\, focused on the role UWSEMS serves as the community lead\, the importance of involving community partners in every aspect of the program and the ways partners have all played critical roles that led to the success MiSsion Acceleration is seeing in Hattiesburg. Kimberly Price\, Intervention Coordinator with the Oxford School District\, talked about how MiSsion Acceleration decided to operate during the school day in Oxford to ensure access for the children who need the support the most and were not able to participate after school. She also talked about creative problem-solving to ensure the school-day program is successful. Samantha Cox\, Site Coordinator with the Tupelo and Lee County Early Childhood Coalition\, provided an overview of the program at an afterschool community site in Tupelo and described how children\, parents\, partners and stakeholders are benefiting from the program. Andrea Milton\, with MiSsion Acceleration\, discussed her experience as an academic guide\, her role with the young people she works with and why she is so committed to this work. Rachel Scott\, Evaluation Associate with the Center for Research Evaluation at the University of Mississippi\, talked about the MiSsion Acceleration program evaluation\, details of their evidence-based design\, key metrics and some of the exciting results they are seeing. \n  URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/accelerating-reading-through-high-dosage-tutoring-in-mississippi-communities/ CATEGORIES:Reading & Math ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/iStock_000014763241Large-1-scaled.jpeg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20211221T123000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20211221T140000 DTSTAMP:20260409T134357 CREATED:20230913T222954Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250929T190447Z UID:243573-1640089800-1640095200@leo.gradelevelreading.net SUMMARY:Community Investments in Parent-Child Relationships Drive School Readiness DESCRIPTION:“By focusing on the safe\, stable\, and nurturing relationships (SSNRs) that buffer adversity and build resilience\, pediatric care is on the cusp of a paradigm shift that could reprioritize clinical activities\, rewrite research agendas\, and realign our collective advocacy.”  \nDr. David Willis\, a pediatrician and senior fellow at the Center for the Study of Social Policy\, shared this quote from a policy statement released in 2021 by the American Academy of Pediatrics during his comments in this Dec. 21\, 2021 Funder-to-Funder Conversation. He noted how this policy statement reflected a growing awareness of the importance of early relational health\, setting the stage for a panel of funders to share philanthropic opportunities for advancing policies and practices that support strong parent-child relationships beginning at birth. \nAfter explaining how Einhorn Collaborative is engaging other funders and programs to promote parent-child connections\, Ira Hillman of Einhorn Collaborative moderated the conversation. Dr. Willis shared insights from his 30 years as a clinician focused on early child development and family therapy\, defining early relational health as the positive\, nurturing relationships between young children and their parents and caregivers. He also described the growing body of science on the impact of these relationships on physical health\, development\, social well-being and resilience. \nBrenda Blasingame described how the Pritzker Children’s Initiative is advancing early relational health through program and policy strategies in 20 states and 10 communities across the country. She explained how this work focuses on addressing the issues that bring stress into the lives of parents and families while strengthening parents’ abilities to create a supportive caregiving environment. Blasingame also shared how Pritzker is working to embed early relational health into existing systems and promoting a community-based approach\, including community health workers\, community-based doulas and community-based perinatal services. \nRenée Nogales shared how The Burke Foundation is working at the state level to support upstream prevention programs designed to ensure New Jersey children have positive childhood experiences and early relational health. She explained how this has led to partnerships with other funders and state leaders as they pilot and scale research-based efforts\, including Reach Out and Read\, HealthySteps\, universal home visiting\, the Keystones of Development curriculum for medical residents. \nMel Brennan of United Way of Southern Maryland offered insights rooted in his previous work at the YMCA of Central Maryland and Thread in addition to his current work at United Way. He stressed the importance of paying attention to the context around young people to support their development\, including healthy relationships in families and communities and the chronic stress caused by persistent poverty. He shared how his United Way partners with 76 agencies that are supporting family security and stability and strengthening relationships between parents and children. URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/community-investments-in-parent-child-relationships-drive-school-readiness/ CATEGORIES:Funder-to-Funder Conversation,Past Event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Screenshot-147.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20211214T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20211214T163000 DTSTAMP:20260409T134357 CREATED:20231110T182416Z LAST-MODIFIED:20231110T182416Z UID:244810-1639494000-1639499400@leo.gradelevelreading.net SUMMARY:Promotion Policies in 2021: Ensuring Students Are Ready\, Not Retained DESCRIPTION:In this session\, moderator\, Kelly Butler\, Chief Executive Officer of Barksdale Reading Institute\, provided us with some historical context of the debate around retention and promotion in the U.S. education system and in particular the negative impact on children of color. She offered some examples of alternatives to retention that address supports for children who are not meeting benchmarks. Butler challenged us to think about intervening far earlier than third grade and to view retention policies as adult-focused rather than as child-focused. These policies and legislative efforts have raised the accountability bar for the education systems in numerous states. \nNext\, Kymyona Burk\, Ed.D.