CULLOWHEE – More than 90 educators from across North Carolina attended the first North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching (NCCAT) Literacy Leaders Conference in Cullowhee Nov. 8-11.
The four-day conference featured presenters, breakout sessions and collaboration time to help Literacy Leaders take steps to support teachers and impact students. The primary conference goal was to support the statewide efforts for improving early grades literacy.
Presenters and topics included:
PLCs v.2.0: Moving Past the What & When and on to the How of Instruction – Daniel R. Venables, Center for Authentic PLCs, Founding Director
Recent Advances in Understanding Word-Level Reading Problems: Implications for Instruction and Intervention - Dr. David Kilpatrick
Assessment and Instruction through the Lens of the Hourglass - Dr. Carol Tolman
Grounded in the Science: Implementing a Comprehensive Approach to Improving Student Achievement- Dr. Kymyona Burk
NCPDI Early Grade Literacy Updates – Amy Rhyne, NCDPI, Director, Office of Early Learning and Kelly Bendheim, NCDPI, Northwest Early Literacy Consultant.
The Power of University and School Partnerships: Leading in Literacy Together – Dr. Laura Bilbro-Berry, UNC System, Executive Director of Educator Preparation and Lab Schools.
The Knowledge Gap – Natalie Wexler
Telling Your Story – Rupen Fofaria, EdNC Education Reporter
NCCAT faculty – Dr. Bonnie Bolado, Gin Hodge, Tamara Houchard and Dr. Mandy Taylor – led sessions throughout the week.
“It was great to hear updates and have collaborative conversations with colleagues and the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction teams,” Catawba County Elementary Curriculum Specialist Mia Johnson said on Twitter. “Thank you to NCCAT and all for supporting us in the alignment process.”
The conference was funded by generous grants from the Belk Foundation and Mebane Foundation.
Sponsors for the event were: GreatMinds, Letterland, LETERS, and Scholastic.