News and reflections from experts and practitioners on the latest literacy research, events and daily practice
Welcome to Learning Ally's blog. You've come to the right place if you are an innovative teacher who wants to transform more struggling readers into grade-level achievers.
June 9, 2022 by User
For Immediate Release
June 9, 2022 PRINCETON, NJ — Learning Ally, a national nonprofit with a mission for “literacy for all” in U.S. schools, will give special recognition to four outstanding educators and a Christian K-8 school during its annual Spotlight on Dyslexia. The virtual professional development event is June 9-10, 2022 and the largest of its kind in the nation.
The prestigious Winslow Coyne Reitnouer Excellence in Education Award honors educators who are exemplary in supporting students challenged with reading deficits in general and special education and who ensure Whole Child LiteracyTM, an approach focusing on the academic, cognitive and environmental factors that impact a student’s ability to learn and achieve.
Dr. Terrie Noland, VP of Educator Initiatives for Learning Ally, says, “This year, we are recognizing these extraordinary educators and their accomplishments at our Spotlight on Dyslexia event. Each recipient has a unique story to tell and demonstrates the outcomes students can achieve with the right instruction, accommodations, and approach. All students have potential to succeed, and these educators make it possible.”
These 2022 winners receive monetary prizes and distinction in their state and local education communities:
Flora Encarnacao, Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction, Kearney School, NJ - Mrs. Encarnacao is a first generation American. She has a B.A. in Elementary Education/Social Studies from Caldwell University, an M.A. in Instruction & Curriculum with a specialization in Bilingual Education from Kean University, and an M.A. in Educational Administration from Montclair State University. As an education leader, she has chaired the Hudson County Professional Development and Curriculum Consortium, and is an Executive Member of the Montclair State University Network for Educational Renewal. Her team provides the best education possible for all students’ success and well-being.
Caroline Radlinger, Occupational Therapist, Medford Area Public School District, WI- Leader of the Core Assistive Technology Team, Ms. Radlinger specializes in training students, staff, and family members in the use of assistive technology to increase students’ learning independence.
Deborah Hanson, English Language Arts & Reading Specialist, Leadership Academy, Austin, ISD, TX – Ms. Hanson has a MS in Special Education, and has worked with at-risk students for over 30 years, including incarcerated juveniles, high school dropouts, ex-offenders, displaced workers, and children in the foster care system.
Lisa Kendall-Brown, Intervention Specialist, Kiowa USD #433, Mullinville, KS – To ensure the love of reading takes hold, Ms. Brown created safe and welcoming environments in her classrooms by developing a relationship with each student. She is an advocate for children with learning differences. Under her guidance, many students have improved their reading knowledge and learning confidence.
Casas Christian School, Tucson, AZ – Joshua Kempf, Principal – The school mantra is, “All children are unique, and their educational journey should reflect their personal learning styles and talents by nurturing a child’s spiritual, emotional, physical, and academic needs.”
If you know an educator, administrator or school that is making a difference for students with reading deficits, Learning Ally’s nomination process is open for the 2023 Winslow Coyne Reitnouer Excellence in Education Award.
Visit www.learningally.org/educators or call 800-221-1098. Learn more about the 2022 recipients.
About Learning Ally
Learning Ally is a leading education nonprofit dedicated to empowering educators with proven solutions that help new and struggling learners reach their potential. Our range of literacy-focused offerings for students in Pre-K to 12th grade and catalog of professional learning allows us to support more than 1.6 million students and 260,000 educators across the United States.
Categories: Awards, Education & Teaching, Educators, General, In the news, Press Releases, Teacher Best Practices
June 6, 2022 by User
Reading engagement is an ongoing challenge for educators, but “All is not lost with reading engagement when students view literacy “as a means” to learn, communicate, and interact with peers”, says Dr. Evan Ortlieb. An internationally renowned scholar in literacy education with expertise in literacy teacher preparation, leveraging diversity as an asset in classrooms, and educational leadership. Dr. Ortlieb currently serves as Dean, Zucker Family School of Education at The Citadel. He is the President of Ortlieb Foundation, Inc., co-editor of Literacy Research and Instruction, area chair in the Literacy Research Association, and board member of the Specialized Literacy Professionals (SIG) of the International Literacy Association. He is the author of Attraction Theory: Revisiting How We Learn, a model to engage learners and published in the Journal of Curriculum Theorizing.
Culturally-Relevant Material
To halt the erosion of reading engagement, Dr. Ortlieb’s approach is to assign literature that is personal and relevant to each student’s interests so the content will jolt an emotional response to challenge their existing knowledge and agency. He encourages educators to focus on reengaging learners by using targeted emotional responses and multimodal media. This can include human-read audiobooks and video to stimulate their senses. “When students are excited to learn about a topic, we can jolt their inquisitive nature and help them produce higher proficiencies in learning.”