\, Senior Policy Fellow at ExcelinEd\, discussed the policy landscape of retention legislation across the United States and shared some specific examples from a number of states. Burk also discussed the current research into retention\, highlighting some of the positive impacts in states where retention policies have been implemented. Burk also brought specific insights into the state of Mississippi where she has worked and has insight into the educational landscape. \nWe then had a robust discussion with a panel of state experts\, including Todd Collins with the Reading Coalition of California; Shavonne Gibson Ed.D.\, Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning\, Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE)\, Washington\, DC; and Cari Miller\, Vice Chancellor for Literacy Achievement\, Florida Department of Education. Each of our panelists provided an overview of the current policy and practice landscape in their state and the District of Columbia. The panelists addressed how COVID-19 specifically has impacted learning loss and if there has been any change in retention or promotion policies because of the pandemic. Of particular interest has been the role of parents in decision-making around promotion\, there was considerable discussion around parent decision-making\, and Burk noted in her remarks how parents are informed and included in decisions in specific states. The panel fielded a number of questions from the audience throughout the conversation. URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/promotion-policies-in-2021-ensuring-students-are-ready-not-retained/ CATEGORIES:Past Event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Blog-2-Kindergarten-Image-2-scaled-e1694018295204.jpeg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20211207 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20211208 DTSTAMP:20260409T134357 CREATED:20240229T215537Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240229T215537Z UID:246805-1638835200-1638921599@leo.gradelevelreading.net SUMMARY:Inspiring Young Minds Through Out-of-School STEM DESCRIPTION:“Out-of-school time\, which makes up close to 80 percent of a child’s life\, can build the academic and social-emotional skills that help students succeed. Specifically for Science\, Technology\, Engineering\, and Math — or STEM ― skills\, out-of-school time allows students to approach knowledge and content in innovative and personalized ways\, providing a freedom of choice and agency that is often missing during the school day.” \nGemma Lenowitz of Overdeck Family Foundation shared this important reminder during last week’s GLR Learning Tuesdays webinar\, Inspiring Young Minds Through Out-of-School STEM\, as she moderated a conversation with leaders from four innovative STEM organizations. \nLenowitz was joined by Nav Deol-Johnson\, MSW\, of Imagine Science; Britt Magneson of National Inventors Hall of Fame®; Nick Monzi of Learn Fresh; and Chris San Antonio-Tunis\, M.Ed.\, of Museum of Science\, Boston/EiE\, each of whom provided an overview of their programs. \n\nImagine Science is a collaboration of four leading national youth organizations ― Boys & Girls Clubs of America; Girls\, Inc.; National 4-H Council; and Y-USA ― formed to bridge the STEM gap by bringing STEM programming to underserved and under-represented children. Imagine Science provides sites with curricula\, training\, data and other assets\, enabling them to integrate high-quality STEM activities into their programs.\nNational Inventors Hall of Fame® provides STEM programming for ages ranging from preschool to adult\, working in both the out-of-school and classroom spaces. It partners with community organizations\, school districts and schools to deliver problem-solving learning opportunities for students in addition to professional development for educators and resources for families.\nLearn Fresh serves as home to the NBA Math Hoops Program\, a program that builds users’ math skills by engaging them around their interests in sports. Launched as a board game focused on basketball\, Learn Fresh has grown to include a suite of experiences\, including a mobile app and activities related to baseball\, music and the performing arts.\nEiE is the curricula division of the Museum of Science\, Boston\, providing research-based engineering and computer science PreK–8 curricula for families\, out-of-school time providers\, and classroom educators.\n\nThe presenters explained why STEM skills are important for all children whether or not they plan to pursue a career in a STEM field\, noting how these programs can also tap into children’s innate curiosity\, interests and passions; strengthen connections between school\, family and afterschool; and promote problem-solving skills and collaboration. They described how the out-of-school context is particularly well-suited for STEM learning\, explaining how their hands-on\, collaborative programming offers benefits to classroom educators as well as students. They also shared the ways in which their programs shifted as a result of the pandemic\, including innovations that they will incorporate into post-pandemic programming and unexpected benefits like increased access to rural communities. URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/inspiring-young-minds-through-out-of-school-stem/ CATEGORIES:Past Event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Casey_KINETIK_2014_III_00160-scaled-e1707330021856.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20211102T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20211102T163000 DTSTAMP:20260409T134357 CREATED:20251218T165623Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251219T190557Z UID:254249-1635865200-1635870600@leo.gradelevelreading.net SUMMARY:Building A Parent Nation DESCRIPTION:Spurred by Dr. Dana Suskind’s forthcoming book\, Dr. Suskind\, co-director at the TMW Center for Early Learning + Public Health and Professor of Surgery and Pediatrics and Director of the Pediatric Cochlear Implant Program at the University of Chicago\, joined us as the lead presenter to share what inspired her to write Parent Nation and why this message is urgent and timely. Joining her as co-presenter was Yolie Flores\, also at the TMW Center\, as well as commentators Beth Duda of Suncoast Campaign for Grade-Level Reading\, Liletta Jenkins of the Alabama Department of Early Childhood Education\, and Jane Park of Too Small to Fail.  \nOur moderator\, Ginger Young of Book Harvest\, opened up the session by sharing her own experience: “In this work\, we have learned that for so many parents\, at every turn\, when parents are trying so hard to do right by their kids\, just as they develop bold goals and begin to envision success for their children\, road block after road block gets in the way.” \nIn her remarks\, Dr. Suskind discussed her journey from pediatric cochlear implant surgeon to social scientist focused on the importance of brain development and the critical role parents and caregivers play in that process. Along the way\, she met countless parents who want what every parent wants — to help their children get off to the best possible start — and who are committed to playing their part. And yet\, life would intrude on their efforts\, time and time again\, limiting opportunities for the brain-building power of talk to occur. Society\, Dr. Suskind explained\, has completely abrogated its responsibility to children and families in this country\, leaving families to fully shoulder the awesome responsibility for raising the next generation on their own. Through powerful data\, Dr. Suskind illustrated the stark disparities between the United States and other developed nations when it comes to investments in family supports.  \nIn writing Parent Nation\, Dr. Suskind interviewed dozens of parents from all walks of life. “Their circumstances differed wildly\,” she shared. “Yet their thoughts\, their fears and their concerns were incredibly similar to one another. They all struggled to parent the way they wanted to…in the way they knew was best for their children.” These committed parents faced varying challenges\, from economic instability to a racialized justice system\, inflexibile hours or work conditions\, or unavailable and unaffordable child care. Each of these issues stifled parents’ freedom to choose to parent how they wished\, especially in the earliest years when children’s brains are developing at a particularly rapid rate. With this as the backdrop for writing Parent Nation\, our three commentators engaged Dr. Suskind in a lively discussion on how this bold book could have powerful implications for the work they each do in their respective communities\, and how\, together\, we can foster community\, forge collective identity and fight for change. \nFollowing the discussion\, Yolie Flores\, National Campaign Director for Building a Parent Nation\, provided an overview of the campaign that will launch alongside the book in April 2022 and will include a digital communications effort to reach a broad audience as well as a ground game to engage parents and allies more deeply. She then offered a deep dive on the various ground-game elements\, including a suite of free\, interactive\, and highly engaging resources and tools\, such as a four-session curriculum to engage parents and allies at the local level through Parent Villages. Resources— all informed by parents—have been designed to be flexible and modular (you can pick and choose elements you prefer)\, will be available in English and Spanish via the forthcoming Parent Nation website\, and white-labeled\, meaning that organizational partners can add their logos as part of their organization’s social change efforts on behalf of parents. Yolie closed with a call to action\, listing “5 Things You Can Do Now” to help build momentum toward the launch of Parent Nation in April 2022\, including registering for a free copy of the book\, generously provided by Hearing First\, an educational endeavor of the Oberkotter Foundation.  \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/building-a-parent-nation/ CATEGORIES:Past Event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/dunbar-friday_0066-e1701054808318.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20211102T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20211102T163000 DTSTAMP:20260409T134357 CREATED:20240109T031831Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240109T031831Z UID:245865-1635865200-1635870600@leo.gradelevelreading.net SUMMARY:Learning at Home and in the Classroom: Innovation in Curricula and Professional Learning DESCRIPTION:“Education is a human endeavor. It’s all about student relationships and we really need to see caregivers\, parents and family members as partners in the critical work of ensuring that every single student in our nation learned on grade level and achieves their dreams.” \nSarah Johnson of Teaching Lab shared this important reminder during last week’s GLR Learning Tuesdays webinar\, Learning at Home and in the Classroom: Innovation in Curricula and Professional Learning\, as she discussed the ways in which high-quality curricula and professional learning can support teachers in building strong relationships with students and their families. \nThank you for registering for this engaging and informative session\, co-sponsored by Overdeck Family Foundation. If you missed this conversation or would like to review what was shared\, links to the recording and other related materials can be accessed here on CLIP\, with links to specific resources listed below. \nJohnson was joined by four other leaders in the field of education ― Elizabeth Chu\, Ph.D.\, of Columbia University Center for Public Research and Leadership (CPRL); Bryan Hassel\, Ph.D.\, of Public Impact; David Rosenberg of Education Resource Strategies; and Lauren Weisskirk of EdReports. Laurie Sztejnberg of Overdeck Family Foundation moderated the conversation as panelists explored innovation in professional learning\, staffing and curricula as a result of the pandemic. \nRosenberg described the shifts that he had seen in teacher staffing as schools and districts began rethinking time and rethinking roles to make the job of teaching more rewarding\, collaborative and sustainable. These shifts included adjustments to school schedules\, the tapping of community partners\, and non-traditional sources of talent like teaching aides and high school students — a strategy that has the added benefit of fueling a diverse pipeline of future teachers. \nHassel provided an overview of Public Impact’s Opportunity Culture Initiative\, explaining how it engages teachers with high-growth student learning and leadership competencies\, such as Multi-Classroom Leaders who continue teaching part-time while also leading small collaborative teams of teachers\, paraprofessionals and teacher residents to help them meet standards of excellence. Research has shown that this approach enables significant additional student learning