Presented by Sharon Alonso, Experienced Educator, District Administrator, Hillsborough County Public Schools (FL); Nimat Jones, Experienced Educator, Director of Teaching and Learning, Dunecrest American School; and Brenda Aston, Experienced Educator, Middle School ELA Teacher, Tacoma Public Schools (WA)
Presented by Austen Hecker, Ed.D., Coordinator, America Reads Tutoring Program, and Outreach Specialist, Virginia Literacy Partnerships, University of Virginia; and Christa Haring, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, Research Scientist, Virginia Literacy Partnerships, University of Virginia
Moderated by Stephanie Roselli, Executive Editor, Gryphon House
K–5 teachers are under constant pressure to cover every standard, often leaving social studies behind in favor of more time for literacy. But what if you don’t have to choose? In the edLeader Panel “Social Studies and Literacy: The Dynamic Duo for K–5 Success,” district leaders shared how making time for social studies can boost engagement, expand content coverage, and reinforce core reading and writing skills—all within your existing schedule.
A science unit on traits invites students to write explanations and participate in academic discussions. To explore math, learners design a fraction game. A teacher uses picture books to introduce social studies topics.
Only a third of eighth graders read at grade level, a problem that requires immediate action. Schools must make literacy a schoolwide focus if they want to effectively combat the literacy gap.
Presented by Dr. Stephanie Stollar, Founder, Stephanie Stollar Consulting and The Reading Science Academy; Linda Diamond, Author, Current Executive Director, Evidence Advocacy Center; and Katharine Bonasera, Former Principal, Current Senior Manager of Educational Partnerships, Collaborative Classroom
As NAEP scores continue to show that the majority of U.S. students are not reading at grade level, literacy remains, perhaps, the most urgent challenge facing districts today. “That’s not a literacy problem. That’s a graduation problem, an economic problem, a national security problem…those are the costs,” stated Karl Rectanus, CEO of Really Great Reading and one of the presenters on the edLeader Panel, “The Cost of Getting Literacy Wrong: Long-Term Decisions, Lasting Consequences.”
Presented by Kendra Totman Padilla, Former Educator, Current Structured Literacy Coach, Stern Center for Language and Learning; and Kimberly Hunt, Experienced Educator, Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment, Lamoille North Supervisory Union (VT)
Moderated by Leigh Buettler, Former Educator, Current Director of Professional Learning, Stern Center for Language and Learning