Daily Reading Practice
Teaching evidence-based reading instruction and using supportive resources, like audiobooks, to reinforce daily reading practice will ensure the academic success of more learners. Human-read audiobooks are proven to keep struggling readers engaged and curious. A perfect “jolt” story for children in grades 3-7 is The Templeton Twins, by Ellis Weiner. You can find it in the Learning Ally audiobook library with hundreds more culturally-relevant titles to interest every age, cultural backgrounds and grade-level requirement. To produce higher reading outcomes, Dr. Ortlieb recommends, “Giving students reading assignments that connect their lives to historical and current contexts through authentic reading activities.” This strategy is especially useful in engaging diverse learners to fully engage in positive literacy and learning experiences.
Literacy Learning and Leadership
Follow Learning Ally to learn best literacy and leadership practices from the nation’s top thought leaders to broaden your professional knowledge.
Register now for our Spotlight on Dyslexia conference June 9 and 10, 2022. You can attend the event live and on-demand.
Earn CEU’s and become a literacy leader in your school or district.
Categories: Curriculum & Access, Education & Teaching, Learning Ally “How-To Use”, Reading Strategies for K-12, Student Centric Learning, Teacher Best Practices, The Digital Age
May 23, 2022 by User
In our Spotlight on Early Literacy and the Whole Child virtual conference, Dr. Kenneth Kunz, Director and Founder of For the Love of Literacy, LLC., explored research-based ideas to connect the social and emotional needs of readers and writers to intentional planning for instruction in the language arts classroom. Our blog provides a brief overview of this important topic for education leaders. You can view the full presentation on-demand to earn CE certificates.
Use Existing Frameworks
SEL requires a community effort and must be a thread that runs through the core values of a school or class and knitted into the fiber of early childhood instructional frameworks. "SEL should not be a hidden curriculum," says Kunz. "No matter where I go to coach language arts teachers and reading specialists, SEL is a major concern. Educators must intentionally design instructional frameworks with SEL and equity in mind." Kunz recommends connecting with organizations who prioritize SEL, such as Learning Ally and CASEL. He says, "Frameworks are meant to be utilized." The CASEL framework model: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision making.
Intentional SEL Does Create Reality
All children deserve an authentic literacy day, and schools must prioritize SEL and have a common belief system around it. Kunz asks educators, "How are we showing up each day for ourselves? Are we intentionally addressing the challenges of vulnerable student populations with significant learning gaps? Are we finding ways to challenge negativity? Are we prioritizing joy and agency to help learners believe they can do it! "
He cites the initiative of Franklin School in Newark, NJ where school-wide read-alouds intentionally integrate SEL into the school’s core values. Teachers take those learnings into their classroom instruction to emphasize its impact.
Children's Right to Read Initiative
To consider literacy as a fundamental right for all children, Kunz points to the International Literacy Association's "Children's Rights to Read," manifest and suggests class strategies that include cultural integration, class community building, and promoting ethnic-racial identity development. His presentation goes into detail of ways to accomplish this.
I’m Gonna Push Through
Dr. Kunz recommends a book by Jasmyne Wright, "I'm Gonna Push Through," for empowerment. Wright, an elementary teacher in a Title I school in Memphis, TN, was inspired by a mantra written for her third-grade students -- an uplifting call to “push through.” It is an invitation to young readers to announce their own power and to recognize and reaffirm that of others, regardless of setbacks. The book includes a curriculum guide for teachers.
About Dr. Kenneth Kunz
Dr. Kunz is the Vice-President of the International Literacy Association and a Board Member for Little Free Library, Learning Ally, and the NJ Literacy Association. He coaches schools on literacy and language arts and how to bridge research and practice. He is the co-author of "Breaking Through the Language Arts Block, and "Literacy Changemakers."
Learning Ally works with leading experts in early childhood and whole child literacy, dyslexia, social and emotional learning, and evidence-based reading instruction to help educators unlock the learning potential of all students. Our “Perspectives on Whole Child Literacy” blog features exclusive content from literacy thought leaders who believe…“With the right mindset, leadership, evidence-based instruction, and social-emotional modeling, all children can become successful readers and achievers."
Categories: Curriculum & Access, Early Literacy, Education & Teaching, Educators, Reading Strategies for K-12, Student Centric Learning, Teacher Best Practices
May 14, 2022 by User
“When we teach students new vocabulary words that are text-based, we yield better understanding and retention of the words than when we teach words in isolation,” says Dr. Molly Ness, Learning Ally’s Vice President of Academic Content.
Vocabulary building is one of the many goals of early literacy instruction. Just as being able to decode words in a text is an indispensable skill, understanding what those words mean is also a necessary component of reading comprehension. Research shows that explicitly teaching word meanings in the context of authentic texts leads to better word acquisition.