and boosts teacher quality. \nChu shared findings from a recent CPRL report that noted a shift in the understanding of the instructional core among some school districts from the three-pronged notion of teacher\, student and instructional materials to include families as a fourth prong. She noted that when families had access to high-quality instructional materials\, they broadened the observational and supportive capacity available to each child\, co-producing learning\, growth and well-being and enabling students in remote learning to learn as much as they would in a “typical” school year. \nWeisskirk explained how the pandemic provided a window for families to see how few teachers have consistent access to high-quality instructional materials\, lighting a fire under many schools\, districts and states to reconsider options and policies to ensure access to good content for all students. When teachers have access to high-quality materials that are standards-aligned and allow for differentiation\, they are better able to address students’ social-emotional health and collaborate with families. \nJohnson shared how Teaching Lab had pivoted from an all in-person\, job-embedded coaching and professional learning model to offer virtual teacher training during the pandemic ― with many teachers now sharing a preference for this new approach. While supporting teachers in making the shift to teaching remotely\, they identified several principles that can improve remote learning. These include aligned curriculum and technology\, strong relationships with students and families\, consistent instructional routines and a focus on equity in all decision-making. URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/learning-at-home-and-in-the-classroom-innovation-in-curricula-and-professional-learning/ 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:20211019T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20211019T143000 DTSTAMP:20260409T134357 CREATED:20231212T215552Z LAST-MODIFIED:20231213T133435Z UID:245286-1634644800-1634653800@leo.gradelevelreading.net SUMMARY:New Jersey Tutoring Corps: Lessons in Accelerating Learning Recovery DESCRIPTION:“I love math\,” said a pre-K scholar in one New Jersey Tutoring Corps site\, while another shared\, “I’m going to be a math teacher when I grow up.” \nThese two student quotes were shared during the October 19\, 2021 GLR Learning Tuesdays Funder-to-Funder Conversation\, New Jersey Tutoring Corps: Lessons in Accelerating Learning Recovery. In this session\, which was co-sponsored by Overdeck Family Foundation — a lead investor in New Jersey Tutoring Corps\, the partners behind this statewide tutoring effort shared how they came together to support equitable learning recovery in response to the pandemic\, what they are learning and what is next for their partnership. The New Jersey panelists were joined by philanthropic leaders from across the country who offered insights from their efforts to launch\, scale and sustain research-informed\, high-dosage\, small-group tutoring programs. \nLaura Overdeck of Bedtime Math and Overdeck Family Foundation\, Katherine Bassett of New Jersey Tutoring Corps/The College of New Jersey and Cari Tarica of Boys & Girls Clubs in New Jersey shared how they worked together to embed a math-focused tutoring program in 23 summer program sites during the summer of 2021\, reaching approximately 2\,000 scholars in pre-K through grade 4. They described the process for tutor training and recruitment\, the support provided by coaching staff\, and the hands-on\, project-based curriculum before explaining the academic and non-academic benefits of the program. Having seen significant gains in pre- and post-assessments\, they shared plans to expand the program into more communities during the 2021-2022 school year\, adding literacy as an additional subject area. They were joined by Melissa Litwin of The Henry & Marilyn Taub Foundation in Paterson\, New Jersey\, who described how she had partnered with a local Boys & Girls Club pre-COVID to create a tutoring program as a part of the Paterson Reads Campaign and how that program is now linking up with the larger statewide network. \nPhilanthropic leaders from three other states joined the conversation to describe the tutoring efforts in their states. Jayme Simmons of The Bill and Crissy Haslam Foundation described how she helped to launch the Tennessee Tutoring Corps in the summer of 2020\, using a similar model that integrates tutoring into Boys & Girls Clubs and YMCA programs. Building on the success of this effort\, the state legislature acted to invest in statewide high-dosage tutoring this spring. \nEmily Baron described the entrepreneurial approach that Gary Community Ventures is taking to launch its own tutoring program and embed that into existing afterschool programs at partner schools in Colorado. With a focus on continuous improvement\, they are testing strategies to bridge the information gap between tutors\, families and teachers to ensure their efforts to support students are aligned and effective. \nWhile not a funder of high-dosage tutoring programs\, the Barksdale Reading Institute has invested heavily in literacy-focused teacher training and coaching in Mississippi\, leading the state to adopt this approach. Kelly Butler from Barksdale described MiSsion Acceleration\, the new state-funded tutoring program being piloted by the Center for Excellence in Literacy Instruction at the University of Mississippi to support learning recovery. \nEven before the pandemic\, a large body of research affirmed the benefits of high-dosage\, small-group tutoring as a strategy for closing gaps and boosting early school success. The panelists agreed that the programs described in this session must play a role in accelerating equitable learning recovery post-pandemic and for years to come. \n  URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/new-jersey-tutoring-corps-lessons-in-accelerating-learning-recovery/ CATEGORIES:Funder-to-Funder Conversation,Learning Loss,Past Event,Reading & Math,Summer Slide ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Casey-2016-CLT_055.