Loading Events

Give Hope to Struggling Adolescent Readers: Equip Teachers for Fluency Development

Wednesday, February 19, 2025 @ 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm EST

Give Hope to Struggling Adolescent Readers: Equip Teachers for Fluency Development

Presented by Dr. Carolyn Brown, Adjunct Professor of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Iowa, and Co-Founder, Foundations in Learning; Jennifer McDonnell, Principal, Prairie Creek Intermediate, College Community School District (IA); and Angelia Hoyer, Partner Success and Professional Development Lead, WordFlight

Sponsored by WordFlight, a Foundations in Learning Solution

Register Here

Learn more about viewing the live presentation and the recording, earning your CE certificate, and using our new accessibility features.

For a variety of reasons, many adolescents coming to intermediate and middle school are disengaging from reading and exhibiting patterns of behavior that are likely to interfere with school success. The reciprocal relationship between developing social-emotional and behavioral skills and reading development is well documented, as is the importance of early and effective intervention for those students who are below grade level in reading and are disengaging socially and emotionally in the school environment.

This edWebinar will discuss the reasons students may be disengaging and emphasize the key role that the teacher plays to change the course for these at-risk students, particularly in the context of intermediate and middle schools. Additionally, the presenters will discuss aspects of the learning process from studies in cognitive science that help students retain, retrieve, and generalize knowledge, with specific links to fluency development.

The presenters will provide actionable steps for teachers and administrators to recognize frustration points, identify gaps in basic skills that impact fluency development, increase student motivation to participate, and improve student agency as learners and readers.

This edWebinar will be of interest to grades 3–12 teachers, reading coaches, school leaders, and district leaders. There will be time for questions at the end of the presentation.

Carolyn Brown

About the Presenters

Dr. Carolyn Brown has devoted her career to developing tools and testing solutions that optimize language and literacy development for all students. She and her colleagues have received support from the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Education, the National Science Foundation, and the State of Iowa. Dr. Brown received her B.S. and M.S. degrees in speech pathology and audiology from Eastern New Mexico University and her Ph.D. in the same field at University of Iowa. Her areas of specialization are child development, language acquisition, and the Science of Reading.

She and her husband, Dr. Jerry Zimmermann, have co-founded three companies: Breakthrough to Literacy, the Iowa Language and Literacy Institute, and Foundations in Learning. Each was organized to advance current science and create solutions to help all children learn to read. She is also an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of Iowa.

Jennifer McDonnell

Jennifer McDonnell serves as the proud Principal of Prairie Creek Intermediate, a vibrant school community dedicated to nurturing the growth and development of approximately 900 fifth- and sixth-grade students. Jennifer has a passion for fostering academic excellence while supporting students during this pivotal stage of early adolescence. Under Jennifer’s leadership, Prairie Creek Intermediate emphasizes the social and emotional development of every child, recognizing the importance of cultivating confident, resilient learners.

With a commitment to providing a rigorous and engaging curriculum tailored to diverse learning needs, Jennifer strives to create an environment where all students can thrive and develop a love for lifelong learning. Jennifer is dedicated to building strong partnerships with families and the community, believing that collaboration is key to student success. Their vision for Prairie Creek Intermediate is to make every student’s learning journey exciting, meaningful, and enriching as they prepare for the next steps in their educational adventure.

Angelia Hoyer

Angelia Hoyer, a 34-year veteran of elementary education and leadership, has helped hundreds of teachers in her home state of Iowa become more effective English language arts educators. Starting her career off in the classroom, she then became an instructional coach and an elementary school principal in the second-largest district in the state. She coached the teachers in her Title I school to become the best educators they could be through self-reflection, observation, leading professional development, using data, and leading professional learning communities (PLCs).

In 2019, Angelia became the Curriculum Director for Clear Creek Amana Community Schools, overseeing eight schools. She continued to coach and train educators as well as oversee districtwide curricula adoption, coordinate state standardized testing and analysis, and make curricula and virtual learning more accessible to families during the pandemic. Angelia is currently the Partner Success and Professional Development Lead for WordFlight, a literacy assessment and intervention solution for grades 2-8 students. In this role, she helps educators effectively use WordFlight to put students on the pathway to fluency.

Join the Teaching Reading and Writing community to network with educators, participate in online discussions, receive invitations to upcoming edWebinars, and view recordings of previous programs to earn CE certificates.

Learn more about viewing the live presentation and the recording, earning your CE certificate, and using our new accessibility features.


WordFlightWordFlight is the labor of love from a group of dedicated reading researchers, authors, and cognitive scientists who want to help more students learn to read. WordFlight is Foundations in Learning’s flagship offering.


Schedule a free screener!

Back to Top