“When students encounter new vocabulary words through text, they have authentic reasons to learn those words and see how they are immediately applied to genuine learning experiences – as opposed to merely memorizing words that randomly appear in a contrived list,” Dr. Ness explains. “Text-based vocabulary instruction shows students that their learning has immediate relevance and application.”
Excite Reading™, Learning Ally’s new supplemental early literacy program, provides the tools that teachers need to help their pre-K through second-grade students build word knowledge. “Because vocabulary plays such an integral role in comprehension, we purposefully provide explicit instruction on meaningful vocabulary words that students encounter in a text,” Dr. Ness says. “Excite Reading intentionally focuses on words that are connected to students' background knowledge, meaningful for reading and writing development, and relevant to students' everyday lives (and therefore likely to be used).”
The corresponding book guides that accompany Excite Reading’s library of human-read e-books offer text-based vocabulary lists, discussion prompts, and extension activities that give students multiple opportunities to hear, speak, read, and write the new words. “We provide vocabulary activities that ensure students receive sufficient exposure to new words, with engaging opportunities to try out these words themselves, and real ways to connect new vocabulary to their story understandings,” Dr. Ness says. “This is the foundation of effective vocabulary instruction, as it results in more retention and transfer of new words than memorizing lists of words in isolation.”
Categories: Activities, Early Literacy, Education & Teaching, Educators, Learning Ally “How-To Use”, Reading Strategies for K-12, Student Centric Learning, Teacher Best Practices
May 11, 2022 by User
May 11, 2022 - Princeton, NJ – Learning Ally, a national nonprofit and leading literacy education solutions provider, has announced its annual Spotlight on Dyslexia virtual conference. The two-day event will take place June 9th and 10th, 2022. It is designed for educators who want to deliver transformational change in student literacy outcomes in their districts, schools, and classrooms.
Learning Ally hosts the conference with top literacy education thought leaders and scientists who share the latest research, resources, and techniques to improve reading achievement in schools. Now in its seventh year, Spotlight on Dyslexia is one of the largest professional learning events in the United States. The organization hosts several virtual educational events throughout the year to improve instructional knowledge on Whole Child Literacy™, Early Literacy, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Dyslexia, the Science of Reading, and Literacy Leadership.
"By the fourth grade, an estimated 65% of children are reading below proficiency, and one in five has a learning disability," said Lee Peters, Learning Ally's Chief Operating Officer. "Educators who attend our Spotlight Learning Series and ongoing professional learning programming gain the knowledge necessary to begin the journey of becoming literacy leaders. They are equipped with essential instructional knowledge and new skills that help them drive higher reading outcomes. They are champions in their schools and districts. They lead the charge to close the achievement gap and to ensure more equitable learning opportunities; especially, among students from disadvantaged communities."
In the Spotlight on Dyslexia, attendees will interact with colleagues using 1:1 video chat technology and listen and learn from 23 literacy experts on a secure platform. This year's speakers include:
Ameer Baraka - a renowned actor who will discuss how his own challenges with dyslexia almost took his freedom, and how learning disabilities impact the school-to-prison pipeline;
Monica Genta - educator, author, and Ted Talk speaker who will present a raw and relevant look at trends happening in schools; and,
DeJunne’ Clark Jackson - CALT and President of The Reading League Louisiana, who will discuss her work with general education and special education students to accelerate reading progress.
Key learning takeaways for attendees include:
The latest research on dyslexia and the neuroscience of how we learn.
How to customize instruction through an understanding of the Science of Reading.
Daily instructional best practices based on foundational reading knowledge.
Accommodations, interventions, remediation, and social-emotional supports.
How to strengthen learning confidence with a "student-centered" whole-child literacy approach.
Actionable plans to ensure equity in learning, especially for diverse student populations.
This year's Spotlight on Dyslexia event will celebrate educators receiving Learning Ally's 2022 National Achievement Awards. The annual awards program recognizes exemplary educators using audiobooks to “level the playing field” for students with reading challenges.
The organization will also name the 2022 teachers and students winning the 2022 Great Reading Games. This rewards-based reading challenge sparks the joy of reading, to increase reading habits, and strengthen fundamental reading skills in comprehension, vocabulary, and fluency.
Spotlight on Dyslexia is live and on-demand through December 2022. Educators can earn up to 20 certified education certificates approved by ALTA (Academics Language and Therapy Association).
Registration is now open with group discounts available. Call 800-221-4792.
The Learning Ally Audiobook Solution, a seven-time award-winning supplemental reading resource, ensures students in grades 3-12 receive equitable access to curriculum, literature, and popular titles they want and need to read for school. It is proven to double the rate of reading growth and designed to turn struggling readers into engaged learners.
Categories: dyslexia, Early Literacy, Education & Teaching, Educators, In the news, Learning Disabilities, Press Releases, Reading Strategies for K-12, Student Centric Learning, The Great Reading Games
Join our community and get the latest sent right to your inbox! Stay up to date on the latest news, research, and practical guidance.