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20210928T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20210928T163000 DTSTAMP:20260409T134357 CREATED:20240229T225647Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240530T180444Z UID:246835-1632841200-1632846600@leo.gradelevelreading.net SUMMARY:The Kindergarten Exodus: Why\, Where and What We Can Do Now DESCRIPTION:This GLR Learning Tuesdays discussion\, titled The Kindergarten Exodus: Why\, Where and What We Can Do Now\, featured the voices of committed district superintendents from across the country sharing their insights about what it takes to reengage families and reenroll young students — even as the chaos and confusion of the pandemic ensues. Co-sponsored with New America\, its Director of Early and Elementary Education Policy Laura Bornfreund framed the issue by sharing data from a recent New York Times article\, also titled The Kindergarten Exodus\, and other reports indicating that the average school district saw a shocking and unfortunate 16% decline in kindergarten enrollment in the 2020–2021 school year. In case you missed this timely and stimulating session\, links to the recording and other materials can be accessed here on CLIP\, with links to specific resources below. \nAfter reviewing the data and New America’s work highlighting how policy can help meet the needs of young learners\, Bornfreund moderated a lively discussion among Superintendents Kyla Johnson-Trammell\, Ed.D.\, of Oakland Unified School District\, Mike Kuhrt of Wichita Falls Independent School District\, Cheryl Logan\, Ed.D.\, of Omaha Public Schools and Alena Zachery-Ross\, Ed.D.\, of Ypsilanti Community Schools as they reviewed the community partnerships\, staffing strategies and clear messaging that help them reach parents and ensure they are transitioning young children into K–12 settings. The inspiring ideas exchanged by this panel created a hopeful atmosphere of encouragement\, including “real tangible insight into how we might be more ‘innovative’ through engaging the community for support\,” as noted by a captivated participant in the chat. URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/the-kindergarten-exodus-why-where-and-what-we-can-do-now/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Blog-2-Kindergarten-Image-1-1-e1688670161775.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20210921T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20210921T163000 DTSTAMP:20260409T134357 CREATED:20260202T231313Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260202T232845Z UID:254706-1632236400-1632241800@leo.gradelevelreading.net SUMMARY:The Centrality of Relationships: Tutors\, Mentors\, Coaches and Parents DESCRIPTION:I never do anything bad enough or good enough to get an adult’s attention. \n– Keontai\, 11 \n\nMany years ago\, the above words were said to David Shapiro of MENTOR\, one of the panelists in this September 21\, 2021 GLR Learning Tuesdays webinar. Keontai’s statement encapsulates the fundamental need for the positive adult-child relationships enabled by mentoring\, coaching\, and tutoring programs. Shapiro was joined by Janet Carter of Coaching Corps\, Gina Martinez-Keddy of Parent Teacher Home Visits and Adeola Whitney of Reading Partners in a conversation exploring the transformative power and potential of relationships.  \nIn a conversation moderated by John Gomperts\, Executive Fellow with CGLR\, these leaders shared their insights\, advice\, and impactful stories illustrating their shared goal of making strong\, supportive and lasting relationships with young people an end and not just a means. They described how the caring adults involved in their respective programs help to ensure that every child gets the attention they want and need ― without needing to do anything good or bad\, as Keontai expressed so starkly. Panelists also highlighted how tutors\, mentors and coaches prioritize parent perspectives and engagement to both strengthen the parent-teacher dyad and create an expanded triad of support to accelerate learning and development. \nThe incredible stories shared and ideas exchanged by this panel conversation created a vibrant atmosphere of co-learning as each speaker built off the others’ remarks and responded to questions and comments from participants. If you missed this engaging and dynamic special rebroadcast\, we encourage you to watch the recording to see what you missed.  URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/the-centrality-of-relationships-tutors-mentors-coaches-and-parents/ CATEGORIES:Big Bets Working,Learning Loss Recovery Challenge,Learning Tuesdays,Past Event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Casey-2016-CLT_785.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20210921T123000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20210921T140000 DTSTAMP:20260409T134357 CREATED:20260106T194734Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260106T194749Z UID:254527-1632227400-1632232800@leo.gradelevelreading.net SUMMARY:Assume Collaboration: Philanthropic Opportunities for Aggregating Impact DESCRIPTION:This conversation engaged philanthropic leaders working at the national\, state and local levels and practitioners from leading early childhood organizations in a discussion exploring the importance of cross-sector\, cross-program collaboration and the roles that funders can play in fostering collaboration.  \nPresenters included: \n\nBrenda Blasingame\, Program Officer\, Pritzker Children’s Initiative\, J.B. and M.K. Pritzker Family Foundation \nRebecca Cisek\, Ed.D.\, Vice President\, Organizational Learning and Effectiveness\, Bainum Family Foundation \nCeline Coggins\, Ph.D.\, Executive Director\, Grantmakers for Education \nKatherine Correll\, Principal\, Philanthropic Partnerships\, LENA \nAnu Malipatil\, Vice President\, Education\, Overdeck Family Foundation \nSarah McBroom\, Equity Officer\, Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation \nNatalie Tackitt\, NC HealthySteps Coordinator\, ZERO TO THREE \n\nCoggins provided a macro-level view of the ways in which funders are tilting increasingly toward collaboration and described how funders are responding to the challenges posed by the pandemic. The four funders then drilled down\, offering concrete examples of the ways in which they are creating connections among grantees; providing long-term\, flexible funding that includes staffing required for convening and collaborating; promoting peer sharing and problem solving; and utilizing a human-centered design approach where residents and service providers craft the strategies and solutions. They stressed that relationship building is not a linear process and that collaboration involves “time\, trust and turf”. \nCorrell and Tackitt described how their organizations are engaged in collaborations at both the local and national levels and offered advice to funders for fostering collaboration among nonprofit programs that might feel competition for the resources needed to sustain and grow their programs. Tackitt explained how Ready for School\, Ready for Life\, a collaborative effort in Guilford County\, North Carolina\, is engaging cross-sector partners to support young children. Correll reflected on the dynamics of national organizations partnering with local organizations and highlighted the ways in which national\, state and local funders can help pave the way for strong partnerships across those geographies.  \nEven before the pandemic\, it was clear that intentional and effective collaboration would be required to achieve bigger\, better outcomes that are both scalable and sustainable for children experiencing economic disadvantage. The panelists in this session provided an array of critical insights about fostering and maintaining collaboration. If you missed this dynamic conversation\, we encourage you to watch the recording\, found in the archived materials linked below.  \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/assume-collaboration-philanthropic-opportunities-for-aggregating-impact/ CATEGORIES:Past Event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/3bc09969-efda-4c6f-a89d-87cb45321a1e-e1695397668328.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20210728T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20210728T163000 DTSTAMP:20260409T134357 CREATED:20230919T220018Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230919T220018Z UID:243691-1627484400-1627489800@leo.gradelevelreading.net SUMMARY:Bringing Digital Equity Home: The Suncoast Digital Access for All Initiative DESCRIPTION:In this Crucible of Practice Salon\, members of the Digital Access for All (DA4A) initiative at The Patterson Foundation in the Suncoast region of Florida discussed how “more than money philanthropy” guided The Patterson Foundation’s DA4A initiative from concept to community collaboration within the span of one year. Members of the DA4A team — including Cheri Coryea\, John Ferguson\, Jake Hartvigsen\, Kiarra Louis and Maribel Martinez — addressed critical components of the initiative. They discussed the reason The Patterson Foundation decided to invest in this initiative\, the interviews and research they did to inform the initiative’s evolution and solutions they chose to pursue\, the three essential elements of digital access\, the DA4A Resource Library\, the digital access services matrix tool and the Digital Navigator pilot. \nThey were joined by community partners — Margie Genter from Goodwill Manasota\, Lori Aberle Gentile from the Women’s Resource Center and Lisbeth Oscuvilca from UnidosNow — who participated in a panel discussion where they shared the reasons their organizations have chosen to be involved in the Digital Navigator pilot program and what they hope to accomplish. URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/bringing-digital-equity-home-the-suncoast-digital-access-for-all-initiative/ 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:20210726T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20210726T163000 DTSTAMP:20260409T134357 CREATED:20240902T185443Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240902T185703Z UID:248763-1627311600-1627317000@leo.gradelevelreading.net SUMMARY:Meeting the Moment: Decisions to Accelerate Equitable Recovery and Transformative Change DESCRIPTION:John Gomperts\, Executive Fellow of the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading\, moderated a conversation based on the premise that\, as schools and communities move past the COVID-19 pandemic and attempt to “build back better\,” K–12 educators will need to prioritize decisions and choices that accelerate equitable learning recovery and advance transformative change. \nKaren Mapp\, Ed.D.\, Senior Lecturer on Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and Director of the Education Policy and Management Master’s Program\, urged educators to seize this opportunity to move toward a family engagement practice that is liberatory\, solidarity-driven and equity-focused. She called on schools to reject deficit-based views of families and shift to a codesign model of engagement in which educators and families work together to define shared challenges and improve children’s educational experience. Family engagement should be seen as a core element of effective and equitable educational practice\, not an add-on\, Mapp said. \nRey Saldaña\, President and CEO of Communities In Schools (CIS)\, followed Mapp with the observation that students can’t learn unless they are healthy. CIS reaches nearly 3\,000 schools\, providing school-based coordinators who bring community resources in to help address the physical\, mental and social-emotional health issues that might otherwise prevent students from achieving academically. A strategy for sustainable\, resource-rich learning environments must completely redesign how schools and school systems focus on those key resources\, Saldañasaid.  \nSal Khan\, Founder and CEO of Khan Academy\, highlighted the need for all students and families to have broadband access\, digital devices and technology support to complete learning disrupted by the pandemic. The technology and services should support personalized learning that meets students where they are and advances them toward mastery\, Khan said. Efforts by New York City\, Los Angeles and Miami-Dade school districts to increase families’ access to technology and connectivity during the pandemic are bright spots that hopefully will become “keepers\,” he added. Partnerships between school districts and nonprofits like NWEA (to administer assessments) and Schoolhouse.world (Khan Academy’s new online peer tutoring community) offer additional support.  \nLinda Darling-Hammond\, Ed.D.\, President and CEO of Learning Policy Institute\, called the present moment a “once-in-a-century opportunity to reinvent schools.” She named these priorities: (1) more equitable resources to close the digital divide; (2) relationship-centered schools; (3) curricula that are authentic and culturally responsive; (4) use of technology to connect students with each other across schools and across the country; and (5) social-emotional learning and whole-child supports infused into everything schools do. Darling-Hammond also observed that recent research on brain development underscores the finding that positive relationships and experiences open the brain to learning\, while anxieties\, trauma and negative experiences close the brain to learning. “We need school environments filled with a sense of trust\, belonging and positive affirmation for every child\,” she said. URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/meeting-the-moment-decisions-to-accelerate-equitable-recovery-and-transformative-change/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/9b47d103-b6f9-49c5-9b84-36b940a63f8a.