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2024 SESSIONS

GET INSPIRED

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

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EMILY HANFORD

We're thrilled and honored to have investigative reporter Emily Hanford as a keynote speaker for our third annual Literacy & Justice for All Symposium. Emily's work has shed light on the literacy crisis and explained it in depth. We look forward to her keynote and know it will ignite our participants and cultivate a day of learning, knowledge sharing, and collaboration. Emily Hanford is a senior correspondent and producer for APM Reports, the documentary and investigative reporting group at American Public Media. Her work has appeared on NPR and in The New York Times and other publications. For the past several years, she has been reporting on reading instruction. Her 2018 podcast episode “Hard Words: Why aren’t kids being taught to read?” won the inaugural public service award from EWA. Her most recent project, the podcast Sold a Story: How Teaching Kids to Read Went So Wrong, won a 2023 IRE Award and was nominated for a Peabody.

FEATURED GUEST SPEAKERS

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Dr. Julie Washington

Approaching Reading with a Strengths-based Lens:  Using Language Diversity to Support Literacy Learning

Claude Goldenberg

Can We Find Common Ground in California’s Ongoing Reading Crisis?

Carolyn Strom, PhD

Beyond Topsoil Teaching: Tending to the Roots of Reading in the Brain

DeRay Mckesson & Dr. Sabrina "Bri" Moore

Welcome Reception & Fireside Chat:
A Conversation About Literacy & Justice

CONCURRENT SESSION WORKSHOPS

Accelerating Foundational Skills for Older Readers
  • Roxanne Rose, Manager of Educational Partnerships, The Center for Collaborative Classroom

  • Andreia Simon, Regional Director, The Center for Collaborative Classroom

Cultivating Equitable and Encouraging Environments for Multilingual Learners with SEEDS
  • Kamye Hugley, Manager of Training & Development, FluentSeeds

  • Nereyda Hurtado, Coach & Trainer, FluentSeeds

Decodable Books: Removing the Guesswork
  • Elise Lovejoy, CEO, Express Readers

Early Literacy Legislation in California: An Overview of AB 2222
  • Heather Calomese, Chief Policy and Advocacy Officer, EdVoice

  • Megan Potente, Co-State Director, Decoding Dyslexia CA

  • Yolie Flores, President/CEO, Families In Schools

Fulfilling the Science of Reading Promise
  • Jessica Reid Sliwerski, CEO and Co-Founder, Ignite! Reading 

  • Kareem Weaver, Co-Founder and Executive Director, FULCRUM Oakland

Go Public With Your Learning: Collaborating for Literacy
  • Nina Portugal, Director of Visibility & Community Engagement, Lead by Learning

  • Nhi Truong, Lead Program Facilitator, Lead by Learning

  • Brooklyn Joseph, Lead Program Facilitator, Lead by Learning

Honoring Community Leadership: Accelerating and Sustaining Change
  • Michael De Sousa, Founder, Roda Leadership Development

Leading Curriculum Change in Pursuit of Equity
  • Sarah Woodard, National Director for Educational Partnerships, Humanities, Great Minds

  • Heidi Foley, Implementation Leader, Great Minds

Less Talking, More Action!
  • Devika Sood, Director of Program, FULCRUM 

  • Romy Trigg-Smith, Director of Early Literacy, Oakland Unified School District 

  • Erin Cox, Early Literacy Lead, Aspire Public Schools

Lit Learning While Black: We Want to Read Too!
  • Precious "Nerdy P" James, Co-Founder and Program Director, 3Ls: Literacy Leadership & Liberation

  • Dr. Sabrina "Bri" Moore, Co-Founder and Director, 3Ls: Literacy Leadership & Liberation

Literacy Leadership: Essentials of the Principal/Coach Relationship
  • Jennie Johnson, Literacy Coach, Joshua Elementary School

  • Lorraine Zapata, Principal, Joshua Elementary School


Mirrors, Windows and Sliding Glass Doors: Supporting Diversity and Inclusion with Storybooks
  • Maya Gutierrez, Director of Programs, Partners in Early Learning

  • Cecilia Valdez, Curriculum Specialist, Partners in Early Learning

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