Learning Ally

2026 Great Reading Games Celebration
2026-03-06 14:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York)
The wait is finally over! Join Learning Ally for a high-energy, virtual bash to celebrate the thrilling conclusion of the 2026 Great Reading Games. Together, classrooms and families across the nation united their unique reading superpowers. We zoomed through countless pages, explored new worlds, and built lasting reading habits. Now is the time to celebrate this incredible collective achievement. We want to honor every minute read and every student who participated in the Great Reading Games this year.
This isn’t just a simple wrap-up. It is a full-scale celebration of literacy, persistence, and joy. During this special live broadcast, we will loudly recognize and celebrate the dedicated students, tireless educators, supportive schools, and engaged families who made this year’s competition a massive success. Your hard work deserves a global spotlight.
Meet Author Megan Nicolas
To make this event truly unforgettable, we welcome a very special guest. Megan Nicolas, the inspiring author of Discovering My Dyslexia Superpowers, joins the party. She brings a message of hope and strength that resonates with every learner. Megan will guide us through an interactive session designed to boost confidence and spark creativity in young minds.
What You Will Experience
During this dynamic session, participants will gain exclusive insights into the writing process and self-advocacy. Specifically, Megan will:

Identify Strengths: Help readers recognize and embrace their own unique dyslexia superpowers and learning strengths.

Share a Journey: Share her family’s personal superhero journey, making deep connections with the audience.

Go Behind the Scenes: Give us an exclusive look at how an author brings a story to life. Students will see how ideas transform into published books.

Provide Resources: Send everyone home with fun, tangible resources. These tools ensure you keep your reading superpowers strong all the way into spring.

This event is open to all readers, their educators, and families across all grade levels. Whether your school topped the leaderboard or you simply beat your own personal best, you belong here. We can’t wait to celebrate with you…register now!

Interrupt the School-to-Prison Pipeline with Literacy Leadership
2026-03-11 16:00 - 17:00
Systemic failures in early education often set vulnerable students on a devastating trajectory toward the juvenile justice system. However, courageous school leadership has the power to change this narrative. Join us for a powerful edLeader Panel designed specifically to help you interrupt the school-to-prison pipeline. We will unlock actionable strategies that shift school cultures toward equity, early literacy success, and transformative outcomes for all students.
Award-winning educator and author Hilderbrand Pelzer III leads this crucial conversation. He draws on over three decades of deep experience as a school leader. Notably, he organized one of the largest correctional education programs in the U.S. Consequently, Hilderbrand brings unique, firsthand insights into the consequences of educational failure. He illustrates exactly how educational systems can interrupt the school-to-prison pipeline by strengthening literacy instruction and expectations for every learner.
Reframing Literacy as an Equity Lever
This session goes far beyond basic academic milestones. Hilderbrand, author of Unlocking Potential, reframes literacy as a core lever for opportunity. Attendees will explore how systemic leadership decisions directly impact student trajectories. We will examine how culture, expectations, and instructional priorities shape the future for underserved learners. Furthermore, you will learn to recognize the structural barriers in your district.
Key Learning Objectives for Leaders:
Through compelling real-world examples and research-aligned insights, we will guide you through the following goals:

Analyze the Correlation: Explore the undeniable link between early literacy difficulties, prolonged disengagement, and eventual involvement with the criminal justice system.

Implement Literacy Leadership: Identify specific literacy leadership practices that foster high expectations and inclusive success for marginalized groups.

Build Systems: Learn strategies to build equitable instructional systems that support diverse learners.

Support Instruction: Discover how school leaders can effectively support teachers in delivering evidence-based literacy instruction.

Transform Your School Culture Today
Do not settle for survival; ensure every student has the opportunity to thrive. You will gain the inspiration and actionable strategies you need to immediately reshape your school culture. This panel is essential for K-12 school leaders, district leaders, and education technology leaders ready to reduce dropout rates and support their most vulnerable populations. Moderated by Dr. Martaluz Rodriguez Pozo, this session promises to be a pivotal moment for your leadership journey.
Register now!