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20210725T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20210725T163000 DTSTAMP:20260409T134358 CREATED:20240902T173406Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240902T184813Z UID:248752-1627225200-1627230600@leo.gradelevelreading.net SUMMARY:The CARE Fund: A Philanthropic Initiative to Meet the Moment DESCRIPTION:In last week’s Funder-to-Funder Conversation — co-sponsored by United Philanthropy Forum and moderated by Melissa A. Berman\, Ph.D.\, of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors (RPA) — panelists provided an overview of The Care for All with Respect and Equity (CARE) Fund\, a $50 million\, multiyear philanthropic collaborative and described how it will be seeking to support a broad-based movement for care. Barbara Chow of Heising-Simons Foundation\, Erin Currier of W.K. Kellogg Foundation and Anna Wadia of the Ford Foundation shared how they and the other five foundations approach the issue of care from different perspectives\, including early childhood education\, health\, racial and disability equity\, and worker justice. \nThe panelists discussed how they are leveraging the intersectionality of those issues to advance a universal\, publicly supported care infrastructure that benefits both consumers of care and workers across the care spectrum. They described the rapid-response grants the Fund made this spring\, investing in coordinating tables to advance collaborative policy advocacy\, grassroots leadership and movement building\, and aging and disability rights. They also explained how the funders are now engaged in a strategic planning process to inform their upcoming rounds of grantmaking. In addition\, they introduced tools that other funders and advocates can utilize to advance a narrative and culture change around the care economy and care providers. Afterwards\, Berman explained how RPA is functioning as the fiscal sponsor for The CARE Fund and provided examples of other ways in which funders are working together to advance systemic change. URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/the-care-fund/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/9b47d103-b6f9-49c5-9b84-36b940a63f8a.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20210720T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20210720T163000 DTSTAMP:20260409T134358 CREATED:20240902T190703Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240902T190714Z UID:248771-1626793200-1626798600@leo.gradelevelreading.net SUMMARY:State Chiefs Meet the Moment: Accelerating Equitable Learning Recovery DESCRIPTION:This learning and engagement opportunity — moderated by Lillian M. Lowery\, Ed.D.\, Vice President of Student and Teacher Assessments at Educational Testing Service\, and Jeimee Estrada-Miller\, CGLR Senior Fellow — continues our ongoing webinar series digging under the hood on the spending and policy decisions our nation’s education leaders are making at this important time of recovery for our schools. Penny Schwinn\, Ph.D.\, Commissioner of Education\, Tennessee; Charlene Russell-Tucker\, Acting Commissioner of Education\, Connecticut; Eric Hall\, Ed.D.\, Senior Chancellor of Education\, Florida; Robert Hull\, President and CEO\, National Association of State Boards of Education; and Mike Magee\, Ph.D.\, CEO\, Chiefs for Change\, shared new state policies and spending decisions in order to further build understanding on what’s currently working and what should be improved in this important time of recovery. Commissioners collectively shared that they worked under significant flexibility and with a sense of urgency to make the most out of the additional short-term funding. Their spending priorities include learning acceleration by providing summer learning opportunities\, extending the school year\, investing in teachers\, and making high-quality literacy programming and assessment a priority to further close achievement gaps. \nIn a town hall setting following the panel discussion\, Hull and Magee discussed the importance of this moment and creating lasting change that will remain for the years to come. Leadership\, innovation and building capacity have to be at the forefront to ensure that funding is not a one-time triage\, but can make a continuous impact for the future of education. With this in mind\, additional investments need to be made in teachers to aid the shortage that is currently occurring across the country. URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/state-chiefs-meet-the-moment-accelerating-equitable-learning-recovery/ CATEGORIES:Upcoming Event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Providence_Photos_0640.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20210720T123000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20210720T140000 DTSTAMP:20260409T134358 CREATED:20240902T191406Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240902T191656Z UID:248776-1626784200-1626789600@leo.gradelevelreading.net SUMMARY:Reach Out and Read Partnerships for Collective Impact DESCRIPTION:In this webinar\, Nikki Shearman\, Ph.D.\, Chief of Strategic Initiatives with Reach Out and Read\, started by providing an overview of Reach Out and Read\, their partners and their four conditions for success: working in the local context\, incorporating the voice and leadership of pediatric care clinicians\, evaluating the effectiveness of their partnerships and incorporating the voice of the parents served through their program. \nShearman then led a conversation with panelists including Caitlin Canfield\, Ph.D.