Students have struggled with reading for as long as the written word has existed, so how can educators best help them develop the reading comprehension skills they need to become confident, lifelong readers? This was the question addressed during the edLeader Panel “Teaching Reading Today: Bridging Research, Practice, and the Social Value of Literacy.”
Presented by Freda Shatara, First Grade Teacher, Ann Arbor Public Schools (MI); Lorraine Griffith, Former Teacher, Current Senior Director, Content Architect, Great Minds; and Melissa Loftus, Former Teacher, Current Lead Curriculum Developer, Great Minds
Presented by Claude Goldenberg, Ph.D., Nomellini & Olivier Professor of Education, Emeritus, Stanford University; and Susan Lambert, Ed.D., Chief Academic Officer of Literacy and Host of Science of Reading: The Podcast, Amplify Education
Presented by Priscilla Barrera, English 1 Lead Teacher, IDEA San Juan College Prep (TX); Nick Brummer, Eighth-Grade ELA Lead Teacher, Eagle Valley Middle School (CO); and Leah Sewell, Former Teacher, Current Director of Partnerships, Zinc Learning Labs
Presented by Dr. Reid Lyon, Neuroscientist (Neuropsychology), Specialist in Learning Disorders, and Literacy Researcher
Moderated by Pam Austin, Director of Instructional Technology, Voyager Sopris Learning
Faced with a need to improve literacy skills and overall reading achievement, district leaders from Berkeley Unified School District in California (BUSD) knew that, no matter what they did, results wouldn’t be fast or easy. But only after three years of dedicated systematic change in kindergarten through fifth grade, they have seen improvement in not just student scores but also in teacher confidence in their ability to meet students’ needs.
Presented by Shawn Datchuk, Ph.D., M.Ed., Director, Iowa Reading Research Center, University of Iowa; and Cheryl Lundy Swift, Ed.D., Director, Professional Learning, Learning Without Tears
Presented by Carol Jago, Associate Director, California Reading and Literature Project, UCLA, and Past President, National Council of Teachers of English; Lorna Simmons, Former Special Education Teacher, and Author, Saxon Reading Foundations; Dr. JT Torres, Director, Houston H. Harte Center for Teaching and Learning; and Samantha Garon, VP of Product Management, Heinemann
Presented by Aruna Gilbert, Executive Vice President and Chief Program and Policy Officer, Early Learning Coalition of Palm Beach County; Dr. Hee Jin Bang, Vice President, Efficacy Research & Evaluation, Age of Learning; and Dr. Dan Domenech, Former Executive Director, AASA, The School Superintendents Association
Presented by Dr. Molly Ness, Literacy Specialist; and Heather Blankenship, M.Ed., Manager of Education Partnerships and State Initiatives, Learning A-Z