\, Director of Research with the Video Interaction Project; Alexander Chu\, Executive Director\, Reach Out and Read\, Northeast; Dr. Rachael Evans\, Chief Medical Officer at the Henry J. Austin Health Center; Dr. Usha Ramachandran\, Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and Medical Director with Reach Out and Read New Jersey; and Kristen Rocha Aldrich\, Program Director at Reach Out and Read Greater New York. \nThe conversation highlighted examples of the four conditions for success: each presenter gave an overview of some of the partnerships they’ve established in their local communities\, talked about some of the highlights of these partnerships and discussed ways they are working to show that those partnerships are successful. URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/reach-out-and-read-partnerships-for-collective-impact/ CATEGORIES:Upcoming Event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Providence_Photos_0640.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20210713T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20210713T163000 DTSTAMP:20260409T134358 CREATED:20240902T192115Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240902T192253Z UID:248784-1626188400-1626193800@leo.gradelevelreading.net SUMMARY:Learning Happens Everywhere: Returning to School With a Whole Child Perspective DESCRIPTION:This learning and engagement opportunity was the third of three sessions that follow-on to a spring GLR Learning Tuesdays event co-sponsored with Education Week and co-hosted with the Rollins Center for Language and Literacy\, The Fall K–3 Classroom: What the Data Imply About Composition\, Challenges and Opportunities. This week’s session began with a viewing of the data presentation from that session\, including the stark visuals indicating what K–3 classrooms are expected to look like this fall after more than a year of disruptions. Following the data presentation\, Pamela Cantor\, M.D.\, of Turnaround for Children provided a deeper introduction to one of the promising interventions for successful teaching and learning that was previewed in the spring forum. Dr. Cantor shared an in-depth review of the science behind aspects of brain development that led to the creation of the Guiding Principles for Equitable Whole Child Design and how these principles are applied using the Whole Child Design Blueprint\, a tool that can help early grade teachers and all teachers address the ensuing challenges that the data suggest they may face this fall. \nAfterwards\, two educators joined the conversation to share how they are implementing this approach and the positive impact they are seeing. Elizabeth Miller of Turnaround for Children and David Miyashiro\, Ed.D.\, of Cajon Valley Union School District shared their experiences using the Whole Child Design Blueprint with teachers and students and the ways in which the approach supports brain development and student learning and nurtures critical relationship building. Miller reviewed select tools that are available to educators and discussed what the principles of whole-child design look like in practice. Dr. Miyashiro shared how his school district is implementing the principles with students at all levels and how educators and leaders can apply the science and the practice to address the challenges that pandemic-precipitated school disruptions have produced while nurturing equitable learning acceleration.  URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/learning-happens-everywhere-returning-to-school-with-a-whole-child-perspective/ CATEGORIES:Past Event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Atlanta_Photos_0956-e1712775431243.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20210706T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20210706T163000 DTSTAMP:20260409T134358 CREATED:20240902T192503Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240902T192722Z UID:248790-1625583600-1625589000@leo.gradelevelreading.net SUMMARY:Meeting the Moment? State Policies and Spending Decisions DESCRIPTION:This learning and engagement opportunity — moderated by Lillian M. Lowery\, Vice President of Student and Teacher Assessments at Educational Testing Service and Jeimee Estrada-Miller\, CGLR Senior Fellow — featured a panel of national leaders discussing the policy decisions states have made to direct school reopening\, educational recovery and spending of relief dollars. Jeremy Anderson\, President of Education Commission of the States; Cara Candal\, Ed.D.\, National Policy Director of ExcelinEd; Denise Forte\, Interim CEO of the Education Trust; and Allen Pratt\, Ed.D.\, Executive Director of the National Rural Education Association\, shared what state policies are emerging in the field toward the efforts of accelerated recovery. Jeremy Anderson\, President of Education Commission of the States\, initiated the conversation by sharing the literacy and learning recovery strategies directives from several states and what state spending decisions are emerging throughout the country. Increasingly\, states are placing an emphasis on prevention and intervention in order to improve student performance. Across the state\, trends indicate the use of high-dosage intensive tutoring\, as well as more time and resources to increase learning\, to further address the disproportionate and widespread effects of the pandemic. In discussing these topics\, panelists expressed a concern that children should not just reap the benefits of these statewide shifts and improvements for aiding learning disruptions but also continue to experience these benefits after this historic investment in schools. \nIn a town hall setting following the panel discussion\, Ray Hart\, Ph.D.\, Executive Director of Council of the Great City Schools\, and Michelle Exstrom\, Director of Education at National Conference of State Legislatures\, provided further comment on what is most important and what may cause concern during this acceleration of learning recovery at the state level. Furthermore\, they discussed the importance of using best practices while recovering from the impact of the pandemic\, coordinating between state- and district-level efforts\, expanding the opportunities for students in broadband access and connectivity\, and possibly continuing to offer remote learning opportunities. Further discussion focused on what remains to be considered by states as they make more important decisions for student learning.  URL:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/event/meeting-the-moment-state-policies-and-spending-decisions/ CATEGORIES:Past Event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://leo.gradelevelreading.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Casey_Prov_KidsCount_2013_THURS_00461-e1711042206928.jpg END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR